The holidays are here and in my little corner of the world, no matter where I work or live, when I get together with family and friends, the holidays mean tables full of treats and hors d'oeuvres for DAYS. Lazy me would just bring in a tray from the deli or from the mall gourmet food shops but ya know what? i figured out lots of cool things while doing this WOE and I think, why pay $25 for Figi's or Hickory Farms crap when you can make your own that's quick, tasty, cheaper and goes a long way. I made this for a pot luck last month and also brought one to mom's for late-evening after Thanksgiving dinner snack/drinks/games time. It was a hit at both events! For a larger batch (and bigger log) just double everything.

Party Cheese Log
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1 pkg cream cheese
1 jar cold pack cheddar cheese spread (dairy case)
1 C grated cheddar cheese
1/2 of a small onion, chopped fine
2 splashes worchestershire sauce
chili powder to taste
1 small pkg of sliced almonds (or slivered almonds)
Dried or fresh parsley, chopped
1 bunch celery, trimmed and cut into medium sized sticks
1 pkg Ritz Sticks crackers (Ritz crackers shaped into sticks) or your favorite party crackers (for your non low-carb guests)

Mixing it up:
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Empty both the cream cheese and cold cheese spread from their packages into a medium microwave-safe bowl. Place in the microwave oven for 15-30 secs depending on your oven's wattage/power. Remove and stir the cheeses together. They should blend fairly easily, but still be sort of lumpy (not soupy like cheese sauce!) Stir n the worchestershire sauce, grated cheddar and the onion. If it is still a bit too cold and hard, nuke about 8-11 secs in the micro but not too long! If you have one, I would *instead* recommend using a pasty cutter or a handled sieve to blend the ingredients. Now it should be creamy. Add the chili powder to taste (not too hot, just a mellow spicyness), and blend.

Ready to roll:
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Take out a large piece of plastic wrap and lay it flat on the counter. Pour the mixture onto the plastic wrap, rolling as you wrap it until you have a wrapped log-shape. Place the entire thing into the fridge to set for several hours or overnight.

Just before serving:
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Take the roll out of the fridge. You will notice that it has fallen flat a bit, but that can be fixed! While it is still wrapped, roll it and shape it back into a complete sphere, keeping the ends flat. Pour first the parsley then the sliced almonds onto a counter top or large serving platter, spreading them around until you have parsley-covered nuts.

Unwrap the log and gently place onto the platter at one end, on top of the parsley and nuts. Roll the log until you have covered it, picking up stray ones and pressing them on the log if necessary. If you finish coating it and there are still loose parsley and nuts on the sides, just sweep them underneath the log or pick 'em up and toss 'em in the trash. Now push the log into the center of the platter and, for low carber guests, place the celery sticks on one side in a nice stack, and for everyone else, place the Ritz sticks or crackers on the other side and serve with a spreading knife. People can dip their cracker or celery or for the less brave, spread the cheese using the knife.

***If you are using slivered almonds they make the log a bit tougher to spread or dip into, so toast them by spreading them out onto a glass plate in an even layer and dot with butter. Place in the micro for 1 minute, remove and stir the almonds to coat with the melted butter, repeat every 1 minute interval, for 5 mins. total cook time.

If you don't care for chili powder, feel free to use a combination of
or your favorite seasonings (for the pot luck luncheon I used garlic powder and, Mrs. Dash Table blend--same stuff as regular Mrs. Dash, but ground fine)

Also this recipe is flexible and can have many variations.
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Bleu cheese log: use crumbled bleu cheese instead of the shredded cheddar and cold cheddar spread, same with swiss.

If you like a sharper cheese flavor: pick a cold cheese spread flavored with port wine.

A smokier cheese log can be acheived by using bacon bits and a bit of liquid smoke flavoring.

You don't have to use the onion, use your imagination! Some other type of bits that you prefer such as small bits of hard salami, pepperoni, capers, nuts, leeks, sundried tomatoes, etc. can be put in if you like. Try diced pimentos or bits of toasted sesame, minced garlic and some herbs, etc.

*** Quick tip: if your initial cheese mixture comes out of the micro too soupy you can let it sit in the fridge for just a bit to set (1/2 hour or so) and then start over.