Alison's Engagement Party Menu

We enjoyed a fun filled evening at Alison's and her man's engagement party last night. The recipes are below!

We can't take credit for this delicious brisket, it came from our favorite BBQ joint - Extra Billy's!

Sausage Balls - A party staple!

3 c. Bisquick
1 lb. uncooked pork sausage
4 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese (16 oz.)
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 c. milk

Preheat your oven to 350. Lightly grease cookie sheet. Stir together all ingredients. Shape into 1-inch balls. Bake 20-25 minutes or until brown. Immediately remove from pan. Place on rack for cooling.

Fruit, Cheese and Cracker Tray
My future grandmother-in-law, Sue plated this one up! It's all about presentation, right?!

Butter Cookies with Butter Cream Icing and White Chocolate - My future sister-in-law, Maddie and I made these together and had a blast!

Butter Cookies
1 c. butter - softened
1 c. sugar
2 egg yolks
1 tsp. vanilla
Dash of salt
2 c. flour

Buttercream Frosting
1 1lb. pkg powdered sugar
1/2 c. butter or margarine, softened
3-4 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla food coloring - optional

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg yolks, mixing well. Add vanilla and salt, then flour, a little at a time. Batter should be stiff. Add a little more flour if mixture is too soft. Form into a large ball and refrigerate a few hours. (It gets too hard if you refrigerate it overnight). Roll out with rolling pin onto floured surface. Cut into desired shapes.

Place on greased or lined baking sheet and bake in a 375 degree preheated oven for 10-12 minutes (just until the edges turn slightly golden). Let cool & frost. Melt chocolate and pipe onto cookies if desired.

Jann's Chocolate Bar!
Add chocolate and melt away! This was a huge hit with "Maddie and company" :)

Lemon Bars - Recipe courtesy of THE Paula Deen

Crust
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. powdered sugar
pinch of salt
1 c. (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature

Filling
4 eggs
2 c. granulated sugar
6 tbsp. all-purpose flour
6 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly grease a 9x13 pan. Make the crust: Combine the flour, powdered sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the butter to make a crumbly mixture. Press the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, make the filling: Mix the eggs, granulated sugar, flour, and lemon juice. Pour this over the baked crust and bake for 25 minutes longer. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired when done. (The Pampered Chef powdered sugar duster is awesome for this, or a sifter works well too!)

Sue & Lou's Orange Balls

1 12 oz. pkg vanilla wafers
1/2 c. soft margarine
1 c. chopped pecans (for the party, because it was a "Doug friendly" party!)
1 16 oz. box powdered sugar
1 6 oz. can orange juice concentrate, thawed
Flaked coconut

Crush vanilla wafers to make fine crumbs. Add next 4 ingredients and mix well with hands. Form small balls & roll in coconut. Chill for a couple of hours and serve. Also freezes well!

Louann's Chicken Cheeseball - quick, easy and delish

2 blocks cream cheese - make it "skinny" and go for fat free or reduced fat, but she used the good stuff for the party
1 can chicken
1 pkg. Ranch dressing mix

Combine all ingredients and roll in pecans or parsley. Again, "Doug friendly" menu, so Louann opted for parsley. Serve with your favorite cracker. We love the pita crisps from Sam's.

Sauerkraut Balls -

Our new favorite appy!

2 16 oz. pork sausage
1/2 c. onion
1 lb can sauerkraut, drained (rinsed if you like a little less of the strong taste)
1/4 c. bread crumbs
8 oz. cream cheese
1/4 c. dried parsley
2 tbsp. garlic salt (or a little less)
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1000 Island dressing - optional

Combine sausage and onion. Cook and drain. Add sauerkraut and bread crumbs and mix. In another bowl, combine cream cheese and all other ingredients. Add to sausage mix. Shape into balls. Coat in flour and roll in egg/milk mixture. Then roll in bread crumbs. Bake for 15 minutes at 400. Optional - serve with 1000 Island dressing!