October 1, 2015

scaling the precipice like a couple of mountain goats

My fiancé and I recently took a trip up north into Maine. Neither of us had been to the Pine Tree State before and were eager to see some moosen take in some awesome sights...and perhaps a bite or 50 of lobster.


One of the highlights of our trip was Acadia National Park. It was there that we hiked the most difficult trail I've ever attempted, the Precipice Trail. There were several sections that were completely vertical, where our only aids were metal bars protruding from the rocks. It was extremely challenging and though it took a lot out of both of us, the pride and sense of accomplishment we felt upon reaching the top will never be forgotten.


Did I mention the view? Totally worth the whole risking-your-life thing.


There were several cairns along the trail to guide the hikers, and I thought they were especially cool since they were shaped like A's (for Acadia, don't ya know!). That's my segue into these sausage balls, properly presented, in honor of our awesome trip. I took them to an early morning tailgate and they were enthusiastically eaten. If you feel that they're a little dry (and they might be), consider making a dipping sauce. I made this honey mustard dipping sauce and it turned out well.

Pig Balls Sausage Bites
Ingredients:
  • 1 pound ground sausage (pork is preferred)(the spicier, the better)
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar or jack cheese
  • 2 cups self-rising flour
Directions:
Mix all of the ingredients until thoroughly combined--your hands are the best tool for this, and it does take a while.
Roll the mixture into equally sized balls about the size of a walnut but no bigger than a golf ball.
Place onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees F until the tops are golden brown, about 20 minutes, making sure not to burn the bottoms.


13 comments:

  1. A wonderful place! Those sausage balls look tempting.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  2. I used to live in Maine and miss it desperately --- love this post!

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  3. Kudos to you and you fiancé, Grace!!! Thank goodness you made it safely. I'm sure it was exhilarating!

    Actually, I had no idea you were engaged...Congratulations! I'm surely out of touch and have a cloudy memory these days. so sorry...

    So, you were in my neck of the woods, lol...Maine is absolutely gorgeous and from the looks of it, you had a bird's eye view! I hope you ate a ton of lobster rolls too! Your sausage bites sound yummy. Thanks for sharing, Grace...

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  4. Yum. Always on the lookout for simple appetizers. Thanks. And I loved the photos!

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  5. Haha I like the name pig balls!! Hilarious. You are also a phenomenal photographer - those pics look like those HD desktop backgrounds you can get for your computer! Pinning the sausage ball recipe :)

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  6. Those look fun! I can see myself making a lot of variations of those and throwing some on the smoker for a slow cook. Yum!

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  7. What a gorgeous place! Those sausage balls look mighty amazing.

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  8. I regret not spending more time in Maine when I lived in Boston. It's a beautiful state!

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  9. Way to go Grace! I admire anyone who can accomplish climbing like that. The view is gorgeous for sure. And the Pig Balls are great!

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  10. How beautiful!
    Those sausage bites look very tempting!

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  11. You definitely earned those. Whoa -- what a climb! Kudos for doing it.

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  12. Dang girl! You should be proud of yourself for sure. What an amazing view!
    I haven't been to fond of lobster when I've tried it, but really? I live in the midwest. Someday... I hope to visit Maine, and I am definitely trying a fresh lobster!

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