Turkey Cheese Ball

1. Stage

In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, finely chopped turkey, shredded cheddar cheese, diced onion, Worcestershire sauce and garlic powder. Use a hand mixer to blend the ingredients together. Lightly grease your hands, then shape the cheese mixture into a ball. Wrap the ball and refrigerate it for an hour or until it's firm. Editor's Tip: Refrigerate the cheese ball overnight to help the savory flavors emerge.

2. Stage

Beat softened cream cheese with a splash of milk until smooth. Then, divide the mixture among four small bowls. Add food coloring to three of the bowls: one brown, one orange and one light orange (use yellow and orange food coloring together to create this color.) The fourth bowl should remain white. Editor's Tip: If the cream cheese isn't softened enough, it can become lumpy when blended. Here's how to soften cream cheese.

3. Stage

Transfer each of the four cream cheese colors into a separate pastry bag fitted with a small round tip. If you don't have a pastry bag and tips, spoon each cream cheese mixture into a resealable plastic bag. Snip a tiny bit off one corner on each bag to create a small opening.

4. Stage

Use the cream cheese piping bags to decorate large crackers to look like tail feathers. Pipe a vertical line of brown down the top half of the cracker, then pipe alternating sets of orange and light orange lines on either side of the center line. Finish the top of each feather with a row of short white lines. Leave the bottom half of the crackers undecorated—this end will go into the cheese ball. Editor's Tip: Look for large, long crackers to create the turkey tail feathers, such as sourdough flatbread crackers or Wasa Thins.

5. Stage

Right before serving, move the chilled cheese ball to a platter and decorate: Take a red bell pepper and slice two pieces: a thick wedge with a curved end and a thin strip. Insert the thick wedge of bell pepper, with the curved end at the top, into the front of the cheese ball—this is the turkey head. Tuck the thin strip of bell pepper next to the head to create the waddle. Cut a triangle from a yellow summer squash for the beak. Attach it to the turkey head with a dab of cream cheese. Use dots of brown and white cream cheese icing to make eyes. Insert the pecan halves into the cheese ball behind the turkey head in arcs, like rows of feathers. Insert the decorated crackers into the back of the cheese ball, fanned out to look like turkey tail feathers. Be careful when inserting them so they don't break.

6. Stage

Serve the turkey cheese ball with small crackers scattered around the base, or arrange the crackers on a separate serving plate.