Sausage Balls

Every time I eat, see, or even think about sausage balls I hear my girlfriend Hegna’s voice in my head. Hegna is her maiden name (in college we all went by our last names, and they stick – even 13 years later and even if you are married) and she is my favorite Jersey girl. So what I hear is a thick northern accent saying, “saawsage bawls.” To me it makes them sound even more desirable. Seriously, what's not to like? Sausage, Bisquick and CHEESE! There is more than one recipe for these little bits of heaven but I chefed up this version for mother’s day brunch.

Sausage-Cheese Balls from Betty Crocker

Ingredients:

3 cups Original Bisquick mix

1 pound bulk pork sausage

4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

½ cup milk

½ teaspoon dried rosemary leaves, crushed

Directions:

Heat oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease bottom and sides of jellyroll pan. Stir together all ingredients, using hands or spoon (hands are of course more fun). Shape mixture into 1-inch balls. Place in pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until brown. Immediately remove from pan.

Seriously, don’t forget to grease the pan. I did so it took a little work to remove those puppies. I also made these ahead of time. Bake as directed; cover and freeze up to one month. I just put mine in the refrigerator since it was only a day. Heat oven to 350ºF. Place balls on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until heated through. It was perfect to pop in the oven while the brunch bake was setting. 

This is not a pretty picture, but dude-we were hungry.