Air Fryer Sausage and Cheese Balls

These tasty breakfast morsels are a staple in our freezer.  So easy to grab a few, pop them in the microwave and have a hearty snack or breakfast/lunch/dinner accompaniment. The ingredients below are for double the usual amount as I like to have them on hand. The mixture of the spicy and italian sausage makes the perfect combination of flavors.

UPDATE: I made these today and replaced the cheddar cheese with pepper jack cheese. OH MY! I think this will be new regular way of making these - delicious! 

2 lb italian sausage (or you can do half with spicy pork breakfast sausage)

1 C shredded cheddar cheese

2 oz cream cheese, softened (mic for 15 seconds)

2 large egg

diced red or white onion - or both - really adds something special!

Mix all ingredients

Form into 32 x 1 " balls

Place the balls in the air fryer in batches cook 400F for 12 minutes OR cook in oven on parchment paper covered cookie trays at 400F in a regular or convection oven for 15 to 20 minutes. 

Sausage balls will be browned outside and have internal temp of at least 145F

Serve warm or freeze ziplock bag
Pull out a couple balls and microwave 1 minute  or till hot for a quick breakfast. If cooked in the oven, I find they are best reheated in the air fryer to crisp them up

Raw Dog Food Recipe - For Our 56 Lb Golden Retriever Maggie

Our precious Golden Retriever had bad allergies. We tried so many different kibbles and nothing helped. We transitioned her to cooked dog food which helped a bit for a while but it never completely fixed the redness and itching and soon, she was scratching so bad she had open sores! All of my research said that other people who had experienced this same thing had turned to raw dog food and it fixed it! We figured we would give it a try and are SO HAPPY that we did. Not only did it fix her allergies but, she loves it! If you don't want to go 100% raw, I want to encourage you to at least try supplementing some of your pet's kibble with a raw egg or some canned seafood or maybe some raw meat. You do need to have a good variety to get your pet all the vitamins and minerals it requires but it really isn't as intimidating as it sounds. Below is what we do with Maggie. I hope it encourages you to start your journey to a healthier, happier pet.

BASE FOODBASE FOOD
1 x 4 to 5 lb roast, chopped1 x 4 to 5 lb roast, chopped
2 ground beef2 ground beef
2 lbs ground turkey2 lbs ground turkey
1 lb ground pork or ground chicken or chopped chicken with no skin (optional)1 lb ground pork or ground chicken or chopped chicken with no skin (optional)
1 lb liver, chopped1 lb liver, chopped
2 generous handfuls of blueberries2 generous handfuls of blueberries
 
With her food (do NOT mix in ahead of time)With her food (do NOT mix in ahead of time)
ROTATE SEAFOODROTATE
Frozen Smelt - add in every 3 or 4 every day or so with any of the seafood below. We get this from our local Chinese SupermarketFrozen Smelt - add in every 3 or 4 every day or so with any of the seafood below
canned salmoncanned salmon
canned oysterscanned oysters
canned mackerel (drained and rinsed and stored with water)canned mackerel (drained and rinsed and stored with water)
canned sardines
canned tuna (skipjack is lower in mercury)
canned sardines
 
Raw egg - every dinnerRaw egg - every dinner

Steps

Mix all of the base food - we freeze 1.4 lbs in quart bags and she gets .5 lb per mealMix all of the base food
Add in the seafood only at the time of serving (rinse utensils to not contaminate)Add in the seafood only at the time of serving (rinse utensils to not contaminate)
Supplements in am and pm mealsSupplements in am and pm meals
2 squirts of apple cider vinegar
2 drops vitamin E2 drops vitamin
E
2 squirts of apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp of Guts & Glory
small scoop green lipid mussel
¼ tsp of guts and glory
2 scoops of bone meal¼ tsp of bone meal
1/4 tsp of kelp¼ tsp of kelp

Notes

PROPORTIONS PROPORTIONS
80% base meat / turkey / chicken / pork80% meat /turkey / chicken
10% organ – 5 to 10% liver, 2 to 5% heart, spleen or kidney, heart, tripe, pancrease, lung, brain, eyes, sweet bread (or Guts & Glory) and green tripe or the green lipid mussel 10% organ - 5 to 10% liver, 2 to 5% heart, spleen or kidney, heart, tripe, pancrease, lung, brain, eyes, sweet bread and green tripe or the green tripe powder
10% bone (use powder) 10% bone (use powder)
blueberries 

blueberries
To maintain her weight she gets: To maintain her weight she gets:
1/2 lb of the base (am & pm) ½ lb base (am & pm)
.35 lb of a variety of the seafood (am & pm) 
Her supplements
.4 lb of seafood (am & pm)
1 egg per day 
Plus various vegetables and a few fruits 

Mark's Artichoke Chicken

 This is such an easy and delicious meal. Make sure you get it plenty hot (great in the air fryer!) and it tastes like something you would have at a restaurant. Yum! 

Mark's Artichoke Chicken

 Ingredients

1/2 can - 15 ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/3 cup Trader Joe's Parmesan & Asiago Cheese
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 pinch garlic
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp thyme or tarragon
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Steps

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
Mix together the artichoke hearts, Parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, and spices.
In a greased 8 x 8 pan put chicken and cover with artichoke mixture.
Bake, uncovered, for 35 minutes till cooked OR till cooked (air fryer takes about 15 to 20 minutes

Elle's Peanut Salad

 I think the key to this recipe is to have everything sliced very fine. I do use the coleslaw in the bag mix but always go through with my knife to ensure everything is uniformly chopped.

Elle's Peanut Salad (It is Thai influenced but, don't tell Mark!)

1 pound coleslaw mix1 pound coleslaw mix
3 cups shredded cooked chicken3 cups shredded cooked chicken

1/4 cup scallions chopped¼ cup scallions chopped
1 red bell pepper chopped1 red bell pepper chopped
1/2 cup chopped peanuts½ cup chopped peanuts
Small handful fresh cilantro chopped (optional but recommended)Small handful fresh cilantro chopped (optional but recommended)
Small handful fresh basil sliced thin or torn (optional)Small handful fresh basil sliced thin or torn (optional)
Salt & pepper to tasteSalt & pepper to taste
Dressing:subheading: Dressing:
5 tablespoons creamy peanut butter5 tablespoons creamy peanut butter see note
3 tablespoons water or more as needed3 tablespoons water or more as needed
2 tablespoons soy sauce2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon lime juice1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon honey1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon pure sesame oil½ teaspoon pure sesame oil see note
1 teaspoon fresh ginger grated1 teaspoon fresh ginger grated
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder¼ teaspoon garlic powder

Steps

Add the dressing ingredients to a medium-sized bowl and whisk together until smooth. Taste and adjust (e.g. add more lime juice or honey). If your dressing comes out really thick (peanut butter brands can vary), add even more water than suggested.Add the dressing ingredients to a medium-sized bowl and whisk together until smooth. Taste and adjust (e.g. add more lime juice or honey). If your dressing comes out really thick (peanut butter brands can vary), add even more water than suggested.
Prep all the salad ingredients and them add to a large bowl. Toss with the dressing and serve immediately. Season with salt & pepper as needed.Prep all the salad ingredients and them add to a large bowl. Toss with the dressing and serve immediately. Season with salt & pepper as needed.