Hearty Holiday Sausage Muffins-Contest Winning Recipe

I'm so excited! I entered a recipe contest sponsored by "Made In Oklahoma" foods and our local TV station, KOTV, Channel 6. My entry, Hearty Holiday Sausage Muffins, was chosen as the winner in the "Most Made In Oklahoma Ingredients" category. My recipe was also chosen as the "Top Recipe." Yay!
So...on the noon news this past Wednesday, on the segment "Cooking Corner" they made my recipe. It was really cool to hear my name on TV. You can see the recipe and the video of the chef, Kitchen Kimberly, making it at the link below.

Recipe and Video

Here's the recipe. These muffins are great for a Christmas brunch.

Hearty Holiday Sausage Muffins
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 pound medium pork sausage
1 10 ounce package frozen corn, thawed
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (or to taste)

Oven temperature 375 degrees. Bake 15-19 minutes. Makes 1 1/2 dozen muffins.

Thoroughly cook pork sausage in a medium skillet. Drain and set aside. Combine cornmeal, all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Mix together. Add the eggs, sour cream, and butter. Mix until thoroughly combined. The batter will be light and fluffy. Add the corn, cheese, sweet red pepper, and hot pepper sauce. Fill greased muffin tin with batter almost to the top. Bake 15 to 19 minutes, testing for doneness with a toothpick. Remove from oven and let pan sit for 1 minute. Remove muffins from pan. Enjoy!

Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

Unsweetened cocoa powder adds a rich chocolate taste to hot cocoa as well as brownies, cakes, cookies, and other baked goods. It’s made from roasted, dried, and ground cocoa beans. The final result is a fine, dark brown powder.
Bonus- When you open the container it smells like chocolate! Yum…

Note: Unsweetened cocoa powder should not be confused with powdered cocoa mix or instant cocoa mix. Instant cocoa mix is for making hot chocolate drinks and should not be substituted for cocoa powder in recipes.

Spoon cocoa powder into the measuring cup like you do flour; with a light touch…then leveling off. Store cocoa in a sealed, airtight container in a cool, dark place. It will keep for up to two years.

Learn more about unsweetened cocoa powder at Hershey’s and Baker’s websites.

Next post: Our Homemade Hot Cocoa recipe calls for a dash of salt. I can hear you asking “What’s a dash of salt?” We’ll find out.

*Smile* Sherri