Easy Cheesy Sausage Ball Appetizers!

I made some sausage balls for an office breakfast, and I thought I would share.  I use the basic recipe, but change it up to make the sausage balls a little more savory.  This is a no-fail easy appetizer.  I do like to mix them up the night before.  I find that it's easier to roll into balls once it has chilled overnight.  These would be great for an easy Christmas morning breakfast,too!  Just add some fresh fruit skewers and everyone can help themselves.

Sausage Balls

3 C packaged baking mix

1 lb Jimmy Dean pork sausage

8 oz shredded cheddar

8 oz shredded Swiss

1/2 grated Parmesan 

1/2 C milk

1 1/2 tsp Tones Rosemary/Garlic seasoning

1 1/2 tsp parsley

Mix all together and chill in refrigerator overnight.  In the morning, lightly grease cookie sheets, preheat oven to 350 degrees, and roll mixture into TBSP-sized balls.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until brown (I turn them over halfway through baking).

Curry Dip

I'm happy to say that the tree's up, decorations are done, lights are in the front yard and ...well, most of the gifts are wrapped.  We've been working our way down that Christmas check list!  True, the angel just went into her spot at the top of the tree last night because it required Hubby hoisting up our tallest ladder to place her there.  No cookie baking has begun, yet. I usually bake right before,  because they like the cookies really fresh.  Picky, picky, picky, I know!
Along with having our sons home, we are very excited to have out-of-town company coming, as well,  and I've been getting their rooms and bathrooms ready.  I've also been planning the menu to have while they are here.  Ben, our youngest son, got in from college last night and promptly started "cleaning out" the refrigerators (Hey, Mom, is this leftover pork roast?!)
During  our guests' brief visit,  we plan to see Holiday in the Park at Six Flags and eat out at a Texas-style restaurant.  One night will be the viewing of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and I plan to fix party food for that movie night at our house. The crock pot will have the sausages in BBQ sauce, crunchy chicken bites in the oven, cheese ball with veggies and crackers and chips and dip. As I was going over my list, I realized that you probably  have a Christmas party or some company, too, so here's a great dip recipe!


Curry Dip

1 C mayonnaise, plus 1/2 C sour cream 
3 TBSP ketchup
3 tsp curry powder
1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp onion juice (or onion powder)
salt, pepper, and crushed garlic

Mix first six ingredients until well-blended.  Add salt, pepper and crushed garlic in small amounts (about 1/2 tsp each) to taste.  This is great with shrimp.  Put a small bowl of dip in the center of a large bowl filled with cracked ice.  Place shrimp, raw cauliflower, celery, carrots and ripe olives on the surface of the ice.  Very pretty in the center of the buffet! 

Great Christmas Movie:  The Preacher's Wife (or older black and white version:  The Bishop's Wife) Both are great!!

SWAPS:
Designs by Gollum
Simply Sweet Home
Miz Helen's Country Cottage
Brambleberry Cottage
Attempting Joyful Homemaking
My Romantic Home
At the Picket Fence
Amy's Finer Things
The Shabby Nest
Life as Mom

Jezebel Sauce for Spring Parties

It's that time of year when preparations for spring parties are heating up. It seems like the warmer weather and the combination of baby showers, weddings, graduations, Mother's Day, Father's Day and any other number of events has party planners looking through recipes for interesting items to add to the menu. If you don't have a big "To-Do" coming up this spring, you could still make this fancy little sauce and cheese to take to a family reunion this summer; don't you love it when everyone is guessing who brought the yummy item that they've never tasted before?! This sauce recipe is that, "something different" item that is perfect for an appetizer (or just for snacks on the back porch with a a glass of iced tea!!) You can mix this up ahead, keep it in the fridge, and when the time comes just pour it over cream cheese and surround it with your favorite crackers or Melba toast.

Jezebel Sauce

1 (18 oz.) jar pineapple preserves
1 (18 oz.) apple jelly
1/2 (1.37 oz.) container of dry mustard
1 (5 oz.) jar horseradish
1 tsp coarsely-ground pepper
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese

Mix preserves, jelly, mustard, horseradish and pepper together. Chill. Place cream cheese on a pretty serving plate; pour sauce over cheese and serve with crackers.

Swaps:
Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
King's Court 4
We are That Family
Kelly the Kitchen Kop
Raising Homemakers

Healthier Dip

I have been on the lookout for a healthier dip to serve with chips or a vegetable tray. We really like my version of ranch dip (check my archives for that one), but I saw a container of dip made with yogurt at Walmart and decided to search my obsessively-huge files of recipe clippings. Never fear...there it was, a clipping from some magazine from years ago. Hope all the ingredients are still available in stores!

Healthier Dip
2 C yogurt (plain, lowfat)
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen spinach, thawed, drained and squeezed
1/3 C minced onion (think I'll use green onions)
1 envelope Lipton Vegetable Recipe Soup Mix
raw vegetables or chips

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Place in middle of chips or raw vegetables for dipping.

Cocktail Sauce for Your Superbowl Shrimp

Here's a great homemade sauce that's quick and easy to mix up. Serve it with jumbo cooked cocktail shrimp, chilled. It's really pretty served in stemmed glasses with a wedge of lemon and the shrimp hung over the rim.

Shrimp Cocktail Sauce
1 C ketchup
1-3 tsp horseradish
1/4 tsp hot sauce
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Combine and serve with cold, cooked shrimp (tail-on).

***Book I'm reading: The Shack by William P. Young*** It is hard to put down!

I'll be at these swaps today:
-WeareThatfamily
-DiningwithDebbie
-Kingscourt4
-Turningbacktheclock
-Kellythekitchenkop

Stuffed Mushrooms

Stuffed mushrooms seem to be one of those delicious little bites that people look forward to at parties where appetizers are served. I thought that with New Year's Eve on the way, I'd share my favorite recipe for them. The important step to note is that I only use Jimmy Dean Low Fat Sausage (every store doesn't carry it, but it's worth the search. When I find it, I buy several rolls and freeze them).

Stuffed Mushrooms

24 large mushrooms, stems removed
1/2 C bulk sausage, fried (Jimmy Dean's is the best!)
1/2 C chopped onion
2 slices bread, crumbled
2 TBSP parsley, chopped

Saute onion in sausage drippings until transparent. Dice the mushroom stems and add to the onion, cooking another 3 minutes. Add bread crumbs, sausage and parsley. Mix well and stuff mushrooms; bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Note: Several years ago my dad told us how good Jimmy Dean sausage was, and once we tried it we never bought another kind. It's delicious and doesn't leave a skillet full of grease!

I will be at these swaps today:
-Lifeasmom
-Prairiestory
-Couponcookin

Won Tons

One of my friends from University Church of Christ in Oklahoma gave me this recipe. Carol used to bring these to Family Game Night and they were gobbled up in a hurry! You had to be sure to get one of Carol's won tons on your first trip through the line, or you just wouldn't get one. I was told, by others at church, that Carol's mother, Umeko Wellspring, was also a great cook and used to bring them to church fellowships. Carol was very nice to share her recipe with me. I have to say that while her won tons were always shaped beautifully-mine are not! There's a talent involved with wrapping won tons (if you're not familiar with the method, you can just fold them in half and pinch the edges with a fork like a pot sticker.) I miss seeing Carol, Joe and their daughter, Amy; what a nice family.

Umeko Wellspring's Won Tons

1 pkg. won ton skins (I found these in the produce section at Country Mart)
small pkg. ground chuck
chopped scallions
1 can (14 oz,) chop suey vegetables (drained and chopped)
1 TBSP (or more) fresh ginger, grated
2 TBSP soy sauce
1 TBSP cooking sherry
salt and pepper

Brown ground chuck in skillet; drain off grease and add the rest of ingredients except won ton skins. Place a spoonful of mix in the middle of each won ton skin and fold, Fry in deep skillet or deep fryer until light brown. Drain on paper towels. (Good with plum sauce or hot chili sauce!)

I will be at these swaps today:
-WeareThatfamily
-DiningwithDebbie-
-Seaside Simplicity
-Thethriftyhome