Sausage Balls

• 1 (1-pound) package ground sausage
• 3 cups baking mix (recommended: Bisquick)
• 4 cups grated sharp Cheddar
• 1/8 tablespoon pepper

Dip:

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon mustard

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with vegetable oil cooking spray.  Combine all ingredients in a large glass bowl. Mix well with your fingers. The mixture will be very crumbly. Form into 1 inch balls, squeezing the mixture so it holds together, then rolling it between the palms of your hands to form balls.  Place the balls on the baking sheet. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. To prevent sticking, move the balls with a spatula halfway through cooking. To make the dip, combine the mayonnaise and mustard. Serve with sausage balls.

From Paula Deen

Breakfast Burritos

• 1/2 lb bulk Italian sausage (you can cut casings off if you can't find bulk)
• 1/2 can Rotel tomatoes with green chiles, drained 
• 8 oz shredded mexican cheese
• 6 eggs
• 2 cups hash brown crowns
• sour cream

Bake hash crowns crowns as directed.
Brown sausage in a large skillet, drain.  Add Rotel and cook 5 minutes.  Beat eggs and pour over sausage.  Sir and cook over med-low until eggs are cooked.
Roll egg mixture, hash brown crowns and cheese into tortillas. Top with sour cream.

Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage

This is one of my family's favorite meals.  My 4yr old and 2yr old love it! I like to mix the noodles and sauce together, top it with cheese and bake it.  I make less noodles though because it's a little dry if you use a whole box (or double the sauce if you need all the noodles).  I also use chicken broth in place of the wine (because I never have any) and skip the bay leaf.  

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon
• 1 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage
• 4 cloves garlic, cracked and chopped
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
• 4 to 6 sprigs sage leaves, cut into chiffonade, about 2 tablespoons
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup (3 turns around the pan) heavy cream
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, ground or freshly grated
• Coarse salt and black pepper
• 1 pound penne rigate, cooked to al dente 

Heat a large, deep nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and brown the sausage in it. Transfer sausage to paper towel lined plate. Drain fat from skillet and return pan to the stove. Add the remaining tablespoon oil, and then the garlic and onion. Saute 3 to 5 minutes until the onions are tender.

Add bay leaf, sage, and wine to the pan. Reduce wine by half, about 2 minutes. Add stock and pumpkin and stir to combine, stirring sauce until it comes to a bubble. Return sausage to pan, reduce heat, and stir in cream. Season the sauce with the cinnamon and nutmeg, and salt and pepper, to taste. Simmer mixture 5 to 10 minutes to thicken sauce.

Return drained pasta to the pot you cooked it in. Remove the bay leaf from sauce and pour the sausage pumpkin sauce over pasta. Combine sauce and pasta and toss over low heat for 1 minute. Garnish the pasta with lots of shaved cheese and sage leaves.

From 30 Minute Meals with Rachael Ray