Spicy Meatballs With Andouille Sausage

My dad takes great pride in having perfected the perfect man-gathering-friendly food.  

Anybody can do chips and dip.

Anybody can throw a bag of lil' smokies into a slow cooker.

But my dad?  He's pro.  Pro, unlike his accident-prone daughter who made these gems of deliciousness only to botch the photo due to a certain knife-related incident.

Tell you what... You make them and send me a photo, and then I'll share all of your lovely photos on Pihling Kansas.  

Anyhow, here's the secret!

You'll need:

• Pre-cooked, frozen meatballs (I used two 24 ounce bags of the Jennie-O brand)
• 1-2 Andouille sausages
• 1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce (Dad uses Kraft Sweet and Spicy, but Mr. Pihl is partial to Sweet Baby Ray's)
• Ground red cayenne pepper
• Creole seasoning

Preheat the oven to 375.

Spread the frozen meatballs onto a baking sheet, and liberally shake the cayenne pepper and the creole seasoning on the meatballs.  (How much is up to you.  The world is your oyster, here.  We're of the "spicier the better" school of thinking)  Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Slice the andouille sausage. 

When the meatballs are out of the oven, mix the meatballs, sliced sausage, and BBQ sauce together.  Feel free to shake some of the spices from the baking sheet into the sauce.  You'll thank me later.  

At this point you can either: 

• Heat the meatball mixture on low on the stove before serving, OR
• Transfer the mix to a slow cooker, call the group, and have them invade your home before hinting that there's BBQ goodness in the slow cooker over yonder.

It's really up to you, your needs, and what you have on hand.

And how much beer you have on hand to tame the heat.