Baked Cheesy Kosher Sausage Balls

Sausage balls are my absolute favorite Christmas food. But who wants all that grease in their digestive system? Not me, no ma'am. Also, for this Jewess, there's always the sinking feeling that the hostess is trying to sneak some pork off on you.

"Oh, yeah, this is absolutely.... kosher..."

How many times have I heard that?

Well, these sausage balls are both baked and absolutely kosher. And they are just divine. I had two for breakfast, and when hot, they are absolutely divine. The outside is crunchy and cheesy and the inside is meaty and slightly gooey with the cheddar. Yumm.

Don't you want one?

Baked Kosher Cheesy Sausage Balls

Ingredients

½ pound kosher sausage, cooked and crumbled
1 cup all purpose flour
¾ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon minced garlic
½ cup whole milk
shredded cheddar cheese for topping

Directions
1. Mix dry ingredients well, and slowly add in milk. Mix until dough is sticky and well-combined. Add cheese and ground, cooked sausage. 
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and grease a cookie tray. Using a cookie scoop, scoop dough onto the cookie sheet. (I got five large or eight smallish biscuits.)
3. Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top of dough. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Happy breakfast, y'all.

--Alyssa

Hawaiian Marinated Chicken With Pineapple Salsa

I came across the recipe for this marinade on Pinterest recently and it is definitely a keeper. I have been looking for a Hawaiian marinade, and this is the best by far that I have tried. The recipe called for pineapple juice, so I decided to grill some of the leftover pineapple in the marinade to serve over the chicken as a salsa.

Hawaiian Marinated Chicken With Pineapple Salsa

Ingredients

Two raw chicken breasts

1/3 cup unsweetened pineapple juice

¼ cup low-sodium teriyaki sauce

¼ cup ketchup

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon ground ginger

½ cup diced pineapple, drained

Directions

1. Mix all sauce ingredients in a large Ziploc bag until combined.
2. Trim chicken of all fat and membranes. Cut deep slits roughly ¼ inch apart all across the chicken breasts to allow the marinade to penetrate.
3. Add the chicken breasts to the Ziploc bag. Marinade the chicken for at least two hours.
4. Preheat a pan over medium heat for several minutes. Remove chicken from marinade and slightly brown each side of the chicken in the pan, roughly one minute per side.
5. Remove the pan from the eye and reduce the heat. Pour remaining marinade over the chicken and return the pan to the eye when the eye has cooled to low heat. Cover chicken and allow to cook over low heat for eight to ten minutes.
6. Flip chicken and allow the other side to cook over low heat for eight to ten minutes. Check to make sure that the chicken is fully cooked. Remove to serving plates and pour most of the remaining sauce over the chicken.
7. Pour drained pineapple into the sauce remaining in the pan. Cook over high heat until coated in sauce and browned slightly.
8. Serve immediately. 

Happy eating!

--Alyssa

Cheddar Biscuits and Steak-Marinated Chicken

My family doesn't know how lucky they are. It hasn't quite hit them yet that they only have two more weeks of homecooked meals before I retreat to Birmingham for another year of college and they break out the bagged salad and take-out menus.

I have been attempting to re-create the sweet, cheesy biscuits at Jim & Nick's BBQ in Birmingham for several months, and although these are different in size and texture, they are delicious, and I might even prefer them over the biscuits at Jim & Nick's. (Heresy? Perhaps.) These were definitely a winner. I ate two within thirty minutes of their exit from the oven, and sliced one in half to toast as sandwich bread later that night. This recipe is definitely a winner.

The marinade I used on this chicken is somewhat of a show-stopper. I habitually use it as a steak marinade for steak salads-- the marinade that drips off the steak and into the greens makes an excellent, healthier dressing alternative. I promise that it is just as delicious on chicken.

I served the cheddar biscuits and steak-marinated chicken with some Mexican corn. In order to cut the butter used and add some spice, I added the juice of one half of a lime, 1 1/2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning, and 1 tablespoon of butter to the cooked corn and served it immediately.

Cheddar Biscuits

Ingredients

1 cup all purpose flour

¾ cup cheddar cheese, shredded

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon minced garlic

½ cup whole milk

shredded cheddar cheese for topping

Directions

1. Mix dry ingredients well, and slowly add in milk. Mix until dough is sticky and well-combined.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and grease a cookie tray. Using a cookie scoop, scoop dough onto the cookie sheet. (I got five large or eight smallish biscuits.)
3. Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top of dough. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Steak-Marinaded Chicken

Ingredients

2 raw chicken breasts

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup olive oil

1/3 cup lemon juice

1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce

1 ½ tablespoons garlic

2 tablespoons dried basil

1 teaspoon ground white pepper

1/4 teaspoon chipotle seasoning

Directions

1. Trim raw chicken breasts of any fat and membranes. Cut deep slits roughly ¼ inch apart all along the chicken breasts.
2. Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a large Ziploc bag and add the chicken breasts. Marinade the chicken for at least two hours.
3. Preheat a pan over medium heat for several minutes. Remove chicken from marinade and slightly brown each side of the chicken in the pan, roughly one minute per side.
4. Remove the pan from the eye and reduce the heat. Pour remaining marinade over the chicken and return the pan to the eye when the eye has cooled to low heat. Cover chicken and allow to cook over low heat for eight to ten minutes.
5. Flip chicken and allow the other side to cook over low heat for eight to ten minutes. Check to make sure that the chicken is fully cooked. Serve immediately.

Happy summer eating, y'all. 

--Alyssa

Texas Yeast Rolls With Cinnamon Honey Butter

One of my favorite memories of the hot, lazy summers I spent with family in Austin, Texas is devouring the hot, buttery, made-from-scratch yeast rolls that came like rabbits from the oven of my Great Aunt Vera Kate.

This recipe produces rolls that are fluffier and less time-consuming, but equally fantastic. I serve this recipe with a fluffy, sweet cinnamon honey butter that smacks of the butter served at my mother's favorite restaurant, J Alexanders.

Ooey, gooey and delicious. Look at that wonderful drippy butter.

Texas Yeast Rolls

Ingredients

2 ¼ tablespoons (1 packet) active dry yeast

¼ cup warm water

1 cup whole milk, scalded and cooled to lukewarm

1 ½ tablespoons melted butter, cooled

¼ cup granulated sugar

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 whole egg

1 teaspoon salt

Melted butter for basting

Directions:

1. Mix yeast with warm water and let sit for roughly 10 minutes, or until frothy.
2. Add milk, butter, sugar, egg and salt. Mix well.
3. Add in flour one cup at a time. Mix well. Allow batter to sit 10-15 minutes to allow for easier kneading.
4. Knead dough until smooth and satiny. Remove dough to a greased bowl and let sit in a warm place for roughly one hour, or until doubled in size.
5. Gently flatten dough with a rolling pin on a hard, floured surface until ¼ to ½ inch in height. Shape dough to desired shape. (I shaped mine into a large rectangle and cut the dough with a sharp knife into eight pieces.)
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a cookie pan. Allow rolls to rise on the baking sheet for roughly thirty minutes.
7. Bake rolls for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately baste with butter and serve.

Cinnamon Honey Butter

Ingredients

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

¼ cup confectioner's sugar

¼ cup honey

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Using a hand mixer, blend the ingredients together until smooth.
   
   
   
   
   Happy summer eating, y'all.
   
   
   --Alyssa

Chai Tea Lattes or Christmas in a Cup

It's July and the broiling sun has taken it's toll on the grass and on my determined, motivated self. Goodbye internship, goodbye organization, goodbye productivity. Just imagine the scene from Gone with the Wind when all the womenfolk have headed upstairs for a nap. That's me in the summer. I'm no Scarlet O'Hara about to declare her undying devotion to Ashley Wilkes. I'm upstairs lying down with the fan on high. The dog days aren't over yet. However, that doesn't mean that I can't put the air conditioning on 64 and pretend it's Christmas with a nice hot chai latte. Begone sore throats and headaches! Bonjour to Christmas in a cup.

Ingredients

Lipton loose tea

1/2 teaspoon all spice

1 teaspoon ginger

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 cups milk

1/4 cup to 1/2 of heavy whipping cream

1 to 2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions

1. Use a coffee maker and fill your filter with enough lipton tea for 3 (use the directions on the back of the tea container). Add the all spice, ginger, and cinnamon.

2. While the tea is brewing, mix brown sugar, milk, whipping cream, and vanilla in a small saucepan and heat until sugar is completely dissolved. Thoroughly heat the mixture but don't bring it to a boil.

3. Pour milk mixture evenly in 3 cups and add the tea!

4. Add whipped cream, if desired!

-Cara