Post Shredded Wheat

Sometimes the simple things are best, and it doesn't get much simpler than Post Shredded Wheat.

Mardi Gras Slaw!!!

Purple, Green, Gold (well, orange anyways) this basic slaw is perfect for Mardi Gras!

I used green cabbage, purple (red) cabbage, carrots, and added chipotle mayo to garlic rice wine vinegar for a smoky, hot, and sweet tangy taste!

Not another King's Cake, but a K Cake!

Today is Fat Tuesday, and it would be aproppriate to make another King's Cake, but I don't like to repeat myself, and a co-worker specifically requested a Bonnie Butter Cake with French Silk Frosting for her birthday.

Sausage Balls for Brunch

Well, you know I love my balls, and I always try to make something resembling brunch, as I'm lounging around about noon on Sunday in my jammies.

I get kinda hungry, but I want something easy, so I debated between pancakes, and an omelette, but then I said balls to that, when sausage balls popped into my head.

You can't get much easier than sausage balls, as they only have 3 ingredients -- sausage, cheese, and Bisquick (or the Dollar Store version). The hardest part of making sausage balls is waiting for them to bake in the oven, as you smell and crave their deliciousness.

Believe it or not, I'd never had a sausage ball until I moved to the South, and a co-worker brought some in one day. They were gone in a flash, and I've loved them ever since.

Here is the full recipe, for a big batch of around 3 dozen balls, just in case you want to feed the family, and/or friends:

1 pound sausage
2 cups bisquick
1 pound cheddar cheese

I had on hand:

a 7 oz package of Brown & Serve Turkey Sausage (10 links)
a 3/4 cup (3oz) package of Sargento shredded cheddar cheese,
a package of "Country Value" all purpose baking mix

I cut the recipe to roughly a fourth, using

5 links sausage,
3 oz cheese,
and 1/2 cup baking mix

First I turned on the oven to preheat to 350 degrees.

I microwaved the sausage links for 2 minutes to soften them, but not cook them entirely.

As the sausage cooled slightly, I mixed the cheese and baking mix together.

Then I cut the sausage into small pieces (probably the most effort of this recipe) and added them to the mix.

I washed my hands (safety first!) and got to manipulating the mixture. It was a little dry, so I added a bit of water, until it formed a sticky dough.

Now form walnut (or thereabouts) sized balls, and place on a cookie sheet (I put them on foil for easy clean up) and put in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

As a happy coincidence, that is just about the time it takes me to write a blog post.

My mixture made 13, or a baker's dozen of balls.

So excuse me while I burn my mouth on some hot sausage balls!

Since I'm in a Southern frame of mind, and I'm out of LoSo V-8 for Bloody Mary makin' I decided to wash down my sausage balls with Clayton and David Organic Raspberry Sweet Leaf Ice Tea. I admit I bought this simply because I liked the design of the can. I've never warmed up to iced tea, even with my tenure in Nashville, where Sweet Tea is the drink de rigueur.

The raspberry iced tea might be good mixed with vodka, though, but it is a little too early in the day for me to start drinkin'. In fact in Nashville you can't buy liquor, or wine on Sunday, and beer between the hours of 3 am and noon.

Hamper McBee, what do you think about that?

Bull's-Eye BarBQue Sauce with GUINNESS!!!

Who doesn't love Guinness? Even horses love a pint!

The fabulous Zenyatta enjoyed her Guinness in the afternoon, and as her trainer, John Shireffs says (at about the 8:30 mark in this 60 Minutes piece) It's gotta be the Stout!

I prefer my Guinness on tap, but I'll drink from a bottle, even a bottle of BarBQue sauce.

I snatched up this Bullseye BarBQue Sauce with Guinness from the 99 Cent Only Store, faster than Zenyatta in the homestretch, and it is delicious.

Being a borderline vegetarian (I know, I know), I decided to enjoy my sauce simply on the wonderful wheat sourdough bread I got last week.

I can't really taste the Guinness, but it is a wonderful sauce, and perfect for straight dippin'

It has 0 grams of fat , and is not too high in sodium at 360 mg, so I can get 'sauced' guilt free!

It's National Cold Cuts Day!!! Rejoice!!!

I don't eat a lot of meat, but I do enjoy a good cold cut. They are usually some sort of processed meat like product, with a lot of salt.

My favorite is good old fashioned Salami. A couple of slices on the wheat sourdough I got last week, with some mustard is a good, quick solid lunch.

I got this Hormel Hard Salame at the 99 Cent Only store, which sometimes has Hormel Pepperoni as well.

Maybe you like bologna, or ham, or pimento loaf, but chances are you are consuming something that has by product o' beef, or pork, or chicken, or all three (like many hotdogs), and are more than happy to slap that crazy concoction between a bun or a couple of slices of bread.

But I'm not here to bring up the horrors of the processing plant, I'm here to celebrate National Cold Cuts Day!!! Listeria be damned, full speed ahead. Head Cheese, anyone?

Pita Chips and Focaccia Sticks

Ummm, honestly these looked better than they are. But that said, they aren't bad.