What do you get when you mix sugar and spice and everything nice with a dash of puppy dog tails and a ton of fun? The Hixon family! This adorable family with three daughters invited Doc and I over for a cooking lesson. We were going to learn to make Santa’s Favorite Sausage Bread.  When we arrived there was a sign on the door (tongue and cheek of course) that read, “Life is full of choices… Remove your shoes or mop the floor!” We rang the doorbell and two of their daughters came to greet us. Campbell, age 6, said, Hi, Do you want to see this book I am reading? Then Piper, age 3, showed us her favorite Christmas tree ornament, a washing machine with spinning presents. They then showed us their Christmas tree, decorated with all the Disney Princesses.

Kelly (and according to Campbell, the best mom and cook in the whole world), told the girls to put on their aprons and get ready. After washing their hands the girls showed us how to unroll the crescent dough and fill and seal the dough. Clay, a relationship manager at First Tennessee Bank, held baby Maeve- she was fascinated by all the activity.  Campbell paused long enough to show me Maeve’s tickle spot and the newborn obliged with a quick giggle.

Every year, on Christmas Eve, the girls help their mother manage a busy day of cooking. First they bake a birthday cake for Jesus (which usually includes an entire nativity scene stuck firmly in the icing!) That night, they make some sugar cookies for Santa (he prefers sugar cookies at the Hixon house) and then prepare some delicious sausage bread for their Christmas morning breakfast. Kelly says she loves this recipe because she can prepare the filling, refrigerate overnight and bake it while the girls are playing on Christmas morning. That way she doesn’t miss any of the fun!
Santa’s Favorite Sausage Bread
1 pound sausage, mild
8 ounces regular cream cheese
2 cans Crescent Rolls
Cook sausage, drain. Add cream cheese. Stir until cream cheese melts. Set aside to cool. Roll out both cans of crescent rolls on a baking sheet. You will have two large rectangles of dough. Spoon one half of filling down the center of each rectangle. Spoon filling down the center of the longest side of the dough. Fold the right and left sides of the dough over the filling overlapping in the center. Press edges together to seal. The filled dough will look like a tube. Bake 350 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes or until dough is golden brown.  Tip: To prepare Santa’s Favorite Sausage Bread in advance, prepare the filling and refrigerate overnight. Assemble bread the next morning. Since the filling will be cold, it will take additional cooking time.
Published in The News and Neighbor on December 8, 2012