Bagels ‘n’ Lox ‘n’ Cranberries Cheese Ball

Nothing says traditional Thanksgiving like a cheese ball.  It’s all the other stuff that makes this crazy.

Ingredients

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 T capers, chopped into smithereens
• 2 oz or so of smoked salmon, shredded/flaked whatever you’d like to call it
• 1/2 c dried cranberries, chopped up a bunch, too
• 1/2 c garlic bagel chips, crumbled into crumbs

Instructions

Whip your cream cheese in a mixer until it’s got all sorts of air in it.  You could also buy whipped cream cheese, in case you don’t have an electric mixer, but it costs more for less actual cream cheese.  Add the capers, salmon and cranberries and fold in the tasty goodies into the cheese.

With well cleaned hands, shape the mixture into a ball, or log, or ring (it’s like a bagel!) and gently press the bagel crumbs into sides of the shape.

Note, many cheese ball recipes invite you to add wine to the cheese ball.  If that sounds extra tasty to you, might I suggest 2 T of Manischewitz?  Cherry Manischewitz sounds interesting.  Add it (slowly) during the creaming phase to get it well incorporated.