Mom's Nut and Cheddar Ball

Soften cream cheese and butter in microwave for 45 seconds on the "defrost" setting.

Add it to the bowl of a food processor along with the ginger, allspice, nutmeg, cheddar, and chutney or mincemeat. Pulse until combined. Scrape mixture into a glass bowl, cover and chill until firm or overnight.

Before serving, chop nuts in a food processor until coarsely ground. Dump onto a plate and mix with the parsley.

Remove cheese mixture from fridge. One heaping teaspoon of cheese mixture at a time, shape the cheese into balls then roll them in the nut and parsley mixture. Or, as an alternative, form all of the cheese mixture into a large ball or two medium-size balls and coat with nuts.

Serve larger cheese balls as a spread, with assorted crackers and flat breads alongside.