Hey guys, I don’t think I’ve mentioned this yet, but, this one time, I lived in North Carolina.
Ok, so I lived there for two years. I guess that doesn’t qualify as “one time.”
I loved North Carolina. It had warm winter weather, Chick-Fil-A, beautiful landscapes, kind strangers, affordable real estate, and sprawling dog parks for Rowdy.
I dare you to tell me he's not cute.
There were some things that North Carolina didn’t have: NY Pizza, NY Bagels, my mom, my dad, my brother, familiarity, and my childhood friends. So I returned to Long Island.
I didn’t leave North Carolina without any remorse. I left some great friends there who I definitely do not get to talk to enough. And I also left Chick-Fil-A and Zaxby’s. However, that is a story for another day.
One friend, whose name is Christy….
…well…
…what would I have done without Christy? She really stood by me when things got tough, and I just couldn’t get enough of her brand of matter-of-fact sass, her sweet little girl, and her love of Harry Potter.
Or her delicious treats. One Christmas Break, during my ten-hour-drive home to Long Island, with Rowdy snoozing in the back of my Jeep, I ate an embarrassing amount of Peanut Butter Balls and Sausage Balls. Not at the same time.
When I saw this recipe on MarthaStewart.com (how the HECK did I get there? I am SO anti-Martha) I had an out-of-body experience: suddenly I was back in the Jeep, popping sausage balls and stressing about how I was going to ration them in order to have popped the last one in my mouth as I traversed the Verrazano Bridge.
This recipe is not quite Christy’s Sausage Ball, but it’s very P+ friendly, and a great holiday-party appetizer. Yum.
So, I guess this one’s for you, Christy. Miss you.
Turkey Sausage Cheddar Balls
Recipe adapted from MarthaStewart.com
Ingredients
- cooking spray
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 2 cups reduced fat sharp grated cheddar
- 1.25 pound sweet Italian turkey sausage, casings removed (I used Shady Brook Farms)
- 3/4 c finely chopped sweet onion (I used my food processor)
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a large cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, pepper, cayenne pepper, and baking powder. Add cheddar cheese and toss to coat.
- Add sausage, onion, and butter.
- With your hands, mix until well combined and roll mixture into balls. You WILL get messy! (I used 1 round tbsp per ball.)
- Place balls about ½ inch apart on cookie sheet.
- Bake on high until balls are golden and cooked through, about 35 minutes. Makes 45 sausage balls.
I need to buy myself some nice, white plates and stop shooting on paper!
