Caring for Myself Body and Soul 8:Cooking something just for fun

If you're like me, you do a lot of cooking.  And if you're like me, most of your cooking is utilitarian.

Don't get me wrong: I like to cook.  I'm grateful to have plenty of food to eat.  I consider it a privilege to feed my family and other people. But most days my cooking is limited to getting dinner on the table with some baking thrown in on the side.

So every now and then I've found it to be really good for me to make something just for fun.  Nothing complicated or expensive, but delicious.  Something like sausage balls.

If you've never made them, you're in for a treat.  They're the easiest but most delicious little snack ever. They're an appetizer that always gets devoured at parties, but they're also handy to keep in the freezer for an on-the-go breakfast.

Sausage Balls

1 pound breakfast sausage
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated
3 cups biscuit mix

Mix together.  Shape into small balls.  Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes.

Hint:  If you're blessed to have a stand mixer, use the dough hook attachment to mix the ingredients.  For easy clean-up, line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Obviously, sausage balls are not a low-fat treat, so they're best enjoyed in moderation.  But I've found that sometimes a small portion of a food that's truly delicious is more satisfying to me than even a large quantity of something less enjoyable.

And when I start worrying too much about those fat grams, I read this old poem and keep try to keep things in perspective:

"Methusaleh"

Methusaleh ate what he found on his plate,
And never, as people do now,
Did note the amount of the calory count;
He ate it because it was chow.
He wasn't disturbed as at dinner he sat,
Devouring a roast or a pie,
To think it was lacking in granular fat
Or a couple of vitamins shy.
He cheerfully chewed each species of food,
Unmindful of troubles or fears
Lest his health might be hurt
By some fancy dessert;
And he loved over nine hundred years.

From The Best Loved Poems of the American People (New York: Doubleday and Sons, 1936).  Author unknown.

How about you?  When was the last time you cooked something just for the fun of it?

This post is the eighth entry in a 31-day series: Caring for Myself Body and Soul.  

Click here for a list of all the posts in this series.