Name: Sausage Balls from Scratch
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Yield: about 60 sausage balls
Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour; 1 tablespoon baking powder; 3/4 teaspoon salt; 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into cubes and chilled; 1 pound breakfast sausage (mild or hot, your choice); 1 pound cheddar cheese (2 8-ounce blocks), grated; milk

Easy Sausage Balls from Scratch + Video

November 27, 2018

These easy sausage balls from scratch are a classic party favorite without the need for boxed mixes! Everyone at your holiday party or potluck will love them, and they are also perfect for a Christmas breakfast treat! Your family won’t be able to get enough. Sausage, cheddar cheese, flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, butter, and a little milk…so easy and delicious! Scroll down for video!

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Christmas Food is the Best Food!

There are so many things to eat at Christmas. I could never pick a favorite. I mean, ranch Goldfish? My grandmother’s egg soufflé? All the cheese balls?? For Christmas dinner, we eat prime rib and twice baked potatoes. Can you see why I❤Christmas?

At every Christmas gathering (including my family’s Christmas breakfast) you are likely to find sausage balls. Little nuggets of breakfast sausage, cheese, and biscuit mix (aka Bisquick), these things are addictive. They’re low-calorie too, so you can eat as many as you like (⬅that’s a total lie). Truth be told, though, I don’t wait for Christmas to make sausage balls.We love to eat them for breakfast or for an occasional Saturday night snack (Saturday night is snack night in my house).

No-Bisquick Sausage Balls

I have nothing against Bisquick. My mom makes her sausage balls with Bisquick and Cheez Whiz (because Cheez Whiz helps them to mix up more easily) and those things are goooood. I’m a biscuit purist, though, so I don’t keep Bisquick or any other type of baking mix in the house, so I’d rather just make my own than go buy a box when I want to make sausage balls.

Easy Sausage Balls from Scratch!

These take approximately one minute longer to make than sausage balls made with a baking mix (that minute being used, of course, to measure the ingredients) and they are every bit as delicious.

Yummy Christmas Treat!

So, whether you want to go the traditional route and use a baking mix or make these easy sausage balls from scratch, just make some sausage balls. It’s Christmas! They are perfect for a holiday potluck or party or for serving for Christmas breakfast. Everyone in your family will love them, and you don’t have to buy a box of mix to make them!

Shared on Meal Plan Monday on Southern Bite!

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Yield: about 60 sausage balls

Sausage Balls from Scratch

20 minPrep Time:

20 minCook Time:

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Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into cubes and chilled
1 pound breakfast sausage (mild or hot, your choice)
1 pound cheddar cheese (2 8-ounce blocks), grated
milk

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. If desired, spray 2 sheet pans with cooking spray (I actually never bother).
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry blender or your fingertips, work the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Add the sausage and cheese to the bowl along with a couple of tablespoons of milk. Using your hands, work the ingredients together until well-combined, adding milk a tablespoon at a time to moisten the mixture so that you can get all the dry flour (you can also use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment to do this, but I just prefer to use my hands).
Portion the sausage ball mixture into tablespoon size pieces (I use a cookie scoop to do this) and roll into balls using your palms before placing them onto the baking sheets.
Bake the sausage balls until lightly browned, about 20-25 minutes. Stack on paper towels for a few minutes to absorb excess butter. Serve immediately or at room temperature.

Nutrition

https://chattavore.com/easy-sausage-balls-from-scratch/

a photograph of three sausage balls from scratch on a Christmas napkin with a plate of sausage balls in the background

Eggnog French Toast (Slow Cooker)

November 26, 2018

Slow cooker eggnog French toast is the perfect recipe to use up eggnog that’s on the brink (not that I know what THAT is) and BONUS: 10 minute prep time and it cooks overnight! It is SO easy and everyone in your family will love it. Use milk if your family doesn’t like eggnog! Delicious year-round, but PERFECT for Christmas breakfast!

Eggnog Recipe

How many of you, like me, wait with baited breath for eggnog season? I mean, seriously. We get pumpkin spice lattes in September but we have to wait until after Halloween for eggnog? There is something about that that just doesn’t sit well with me. You see where my priorities lie. #eggnogloverforlife

When I was a kid my dad taught me about the glorious beverage that is eggnog, and I was lucky to marry a man who shares my feelings about it. Languishing eggnog is not much of a thing in our house. We throw it back in servings much larger than what is recommended on the side of the carton. NO JUDGMENT PLEASE. We only get eggnog two months out of the year so we make the most of it!

Eggnog French Toast

But it does happen, and when it does, you’re gonna need some eggnog recipes. Eggnog French toast is a perfect solution. Not that you can’t buy eggnog for the sole purpose of making eggnog French toast, because that is a 100% legit reason for buying eggnog. Though I hope you will drink some of it too, because eggnog.

Slow Cooker French Toast

Making eggnog French toast in the slow cooker is the perfect way to have breakfast waiting for you when you get up. I mean, you could totally make it as a baked casserole (just sub eggnog for milk in this recipe), but sometimes when you wake up you need to get some carby goodness into your stomach ASAP, and slow cooker eggnog French toast is the ticket to a no-wait breakfast.

French Toast for Christmas Breakfast Without the Fuss!

Could you totally do this for Christmas breakfast? Heck yeah you could. Like, eggnog French toast is the perfect Christmas breakfast. And you probably should, because people will love you for it. I mean, those people probably love you already, but they’ll be like, “Heck yeah, eggnog French toast.” Well, that’s what I said when I ate this for breakfast this morning.

Whatever you do, don’t skip the lining your slow cooker with foil and spraying it with cooking spray step. The custard will burn on and will ruin your slow cooker. Ask me how I know (sorry, old wound, still hasn’t healed).

But you’re going to do the aluminum foil and spray step, so don’t worry. Just make eggnog French toast in your slow cooker!

Shared on Meal Plan Monday on Southern Bite!

Mary

Yield: 4-6 servings

Eggnog French Toast…in the Slow Cooker

10 minPrep Time:

8 hrCook Time:

8 hr, 10 Total Time:

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Ingredients

12oz bread, sliced (Use a sturdy bread like French, sourdough, country bread, or Challah, which is what I used)
4 eggs
2 1/2 cups eggnog
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
maple syrup, powdered sugar, and nutmeg (for serving)
cooking spray

Instructions

Tear off a long piece of aluminum foil and fold it in half lengthwise. Use this folded sheet of foil to make a "collar" to line your slow cooker. Tear off another long piece of foil, fold it in half lengthwise, and cut down the fold. Lay one piece of foil across the slow cooker in one direction and press down into the cooker, then repeat with the other piece in the other direction. The inside of your slow cooker should be completely lined with the foil collar and "sling". Spray generously with nonstick cooking spray.
Arrange the sliced bread in layers in the stoneware. I placed 3 slices of bread in each layer, slightly overlapping, and placed a piece down each side to fill in the gaps on the sides.
Whisk the eggs, eggnog, and nutmeg together and pour over the top of the bread. My bread slices kind of "floated" above the custard so I pressed them down to soak it up. I just used my hands but if that makes you squeamish just use a spatula.
Cook on low for 8 hours. If there is any liquid left, you will want to uncover the French toast for the last 20 or 30 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve with maple syrup, powdered sugar, and more nutmeg, if desired.

Nutrition

https://chattavore.com/eggnog-french-toast-in-the-slow-cooker/

Instant Pot Breakfast Casserole with Ham, Cheese, and Broccoli

May 9, 2018

Loaded with ham, Cheddar cheese, and broccoli, this Instant Pot breakfast casserole (or strata, if you will) comes together so quickly and is a perfect one-dish meal for breakfast or brunch…but no one will judge you if you eat it for lunch or dinner, either!

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Breakfast Casseroles are the Best!

Raise your hand if you love a one-dish breakfast?🙋🏻You guys know that I love my grandmother’s Christmas egg soufflé. When I set out to make an Instant Pot breakfast casserole, I knew that I wanted it to be even easier than that one, which is saying a lot.

I decided to go with ham instead of bacon or sausage, since it doesn’t need to be precooked. Combined with sturdy bread cubes (I went with tangy sourdough), smoked Cheddar (though you could certainly use regular), broccoli, and eggs, this breakfast casserole – or strata – took about fifteen minutes to throw together after dinner. I covered the dish with foil and stuck it in the fridge overnight.

This is a seriously simple “pot-in-pot” meal. Just pour a little water in the bottom of your Instant Pot, add the trivet, and set your baking dish or soufflé dish in a little sling made out of foil. A few minutes under high pressure and you have a perfectly baked egg casserole that is 100% customizable (don’t like broccoli? Leave it out! Prefer pepper Jack? Go for it! This breakfast casserole is your oyster!). Also, let’s take a quick second to address the elephant in the room: that broccoli is not pretty. I promise it was delicious and it wasn’t mushy!

For real, you guys. You can have this Instant Pot breakfast casserole however you want it. And trust me…you want it!

Shared on Meal Plan Monday on Southern Bite and The Weekend Potluck on The Country Cook!

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Mary

Yield: 4-6 servings

Instant Pot Breakfast Casserole with Ham, Cheese, and Broccoli

15 minPrep Time:

35 minCook Time:

50 minTotal Time:

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Ingredients

4 cups cubed sturdy bread (such as sourdough, ciabatta, or French baguette)
1 cup finely chopped broccoli
1 cup diced ham
1 cup Cheddar cheese (I used smoked Cheddar)
4 large eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

Combine the bread cubes, broccoli, ham, and 3/4 of the cheese in a large mixing bowl. Pour into an 8-cup soufflé dish or other round baking dish.
In the same bowl (there is no need to wipe it out first), whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Pour over the bread mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
Cover the dish with foil and refrigerate overnight.
When ready to cook, pour 1 1/2 cup of water into the bottom of the Instant Pot. Place the trivet in the Instant Pot. Make a foil sling by folding two 20-inch pieces of aluminum foil into thirds to make two long strips. Place the foil strips perpendicular to each other on top of the trivet.
Place the casserole dish into the Instant Pot on top of the foil sling. Fold the ends of the sling over so that they are not hanging out of the Instant Pot.
Place the lid on top of the Instant Pot and make sure that the pressure release valve is set to sealing. Select the pressure cook setting and set the time for 25 minutes. When the cook time is up, turn the Instant Pot off or unplug it. Allow the Instant Pot to depressurize naturally for 10 minutes then turn the pressure release valve to venting to release the remaining pressure.
Carefully use the aluminum foil sling to remove the casserole from the Instant Pot. Remove the foil and allow the casserole to stand for ten minutes before serving.

Nutrition

https://chattavore.com/instant-pot-breakfast-casserole-with-ham-cheese-and-broccoli/

Pimento Cheese Biscuits

May 1, 2018

Pimento cheese biscuits are just about as southern as you can get. They’re soft and fluffy and take approximately 2% more effort than a regular biscuit to make. They’re a great way to use up leftover pimento cheese (is that a thing?!?!?)!

Can you think of two foods that are more Southern than pimento cheese and biscuits?

I really can’t. Funny thing is that of course neither were invented here in the southeast part of the U.S. but certainly no one reveres these foods nowadays like we do around these parts.

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a bowl of pimento cheese biscuit dough with a pastry blender

A bowl of unmixed pimento cheese biscuit dough

Can you get any more southern than pimento cheese and biscuits? Pimento cheese biscuits are the perfect way to use up leftover pimento cheese and they are great ANY TIME of day! | Recipe from Chattavore.com #baking #southernfood #pimentocheese #biscuits

Pimento cheese is one of those foods that I cannot keep in the house if I don’t want to be constantly dipping a cracker or a pretzel or a tortilla chip or just a spoon into it every. single. time. that I open the refrigerator. And biscuits…well, they’re my typical Sunday morning breakfast. Nothing better than biscuits with some Kerrygold.

I mean, unless it’s pimento cheese biscuits with Kerrygold.

Pimento cheese biscuits are a great way to use up leftover pimento cheese, but if you, like me, do not know the meaning of the term “leftover pimento cheese”, then by all means make some (here’s my recipe) or buy it especially for this purpose. I promise, pimento cheese biscuits take only about 2% more effort than regular old buttermilk biscuits.

The tricks to making perfect pimento cheese biscuits:

Good ol’ Southern flour made with soft white winter wheat. White Lily is always in my pantry and Martha White will work as well. If you are not fortunate enough to have grocery store access to this, this thread from Chowhound recommends using half all-purpose flour and half cake flour.
Make sure that the butter and the pimento cheese are cold. I take them out of the fridge right before I make the biscuit dough.
I always use full-fat buttermilk to make my biscuits, but if you don’t have it you can use heavy cream, half and half, or milk (preferably whole milk).
Fold your biscuit dough to get flaky layers better than any remade biscuit ever thought about having!
I used a biscuit cutter to make pretty biscuits for pictures, but I usually just use a knife so I don’t have scraps that have to be reformed. This makes the most tender biscuits!
If you like crispy bottoms on your biscuits (I do) preheat the pan while you preheat the oven. Even better, use a cast iron skillet or a stoneware pan to bake the biscuits!

So – next time you have leftover pimento cheese (I’ll take your word that this is a thing) or just want to combine these two ultra Southern foods, pimento cheese biscuits are the ticket!
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Shared on Meal Plan Monday on Southern Plate and The Weekend Potluck on The Country Cook!

Mary

Yield: 6 biscuits (can easily be doubled)

Pimento Cheese Biscuits

15 minPrep Time:

15 minCook Time:

30 minTotal Time:

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Ingredients

1 cup/5 ounces/ 150 grams all-purpose soft white winter wheat flour (such as White Lily/Martha White) OR 1/2 cup/ 2.5 ounces / 75 grams EACH regular all-purpose flour and cake flour
¼ teaspoon/1 gram baking soda
2 teaspoons/10 grams baking powder
1/2 teaspoon/4 grams salt (kosher salt weighs less than table salt so if you are measuring in teaspoons you will need ¾-1 teaspoon)
3 tablespoons/1 ½ ounces/ 40 grams cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
½ cup/2 ounces/60 grams cold pimento cheese
1/2 cup buttermilk (I use full-fat) OR same amount heavy cream, half-and-half, or milk

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. I highly recommend using a small cast-iron skillet or a stoneware pan to get crispy bottoms. If you are using one, place it in the oven to preheat as well
Stir the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a large mixing bowl.
Use a pastry blender or your fingertips to cut the butter and pimento cheese into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. You don’t want the largest pieces to be bigger than peas.
Add the buttermilk a little at a time (the measurement is approximate because I don’t ever measure…I just pour a little bit, stir, and pour more until I get all the dough to stick together). Stir after each addition until everything just comes together into a cohesive dough.
Turn the biscuit dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pat it out into a rectangle then fold into thirds like you are folding a letter. Repeat that twice, then pat it out and cut into 6 pieces or use a biscuit cutter (I used a biscuit cutter to make these look nice for the picture, but usually I just cut them so that I don’t have to handle the dough too much).
Place the biscuits on the preheated pan or a baking sheet so that they just touch. Bake for 13-15 minutes. Serve immediately.

Nutrition

https://chattavore.com/pimento-cheese-biscuits/

Sausage and Red Pepper Mini Quiches

March 12, 2018

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® community. This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and ConAgra Brands. All opinions are mine alone. #BreakfastGoals2018 #CollectiveBias

Sausage and red pepper mini quiches come together so quickly and they’re so easy to make…and delicious, of course. They’re great for brunch!

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How do you feel about brunch?

Are you a brunch person? For me, brunch = life. I mean, breakfast food is always perfect…am I right? How can you go wrong with biscuits and gravy? Bacon? Eggs? Sausage? Answer: you can’t. Breakfast foods are awesome any time of day. I mean, it’s not really universally accepted to eat spaghetti for breakfast, but it is totally universally accepted to eat pancakes for dinner.

The really great thing about brunch is that most of the time brunch foods are pretty easy to whip up but when you say that something is “brunch” it becomes totally fancy and special. I mean, serve up a mimosa beside just about anything and it’s fancy, right? Easy, crowd-pleasing, and fancy? Hello!

Quiche is one of my absolute favorite brunch foods. First of all, quiche is an awesome “clean out the fridge” food. Throw in a little bit of this and a little bit of that and add some eggs and you have an incredibly delicious and well-balanced meal.
Quiche = Girly Food? NAH.

The thing that always makes me laugh about quiche is that a lot of men think of it as “girly” food. I mean really, how can food be girly? And who really cares? What matters about food is that it tastes good. Honestly, I’m really not sure how food that includes pie crust (I mean, would you turn down apple pie?), cheese, and eggs should somehow only be consumed by women because it has a French name. Can we all just agree that that is silly?

Especially when the quiche in question is this sausage and red pepper mini quiches. With Odom’s Tennessee Pride® Country Sausage, roasted red peppers, and smoked cheddar cheese, these quiches are substantial…but baked in a muffin pan, it’s miniature in stature so everyone gets their own baby quiche…no annoying attempts to cut a slice out of a pie-shaped quiche, because we all know how annoying that can be.

My mom has bought Odom’s Tennessee Pride Country Sausage since I was a kid. Once, I bought another brand because the store where I was shopping didn’t have Tennessee Pride (tragic, I know). I should have made another stop (I could have picked some up at Walmart, which is where I got this), because I was sorely disappointed with the other brand. Odom’s Tennessee Pride Country Sausage always has the right balance of herbs and spices and it browns up perfectly. It’s just how sausage should taste to me. It’s perfect in this quiche with the smoked cheddar and roasted red pepper (which I roasted myself, but you can totally buy a jar).

These sausage and red pepper mini quiches are so easy to make…the whole thing comes together in about 15 minutes, and then they’re baked and ready to eat in 25. You could even make them the night before and stick them in the oven when you’re ready to bake…and this sausage and red pepper quiche is delicious hot or at room temperature.

These sausage and red pepper mini quiches would be perfect on your Easter brunch table!

Click here to save this recipe on Pinterest!

Mary

Yield: 8 mini-quiches

Sausage & Roasted Red Pepper Mini Quiches

15 minPrep Time:

35 minCook Time:

50 minTotal Time:

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Ingredients

8 ounces (1/2 package) breakfast sausage; I used Odom's Tennessee Pride®Country Sausage mild variety
pastry for a single crust pastry (I used one crust from a packaged pie crust)
1 roasted red pepper (jarred, or make your own - see notes for directions), chopped
4 ounces smoked cheddar cheese (1 cup, grated)
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°.
Preheat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the sausage until browned.
Roll the pie crust into a rectangle and cut into 8 equal pieces. I don't get too precious with this - just estimate how big you think it needs to be for 8 mini quiches. Press the 8 squares each into a cup of the muffin tin.
Divide the sausage, chopped red peppers, and cheese among the 8 pastry crusts.
Whisk the eggs, salt, and pepper in a bowl or large measuring cup. Divide the egg mixture evenly among the muffin cups. Bake for 25 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Notes

To make your own roasted red peppers, heat a broiler to high with a rack 6-8 inches from the broiler. Cut the sides off of a large red pepper. Place the red pepper skin side up on a baking sheet. Place under the broiler and broil until the skin is blackened. Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let stand for 15 minutes then peel off any blackened skin.

Nutrition

https://chattavore.com/sausage-and-red-pepper-mini-quiches/