Vampire Repellent

My mother called this recipe "Vampire Repellent" because of the strong garlic.  And yet that never kept anyone away from it at a party.  A crowd pleaser for sure, this recipe can't be easier to make.



Whenever my mother would make this dip, she always used to top it with one of those American flag toothpicks. To this day, I'm still not quite how a cream cheese/garlic/parsley dip screams patriotism... but that's my mother for ya!



Ingredients

2 8-oz packages of cream cheese
1 tbl lemon juice
4 tbl butter
2 - 3 large garlic cloves
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup fresh minced parsley (plus additional minced parsley for coating cheese ball)


Directions

Process parsley and garlic in a food processor. Add the rest of the ingredients and process.


For Presentation

Line bowl with plastic wrap, and sprinkle minced parsley in the plastic wrap. Insert cream cheese mixture into plastic-lined bowl and chill overnight.
When ready to serve, invert bowl onto platter. Use plastic lining to pull cream cheese mixture out of bowl. Garnish by patting additional minced parsley on the top. Serve with crackers or chips. For a seasonal garnish, decorate with chopped pimento or red pepper.