My friend Katie’s husband spotted some pinecone cheeseballs at the grocery shop, and that was all I needed to hear! How cool would a Thanksgiving tray with crackers, pinecone cheeseballs, and some acorn cookies be! If you could find leaf shaped crackers that would just be over the top amazing.
I made these cheeseballs very simply by shaping brie into a cone shape and pushing almond slices into it. You could use your favorite cheeseball recipe and use slivered almonds and whole ones too. The whole almonds would look like a brown pinecone. You could even make a great vegan version with tofu instead of cheese. So many options here! You could also make extra small pinecones to pack in lunches for a little surprise. Maybe tuck some springs of plastic pine tree branches…really so many options!
Today has been a really pleasant day. Tom and both kids were off so we drove out to New Oxford in the morning. Coffee and then the German Christmas shop. We found some amazing things that I will have to photograph tomorrow because it is already dark out. Then we headed to one of the antique shops that is inside an old factory building. We found an amazing (and big) cuckoo clock that has a bird and a group of dancers who twirl and it was only $25. We got lunch out at the Lincoln Diner and plan to stay in tonight and relax. :)
You are always going to the best-sounding antique and thrift stores. My limited experiences with Pennsylvania took me to some of the best antique stores I’ve ever found, but it’s been a long time.
It sure would be awesome if you could give some names and cities of a few places you frequent for those of us who like to do antique store road trips. I hope you wouldn’t mind revealing a few of your sources!
These are the cutest! Thanks for always sharing your cool ideas and findings.
Comment by Angela 11.20.08 @ 10:30 pmThat looks delicious, what a great idea for a Fall meal
I’ve seen where people made leaf-shaped savory pies using leaf cookie cutters, you could probably make crackers the same way. I’ve been wanting to experiment with making my own crackers after seeing an Alton Brown episode where he made them–it looks pretty easy.
Comment by Donna 11.20.08 @ 10:48 pmthat looks delicious. tho using brie makes me want to drench it in raspberry sauce…….
(baked brie once has ruined me)
Wow, this is a great idea, thanks for sharing!
Oh, and I can`t wait to see the cuckoo clock. :)
This is great! I love this. I will have to share with my mom, she adores pinecones :)
Comment by Michelle 11.21.08 @ 8:03 amI am so glad you made them! I will have to show Chris. Now I am going to have to make a few, just for fun.
Comment by katie 11.21.08 @ 11:15 amThanks so much for this, just in time for me to take it to my family’s potluck Thanksgiving Eve soiree. HOoray!!
Sara in Salt Lake City (IbbySkibby.com)
Aak! How did you luck out with that cuckoo clock!? I’ve been wanting one my whole life (but, you don’t run across them in the West like you do back East apparently!) And German Christmas shop? Shut up! :)
I LOVE the pinecone cheeseball! I may have to make that for Thanksgiving! Thanks Heidi!
Comment by Summer 11.21.08 @ 1:59 pmThat is SOOOOOOOOOOO cool! you are the cleverest girl EVER!
Comment by Lisa 11.21.08 @ 3:04 pmThose pinecone cheeseballs look amazing. They remind me of Seventies style hedgehogs where half a melon (grapefruit or similar) would be overturned, covered in silver foil and act as a hedgehog base. Then cheese and pineapple on cocktail sticks would be stuck all over the little fella. Classy!!
Comment by Valerie 11.22.08 @ 3:27 amI don’t know if someone has told you about this yet, but Not Martha made some delicious and beautiful-looking leaf crackers a little while back http://www.notmartha.org/archives/2008/10/29/leaf-shaped-soup-crackers/
would go lovely with your pine cones and acorns.
Dude…sprigs of rosemary would be good stand-ins for real pine needles! So cute!!
Comment by Jenny 11.27.08 @ 1:28 amWow! CUTE! I’ll be bringing this to my next potluck. Thanks so much for posting it!
Comment by carolbrowne 11.27.08 @ 12:24 pm