Sausage Cheddar Balls

 

Stop the clocks!  Hold up!  You still have time to squeeze in one more unhealthy recipe before the New Year!  My goal was to post this a week ago, but of course my schedule did not free up like I thought it would...of course. : )  Another goal I have, and of course plan to keep this time is to only post healthy recipes for all of January 2012.  This should help you all in your month long commitments to getting healthier in the New Year.  I will of course continue posting sugar filled recipes as soon as February rolls along...of this I am sure.

I don't know about you, but I am ready for a New Year.  A fresh start, a clean slate, and a new beginning!  The beginning of the New Year is always so full of hope for things to come, and a renewed commitment to living a better life.  Whats not to like?  I would share my New Year's resolutions with you, but I have yet to come up with any.  I have no flaws, so I have nothing to change.  Yeah right, not even close.  The list is long, so I am working on revising it and coming up with attainable goals.  

One of the things on the list is to improve my blog.  Starting with a new camera!  I am in the process of figuring out which one to buy.  This will hopefully improve the appearance of the food I make and make your reading experience more enjoyable.  I am also going to try and be more consistent with my posting and try to post at least once a week. 

Now onto the recipe.  These wonderful little appetizers are quick to make, and sure to please.  You can make them ahead of time scoop them out and freeze them.  Keep them in a ziploc bag and just pop a few in the oven when you want them.  I recommend using high quality cheese and  sausage, of course this will improve the taste immensely  You might be familiar with these as there is a version that calls for bisquick baking mix.  I admit that version is tasty, but in keeping with my "box free" cooking philosophy these stand up to the test and even surpass in my opinion.

Sausage Cheddar Balls

from Martha Stewart

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 cups grated cheddar (1/2 pound)
• 1 pound bulk breakfast sausage
• 1/2 large yellow onion, grated on large holes of a box grater
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and baking powder. Add cheddar and toss to coat. Add sausage, onion, and butter. With your hands, mix until well combined and roll mixture into 1-inch balls. Place balls, 1/2 inch apart, on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until balls are golden and cooked through, 25 minutes. Serve warm.