Sausage Balls

One of my earliest recollections of recipes and cooking was my 8th grade Home Economics class where the teacher would give us recipes to cook in class. And one of the recipes was for Sausage balls. I've since lost the recipe, but with the wonders of the internet, it's amazing to find the same recipe - and its many variations.

Actually, these were left over from some other recipe I'm trying to invent in my attempt to enter recipes for the Pillsbury Bake-Off. I can't exactly divulge all the specifics (yet), but here is what I've done for these sausage balls. I find that in a lot of recipes, the ratio of the flour/pancake mix to sausage is a little much so I've reduced it here. And some recipes call for Parmesan cheese, but I don't remember that in my Home Ec recipe and find it unnecessary too.

With that said, this recipe is such an easy one to make - you can't mess it up and it's always a hit whenever I take it to parties. Try it, and it'll become a favorite in your arsenal too.

Sausage Balls

1 pound pork sausage (hot or mild - your preference)
2 c Pancake mix (like Bisquick)
4 c cheddar cheese, grated or shredded
1/2 c milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all ingredients together and mix thoroughly. Using your hands works best, and you'll have to get your hands dirty anyway to make the balls.

Make 1-inch balls from the mixture and place on ungreased baking sheet (or parchment paper if you want easier clean-up). Space balls 1-2 inches apart - they don't spread out so you can space them fairly close together if you want.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.**

Serve warm or at room temperature.

**Note: The grease will start to come out of the cheese and the balls in the oven, but when they get a chance to cool off a little, they won't seem greasy at all.