Contest Entry - Sausage Pecan Bisc-Muffins

Contest:  Jimmy Dean "Crumble Rumble" Contest
Entry:  Sausage Pecan Bisc-Muffin
Source:  Me!

This is a blogger contest and Jimmy Dean Sausage, love both!  You have to enter two original recipes using Jimmy Dean Sausage Crumbles; one breakfast and one non-breakfast.  The contests is being presented by10 different bloggers, to enter you must claim a blog as your host.   The winner and the blogger mentioned get a free trip to NYC to see the Rachael Ray Show.  My biggest problem was finding the product.  I am guessing New England is not a hot market for Jimmy Dean Country Sausage.  Jimmy Dean has a whole wall at the Wal-Mart by my parent's house in Houston, however here in Massachusetts there is a tiny single row of about 10 packages of sausage crammed in between all the Italian sausages.  I have been to 5 different grocery chains, asked, looked in the fresh meat and freezer department and still have not found the Jimmy Dean Hearty Crumbles.  So sad, but I can make it the good old fashioned way and brown my own Jimmy Dean Sausage to create the crumbles, so that is what I have done.  I predict the crumbles will make their way to our stores soon (especially since I spoke to so many grocery managers) and I'll be first in line to buy them!

Here is the challenge:  How do you create a new breakfast recipe using Jimmy Dean!?!  It feels like everything has been done that could be done with their breakfast sausage.  I was hung up on maple syrup and sausage, maybe a waffle/pancake with sausage combo - done.  How about sausage/egg something - done sooo many ways.  Ugh!  What could be new?  Not sure if my entry is new, but it is new to me.  I used a trick I learned from a Pillsbury finalist to make a muffin out of biscuit dough.  I tried to fit all of the best things about breakfast into this little bisc-muffin.  We'll see if it does the trick.  Hope Jimmy Dean hasn't seen anything too close to this before.

Sausage Pecan Bisc-Muffins
Created by: Stephanie Almeda 

INGREDIENTS
1 can of refrigerated home style biscuits
1/4 Cup Crushed Pecans
1/2 Cup Maple Syrup
1 Package of  Jimmy Dean Hearty Sausage Crumbles
1/2 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease 8 spots in a regular muffin tin.  Pop open the can of biscuits, divide the biscuits then cut each one in half horizontally creating 16 different pieces.  Fill each of the 8 muffin cups with 1 teaspoon of crushed pecans and 1 tablespoon of Maple Syrup.  Place 1/2 a biscuit in the muffing cup pressing down firmly to mash the pecans into the dough.  Fold the dough up the sides of the cup slightly.  Place 1 heaping tablespoon of Jimmy Dean Sausage Crumbles on top of dough.  Top with 1 heaping teaspoon of shredded cheddar.  Place another biscuit half onto of the sausage and cheese.  Press down slightly around the perimeter of the biscuit to seal the dough.  Repeat with all 8 biscuits.  Place in pre-heated oven for 15-18 minutes or until bisc-muffins are golden brown.  Let cool in the pan for 2-3 minutes.  Flip the muffin pan over on a cooling rack so the muffins fall out and the maple syrup and pecans top the muffins like an upside down cake.  Eat while hot!

Served 8