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Appetizers Featured Jason's Favorites Main Dishes Recipes

Oven Baked Crispy Homemade Chicken Nuggets

Temperature400°Time20 mins

Oven Baked Crispy Chicken Nuggets from www.jasonscooking.com

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Note: Today’s Feed the Freezer section is the best Feed the Freezer Section ever so make sure you scroll all the way down.

Today is homemade chicken nugget day!! If you eat chicken and don’t like chicken nuggets, you should probably go see a doctor or something.

“If you eat chicken nuggets too much, you should also go see a doctor or something,” you might reply.
“Not if you make these tasty chicken nuggets,” I’d say to you.

These crispy oven baked chicken nuggets are quick, inexpensive, and perfect for freezing. They’re baked in the oven rather than fried which automagically makes them better for you than most nuggets (nuggets from the freezer section are fried before you get them) and, because they’re homemade, you know exactly what’s in them (ahem…freezer nuggets and most fast food nuggets).

These may not end your kids’ love affair with the giant clown’s fried chicken pieces but I guarantee they’ll eat them if you make them.

The RecipeRecipe
Oven Baked Crispy Chicken Nuggets
 
Prep time
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Total time
 
Author:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1 lb Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs, Cut into 1” Nuggets
  • ¼ Cup All Purpose Flour
  • ¼ tsp Kosher Salt
  • ¼ tsp Cracked Black Pepper
  • 1 Egg, Beaten
  • 1 Cup Panko Bread Crumbs
  • 1 Tbs Dried Parsley
  • ¼ Cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400°, line a half sheet pan with parchment paper, and spray that with non-stick cooking spray.
  2. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the bread crumbs, parsley and parmesan cheese. Toss to thoroughly combine and set aside.
  3. Place the nuggets, flour, salt, and pepper in a quart-sized zip top plastic bag, seal and shake vigorously until all of the nuggets are completely coated with a thin layer of flour.
  4. Dump the egg into the bag, reseal and shake again until the nuggets are all coated with eggs.
  5. Using your hands and working in batches of 5 – 7 nuggets at a time, shake off the excess egg and place nuggets in the bread crumb mixture, toss the nuggets in the crumbs until they’re completely coated, shake off excess and place in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining nuggets.
  6. Spray the tops of the nuggets with non-stick cooking spray and cook for 20 minutes or until the nuggets get to 165° – 175°.
Tips and TricksTips and Tricks

Because there is very little fat on the outside of the nuggets, there’s not much to encourage browning. That’s just fine with me but if you’d like to brown them a wee bit more when they’ve finished cooking, turn the broiler on for a couple of minutes. Be careful not to burn them because that would be very sad.

Feed the FreezerFeed the Freezer

Homemade Frozen Chicken Nuggets from www.jasonscooking.comI’m pretty sure God invented chicken nuggets so that people would buy freezers. Nuggets and freezers were made for each other so double or even triple this recipe and stash the excess in the freezer before cooking.

For Homemade Frozen Chicken Nuggets, put them in the freezer in a single layer on a sheet pan after breading but before cooking until they are frozen solid. Once they’re frozen, transfer to a large zip-top bag and store in the freezer for 3 – 6 months.

When you’re ready for nuggets, remove the desired number from the bag and cook as directed above, increasing cooking time by 5 – 10 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a probe thermometer, and enjoy!

Fun FactsFun Facts

Tangled and Flynn Ryder (who my friend Lisa is a little in love with) make a cameo in Disney’s Frozen.

Categories
Featured Jason's Favorites Main Dishes Recipes

Dad’s Favorite Beef Stew

TemperatureSimmerTime1 ½ – 2 Hours Total

Beef Stew from www.jasonscooking.com

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Today would be my dad’s 66th birthday. To celebrate, we’re making his favorite beef stew! This stew is one of the few things that he could cook, and he would often make a large pot of it on winter afternoons. Some of my fondest memories include cold evenings in his condo watching movies by the fire place with a warm bowl of stew. He loved to make this stew and I love birthdays so I’m sharing this with you today. I hope you enjoy it.

This recipe is the epitome of a family recipe. My mom, my sister, my dad and I all have slightly different versions and all of them are delicious. My version is below but here are some of the variations:

Mom – Thinner with chunkier veggies
Brooke – No onions and flour slurry added at the end
Dad – Painstakingly consistent cuts of meat and veggies and served with rice

As with all recipes, use this as a base and then add or remove things that you like or don’t like. The great part about cooking is that it is personal and most recipes can be adjusted to suit your taste.

The RecipeRecipe
Dad's Favorite Beef Stew
 
Prep time
Cook time
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Author:
Serves: 6 - 8
Ingredients
  • 3 Tbs Vegetable Oil, Divided
  • 2 lb Boneless Beef Chuck Roast, Cut into 1-inch Cubes
  • ¼ Cup All Purpose Flour
  • 1 tsp Salt*
  • 1 tsp Pepper*
  • 1 Large Onion, Chopped
  • 4 Cloves Garlic, Finely Chopped
  • 4 Cups (32 fl oz) Beef Stock
  • 2 ½ lb White Potatoes, Peeled and Cut into 1” Chunks
  • 8 oz Carrots, Cut into 1” Chunks
  • 1 Packet of Beef Stew Seasoning Mix

*You’ll need more pinches of salt and grinds of pepper to season the onions and at the end.
Instructions
  1. Heat half of the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium high heat.
  2. Place meat, flour, salt and pepper in a large zip-top bag, seal and shake to coat all of the meat.
  3. Once the oil has heated up, add half of the beef to the pot to brown, stir after about 3 minutes to get the other sides. Remove the beef to a large bowl with a slotted spoon and repeat with the remaining oil and beef.
  4. After removing the second batch of beef, add all of the onion to the pan (add more oil if needed) and season with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper and stir everything around. After about a minute, add the garlic and cook until the onions are translucent (about 4 or 5 minutes).
  5. Add some of the beef stock and scrape the bottom of the pot to get the browned bits into the stew. Be very thorough and you’ll be rewarded with more flavor in your stew and a pot that is easier to clean.
  6. Add the remainder of the beef stock, the reserved meat, potatoes, carrots and seasoning mix to the pot and stir to combine. Bring the stew to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 – 1 ½ hours.
  7. If needed, adjust seasoning and serve.
Tips and TricksTips and Tricks

If you want to simmer this stew for more than an hour and a half, go for it. Just add the potatoes and carrots in 1 ½ hours before service to ensure they don’t disintegrate. I wouldn’t stew it for more than 3 hours though…your meat might start to break up.

Feed the FreezerFeed the Freezer

This stew freezes really well so feel free to make a large batch and put some in the freezer for a rainy day. Reheat on the stovetop, adding water if needed to thin it out.

Fun FactsFun Facts

My dad’s name was Charles so his nickname was Chuck. My mom once told me that she used his nickname to remember what kind of beef to buy for stew and now that’s how I remember it too!

Categories
Featured Jason's Favorites Main Dishes Recipes

Healthy Flank Steak Fajitas

TemperatureHigh BroilTime10 mins

Healthy Flank Steak Fajitas from www.jasonscooking.com

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It’s Taco Tuesday at Jason’s Cooking! And while I know that tacos and fajitas aren’t the same thing, they’re pretty darn close so these quick and healthy flank steak fajitas are on the menu today. I made these for the first time a couple of weeks ago for the blog and they were absolutely delicious. The only thing that didn’t turn out on the first batch was the picture so I had to make them again last night – oh darn!

These fajitas were slightly adapted from a Weight Watchers recipe. I have made quite a few WW recipes in my day and I have to say that they’re all really good. No one is paying me to say that, I just really like the recipes that they come up with. These fajitas have a minimal amount of oil, are packed with veggies and only take about 20 minutes to make, making them the perfect healthy weeknight dinner.

The RecipeRecipe
Healthy Flank Steak Fajitas
 
Prep time
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Author:
Recipe type: Main
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
For the Spice Rub
  • 1 ½ tsp Ground Cumin
  • 1 ½ tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1 ½ tsp Kosher Salt
  • 1 tsp Chili Powder
  • ½ tsp paprika
  • ¼ tsp Ground Cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp Freshly Cracked Black Pepper

For the Fajitas
  • 1 lb Flank Steak
  • 1 Tbs Vegetable Oil, Divided
  • 1 Bell Pepper, Thinly Sliced
  • 1 Zucchini, Sliced into Sticks
  • 1 Large Onion, Thinly Sliced
  • Salt and Pepper
  • 8 Tortillas
  • Shredded Cheddar Cheese, Shredded Lettuce, Sour Cream and Salsa for serving
Instructions
  1. Preheat the broiler to high and position a rack close to the flame.
  2. Mix all of the ingredients for the spice rub together in a small bowl.
  3. Rub 1 tsp vegetable oil on the flank steak and season the steak with a generous amount of the rub. You probably won’t use all of the rub so save it for the next time you make this dish.
  4. In a large bowl, toss the pepper, zucchini, and onion with the remaining vegetable oil and season with salt and pepper.
  5. Spray a half sheet pan with non-stick cooking spray and spread the vegetables all over the pan. Place the steak on top of the veggies and broil for 5 minutes. Flip the steak and then broil for another 5 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer registers 135°.
  6. Remove the steak from the pan and let it rest on a cutting board for 5 to 10 minutes. Stir the vegetables around and return to the oven for an additional 5 minutes to finish cooking.
  7. Slice the steak very thinly against the grain and serve with tortillas, cheese, lettuce, sour cream and salsa!
Tips and TricksTips and Tricks

Not a fan of zucchini? Only have red onions on hand? The great thing about this recipe is that you can switch the veggies for whatever veggies you like. Give it a shot!

Feed the FreezerFeed the Freezer

While the cooked veggies won’t do great in the freezer, the cooked fajita meat will. Portion leftover fajita meat into small zip-top bags for a quick grab-and-go taco.

Fun FactsFun Facts

In Mexico, Tacos are almost exclusively made with soft flour tortillas. The crispy corn taco shell is an American invention.

Categories
Dessert Featured Jason's Favorites Recipes

Sugar Cookie Cheesecake Bars

Temperature350°Time40 mins

Sugar Cookie Cheesecake Bars from www.jasonscooking.com

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The first time I ever made cheesecake squares was when I was a kid. I found a recipe in one of those checkout stand Christmas cookie cookbooks, made the squares, enjoyed them, and then I could never find that cookbook again. I think it was one of those TV spirit of Christmas things where I made the thing thinking that I had the recipe but found out it was inside me all the time and then I hear jingle bells and Ho Ho Ho off in the distance.

Anywho…My favorite cheesecake is from the Carnegie Deli in NYC for 3 reasons. It’s flippin’ delicious, my Aunt Pat introduced it to me when I went with her to New York when I was a kid, and because the crust is made of sugar cookies! When I was deciding what I wanted to make this week, I thought about the cheesecake bars which are super easy to make and how I could make them more Carnegie Deli cheesecakey. A tube of sugar cookie dough and 45 minutes later, here’s what I came up with.

The RecipeRecipe
Sugar Cookie Cheesecake Bars
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 12 Bars
Ingredients
  • 8 oz Sugar Cookie Dough (1/2 of a Tube)
  • 8 oz Cream Cheese, Softened
  • ½ Cup Sugar
  • ¼ tsp Kosher Salt
  • 1 Egg
  • 1 tsp Vanilla
  • 2 oz Semi-Sweet Chocolate
  • 1 Tbs Butter
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°
  2. Line an 8x8 glass baking dish with parchment paper and spray that with nonstick cooking spray. This helps you remove the bars when they’re completely cool. See the tips section for more details.
  3. Crumble the cookie dough and press it into the bottom of the pan.
  4. In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, salt, egg and vanilla with a hand mixer until it’s smooth and has the consistency of cake batter. Pour the batter on top of the cookie dough and cook for 40 minutes until it’s just set in the middle.
  5. Remove the bars from the oven and let them cool for about 30 minutes.
  6. Melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave in 30 second incriments, stirring in between each 30 seconds until all of the chocolate is just melted. Be careful not to overcook the chocolate.
  7. Spread the chocolate all over the top of the cheesecake bars and put the whole thing in the refrigerator to chill completely (about 2 – 3 hours).
  8. When the bars have chilled completely, remove from the pan and cut in 12 pieces.
Tips and TricksTips and Tricks

To make depanning a snap, run a strip of parchment paper down one side of the pan, across the bottom, and up the other side leaving a bit of overhang and then spray everything with cooking spray. This will give you a convenient handle to remove the bars in one quick motion.

Feed the FreezerFeed the Freezer

Freeze your leftover cookie dough for the next time you want some tasty sugar cookies or for when you want to make another batch of cheesecake bars.

Fun FactsFun Facts

While the Greeks considered it a cake, cheesecake is more closely related to a custard pie, soufflé or torte.

Categories
Featured Jason's Favorites Main Dishes Recipes

Make Your Own Nachos!

DIY Nachos from www.jasonscooking.com

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First things first: Yes, this recipe includes the white cheese dip that you get in Mexican restaurants!

I LOVE nachos! They’re definitely my favorite Mexican food and are probably in my top 10 favorite foods in all the world. Ironically, when I went to my friends’ wedding in Cabo, I had a total of zero nachos. Weird, huh?

I first made a Make Your Own Nacho Bar for a super bowl party that I threw years ago. They were surprisingly easy to make, and making enough for 6 people is the same as making enough for 20 people. If you’re looking for a crowd-pleasing party food, give the Make Your Own Nacho bar a shot. This is one of the things that my friends and I make a lot when we go out of town and need to make a big meal for a bunch of people.

The RecipeRecipe
Make Your Own Nachos!
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Mains
Serves: 4 - 6
Ingredients
The Basics
  • 1 lb Ground Beef, Turkey or Chicken
  • 1 Package Taco Seasoning
  • ⅓ Cup Water
  • 1 Tbs Olive Oil
  • 1 Onion, Sliced
  • 1 Green Bell Pepper, Sliced
  • Salt and Pepper
  • ½ lb White American Cheese
  • 2 Tbs Butter
  • 1 tsp – 1 Tbs Diced Jalapeños
  • ⅔ Cup Milk
  • Tortilla Chips

Tasty Topping Suggestions
These are the toppings I use when we make a full-on nacho bar at home. Feel free to add to or subtract from this list as needed/desired. Don’t feel like you need all of this stuff every time you want to make nachos.
  • Spanish Rice, Cooked
  • Romaine Lettuce, Chopped
  • Cheddar Cheese, Shredded
  • Fresh Cilantro, Chopped
  • Fresh Jalapeños, Sliced
  • Sour Cream
  • Salsa
Instructions
Make the Meat
  1. In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef or chicken and pour off any fat.
  2. Add the seasoning packet and ⅓ cup water to the meat and cook for 3 – 5 minutes until the water reduces and thickens. Remove from the heat and cover until ready to serve.

Cook the Peppers and Onions
  1. Heat the oil in a medium pan over medium heat.
  2. When the oil is hot, add the onions and then the peppers, season with a pinch of salt and pepper and sauté until everything is tender and the onions are translucent.

Make the Cheese
  1. Cut the white American cheese into cubes and put into a microwave safe bowl (I use a glass measuring cup). Add the butter, jalapeños, and milk and microwave on high in 1 minute increments until the cheese is melted, stirring between each round of microwaves.

Make your Nachos!
My suggestion for the perfect nachos is chips, meat, onions and peppers, white cheese sauce, lettuce, sour cream, cheddar and cilantro, but you can do whatever you want. That’s the beauty of the Make Your Own Nacho Bar!
Tips and TricksTips and Tricks

A Make Your Own Nacho Bar turns into a Make Your Own Taco Bar or a Make Your Own Burrito Bar by simply adding taco shells or appropriately-sized flour tortillas!

Feed the FreezerFeed the Freezer

Freeze cooked meat and cooked peppers and onions in separate bags for a quick and easy nacho/taco/burrito kit!

Fun FactsFun Facts

Cilantro is the planty part of the coriander plant. The spice coriander, used in curry, comes from the same plant!

Categories
Featured Jason's Favorites Main Dishes Michael's Favorites Recipes

Bacon, Apple and Brie Burger

TemperatureHighTime10 mins

Bacon, Apple and Brie Burger from www.jasonscooking.com

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Generally, I’m not a huge fan of fancy burger toppings. At some point, a burger becomes something else when you add truffle oil, shaved pistachios and the tears of a virgin emulsified in unicorn oil. I’ve never gone wrong with salt and pepper, a slice of pepper jack, mustard, mayo, ketchup, and pickles. You, friends, do seem to like fancy burgers so I thought I’d give some a chance and I am so glad I did.

In August, Michael and I went to the North Georgia Mountains and picked a peck of apples. Obviously by “picked,” I mean that we picked a peck of apples up off of the table in the store and took them to the register to pay for them. When I was making the list of things to cook last week, I wanted to use some of the apples and so I thought, “apples and brie go together, why not make something based on that?” Add some bacon and slap it on a burger and you get a pretty darn amazing Bacon, Apple, and Brie Burger.

The RecipeRecipe
Bacon, Apple and Brie Burger
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Mains
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1⅓ lb 90/10 Ground Beef (see Tips and Tricks section)
  • 3 - 4 Apples, Cores Removed and Sliced into Rounds
  • 4 Slices Brie Cheese, Rind Removed
  • 4 Hamburger Buns (I use the French buns from the Bakery)
  • 8 Slices Bacon, Cooked Crisp
  • Mayonnaise
  • Dijon Mustard
Instructions
  1. Preheat the grill to high heat.
  2. Evenly divide your ground beef into 4 equal portions that are about ⅓ lb each. Flatten the portions into patties that are a little bigger around than the diameter of your buns.
  3. Season each of the patties with salt and pepper on both sides and grill for 4 – 5 minutes per side, turning once (see Tips and Tricks section). When the burgers are almost done, put some cheese on them, close the lid and let the cheese melt a bit.
Meanwhile…
  1. While the burgers are cooking, grill the apples for about 1 – 2 minutes per side. You want grill marks but you don’t want to turn them into mush.
  2. Also while the burgers are cooking, spread a little bit of mayo onto each half of the bun and toast those on the grill for 1 – 2 minutes, being careful not to burn them. If you have a gas grill, you can turn off one of the burners and use that area to toast the buns.
  3. Stack the burgers thusly: bottom bun, burger with cheese, 1 or 2 slices of apples, 2 slices of bacon, a wee bit of Dijon, top bun.
  4. Enjoy!
Tips and TricksTips and Tricks

The secret to juicy hamburgers is to leave them alone not overcook them. When cooked properly, even a burger made of very lean ground beef can be juicy and delicious.

Leave your burgers alone! Don’t press down on them or move them around while they’re cooking. You should only touch the burgers twice during cooking, once to flip and once to remove from the grill.

Feed the FreezerFeed the Freezer

A great way to save money is to buy your ground beef in bulk and then freeze it for up to 6 months. I like to form burger patties out of some of the beef and leave some in 1 lb blocks.

When you patties, make sure you put some parchment between them or freeze on a sheet pan before transferring them to a bag to prevent them from sticking together.

Fun FactsFun Facts

According to BurgerFi, Americans eat 14 billion hamburgers a year. That means you ate about 45 burgers last year and have already had about 30 this year.

Categories
Dessert Featured Jason's Favorites Michael's Favorites Recipes

Mixed Berry Crisp

Temperature375°Time30 mins

Berry Crisp

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In February, Michael and I went on the Backstage Magic Tour at Disney World. The tour visits all 4 parks, the costume shop, the central plant, the Disney nursery and tree farm, and includes a family style lunch at Whispering Canyon Café. The lunch is barbeque with all the fixin’s and ends (at least ours did) with an excellent Berry Crisp. I haven’t been able to find the Whispering Canyon Berry Crisp recipe but this one, adapted from Alton Brown’s recipe, is pretty darn close.

If you like amazing desserts, you should give it a try. If you don’t like amazing desserts, give it a try anyway and I think it’ll change your mind.

The RecipeRecipe
Mixed Berry Crisp
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 6 - 8
Ingredients
For the Topping
  • 1 Sleeve of Graham Crackers, Crushed (About 1 ½ Cups)
  • 1 Cup All Purpose Flour
  • ⅔ Cup Sugar
  • 1 Stick of Butter, Cut into Smallish Pieces
  • ¾ Cup Pecans, Chopped
  • ¾ Cup Walnuts, Chopped

For the Filling
  • 16 oz Berries (A Single Type or Mixed Berries)
  • ¼ Cup Sugar
  • 2 tsp Cornstarch
  • Vanilla Ice Cream for Serving
Instructions
Mix Up the Topping
  1. Preheat oven to 375°
  2. In a large bowl, mix the crushed graham crackers, flour and ⅔ cup sugar together.
  3. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter, a fork, or your fingers until there are tiny bits of butter all throughout the mixture and it looks crumbly.
  4. Add in the nuts and mix to combine.

Make the Crisp
  1. In a second bowl, combine the berries, ¼ cup sugar, cornstarch, and ½ cup of the topping mixture.
  2. Pour the filling into an 8” cast-iron skillet or a square casserole dish.
  3. Sprinkle the topping all over the filling until you have a nice, thick crust. You may not use all of the topping but you’ll come pretty close.
  4. Cook for 25 – 30 minutes until the topping is brown and the filling is bubbly. Remove the crisp from the oven and allow it to cool for about 15 minutes.
  5. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
Tips and TricksTips and Tricks

You can a use mixture of berries or a single type of berry for this recipe. I normally buy the “smootie mix” from my grocery store and use that but any berry will work and be delicious. The crisp pictured here is a mix of blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries.

Feed the FreezerFeed the Freezer

Don’t have access to fresh berries? Frozen berries work really well in this recipe!

Fun FactsFun Facts

The difference between a crisp and a cobbler is the topping. A cobbler has a biscuitey dough while a crisp (or crumble) has a crumbly streusel-like topping.

Categories
Featured Jason's Favorites Recipes Side Dishes

Roasted Broccoli

Temperature350°Time10-15 mins

Roasted Broccoli

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Every healthy meal should include at least one vegetable, but let’s face it in our busy lives we often opt to skip the vegetable in favor of the quicker, easier and tastier option. But I’m here to tell you that vegetables can be all three of these things and roasted broccoli fits this description perfectly. Roasted broccoli will help keep your meal more balanced, is quick and easy to prepare, and most importantly delicious to eat. This is the broccoli you make for people that don’t eat broccoli.

The RecipeRecipe
Roasted Broccoli
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Side
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 2 Heads of Fresh Broccoli, Trimmed (or a bag of pre-cut broccoli)
  • 2 Tbs Olive Oil
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • Shredded Parmesan Cheese for serving
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°
  2. If not using pre-cut broccoli, chop the broccoli into preferred sizes.
  3. Place broccoli pieces into a bowl and pour olive oil over it.
  4. Sprinkle salt and pepper over broccoli. Make sure to use enough to cover all the broccoli.
  5. Mix broccoli with a wooden spoon so that all pieces get equal coverage of oil and seasoning.
  6. Lay out broccoli on a shallow cooking sheet.
  7. Roast the broccoli for 10 - 15 minutes until the edges start to brown.
Tips and TricksTips and Tricks

Try different seasonings, cheeses or sauces to make this roasted broccoli even tastier!

Feed the FreezerFeed the Freezer

Broccoli freezes quite well (see the frozen vegetable aisle of your local grocer) however it is just as easy to roast fresh broccoli as it is to reheat the frozen broccoli.

Fun FactsFun Facts

Broccoli is actually part of the cabbage family and is high in vitamin C and dietary fiber… Hence the healthiness.

Categories
Appetizers Breakfast Featured Jason's Favorites Recipes Snacks

Sausage Balls

Temperature375°Time15 – 20 mins

Sausage Balls

BackgroundBackground

I started this week with Buffalo Chicken Balls and I’m ending the week with the thing that inspired them: Sausage Balls. Sausage Balls (or Cheese and Sausage Balls) have been my favorite appetizer since I was a week tyke. My mom has made them for me for breakfast on my birthday almost every year of my life (I was at the beach one year and in Ireland the other year) and then again at Christmas and then they would not come out again until my next birthday.

This is one of 3 recipes for sausage balls that I know how to make. My mom’s recipe is different but I can only make that recipe between my birthday and Christmas so I’ll post that one in a couple of months. This recipe is perfect for any party or tailgate so grab some sausage, cheese and Bisquick and mix some up for yourself!

The RecipeRecipe
Sausage Balls
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Ingredients
  • 3 Cups Bisquick
  • 1 lb Bluk Hot Breakfast Sausage
  • 10 – 12 oz Cheddar Cheese, Shredded
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375° and line a sheet pan with parchment paper
  2. In a large bowl, mix together all of the ingredients until it forms a stiff dough. Your hands are probably the best tool for this but you can use a stand mixer if you’d like. Be careful not to overwork the dough.
  3. Form the dough into 1 oz balls (about 1 ¼ inches in diameter) and place on the sheet pan. You can put them pretty close together but don’t let them touch.
  4. Cook for 15 – 20 minutes or until they start to brown and they are cooked through.
Tips and TricksTips and Tricks

Use a small ice cream scoop to make short work of rolling out the sausage balls.

Feed the FreezerFeed the Freezer

These sausage balls will hold up really well in the freezer. I freeze them after portioning and rolling the dough and before cooking. You can cook them from frozen by adding another 5ish minutes to the cooking time.

Fun FactsFun Facts

The only reason we have Bisquick in our house is to make sausage balls!