*lovin the low key meal days after Christmas

After eating like pigs for just shy of a week, we are really enjoying finger foods like cheese straws, meat balls and veggies & dips.  Isn't is great when you have been really busy for weeks to have much needed down time?  Time to just sit and blog. Time to just sit and play farmville on Facebook if I choose. Time to catch up on House.  Time to just be... to be.

Cheese Straws  (from The Christmas Pearl)

1 stick of room temp butter

1 pound of sharp cheddar cheese, grated

1/2 tsp salt

 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 3/4 cups of plain flour

more cayenne pepper for garnish

Preheat over at 350 degrees.

Cream butter and cheese with salt and pepper.  Add sifted flour. Put in cookie press or chill.  We don't have a cookie press because I got rid of ours thinking I didn't need it.  So we used our potatoe masher, and it worked great!  Necessity is the mother of invention! Place on ungreased baking sheet.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until light brown.  Sprinkle with cayenne to taste.  Remove from baking sheets to a cooling rack, transfer once cooled.

Sausage Cheese Balls (recipe give to me by Franziska)

2 lbs of Jimmy Dean sausage (or your favorite brand)

1 1/2 cups of Bisquit Mix

16 oz of grated cheddar cheese

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 cup finely chopped celery

1/2 tsp of garlic powder (or grate one garlic clove into the mix)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 
Mix all ingredients together. Form into 1 inch balls, place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 15 to 20 minutes until golden. Makes 6 dozen.