By All Saints Sunday at New Hope AME, which is the service I find the most important of the liturgical year. Pastor Hendricks reads the names of the members who have passed since the last November, and the congregation responds after each name with "present," which is the tradition — they are still present with us, still part of this body. Marcus's name has been read every year since 2018. Bernice's was read for the first time last year, and again this year, and I sat in the third pew and said "present" when they came to her name and it was still hard and I did not expect it to be otherwise.
After the service we had a meal in the fellowship hall — the church provides a full spread on All Saints Sunday, and I was part of the team that cooked. We made a macaroni and cheese that I am proud of: four cheeses, a bechamel base, finished under the broiler until the top is a deep golden brown. This is not a weeknight casserole mac and cheese. This is a proper baked macaroni and cheese that requires a serious oven and undivided attention during the final minutes. I stood at that oven door like a sentinel.
Sharing it with the congregation after a service like that one — where grief and faith and belonging are all in the room together — felt right. Food does something at those moments that nothing else can do. It insists that life continues. It says: the names were read, the loss is real, and now come to the table and eat, because we are still here. That is not a small thing. That is almost everything.
On the drive home I thought about Bernice eating that macaroni. I thought about how she would have opinions about the bechamel and would probably say the cheddar ratio was wrong. I smiled at the windshield the whole way home. She would not have been wrong, and we both know it.
The macaroni and cheese I made that Sunday was a labor of love and grief in equal measure, and I’m not sure I could replicate it on a Tuesday with a clearer head — some dishes belong to the moment they were made in. But when I think about the cheese that lives on our fellowship hall table across seasons and occasions, the one that always draws people in before the main spread is even set out, it’s a good cheese ball: rich, sharp, unapologetic, exactly the kind of thing Bernice would have picked up a cracker for and then quietly gone back for seconds. These Christmas Cheese Balls are what I bring when I want to feed a room full of people who are showing up for each other, because they travel well, they please everyone, and they invite exactly the kind of standing-around-the-table conversation that holds a community together.
Christmas Cheese Balls
Prep Time: 20 minutes | Chill Time: 1 hour | Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes | Servings: 16
Ingredients
- 2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup finely chopped pecans
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- Assorted crackers and sliced vegetables, for serving
Instructions
- Mix the base. In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with a hand mixer or sturdy wooden spoon until smooth and fluffy. Add the shredded cheddar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, and salt. Mix until fully combined.
- Shape the balls. Divide the mixture evenly in half. Lay out a sheet of plastic wrap for each portion. Using lightly dampened hands, shape each half into a compact ball. Wrap each ball tightly in the plastic wrap.
- Chill. Refrigerate the wrapped cheese balls for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours. This firms the texture and allows the flavors to develop.
- Prepare the coating. When ready to serve, combine the chopped pecans and parsley on a large flat plate and mix to distribute evenly.
- Coat the balls. Unwrap each cheese ball and roll firmly in the pecan-parsley mixture, pressing gently so the coating adheres on all sides.
- Rest and serve. Let the coated cheese balls sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving. Arrange on a platter surrounded by crackers and sliced vegetables.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 188 | Protein: 5g | Fat: 17g | Carbs: 3g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 195mg