the real holiday in March

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Some holidays are not big deals around here. In many ways, I run a very low-key household. Lots of minor holidays come and go uncelebrated. We'll probably wear green on St. Patrick's Day (tomorrow!), but that's the extent to which we'll celebrate the day (maybe I'll serve green food for dinner if I'm feeling festive). We chose to cut out treats for the month of March, so instead of eating pie on Pi day, we opted to just look at pictures of everyone else's mouthwatering pies coming in on social media.

But basketball? That's one thing the Emery family really knows how to celebrate! During the month of March, it's all about brackets and games and stats and tournaments. In fact, we're filling out brackets tonight for family night. And once those brackets are filled out - it's game time! 

Today I'm sharing some of my favorite snacks I like to have handy while we're cheering on our teams in the big tournament.

The first snack (which is also a major fan favorite) is a homemade cheese ball. Growing up, I never knew how easy it was to make a cheese ball! You guys. It's so easy, and it takes only 5 minutes of work. It's not this huge feat of culinary excellence like I once thought it was. Here's the recipe for our favorite cheese ball.

Bacon Ranch Cheddar Cheese Ball

2 8-oz cubes cream cheese, softened

2 cups finely shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup bacon bits

1/2 packet Ranch dressing mix

2 cups crushed Cheez-It Crunch'd crackers 

Mix the first four ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl. With your hands, shape into a tight ball. Roll the ball in the crushed Cheez-It Crunch'd crackers, patting the crackers into the sides of the cheese ball. Refrigerate at least 2 hours. Serve with Cheez-It Crunch'd and Cheez-It Grooves.

We ate this cheese ball up at our house! Sam brought the leftovers to work the next day and it was a fan favorite there as well. Talk about the perfect game day snack.

We also love to eat Cheez-It skewers as we're watching the game. In fact, we make it into a competition! Whenever your team scores, you can put a veggie or bit of cheese on your skewer. When your team has a free throw opportunity, try to throw a Cheez-It Crunch'd onto your skewer! The fun square shape with the open center makes these crackers ideal for target practice during the game. Once your skewer is full - enjoy!

And speaking of playing games with your Cheez-Its, check out the Most Valuable Cheese contest HERE for a chance to win $10,000. 

Savory Cheez-It Crunch'd Skewers

mozzarella cheese, cubed

peperoni slices

green bell pepper, cubed

Cheez-It Crunch'd cheddar

balsamic vinaigrette (optional)

Assemble skewers with alternating mozzarella, pepperoni, green bell pepper, and Cheez-It Crunch'd pieces. Eat as is or dip in balsamic vinaigrette for a little extra flavor!

I bought my Cheez-Its from Target (where, by the way, they are on sale! 3 packages for $8. Plus you can use your Cartwheel app to get an additional 35% off when you buy three varieties.)

What are your favorite game day snacks or Cheez-It recipes?

Did you fill out a bracket this year?