Better Than Sausage Balls

This is one of those twists to an old recipe that happened to turn out better than the original. I had the ingredients for one of our old favorite snacks, Sausage Balls--the one that has Bisquick as a main ingredient. In light of my daughter's recent post on eating more cleanly, I decided to use more natural ingredients--at least for the biscuit part! I used the sausage I had on hand, which happened to be Jimmy Dean, and it does have a couple of suspect ingredients. I have tried to make my own sausage, but I have not found the perfect recipe.

I combined parts of my old recipe for Sausage Balls from 1972 (which is when I first started making sausage balls) and Homesick Texan's flaky and delicious biscuit recipe. My most esteemed sausage ball critic, my hubby, declared these better than the original and told me I could make them for him any time! I liked them better too, especially the crunch of the little browned bits of cheese and the tenderness of the biscuit.

Sausage Balls
2 or 3 cups cubed cheese (the original recipe calls for Coon's Brand Cheese, which I cannot find anymore. I used a combination of cheddar, Manchego, and Pepper Jack)
8 oz sausage (the original recipe calls for 1 pound)
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 stick unsalted butter, cubed

Place flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in bowl of a food processor; add butter and process until the size of small peas; set aside. Melt cheese, either in microwave or over low heat in pan on stove; remove from heat add sausage, and mix thoroughly. Add flour mixture and mix with hands until mixture holds together. Form into 1 inch balls and place on greased cookie sheet. Bake in 375 oven about 20 minutes or until golden brown. These flatten out slightly and look more like a puffy cookie, instead of the typical ball. I sprinkled a tiny bit of sea salt of the tops after they baked.

Mother's Day Goodies

I had a wonderful Mother's Day. My 2 year old peony bush finally decided to bloom, and the fragrance and color were amazing--nature's Mother's Day gift to me. My grown children make every single day Mother's Day for me. My daughter surprised me by showing up to help me clean up after a morning cater and also brought me her addictive Ritz Blitz Cracker Cookies. My son sent a beautiful bouquet of flowers and called to wish me a happy day.

I ate way too many of these. The chocolate/peanut butter/crunchy combo is just irresistible.


Hoops & YoYo--my favorite cards! My daughter knows that they make me laugh out loud.


Not only were the flowers gorgeous, but I love the etched purple vase in which they arrived.


Now the vase contains silk lavendar and resides in my foyer.


And of course my youngest "child", Buddy, thinks he is the greatest gift of all.

Rhubarb Strawberry Crisp

If a ferocious hail storm, dozens of state-wide tornadoes, funnel clouds and sirens weren't convincing, the fresh vegetables and fruits available this month at the Oklahoma Food Coop made it clear that spring has come to Oklahoma. Peach Crest Farm, a certified organic farm, offered rhubarb and strawberries. Having little experience with rhubarb, I was curious to see what all the fuss is about. Using a recipe from my trusty old Betty Crocker cookbook as a guide, I combined it with the strawberries, which were red and juicy and magnificent.

As I diced the rhubarb, I tasted a bite of it--it was crisp and mouth-puckeringly tart. I was surprised at how tender it became when baked. The fusion of sweet strawberries with tart rhubarb and cinnamon streusel topping was luscious. I loved the combination so much that I would like to grow rhubarb and strawberries in my garden next year!


Rhubarb Strawberry Crisp
adapted from an old Betty Crocker recipe

1 cup chopped fresh rhubarb
2 cups halved fresh strawberries
(or use any combination to make 3-4 cups of fruit)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Toss fruit and vanilla and place in 8 X 8 inch or 11 X 7 inch baking pan sprayed with baking spray.

3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup (5 tablespoons) salted butter

Place flour, sugars, cinnamon, and butter in food processor and process until mixture starts to clump together. Sprinkle mixture evenly over fruit.

Bake in 375 degree oven for 40 minutes, or until top is browned and fruit is bubbling up through the topping.

My 97 year-old Mom told me that Granny used to grow rhubarb and mix it with apples from her Missouri orchard to make a delicious pie or cobbler. I would love to try that combination next time.

Handmade Glycerin Soaps and a Necklace

I just love these fragrant, jewel-tone soaps handmade by my beautiful daughter, who surprised me with them on Valentine's Day. She crafted them from items purchased at Hobby Lobby including molds, glycerin, fragrance, and dye.

It will be difficult for me to actually use these translucent soaps, which I prefer to show off in a clear irridescent carnival glass dish.

She also fashioned a necklace for me with a bead of my favorite color and a lovely silver chain. I believe the style is called "pandora", but I know very little about beads. I just know I love it!

Thank you Little Girl!

Snow and Chocolate

Yesterday most of Oklahoma was blanketed with at least 6 inches of snow on top of an inch of ice that covered surfaces the day before. Along with the Christmas Eve Blizzard of 2009, there has been a bumper crop of snow and ice this winter.

There is something about cold weather and being snowed in that creates within me a craving for chocolate. An online search for a chocolate cake yielded Tish Boyle's Diner Desserts and a recipe for Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake. This recipe, with the addition of brown sugar, cocoa, sour cream, and ice water, is nicely crumbed and moist and has that perfect balance of sweet and chocolate that appeased my craving for chocolate but brought a new addiction of its own.
The. best. chocolate. cake. I. have. ever. baked.

Now I am on the hunt for a copy of Diner Desserts, which is out of print. I did make minor modifications to the recipe, which I have noted below, and I made a scaled-down version of this cocoa-based frosting from Allrecipes.com instead of the Fudge Frosting listed with the original recipe.

Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake
modified from the original by Tish Boyle

2-2/3 cups unbleached flour
1-1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, room temperature
2/3 cup sour cream, room temperature (I used yogurt from a local dairy
1 tablespoon vanilla
1-1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted & cooled
1/2 cup corn oil (I used canola oil)
1-1/4 cups ice water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter bottom and sides of two 8-inch round cake pans. Dust pans with flour and tap out excess.

In medium bowl, sift together and then whisk flour, sugars, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In medium bowl, whisk eggs, sour cream, and vanilla. Set aside.

In mixing bowl, use paddle attachment (or beaters) on low speed to beat melted butter and oil till blended. Beat in water. Add dry ingredients all at once and mix on low speed about 1 minute, till blended. Scrape down sides of bowl and add egg mixture; mix about 1 minute, till blended. Scrape batter into pans.

Bake about 50-55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 15 minutes, then invert onto racks and cool completely.

Frost cake with your favorite chocolate frosting.

Haiti: How to Help

American Red Cross

United Methodist Committee on Relief

Salvation Army

United Nations Foundation

United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH)

Merry White Christmas!

Most of Oklahoma was under a blizzard warning yesterday, and with heavy snowfall and winds in excess of 50 mph, it was a sight to see.

Visibility was poor with blowing snow.

All the interstates in Oklahoma were closed, the airport was closed, and thousands were stranded in their cars last night. Here is the official "Record Event Report" from the National Weather Service:

TODAY DECEMBER 24TH... 14.1 INCHES OF SNOWFALL HAS BEEN MEASURED AT WILL ROGERS WORLD AIRPORT IN OKLAHOMA CITY. THIS HAS BROKEN THE PREVIOUS RECORD AMOUNT OF 2.5 INCHES...WHICH WAS SET ON CHRISTMAS EVE IN 1914.

THE 14.1 INCH SNOWFALL IS THE GREATEST SNOWFALL EVER MEASURED IN 24 HOURS IN OKLAHOMA CITY. THE PREVIOUS RECORD IN 24 HOURS WAS 11.3 INCHES ON MARCH 19TH IN 1924.

THE 14.1 INCH SNOWFALL IS ALSO A RECORD FOR THE GREATEST STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL IN OKLAHOMA CITY. THE PREVIOUS RECORD WAS 12.1 INCHES ON JANUARY 5TH TO THE 7TH 1988.

These are some of the sights that greeted us this morning on this rare white Christmas in Oklahoma.


The backyard and pool are only fit for Eskimos and Buddy: