Appetizer Classic: Sausage Balls

These are a staple for every party, family get-together, holiday, the Super Bowl, World Series, or any other excuse you can think of to clog your arteries with cheesy, sausage-y goodness.

SAUSAGE BALLS

1 pound bulk hot sausage
3 cups Bisquik or other buttermilk baking mix you like that's comparable
1 pound of extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
3/4 cup water

Cook the sausage, breaking it up into small bits as it cooks. Remove from heat, and drain off fat. Place a double layer of paper towels on a large dinner plate and move the sausage to the plate ... this gets rid of the excess greasiness.

In the bowl of a mixer, place the Bisquik, sausage and cheese; stir to coat. Add the water and mix until blended. Roll 1 inch sized balls of the sausage dough out onto a parchment lined baking sheet at least 1 inch apart from each other. Bake in a preheated 400 degree Farenheit oven for 12-15 minutes.
Makes about 60.

An Occupational Hazard: Claire's Beer Cheese

Claire works for a brewery, so I have become, by default, far more informed about beer than I ever dreamed. She whips up all sorts of concoctions with it, too. This is her Beer Cheese, which is totally addictive.

CLAIRE'S BEER CHEESE

1 pound extra sharp cheddar - the sharper, the better - cubed
1 clove of garlic
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1/4 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
4 ounces of lager -- Devil's Backbone Vienna Lager  or Devils Backbone Gold Leaf Lager, preferably (we're biased)

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the cheese a bit, and add half the beer. Add the spices, then add the rest of the beer and continue pulsing the mixture until it is smooth. Refrigerate an hour or so to allow the flavors to marry. Serve with pretzels (we make soft pretzels or use buttery pretzel sticks or mini pretzels), or crispy raw veggies, like celery and carrots. Yummy!! Best Super Bowl dip ever.