Sausage Gravy

Last weekend my husband and I had some friend over we and made breakfast for dinner! We made an egg casserole, bacon, and biscuits with sausage gravy. Now, I had never actually made sausage gravy before and I have to tell you, it was so simple! I didn't expect it to be difficult, but I had no idea just how simple it would be! 

To make enough gravy for 4-6 biscuits you will need:

• 1/2 lb. GROUND SAUSAGE
• 4 Tbs FLOUR
• 2 & 1/2 cups MILK
• 1/2 tsp SALT
• 1/2 tsp PEPPER

Start off by browning the sausage in a skillet on the stove. 

Once the sausage is cooked, sprinkle the flour over the top. Stir the flour into the sausage and allow the mixture to cook for another 3 minutes. 

Next, pour in the milk. 

Stir to combine and add the salt and pepper. (I ended up adding an extra 1/2 tsp of pepper.)

Allow the gravy to cook over a medium heat until it thickens, about 10 minutes. Be sure to stir the gravy frequently to keep it from burning on the bottom of the skillet. 

If you have trouble getting the gravy to thicken stir in a little bit more flour. If the gravy become too thick, just add a splash of milk!

Bake up some biscuits to serve it over...

 ...and enjoy!

Perfection. 

---

Sausage Gravy

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. GROUND SAUSAGE
• 4 Tbs FLOUR
• 2 & 1/2 cups MILK
• 1/2 tsp SALT
• 1/2 tsp PEPPER

Directions:

1. Start off by browning the sausage in a skillet on the stove. 
2. Once the sausage is cooked, sprinkle the flour over the top. Stir the flour into the sausage and allow the mixture to cook for another 3 minutes. 
3. Next, pour in the milk. Stir to combine and add the salt and pepper. (I ended up adding an extra 1/2 tsp of pepper.)
4. Allow the gravy to cook over a medium heat until it thickens, about 10 minutes. Be sure to stir the gravy frequently to keep it from burning on the bottom of the skillet. 
• If you have trouble getting the gravy to thicken, stir in a little bit of extra flour. If the gravy become too thick, just add a splash of milk!
5. Bake up some biscuits to serve it over and enjoy!

---

Strawberry Scones

I made these scones last weekend and they turned out to be delicious! I ran across this recipe online when I was searching for new things that I could make with some leftover buttermilk. I rarely buy buttermilk, so when I have it around I want to use it!

To make 6 large strawberry scones (or probably 8-10 medium sized scones) you will need:

• 3/4 cup (FROZEN or FRESH) STRAWBERRIES, chopped
• 2 & 1/4 cup FLOUR
• 1/2 Tbs BAKING POWDER
• 1/2 tsp BAKING SODA
• 1/4 cup GRANULATED SUGAR
• 1/2 tsp SALT
• 1 stick very cold UNSALTED BUTTER, cubed
• 3/4 cup BUTTERMILK
• 1/2 tsp LEMON JUICE
• 1 tsp VANILLA EXTRACT

For topping:

• 1 & 1/2 Tbs UNSALTED BUTTER, melted
• 2 Tbs LARGE CRYSTAL SUGAR or GRANULATED SUGAR

Start off by chopping the strawberries into bite sized pieces. Then stick them in the freezer while you prepare the dough. Freezing the strawberries will prevent the juices from oozing when you mix them into the dough making the dough too wet. (If you use pre-frozen strawberries you obviously don't have to wait around for the strawberries to freeze which makes the process go faster!)

Cut the stick of butter into cubes and then put it in the freezer with the strawberries to allow the butter to get very cold! When your strawberries are pretty frozen (this could take about an hour if you use fresh strawberries) preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt into a large bowl. Mix well to make sure all of the ingredients are equally dispersed. Next cut the cold butter into the flour using either a pastry cutter or two knives. You want to end up with pea sized balls of butter in a coarse flour mixture.

In a small bowl, mix the buttermilk, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Pour the buttermilk mixture and frozen strawberries over the flour mixture.

Gently mix together the wet ingredients and dry ingredients with a spatula until the dough just starts to form. (I had to add a few extra tablespoons of buttermilk to get the dough to come together. If you need to add more liquid be careful to not add too much, add it one tablespoon at a time!)

Once the dough will just hold together, (I should still be kind of crumbly!) form it into a rectangle on a floured surface. Press the dough out to be about 1 & 1/2 inches thick.

Next, brush the melted butter onto the dough and sprinkle the sugar on top. The sugar will almost create a crust on top of the scones once baked.

Cut the large rectangle into 6 pieces and then transfer them to the baking sheet. You could cut the scones into smaller pieces if you don't want such large scones.

Then bake for 25-30 minutes! Look how much they grew!

 Don't they look yummy!

---

Strawberry Scones

Ingredients:
To make 6 large strawberry scones you will need:

• 3/4 cup (FROZEN or FRESH) STRAWBERRIES, chopped
• 2 & 1/4 cup FLOUR
• 1/2 Tbs BAKING POWDER
• 1/2 tsp BAKING SODA
• 1/4 cup GRANULATED SUGAR
• 1/2 tsp SALT
• 1 stick very cold UNSALTED BUTTER, cubed
• 3/4 cup BUTTERMILK
• 1/2 tsp LEMON JUICE
• 1 tsp VANILLA EXTRACT

For topping:

• 1 & 1/2 Tbs UNSALTED BUTTER, melted
• 2 Tbs LARGE CRYSTAL SUGAR or GRANULATED SUGAR

Directions:

1. Chop the strawberries into bite sized pieces. Then stick them in the freezer while you prepare the dough. 
2. Cut the stick of butter into cubes and then put it in the freezer with the strawberries to allow the butter to get very cold! 
3. When your strawberries are pretty frozen (this could take about an hour if you use fresh strawberries) preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 
4. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt into a large bowl. Mix well to make sure all of the ingredients are equally dispersed. 
5. Cut the cold butter into the flour using either a pastry cutter or two knives. You want to end up with pea sized balls of butter in a coarse flour mixture.
6. In a small bowl, mix the buttermilk, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Pour the buttermilk mixture and frozen strawberries over the flour mixture. Gently mix together the wet ingredients and dry ingredients with a spatula until the dough just starts to form. (I had to add a few extra tablespoons of buttermilk to get the dough to come together. If you need to add more liquid be careful to not add too much, add it one tablespoon at a time!)
7. Once the dough will just hold together, (I should still be kind of crumbly!) form it into a rectangle on a floured surface. Press the dough out to be about 1 & 1/2 inches thick. 
8. Next, brush the melted butter onto the dough and sprinkle the sugar on top. The sugar will almost create a crust on top of the scones once baked.
9. Cut the large rectangle into 6 pieces and then transfer them to the baking sheet. You could cut the scones into smaller pieces if you don't want such large scones. Then bake for 25-30 minutes! 

---

I adapted this recipe from a recipe I found on the following site: http://www.breadtastic.com/quick-breads/tartines-strawberry-buttermilk-scones/

Crepes

I have been wanting to try to make crepes for awhile now, and it turned out to be pretty easy to do! You just have to pay attention to what you are doing and not walk away from the stove! Once you have made your crepes you can top them with just about anything! I topped mine with Nutella and strawberries, yum!

I didn't actually use all of the batter that I made, but I think I probably would have gotten about 20 8 inch crepes out of this batter. 

To make these simple crepes you will need:

• 2 cups MILK
• 1 & 1/3 cup FLOUR
• 1 EGG
• 1 Tbs VEGETABLE OIL
• 1/2 tsp BAKING POWDER
• 2 Tbs SUGAR

Throw all of the above ingredients into a medium sized bowl and whisk until smooth.

The batter should resemble a thin pancake batter.

Next, heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Once the skillet is hot, spray the pan with nonstick spray (Be careful doing this if you have a gas stove! You may want to move the pan off the stove to spray if you have gas just to be safe.) and then use a ladle to pour a small amount of batter into the skillet.

As you pour the batter into the skillet roll the pan from side to side to get a thin coating of batter all over the bottom of the pan.

After a few minutes of cooking all of the liquid should evaporate and you should see little bubbles all over the crepe. Use a spatula to carefully flip the crepe over at this point. (See picture below.)

The picture below shows what the bottom should look like once flipped! Cook the crepe for another minute or two and then transfer it to a plate.

Then start cooking the next crepe!

Once I was ready to eat, I spread on a nice layer of Nutella, and then laid on a few cut up strawberries.

Roll it up, and vuala!

That wasn't that hard, was it?

They look so fancy!

---

Crepes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups MILK
• 1 & 1/3 cup FLOUR
• 1 EGG
• 1 Tbs VEGETABLE OIL
• 1/2 tsp BAKING POWDER
• 2 Tbs SUGAR

Directions:

1. Throw all of the above ingredients into a medium sized bowl and whisk until smooth. The batter should resemble a thin pancake batter.
2. Next, heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Once the skillet is hot, spray the pan with nonstick spray (Be careful doing this if you have a gas stove! You may want to move the pan off the stove to spray if you have gas just to be safe.) and then use a ladle to pour a small amount of batter into the skillet.
3. As you pour the batter into the skillet roll the pan from side to side to get a thin coating of batter all over the bottom of the pan.
4. After a few minutes of cooking all of the liquid should evaporate and you should see little bubbles all over the crepe. Use a spatula to carefully flip the crepe over at this point. 
5. Cook the crepe for another minute or two and then transfer it to a plate. Then start cooking the next crepe!

---

I found this recipe on the following website: http://juliasalbum.com/2012/11/how-to-make-crepes-from-scratch-in-a-regular-frying-pan-recipe/

Banana Muffins

These muffins are soft, moist, and extremely flavorful! They are the best banana muffins I have had in a long time. They are incredibly easy to make and you don't even have to dirty any dishes!

To make 12-15 of these delicious muffins you will need:

• 3 ripe BANANAS (about 1 cup mashed)
• 2 EGGS
• 1 cup SUGAR
• 1 cup FLOUR
• 1/2 tsp SALT
• 3/4 tsp BAKING SODA
• 1/2 tsp BAKING POWDER
• 1/2 tsp CINNAMON
• 1/2 cup VEGETABLE OIL
• 1 tsp VANILLA
• Optional: 1/2 cup chopped WALNUTS or PECANS

To minimize the number of utensils you will need, measure all of the ingredients with a 1/2 measuring cup and 1/4 teaspoon. Then use either a large freezer baggie or a medium sized bowl to mix the ingredients up in. If you use a baggie, you can just throw it away after the muffins are made, no clean up! I didn't have a baggie big enough so I just used a bowl. (One bowl isn't bad though!) Another perk to using a baggie is that you can seal it and use your hands to mix the ingredients together where you need a fork or spoon to mix the ingredients in a bowl.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Then line a muffin tin with cupcake papers. Start making the batter by mashing the bananas.

Mix in the eggs and sugar, making sure that eggs are incorporated before adding the sugar. Once the sugar is mixed in, add the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. When the dry ingredients have been incorporated, add the oil, vanilla, optional nuts, and then mix well.

If you are using a baggie, snip the bottom corner off the baggie creating a small hole and squirt the batter into the cupcake papers. If you are using a bowl, you will have to simply pour the batter in. Fill each muffin cup about 3/4 of the way full with batter. (I skipped the cupcake papers and the muffins still turned out great!)

Bake the muffins for 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick come out clean!

I know the muffins look a little bit dark around the edges because I didn't use cupcake papers, but they aren't hard or burnt tasting at all!

These muffins are so good! You can't eat just one!

---

Banana Muffins

Ingredients:

• 3 ripe BANANAS (about 1 cup mashed)
• 2 EGGS
• 1 cup SUGAR
• 1 cup FLOUR
• 1/2 tsp SALT
• 3/4 tsp BAKING SODA
• 1/2 tsp BAKING POWDER
• 1/2 tsp CINNAMON
• 1/2 cup VEGETABLE OIL
• 1 tsp VANILLA
• Optional: 1/2 cup chopped WALNUTS or PECANS

Directions:

To minimize the number of utensils you will need, measure all of the ingredients with a 1/2 measuring cup and 1/4 teaspoon. Then use either a large freezer baggie or a medium sized bowl to mix the ingredients up in. If you use a baggie, you can just throw it away after the muffins are made, no clean up! I didn't have a baggie big enough so I just used a bowl. (One bowl isn't bad though!) Another perk to using a baggie is that you can seal it and use your hands to mix the ingredients together where you need a fork or spoon to mix the ingredients in a bowl.

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Then line a muffin tin with cupcake papers. (I skipped the cupcake papers and the muffins still turned out great!)
2. Start making the batter by mashing the bananas. 
3. Mix in the eggs and sugar, making sure that eggs are incorporated before adding the sugar. Once the sugar is mixed in, add the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. When the dry ingredients have been incorporated, add the oil and vanilla and mix well. 
4. If you are using a baggie you can snip the bottom corner off the baggie creating a small hole and squirt the batter into the cupcake papers. If you are using a bowl, you will have to simply pour the batter in. Fill each muffin cup about 3/4 of the way full with batter. 
5. Bake the muffins for 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick come out clean!

---

I got this wonderful recipe from the following blog: http://www.yammiesnoshery.com/2013/10/the-best-banana-bread-muffins-ever.html

Iced Mocha

Lately I have been on the lookout for a good iced coffee and I think that I have found it in this recipe! I will start off by admitting that I am a little bit of a wimp when it comes to coffee. I tend to go for the sweet coffee drinks that are probably more sugar than coffee. I'm working on it though!

This iced mocha is delicious and I think it has a good balance of coffee flavor and sweetness (I even toned down the sweetness from the original recipe! I'm so proud of myself!) It is extremely easy to adapt this recipe to your taste by varying how much coffee, sugar, or milk you add! Let loose, play mad scientist, and experiment! I love this recipe because I can make it ahead of time and drink on it for a week, but it would also be great to make for a party!

To take this drink up a notch, I made some coffee ice cubes! I did this by freezing brewed coffee in an ice tray. It's super easy and prevents your coffee from getting watered down as the ice melts!

To make just under 3 quarts of this delicious treat you will need:

• 1/3 cup INSTANT COFFEE GRANULES 
• 1/2 cup BOILING WATER
• 1 (14 oz.) can SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK (you could use fat-free to knock off a few calories)
• 1/2 cup CHOCOLATE SYRUP
• 3 cups COLD WATER
• 6 cups MILK (I used 1%, but you could use skim to knock off a few MORE calories)

Start off by putting the coffee into a  medium sized bowl. Next, whisk the 1/2 cup of boiling water into the coffee. (I made a half batch of this iced coffee in the pictures, so that's why it looks like so much less!)

Continue whisking the mixture until all of the coffee has dissolved.

Whisk the sweetened condensed milk and chocolate syrup into the coffee.

Pour the sweetened coffee mixture into your pitcher and stir in the cold water and milk. This is where tasting is important! If the coffee is too sweet add some more milk or water. If it doesn't have enough coffee flavor, dissolve a few tablespoons of the instant coffee in a few tablespoons of boiling water and mix it in.

Once the coffee is to your liking, chill it until it is cold (or just pour it over a glass full of ice) and then serve!

---

Iced Mocha

Ingredients:
To make just under 3 quarts of this delicious treat you will need:

• 1/3 cup INSTANT COFFEE GRANULES 
• 1/2 cup BOILING WATER
• 1 (14 oz.) can SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK (you could use fat-free to knock off a few calories)
• 1/2 cup CHOCOLATE SYRUP
• 3 cups COLD WATER
• 6 cups MILK (I used 1%, but you could use skim to knock off a few MORE calories)

Directions:

1. Start off by putting the coffee into a  medium sized bowl. 
2. Next, whisk the 1/2 cup of boiling water into the coffee. Continue whisking the mixture until all of the coffee has dissolved.
3. Whisk the sweetened condensed milk and chocolate syrup into the coffee.
4. Pour the sweetened coffee mixture into your pitcher and stir in the cold water and milk. 
5. This is where tasting is important! If the coffee is too sweet, add some more milk or water. If it doesn't have enough coffee flavor, dissolve a few tablespoons of the instant coffee in a few tablespoons of boiling water and mix it in. 
6. Once the coffee is to your liking, chill it until it is cold (or just pour it over a glass full of ice) and then serve!

---

I adapted my recipe from the following recipe: http://www.loriesmississippikitchen.com/2008/07/iced-mocha-latte.html

Cinnamon Rolls

I've made these cinnamon rolls a few times and they are delicious! Though, you definitely want to eat them sooner than later (I know, darn it! Right?) because after a day or two they don't taste as fresh... 

I got this recipe from the Pioneer Woman, but adapted it a little because her recipe makes like 2,567 cinnamon rolls, and my husband and I certainly don't need that many! When I made the dough, I ended up cutting her recipe in half, and then cooked up one half then and froze the other half for later. Translation: I only cook 1/4 of the Pioneer Woman's recipe at a time, and it still makes about 24 cinnamon rolls!

The cinnamon rolls that are pictured in this post are actually from the dough that was frozen (for about 5-6 weeks) and as you can see, they still turned out great! The freezer is such a great thing. You can make the dough when you have time, freeze it, and then defrost it when you need it. Whether it be for a special brunch or a party that you didn't realize you needed to bring something to until the night before!

To make a half batch of Pioneer Woman's dough (that I then split again in my house) you will need: 

• 2 cups WHOLE MILK (I used 1% since that's what I had on hand)
• 1/2 cup VEGETABLE OIL
• 1/2 cup SUGAR
• 1 package ACTIVE DRY YEAST (0.25 oz packet)
• 4 cups FLOUR, plus extra to roll the dough out on 
• 1/2 heaping tsp BAKING POWDER 
• 1/2 scant tsp BAKING SODA
• 1/2 Tbs SALT

You will also need the following to put on the dough to make it sweet and gooey and wonderful (this will be enough to cover half of the dough prepared above):

• 1/3-1/2 cup melted BUTTER
• 1/2 cup SUGAR
• generous sprinkling of CINNAMON

To make the icing you will need (this will be enough to cover cinnamon rolls made from half of the dough prepared):

• 2 cups POWDERED SUGAR
• 1/2 tsp MAPLE FLAVORING (you can substitute VANILLA EXTRACT if you don't have any)
• 1 Tbs melted BUTTER
• 1 Tbs brewed COFFEE
• pinch of SALT

Aside from the different amount of the ingredients, I followed the Pioneer Woman's recipe exactly so for the direction of how to prepare the rolls I will refer you to her website: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/cinammon_rolls_/

Here are some pictures of my beautiful cinnamon rolls!

Rolls before rising:

Rolls before rising:

Rolls after rising:

Rolls after baking:

Rolls after glazing: YUM!

---

Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:

To make a half batch of Pioneer Woman's dough (that I then split again in my house) you will need: 

• 2 cups WHOLE MILK (I used 1% since that's what I had on hand)
• 1/2 cup VEGETABLE OIL
• 1/2 cup SUGAR
• 1 package ACTIVE DRY YEAST (0.25 oz packet)
• 4 cups FLOUR, plus extra to roll the dough out on 
• 1/2 heaping tsp BAKING POWDER 
• 1/2 scant tsp BAKING SODA
• 1/2 Tbs SALT

You will also need the following to put on the dough to make it sweet and gooey and wonderful (this will be enough to cover half of the dough prepared above):

• 1/3-1/2 cup melted BUTTER
• 1/2 cup SUGAR
• generous sprinkling of CINNAMON

To make the icing you will need (this will be enough to cover cinnamon rolls made from half of the dough prepared):

• 2 cups POWDERED SUGAR
• 1/2 tsp MAPLE FLAVORING (you can substitute VANILLA EXTRACT if you don't have any)
• 1 Tbs melted BUTTER
• 1 Tbs brewed COFFEE
• pinch of SALT

Directions:

1. Aside from the different amount of the ingredients, I followed the Pioneer Woman's recipe exactly so for the direction of how to prepare the rolls I will refer you to her website: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/cinammon_rolls_/

---