Sausage balls are a holiday appetizer classic. This recipe is my mom's, but the recipe is so common, it's also featured in many cookbooks. (When I asked my mom where she got it, she assured me Paula Deen stole it from HER.)

Ingredients:

4 c. sharp shredded cheese

3 c. bisquick

1 pound sausage (tip: If you combine half of a pound of hot sausage with half of a pound mild sausage you'll get a more interesting flavor, but it will be a little more expensive because sausage is only sold by the pound.)

dash of pepper

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick vegetable spray.

2. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. (note: You will need to mix this with your hands -- very messy!)

3. Create 1-inch balls.

4. Bake about 18-20 minutes.

Rundown:

Sausage balls are one of my favorite holiday foods. They are super easy to make, and in about 25 minutes there are about 50, which is probably why this recipe remains a favorite among many. The cost of ingredients is pretty low:

4 c. shredded cheese - approx. $4.00

3 c. bisquick - approx. $3.00

1 lb sausage - approx. $3.00

And if you make these at home (where most moms keep bisquick on hand), you have about 50 appetizers for approximately $7.00 -- pretty good considering you can't even get a meal at McAlister's for that much!

These "appetizers," although normally associated with the holidays, can function as snacks and breakfast. The great thing about this recipe is that is requires a little amount of effort, time and money and the results last for days. They're also pretty versatile, so you're not limited to when and where you can serve/eat them.

Overall, a pretty good investment of both time and money.