a couple of YUM-O holiday recipes for you...

yes, i should be packing...for disney world. i'm getting to that... because we are leaving in TWO DAYS for disney world...but who's counting!? before i drop off the face of the blog world for a few days (did i tell you we are going to disney world?), i thought i'd share a couple of YUM-O recipes with you, as my sweet mother-in-law would say (who is imitating somebody off the food network, but since we have diet cable, i don't know who it is. rachael ray maybe?) anyway, back to the recipes.

the first is what is cooking right now as i type this... it's those yummy, a little on the spicy side, sausage balls. i only think of them during the holidays, but i'm not quite sure why. it seems like you could eat them all year long! (or at least all afternoon long, hypothetically, of course...) to be completely honest, i set out to buy these frozen because, well, i'm packing for disney world, but i could not find the right kind at publix, so i bit the bullet and called mom for the recipe. thanks, mom, for always rescuing me from my grocery store dilemmas! in the end, i made 109 balls for $10, and a box of 24 (with jalapenos) was $4.99! so i saved money and tried a new recipe... and here it is.

Spicy Cheesy Sausage Balls

1 lb. hot sausage
2 c. grated sharp Cheddar cheese
2 1/2 c. Bisquick (biscuit mix)

Allow cheese to come to room temperature.
Combine all ingredients (easier done by hand).
Shape into 1 inch balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.
Serve immediately or may be frozen for future use.
Makes 40-50 balls.

if you are doubling this, i would use 1 lb. hot & 1 lb. mild sausage for people like me, who really want to eat 50 of these little boogers, but they're just a little too spicy!

this was my first time making these sausage balls, and they were pretty easy. because i am just that impatient, i managed to feed the kids lunch while i had my hands in a bowl of raw pork sausage... i could have waited 30 minutes until they were asleep, but where's the challenge in that? :) yes, lynsay, i did thoroughly wash my hands in between mixing the raw meat and interacting with my children and their food!! anyway, all that to say, they are easy to make, it just takes a little bit to get the bisquick, cheese, and sausage all mixed in. i doubled it and it made 109 balls before i ate some for lunch... so maybe 40 to 50 per batch is pretty accurate. :)

the second recipe is more of a thanksgiving/fall type recipe, but it is so good, i just might whip it up again in january. i first discovered this dream during a mops brunch (for which the above sausage balls have been made), and from the first bite, i knew this pumpkin cobbler was made for me. but i'll share it with you too. :) and no, i have not lost my mind for sharing a recipe with nuts. i usually avoid nuts at all costs, especially in desserts, but i actually like this better with the nuts. i made it 1/2 with and 1/2 without nuts for thankgiving, and the nuts add a good crunchiness... so never say never! i like something with nuts! but don't you go putting nuts in my christmas fudge, now ya hear me!?

pumpkin cobbler

3 eggs, beaten
15-oz. can pumpkin
12-oz. can evaporated milk
1 c. sugar
1/8 t. salt
1-1/2 t. cinnamon
1 t. ground ginger
1 T. vanilla extract
18- 1/4 oz. pkg. yellow cake mix
1- 1/4 sticks butter, melted
1 c. chopped nuts

Mix the first 8 ingredients together; pour into a greased 13"x9" baking pan.
Sprinkle cake mix over the top; drizzle with margarine.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes; top with nuts.
Bake for an additional 10 minutes.
Makes 15 to 18 servings. (or 2 if you're sharing it with me!)

what is your favorite quick holiday recipe? please share!