Sausage Balls

"WHY HAVEN'T YOU UPDATED?!" absolutely no one is demanding to know. Eh...it's a busy time of year. And stuff. Right? Sure!

I think both of us are gearing up for some holiday cooking, so maybe we'll be blogging about that soon. The menu at my house this year will be very low-key. The plan is to make and freeze some meat pies well in advance, so all I have to do is bake them Christmas day and be done with it. They will likely be served with a quick side of Potatoes & Green Beans and a dessert of some kind. Maybe a cheesecake? My mom gifted me her springform pan, and I've been very excited about that.

In the meantime, here is my go-to Christmas recipe. I make these every year - they are super easy, delicious, and big crowd pleasers! They're just kind of pain-in-the-butt messy to deal with, which is why I only bother with them once a year.

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SAUSAGE BALLS

• 2 cups Bisquick mix
• 2/3 cup milk
• ½ lb hot breakfast sausage (if you don't like hot stuff, go all mild)
• ½ lb mild breakfast sausage (if you ain't a wimp, go all hot)
• 12 oz shredded sharp cheddar (definitely use sharp)

Oven temp: 350

In a large bowl, mix everything together well until a gooey dough is formed. It will be very sticky at first – like, totally gross, ew, it won't come off my fingers, what have I done?! Let it sit a few minutes to firm up before rolling. Wash your hands while you wait. Gah. Ugh.

Pinch off a little dough at a time and roll into small balls - I aim for somewhere between the size of a nickle and quarter. Line them up in a single layer – not touching each other - on an ungreased cookie sheet. You can fit many on the sheet, since they will plump up a little when cooked, but not much. Bake 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown.

I usually have about three cookies sheets in rotation while I make batch after batch after batch of these things. If you're making them for gifts or party trays, you'll want to make more than you think you'll need. This is to account for any that might, uh...go missing during the cooking process. Lock your kitchen down. Some people do not understand the meaning of "those are for the office party."

(And honestly, I thought I only ate like three of them, but I'm missing about two dozen. It must have been the dog.)

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Also, before I go...next time you make Sweet Potato Fries, sprinkle on some chili powder and rosemary along with the salt and pepper. DO IT.