Everything Bagel Smoked Salmon Cheese Ball

This Everything Bagel Smoked Salmon Cheese Ball is the perfect schmear for your favorite bagel with lemon zest, onions and capers. Send out the invites to brunch! 

Cheese balls were one of my paternal grandmother’s favorite things so my mom bought her one just about every Christmas when they were available, I guess for Christmas parties. We didn’t see them for sale the rest of the year. They contained a variety of cheeses and were rolled in nuts. Very festive! 

When I became a grownup, I’d occasionally make her one as well. She wasn’t picky at all. All cheese balls are good cheese balls, a sentiment I now echo. As a kid, I wasn’t such a fan. 

Yep, now I am a big fan of cheese balls for any party occasion. One of the favorite ones I’ve ever made was for Halloween so it was shaped like a pumpkin. My second favorite is spicy and covered in nuts but it’s rivaled by this everything bagel seasoning smoked salmon edition! 

Everything Bagel Smoked Salmon Cheese Ball

This cheese ball was inspired by this savory cheesecake recipe. You can use orange colored cheddar but I think using a natural cheddar makes a prettier cheese ball. 

Ingredients - makes a 1 lb or 454g cheese ball

4 oz or 113g extra sharp natural cheddar

1 tablespoon onion, sliced as thinly as possible then minced

4 oz or 113g smoked salmon

1 tablespoon capers

8 oz or 225g cream cheese, softened

1 tablespoon everything bagel seasoning, plus extra for sprinkling

zest 1 lemon

2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt

Method

Grate the cheddar. Using a sharp knife, chop the smoked salmon into small bits. 

Add all of the cheese ball ingredients into a large mixing bowl. 

Mash and stir until well combined and homogeneous. 

Scoop the mixture out on to a piece of cling film and use your hands and the cling film to mold it into a ball. 

Place the cheese ball in a round bowl and refrigerate for at least one hour to allow the flavor to meld, but it can be made a day ahead of serving. 

When chilling time is over, sprinkle everything bagel seasoning on the outside of the cheese ball, pressing it in so it sticks. 

Once it’s sufficiently covered, you can even roll the ball around to make it perfectly round. 

Serve with bagels or crackers or slices of baguette. I cut a large wedge to share with my mother-in-law and she ate hers on toast. It's all good. 

Enjoy!

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are sharing cheese ball recipes. Many thanks to our host, Amy of Amy's Cooking Adventures. Check out the links below.

• Bald Eagle Cheeseball by Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Everything Bagel Smoked Salmon Cheese Ball by Food Lust People Love
• Jalapeno Pecan Cream Cheese by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Pineapple Cheese Ball by Our Good Life
• Shaam Savera/Palak Paneer Cheese Ball by Sneha's Recipe

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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Small Batch Strawberry Jam

This small batch strawberry jam is so much better than store bought. Made with just strawberries, sugar and lemon, it's so quick and easy, you may never buy strawberry jam again! I know I won't. 

Last year my close friend group was hosting a shower for one of our daughters who was getting married. We decided on an “afternoon tea” theme which everyone loves. 

I volunteered to make mini scones, jam, clotted cream and blood orange curd. The clotted cream was an absolute nightmare so in comparison, everything else was super easy. Especially the jam! I called it Sweet as Audrey Strawberry Jam on the labels in honor of our beautiful bride to be. 

Small Batch Strawberry Jam

This recipe makes two full pint jars and about 2/3 of a third pint. 

Ingredients

3 lbs or 1.36kg fresh strawberries

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt 

4 cups or 800g white sugar

1/3 cup or 80ml fresh lemon juice

Zest from 2 lemons

Method

Remove the hulls and green tops from the strawberries. Rinse them with cool water. 

Slice the strawberries and put them in a large pot and sprinkle them with the salt. 

Add in the sugar and leave to macerate for at least 30 minutes. 

Cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly and bring the strawberries to the boil.

Once boiling, add the lemon juice and zest.

Boil for about 15 minutes, or until the jam reaches the setting temperature of 220°F or 104°C.

Stir often, to make sure the jam doesn’t burn.

Ladle into sterilized jars, screw the lids on and turn the jars upside down. Leave to cool, retightening the lids occasionally.

Once cooled, turn the jars right side up. The lids should pop in. Refrigerate any that have not. 

Enjoy on scones or buttered toast! 

Welcome to the 10th edition of Alphabet Challenge 2025, brought to you by the letter J. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the J recipes below:

• Sneha’s Recipe: Jeerem Meerem Powder/Cladin Masala-Homemade 
• Blogghetti: Easy Crock Pot Chicken Jambalaya 
• Mayuri’s Jikoni: Armenian Jajukh Salad 
• Jolene’s Recipe Journal: Creamy Jalapeño Corn 
• Food Lust People Love: Small Batch Strawberry Jam 
• A Messy Kitchen: Jollof Rice 
• Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Thai-Style Turkey and Jasmine Rice Soup 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Jamaican Jerk Chicken 
• Culinary Cam: Inspired by a One-Word Text: Jjamppong 
• Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice: Sweet & Spicy Jalapeño Canned Tomato Salsa 
• Magical Ingredients: Jalapeño Popper Dip

Here are my posts for the 2025 alphabet challenge, thus far:

A: Roasted Asparagus Soup

B: Blistered Sugar Snap Peas

C. Jersey Royal Chicken Chorizo Traybake 

D. Small Batch Dried Apricot Jam 

E. Whipped Espresso Cream 

F. Fish Sauce Roasted Chicken 

G. Extra Herby Gremolata 

H. Smoked Herring Spread 

I.  Fresh Cherry Ice Cream 

J. Small Batch Strawberry Jam – this post!

 

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Rustic Baked Potato Soup

Better than Panera’s, (and so says my mother-in-law) this rustic baked potato soup starts with actual baked potatoes for more flavor and texture. It’s creamy and more-ish! 

My wonderful mother-in-law doesn’t cook much for herself anymore, especially now after recovering from two successive broken legs (first the left, then when that healed, the right!) and two and a half months in rehab. So we’ve been cooking and bringing her meals to reheat as she needs them. 

Occasionally she asks me to run to the nearby Panera to pick her favorite rustic baked potato soup. It’s not a big serving still costs $7.99 but, hey, she needs the calories and nutrition so I would never object. But then it occurred to me that I could probably make a copy cat version MUCH cheaper. The great news is she likes mine better! Win-win.

Rustic Baked Potato Soup

The Panera Bread soup upon which this is modeled offers two options for topping, extra (or less) Asiago cheese and the addition of bacon for an extra charge. I’ve never added the bacon when ordering for my mother-in-law so I won’t do it here but feel free you want some! We aren't peeling these potatoes so choose a variety with thin skins like white or golden potatoes. If you must use russets, you might want to peel them. It won’t be the same though. 

Ingredients

2 lbs or 900g white or golden potatoes

Olive oil

4 cups or 960ml chicken stock

2 tablespoons butter

1 white onion

2 cloves garlic

4 oz or 113g cream cheese

1 green onion, green part only, sliced

1/2 teaspoon salt, if necessary (some chicken stock is pretty salty and that’s enough salt)

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

To garnish: Asiago cheese, grated  

Method

Preheat your oven to 400°F or 200°C and line a pan with silicone mat or foil for easy clean up.

Scrub the potatoes clean and cut them in half lengthwise. Oil the silicone mat or foil with a good drizzle of olive oil then place the potatoes cut side down. Use a basting brush to oil the tops of the potatoes. 

Roast in your preheated oven for 15 minutes. Turn the potatoes cut side up and roast for another 15 minutes. 

While the potatoes are roasting, peel and chop your garlic and onion. 

Remove the potatoes from the oven and leave to cool. 

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until the onion is translucent. I cover my pot because I find it helps soften the onion more quickly. 

Chop the potatoes into chunks. 

Add the potatoes and chicken stock to the pot. 

Bring to a boil then simmer for about 12 to 15 minutes by which time the potatoes should start to break down, if they haven’t already. 

Use a potato masher to mash some of the potatoes. 

Give the soup a good stir. If you like a thicker soup, mash more! The Panera soup does have some potato chunks so I tried to match that texture. 

Add the cream cheese and the sliced green onion and stir until the cheese has melted. Add the salt, if needed, and black pepper.

Serve garnished with shredded Asiago cheese.

Enjoy!

It’s Sunday FunDay and we are celebrating moms ahead of Mother’s Day in the United States next weekend, sharing recipes in honor of the great women in our lives. Many thanks to our host, Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm. Check out the links below. 

• Edible Gelatin Balloons for Cake Decorating from Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Guava Cheese from Sneha's Recipe
• Haldi Doodh Masala Spiced Cupcakes with Burnt Caramel Buttercream from Culinary Cam
• Honey Mustard Chicken Strips from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Pistachio Saffron Muffins from Mayuri's Jikoni
• Rustic Baked Potato Soup from Food Lust People Love
• Shortbread Lemon Squares from Our Good Life

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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