Sausage Cheese Ball Appetizers

I like quick and easy, and these sausage cheese ball appetizers are just that. Whenever your planning your next party add these to your appetizer list.

Or, Make these anytime just as a snack your family and friends will love them. These will disappear as fast as you get them out of the oven.

Made with a few simple ingredients, Bisquick, Sausage, and Cheddar Cheese. We always make these around the Holidays and make sure we make enough to freeze.

Did I mention that you can make these ahead and freeze them? Then just bake when you're ready for a snack. They make a perfect game day appetizer. We will be making these for the Super Bowl for sure.

Sausage Cheese Ball Appetizers Ingredients:

1 lb. bulk sausage
3 cups Original Bisquick
4 cups shredded cheddar
1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 cup milk
1-1/2 tsp. chopped parsley (optional)

Directions:

1. Cook the sausage in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat.
2. You want the sausage to be crumbled, use a spatula or wooden spoon to break it up while cooking.
3. Cook the sausage until browned.
4. In a large bowl add the sausage and all other ingredients.
5. Mix well and shape into 1-inch balls.
6. Place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
7. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes at 350 degrees.

Use parchment paper or a greased cookie sheet. You can also freeze the sausage balls for a snack at any time. You should yield about 100 sausage balls. It depends on how big you roll them.

As always thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy it!

Betty Crocker Bisquick Pancake and Baking Mix 96ozReynolds Kitchens Non-Stick Baking Parchment Paper Sheets - 12x16 Inch, 22 CountCuisinart 622-24 Chef's Classic Nonstick Hard-Anodized 10-Inch Open Skillet

Italian Sausage Red Potato Meal

This Italian Sausage Red Potato Meal is an easy and quick way to have dinner ready in 30 minutes or less.

Fran made this one the other night using our own Homemade Sausage. If you're a fan of Italian sausage this one is for you.

Italian Sausage Red Potato Meal: Here is what Fran used

1/2 lb. Italian Sausage links (Cut into one-inch pieces)
2 Medium Red Potatoes (Cubed)
1 Medium Onion Sliced
Light olive Oils (enough to coat the bottom of the pan)
One clove of fresh garlic minced (Optional)
Some Italian seasoning to taste

Using a 10-inch cast iron skillet or nonstick skillet. Cook this over medium heat on the stove top until the sausage is cooked through and the potatoes are nice and tender.

This is another quick, easy and versatile meal.  You can add slices of red and green bell peppers, fresh mushrooms or whatever veggie you desire. Try serving this over your favorite pasta or even rice.

This was enough for both of us. If you're serving more than two people just use more sausage and other ingredients.

Try our recipe for Making Homemade Italian Sausage 

As always thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy.

Make an Italian Sausage Red Potato Meal with one of these:

Lodge Cast Iron Skillet with Red Silicone Hot Handle Holder, 10.25-inch

Copper Chef 10 Inch Round Frying Pan With Lid - Skillet with Ceramic Non Stick Coating. Perfect Cookware For Saute And Grill

Easter Sausage Pie

Italian Easter Sausage Pie

This week I seem to be on a roll with our traditional Easter holiday recipes. Ever since I was a little guy, and that was a long time ago, this Easter sausage pie has been a family favorite. 

We make it every year on Good Friday without fail. This recipe calls for basket cheese, and here in Western New York, we can only find it at certain times of the year, usually around Holidays.

Here is what we use Easter Sausage Pie:

3 lb. Italian sausage links (we used sweet, not hot)

2-1/2 lb. Basket Cheese

2 slices ham (1/4-inch-thick) ham from your deli counter is fine

16 large eggs

½ cup grated Romano cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

The Crust:

2-1/4 cups of all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening, well chilled
2 tablespoons of butter or margarine, again well chilled
5 to 6 tablespoons of cold water

If you need instructions to make the crust you can find them here. Or you can cheat and just buy the pie crust already made.

Okay here is how we make this Italian Sausage Pie:

First, make your sausage, we bake ours at 350 degrees for about one hour, you can also broil or fry the sausage however you prefer to make it.

 While the sausage is baking dice up the basket cheese and ham and place it in a large mixing bowl. 
After the sausage is cooked cut it into small pieces and add it to the bowl.

Now in another bowl beat the eggs and the Romano cheese. Pour the eggs into the large bowl and mix this well with a spoon.

Lightly grease a 15-inch x 10-inch x 2-inch glass baking dish. Roll out the dough to about 1/8-inch thick. Cut ½-inch strips of dough and place them along the length and width of the bottom of the baking dish, in a crisscross pattern.

Here are the strips of dough on the bottom of the baking dish

Pour the mixture into the baking dish and spread it level to the top. Now crisscross strips of dough across the top as you did on the bottom.

 Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and bake this for one hour until the top is golden brown. Then place it on a baking rack to cool before cutting. Once cooled you can cut and serve. This is best served cold the next day right out of the refrigerator. 

There are many variations of this recipe, we have been using this one since 1970 from the St. Vitus Cookbook of New Castle Pa. This is another really easy one to make and is so rich and tasty.

Since I meant comments asking me what is basket cheese? This Wikipedia link will explain Basket Cheese.

As I said before, Basket Chhese is seasonal around the Easter Holiday If you can't find it in your local grocery store. Click this link for a recipe to make it yourself.

I hope you enjoyed this recipe and as always thanks for stopping by.

/>

Silicone Oven Mitts - Commercial Grade, Extra Long Quilted CottonPyrex Easy Grab 8-Piece Glass Bakeware and Food Storage SetFitzroy and Fox 3 Piece Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl Set

& 

Italian Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

Just as I like something sweet after a meal I also like a good starter to a meal. These Italian sausage stuffed mushrooms are a perfect appetizer for any meal.

This is a savory snack and is a great game day or party treat. The next time you are having friends over for dinner impress them with these. You can make them ahead and then pop them in the oven because these are best served hot out of the oven.

Here is what I used for this: Italian Stuffed Mushroom Recipe

16 large fresh mushrooms
3 Italian sausage links (This was almost 1lb.)
2 cloves garlic minced
2 tablespoons fresh parsley minced
1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
olive oil (enough to cover the bottom of a 10-inch fry pan)

How I made these: Sausage Stuffed Mushroom Appetizers

 I covered the bottom of my 10-inch fry pan with olive oil, removed the casing from the sausage and began cooking this on medium heat. Use a fork frequently to keep breaking the sausage up into small crumbles.

Now that the sausage was started I washed and removed the stems from the mushrooms. Then I
chopped up the mushroom stems in my small food processor and set the mushroom caps aside.

Cooking the sausage, mushroom caps and stems are ready

 As the sausage was cooking I added the chopped up stems, garlic, parsley, Parmesan cheese, and last the bread crumbs. Continued stirring this until I had a nice firm mixture.

The sausage is ready, now all I have to do is stuff the mushroom caps. I used a tablespoon to do this and made sure that I rounded up the edges of the mushroom caps.

Ready for the oven

I placed these in a glass baking dish with a little bit of water on the bottom, sprinkled with more Parmesan cheese on top. Preheated the oven to 350 degrees and baked for 20 minutes. Serve as soon as they come out of the oven.

I sure hope you enjoyed my sausage stuffed mushroom appetizers.
 As always thanks for stopping by.

Below are all of the handy kitchen tools that I used to make this recipe

& 

BLACK+DECKER HC306 One-Touch 1.5 Cup Capacity Electric Chopper, WhiteZYLISS Classic Rotary Cheese GraterAlpha Grillers Garlic Press and Peeler Set. Stainless Steel MincerPyrex Basics 3 Quart Glass Oblong Baking Dish, Clear 8.9

Grilled Italian Sausage Sandwiches

The other night my wife and my daughter took a trip out of town, and I knew they were going to have a late lunch. That left me wondering what I was going to have for dinner when I got home from work.

I had two Italian sausage links in the freezer; I took them out so they would be ready when I got home. I decided to fire up the grill for my sausage links, I set the grill to medium heat.

While the links were grilling I sliced up some red and green bell peppers, along with some onions and then just for some extra flavor I added some diced up garlic.

My Sliced peppers and onions with the garlic

I simmered these in my cast iron skillet covered, on medium heat on the stove. My wife picked up a couple of sausage rolls for me before she left so I was all set for my Italian sausage sandwiches. 

Simmered over medium heat until tender

These are the kind of sausage sandwiches you love to buy when you go to the county fairs. There is always a vendor selling delicious sausage with peppers and onions. So just in case you missed the county fair with that favorite vendor, you can give this a try. These were quick and easy to make and Oh so good.

What you need:

2 Italian sausage links

½ of each red and green bell pepper sliced in strips

½ onions sliced

1 clove of garlic diced

2 nice sausage rolls

As always thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy

Hamilton Beach 25360 Indoor Flavor/Searing GrillChar-Broil Performance TRU Infrared 500 3-Burner Cabinet Gas Grill

&