Sunday, December 24, 2006

By Popular Demand...

My mom's Trailer Park Christmas Bisquik Sausage Balls recipe!

2 1/4 cups Bisquik (there is no substitute).

1/2 pound Jimmy Dean sausage, either mild or spicy. You know which one I like.

2 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese (yes, there's more cheese than biscuit in these bad boys. That's why they're so good)

3/4 cup milk.

Cayenne pepper is optional. I make two separate batches, and I use about 1/2 teaspoon for mine but none for the kids'. NOTE: Cayenne goes stale after awhile. If you open your rarely-used seasoning and the cayenne is more brown than red, either dump it and get some fresh, or use more of it for the same kick.

Mix it by hand (OK, use your mixer, you wimp) but just until all the ingredients are well blended into a ball of biscuit batter. Then pinch off and roll balls about 1" in diameter. Too big and they'll be gooey inside, too small and they're nothing but cinders.

In a pre-heated oven at 400 degrees for 14 minutes (use aluminium foil, because they will stick). What you're looking for is "crusty." Not fluffy. They should be a little singed, with the cheese caramelizing for the ideal palate-astonishing experience. But not black and charred. Try to keep the balls relatively uniform in size so they'll all cook in the same period of time.

Serve in a basket by the Christmas tree, along with a slice of something sweet (we make strudel every Christmas) and a glass of something with a surprise in it (mimosa or bloody marys work great!) and Mom and Dad are sure to survive yet another Christmas morning onslaught.