Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Party Food!!

Hi everybody!!  The Fresh Pioneer is back and I needed to make some finger food for a party recently. Someone else had already snagged the veggies and dip, so what was a girl to do???
 
 
 
 
 I thought about an antipasto plate, but the last time I tried that, it was really expensive and no one ate any of it. I got to munch through two pounds of mozzarella balls marinated in olive oil and herbs. Yay, me!
 
  Maybe if I were Martha, I would have known that antipasto wouldn't fly in our little cowboy town. Live and learn.

So, I decided to make some yummy sausage balls I remember my college roommate making wayyyyy back in the good days. I mean, those days when I could eat twenty of these and not get heartburn or gain five pounds. The good days are gone. Don't ask me how I know this to be true.
 

Now, my roommate was from.... Can you guess?? :D  I'd been to the South before I met Gail, but I hadn't actually known any Southern people. We all know you can't have the South without Southerners. Those accents! The history! That food!

Awesomely delicious sausage cheese balls. (I don't think that's the real name, but we'll go with it.)

2 lbs good breakfast sausage.
4 cups Bisquick mix
2 pounds good sharp cheddar

MIX.

We have a local organic cruelty free meat provider. (I wondered about that cruelty party, because... the pig is dead. And we're gonna eat it. But apparently it has to do with the before-the-killing part.)
 
I had to go buy some of this. Who knew you could make so much with Bisquick??
                 Grated sharp cheese. YUMMY. I could just eat this whole plate.
Mold into two-inch balls and cook at 350F for about 10-15 minutes. Ours cooked really quickly, so check them after ten by cutting one open to make sure the pork sausage is no longer pink.
They look a little weird and lumpy but they are amazingly SOFT and full of flavor! I think you can dip them in some of those fancy mustards, but I prefer the standard plain ol' hotdog mustard.
    So, quick and easy and cruelty-free (no Bisquick was harmed in the making of this finger food).

In other news, I got an old dresser and was determined to bring it back to life.
Here it is, alligatored with age. Solid oak, super cheap yard sale item. Can it be saved???
I got one drawer stripped and added gloss. I like the way this is going....

But then, tragedy! Something had stained the bigger drawers, only two of them and only halfway. So when they were stripped, they looked... awful. Not clean. Not the tiger oak I was expecting. *SOB*

Miss Hilton Steele gave me good advice (as always) and told me to troll Pinterest. And two tone furniture kept popping up. Would it work??
So, taking a leap of faith (Wheeeeee!) I started. Cream colored, easy to distress, chalk added paint.
I really loved that tiger oak on the side and was so glad to be able to preserve a little of it!
And then I searched for a two days on all the knob sites. Who knew there were so many beautiful creations?? Glass, pottery, brass, wood, antiqued iron birdies... My head was whirling...
Then I remember I had a whole bucket of knobs I picked up at a garage sale. There might be something.... And there was! Big brass knobs, perfect for little hands!

 
I have another writing project happening so I'll see you writer types at the 1k1hr group! (Like that tumbler picture? Yeah, that's me on the left, with the fireworks...)

Until next time, my friends!







 
 



11 comments:

  1. I'll skip on the sausage balls but I LOVE your two-toned dresser. What a great idea!!!!! And I want to go garage saling with you! You get the best finds ever!

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    1. We have an online virtual yard sale here. It's on facebook and people can post and leave it up for as long as they want. The big problem is you have to check it all the time or you miss out! The second problem.... is you check it all the time and buy lots of stuff!

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  2. I was first introduced to sausage balls in - you guessed it - Texas. People at our church would get into fist fights about whose turn it was to bring the sausage balls.

    Okay, not fist fights. But things got heated enough that this Yankee stayed out of the fray :)

    But they're always a hit at any gathering.

    And I love that dresser. You are so creative I'm in danger of turning a bit green - but instead, I'll just enjoy seeing the results!

    You know, you could be Amish with your propensity to make beautiful things with what you have on hand.

    And I'm sure enjoying Pride, Prejudice and Cheese Grits :)

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    1. Oh, I'm glad you're liking the book, Jan!

      And yes, we believe in upcycling, recycling and reducing our use of materials. So, we try to use old, already created objects rather than buy new. Good for us, good for the budget, good for teaching kids about finances, and good for the environment!

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  3. I'm a huge sausage ball lover!! We always have them at brunches and receptions and such. :)

    Love your "new" dresser!

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    1. I want to go to those brunches and receptions!! I've never seen them anywhere around here. It's definitely a South of the Mason-Dixon line food!!

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  4. Sausage and cheese balls are a Southern staple!

    Oh, the dresser just turned out beautifully. You just needed a little prodding.

    Peace, Julie

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    1. Yes, thank you for all the advice!! I was so crushed when I saw the bottom drawers wouldn't turn out clear like the others. *SOB*

      But in the end, all was well!

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  5. I love sausage balls! they're always a hit! I've used either lower fat sausage or lower fat cheese (2%) I really don't recommend both LOL! good stuff and I eat 'em plain!
    Susanna

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  6. I abosolutely love these and will just on a whim make them. Tom and Jackie are not crazy for them but that make more for me:0)

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