biscuits and gravy

Biscuits and gravy are a staple breakfast in this household. I make them from scratch, which makes Derek think I'm amazing {don't tell him they're easy} and makes me feel pretty domestic. If we ever have a lazy Saturday morning or something, these are often on the menu. James will request them by name {While looking in the pantry like I often do when considering meals, he'll say, "hm... how about biscuits and grabey?"}... and when we have time, I'll honor his adorable little request. So try them out. They're fabulous. And watch your family devour!

RECIPE: Biscuits and Gravy

Tip: I seem to take forever to get the gravy to the right consistency {reduced down enough}, so I find that starting on the gravy first then doing the biscuits while the gravy reduces down is the best way to get the whole meal ready around the same time.

Recipe: Country-style Sausage Gravy

Ingredients:

1 lb. sausage {I prefer Jimmy Dean Mild sausage in the lil' tube.}

2 Tbsp. butter

1/4 c. flour

milk (lots- like 1/2 gallon)

salt/ground pepper- lots, to taste

First brown the sausage in a large skillet, over med-high heat. Then (I don't drain the grease; I use it to flavor the gravy and add to the roux.) add the butter and let it melt. Sprinkle the flour on top and mix it in a bit. Let the flour bubble for a minute to cook the floury/glue taste out. Increase heat to high. Add milk, a cup or two at a time, whisking it in as you go. Let the milk get hot/boil before you add more. This hopefully will speed up your thickening. Add as much milk as you think you want; I add about 1/2 gallon... we like gravy around here. Season as you go with salt and freshly ground pepper. You'll want a good deal of both and probably more than you'd think {taste it to see what you like}, especially the pepper. Once the gravy's reached the consistency you like (it should at least coat the back of a spoon), you're done!

Recipe: Biscuits

{Note: The biscuits recipe is not in any way mine. I got it from my Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book -- p. 129 of my pink, breast-cancer edition. I do the "Drop Biscuits Supreme" version. Here it is.}

Ingredients:

3 c. all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. cream of tartar

3/4 c. butter (or 1/2 c. butter and 1/4 c. shortening)

1 1/4 c. milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450F. In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and cream of tartar. Using a pastry blender {pastry cutter?}, cut in butter until mixture resembles course crumbs {I do until they're about pea-sized}. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add milk all at once. Using a fork, stir until mixture is moistened. {Note: I do none of those last couple of things... just dump in the milk and mix it up with my wooden spoon or whatever. It works fine.}

Using a large spoon, drop dough into 12 mounds onto a greased baking sheet. {I often make about a dozen and a half or so, liking smaller biscuits. Derek likes 'em big, so he does the 12. Also, we cook them on our Pampered Chef stone... not greased. They turn out great!} Bake for 10-14 minutes or until golden. Remove biscuits from baking sheet and serve warm.

chicken tomato spinach alfredo pasta

Derek and I love, love, LOVE the Chicken Tomato Spinach Alfredo pizza from Papa John's. {Can Papa John's go wrong, really? I say, "nay."} One day I thought I'd try out a pasta version {pizza pasta is a hit at this house generally}. It turned out really well! And it was so, so easy and quick. Perfect combo, imo. Try it and let me know what you think.

Note: For the record, I like this better sans chicken. Maybe it's the pregnancy {this girlie is a vegetarian, I think} or maybe it's just better that way. Derek likes the meat-factor, though, so I make it with chicken and just pick it out of mine. Anyway- thought I'd let you know. You'll have to decide which way you like it best.

RECIPE: Chicken Tomato Spinach Alfredo Pasta

Ingredients:

spaghetti noodles {sorry... I'm really bad at pasta quantities}

1 lb. chicken breast

2 Tbsp. (ish) EVOO

1 c. (ish) frozen spinach

1 can diced tomatoes, drained

1 pkg. Western Family {Seriously, this is the BEST!} Alfredo mix

milk

butter

Parmesan cheese, shredded

salt/pepper, to taste

Directions:

First get your water boiling and cook spaghetti noodles according to package directions.

Meanwhile, in a frying pan, dice the chicken breast(s) and brown the chicken in the EVOO over medium-high heat. Make sure the chicken is cooked through.

Also meanwhile {you should have time for both chicken and sauce; pasta takes a while}, prepare the alfredo sauce according to package directions. {This only takes a couple of minutes... it's quick, easy, cheap, and so yummy!}

When the spaghetti is nearly done (about a minute or so shy), add the frozen spinach to it. Let the pasta finish and the spinach defrost and blanche. Then remove from heat and drain.

Add the chicken, diced tomatoes, and alfredo sauce to the pasta/spinach pot. Toss well to coat/mix. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper- to taste.

Serve warm with fresh Parmesan cheese on top... and garlic bread on the side {mmm}. Enjoy!

ham fried rice

I was craving something Asian and was too unambitious to make manapuas (which is the Hawaiian name for them, I suppose, making them not-so-Asian... if you're curious as to what they are, stay tuned. I intend to make them sometime in the near future). So I made ham fried rice. Easy. Quick. And it used up several ingredients we had around from the holidays. I hadn't really made this before, but I think it turned out pretty yummy. We were going to have this accompany pot stickers, but it made a ton and we wanted to eat ASAP. So this was our meal. Hey, at least we had grain, protein and veggies. It's a relatively balanced meal. :) Either way, it was good. And hey- a little Asian good luck to start of the new year is never a bad thing, right?

RECIPE: Ham Fried Rice

Ingredients:

1/4 c. diced onion

1 c. diced ham

2 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, divided

2 tsp. vegetable oil {or canola or whatever, but probably not EVOO}

1 c. frozen peas

1 c. shredded carrots

3 eggs {I'd probably do 4 next time}

4 c. cooked, cool white rice

soy sauce, to taste

sesame seed oil

ginger powder

salt/pepper

Directions:

If you have leftover rice, use that. Otherwise {I didn't} cook 2 c. rice according to package directions (it will double once cooked) and throw in the freezer for at least 30 min. or so, preferably with the lid off. You want it cold and slightly dried out... leftover-like, if you will.

Over medium-high heat, fry onion, ham and 1/2 tsp. garlic powder in 1 tsp. vegetable oil in a large skillet/frying pan. Fry/cook for about 2 minutes or so, or until the onion is soft and the whole thing's a little browned. Reduce to medium heat and add 1 tsp. oil, peas and carrots. Fry for another couple of minutes, until peas are thawed and all is warmed and cooked a bit. Add eggs and stir to scramble. Once eggs are cooked, add the rice. Mix well to combine, then add the remaining seasonings to taste.

{Note: I put in about 7 glug-glug-glug turns around the pan of soy sauce (sorry for the crumby terminology), about 1/8 tsp. sesame seed oil (be careful with this guy; a little goes a very long way), 2 tsp.-ish garlic powder and oh... 1 tsp. ginger powder, along with a decent amount of ground pepper and a bit of salt (you don't need much; the soy sauce is pretty salty). Just add a bit, taste it, add a bit, taste it... that sort of thing. Ultimately YOU will eat it, so make it taste good to you.}

Serve warm... alone or otherwise. And enjoy!

salmon chowder

Note: Picture AND recipe courtesy of Kurt & Bonnie Anderson. Kurt ice-fished and brought home some gorgeous, delicious salmon. Kurt de-scaled and de-boned (I know there are real words for these things, but I don't know them) the fish at his own apartment- which was especially kind (ick). And he and Bonnie came over and cooked up this amazing soup for us. They even took the picture. Absolutely none of this is mine, but it was a delicious recipe, and I wanted to share it. Thank you, Kurt and Bonnie! Try it. You will thank them too!

PS. I don't like fish as a general rule. At all. And I LOVED this. It's not really "fishy" and tastes great. So if you're leery of fish like I am, still try it. It really is that good!

RECIPE: Salmon Chowder

Ingredients:

2 lbs. red potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 large onion, chopped

1 (49.5 fl. oz.) can chicken broth

1 lb. salmon steaks, bones removed, cut into 1" cubes

1/2 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled

2 c. milk

1 c. half-and-half cream

1 Tbsp. butter or margarine

1/2 tsp. salt

pepper, to taste

Directions:

In a soup kettle or Dutch oven, bring potatoes, onion and broth to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook until potatoes are tender. Add salmon and bacon; cook over medium heat until fish flakes easily with a fork. Reduce heat; stir in milk, cream, butter, salt and pepper; heat through (do not boil). Thicken if desired.

{Note: He did have to thicken it and used probably 3-4 Tbsp. corn starch (mixed first with cold water) to do so. Also- don't be afraid to bring it to a boil (it needs it to thicken with the corn starch); just don't leave it there.}

Mmm... try it. It's wonderful.

thanksgiving dinner {aka: recipe overload}

This Thanksgiving was spent with just our little family, and I was really excited to cook up a feast. I wanted to cook a turkey and all of the fixings, preferably doing many parts from scratch, and I did! {Or rather, WE did... as Derek did as much of the work as I did. He's quite handy in the kitchen, among other rooms... wink!} Here's what we made {I use the term loosely, seeing how some parts- the cranberry sauce, for example- were mostly just served}: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, yams, "squeaky" beans, rolls, cranberry sauce and olives. It took us the better part of Thanksgiving morning, but mmm- was it worth it!

RECIPE: Thanksgiving Turkey

{Note: This turkey recipe was actually a result of our "winging it" (pun not intended but haha- winging it). We had a few ideas originally and then added a few ingredients to make the turkey pair better with the stuffing, etc. It turned out being pretty scrumptious.}

Ingredients:

1 10-ish lb. turkey

poultry seasoning

fresh herbs {labeled poultry something-or-other,

including rosemary, sage and tyme}, diced

1 Golden Delicious apple, cored and diced

1 medium onion, diced

ground pepper

sea salt

cinnamon

oven bag {non-edible!}

Directions:

Defrost turkey if frozen {this takes a good day or two, so think ahead}. Remove innards {giblets?}. Place in oven bag, but keep open- for seasoning. Rub liberally with poultry seasoning, ground pepper and sea salt {to taste}. Sprinkle/pack fresh herbs all over bird. Toss apples and onions in there... on top, wedged into crevices, whatever. Sprinkle a teensy bit of cinnamon on top, and close the bag.

Follow cooking instructions, but I'd recommend cooking the turkey at 300F for 3ish hours (definitely follow the internal temperature on this one, though, not the time itself... no one likes a raw, nasty turkey!). We did ours at 350F for 2 1/2 hours, I think, and it was wonderful and moist... but sort of tough. Strange. We figure more hours at a lower temp would be better. I guess we'll see next year (we don't eat a lot of whole turkeys around here besides).

RECIPE: Sage, Sausage and Apple Stuffing

{Note: This recipe is originally from foodnetwork.com (Food Network Kitchens). I just cut theoriginal recipe in half (which was plenty and then some for our family of 2 3/4), not quite halving some things, and did my best to follow their instructions. Also, we bought a loaf of French bread, cubed it up into 3/4 in. pieces, then set it out overnight to dry/stale. We probably ended up using 3/4 of the loaf in the end, so more like 12 oz. or so of bread total- more than they recommended. Whatever it was, it was yum.}

Ingredients:

12-ish oz. stale bread cubes

4 Tbs. butter, plus more for greasing pan

3/4 lb. sage sausage

1 small onion, chopped

1 Golden Delicious apple, cored and diced

2 ribs celery, chopped

1/4 tsp. salt

2 c. chicken broth

1-2 tsp. (ish) dried parsley

1/4 c. walnut pieces, chopped {called for "toasted"- totally forgot that part!}

1 egg, beaten

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325F. {We still had it on 350F from the turkey, adding this to the oven during the turkey's last little while of cook time.}

Melt 2 Tbs. butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and break up with a wooden spoon. Cook until it loses it's pink color, but barely- not so much that it's dry. Add the sausage and pan drippings to the stuffing cubes. Melt the remaining butter in the pan. Add the onion, apple, celery and salt. Cook until the vegetables get soft, about 5 minutes. Add the broth and parsley and bring to a boil.

Pour the vegetable mixture over the stuffing cubes and toss until evenly moistened. Mix in the walnuts and eggs. Loosely pack the stuffing in the prepared pan and cook uncovered until the top forms a crust, about 40 minutes. Drizzle about 2 Tbs. of turkey pan drippings or melted butter over the top. Cook until the top is crisp and golden, about 20 minutes more {we broiled it at the end, I think}. Serve immediately or warm.

RECIPE: Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:

potatoes

water

butter

evaporated milk

salt/pepper, to taste

Directions:

Peel and cube potatoes {the smaller the cubes, the quicker they'll cook}. Put in a pot and cover with cool/luke-warm water. Bring to a boil {this takes a while}, then continue to cook until potatoes are soft. Drain water. Mash the potatoes {you can whip them a little if you want more fluffiness}. Add butter, evaporated milk, and salt/pepper to taste- and/or until the potatoes are the desired consistency. Serve warm with turkey gravy.

RECIPE: Turkey Gravy

Ingredients:

3 Tbs. butter

3-4 Tbs. flour

turkey pan drippings, strained

salt/pepper, to taste

Directions:

Melt butter in skillet over high or medium-high heat. Add flour and quickly whisk. Let the floury taste cook out by letting the mixture bubble for a minute {just don't let it burn}. A little at a time, add the turkey pan drippings, whisking continuously to avoid lumps. Continue whisking and bring to a boil. Add salt/pepper to taste. Whisk and boil and whisk and boil until the gravy is to your desired thickness {it should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, imo}. Serve hot.

RECIPE: Candied Yams

Ingredients:

2 large yams, peeled and sliced

butter

brown sugar

mini-marshmallows

Directions:

Rub butter all over the yam slices and place on a baking stone {Pampered Chef is a bazillion times better than other brands, I promise you}. Sprinkle liberally with brown sugar. Bake for 30ish minutes at 350-400F or until yams are soft on the inside {think: potatoes} and slightly crispy on the outside. Remove from stone (put in bowl/on plate/whatever) and sprinkle with a few mini-marshmallows. As the yams rest, the marshmallows will melt a bit, spreading their yummy sweetness. Serve warm.

RECIPE: Roasted "Squeaky" Beans

Ingredients:

1 pkg. frozen "squeaky" beans

olive oil (EVOO)

salt/pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350-400F. Dump frozen "squeaky" beans {green/yellow string beans? I'm not actually sure of their technical name} onto a stone, preferably one with raised edges. Lightly drizzle with olive oil {by lightly drizzle, I mean don't dump}. Season with salt/pepper to taste and bake/roast in oven for 30ish minutes. Yummy.

RECIPE: Rolls

I'm gonna be honest with you. We did nothing whatsoever to invent these rolls. We bought frozen Rhodes rolls {they come as little frozen dough balls}, sprayed Pam {probably the GV equivalent, again- to be honest... and I prefer the canola oil version} into muffin tins, placed one dough ball into each lil' hole, sprayed with Pam again, covered with plastic wrap and let rest for several hours- to rise. Once they were big and beautiful, we baked them according to package directions (10ish minutes?). I think Derek melted butter over the tops when they were done, but I'm not actually sure. They're really easy and better than anything I could make.

Another great idea for Thanksgiving dinner rolls: Golden Corral. I love their rolls. They're big and beautiful and fantastic! If you're not the kneading type, do things my way. You won't regret it. :)

RECIPE: Cranberry Sauce

Again, I did nothing. I like the jellied, canned variety the very best. I think we splurged and went with Ocean Spray brand, but really- I'm pretty sure the cheap stuff is equally good. We just didn't want to risk it, ya know? Anyway, I tossed the can in the fridge the night before so the yummy "sauce" {we all know it's not a sauce, right?} would be cold... then 2 seconds before serving time, I opened the can, plopped the stuff out, sliced it {for prettiness-sake} and DONE. Derek doesn't like the stuff, but I love it... and James seemed to, too. Tart and squishy and pure bliss...

RECIPE: Olives

Same as with the cranberry sauce. Just buy a can, refrigerate, open can, drain and serve. Though some important advice: Large pitted black olives like this absolutely must be eaten off the fingers. Finger puppets a la olive are really the only way to dine. Do it. The Pilgrims will thank you.

And that's it. Happy Thanksgiving to all! {Don't forget your post-dinner naps; you'll need 'em!}

taco soup

This recipe is in no way my original idea, but since I couldn't find a recipe for it anywhere and decided to wing it... the recipe itself is mine. It turned out really well (sometimes my winging-it doesn't) and is super delicious! And seriously, this recipe is super-duper versatile. Throw in whatever beans sound good to you. Add more or less beef if you're feeling it or have it on hand. Increase the salsa content for a bit more kick. Do your thing. It should work out. Or do it my way. It's good too; I promise. :) Try it on a cold, wonderful day... and enjoy!

RECIPE: Taco Soup

Ingredients:

1-1 1/2 lb. ground beef

1 onion

1 taco seasoning packet

1 c. salsa

2 cans diced tomatoes {we used one reg, one with cilantro and lime}

1 can corn

1 can kidney beans

1 can red beans

1 can pinto beans

1 can black beans

Directions:

Brown ground beef with onion in a med-large pot (whatever you'll do the soup in; who needs more dirty dishes, honestly?). Add all other ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Serve with shredded cheddar, sour cream, tortilla chips, etc.

PS. My pictures suck. This I know. Lately they have been especially pathetic. Just trust me and not your eyes... it's tasty. Really.

soothing pumpkin soup with swiss cheese paninis

I got this recipe off Studio5 (recipe submitted by one Laura Wolford) a couple years back. We LOVE it! It's a bit unusual, so we have to be careful who we invite over to share it, but we think it's pretty great. I altered it a bit this time around because I didn't have any cream on hand. Instead, I used 16ish oz. of evaporated milk and threw in a couple tablespoons of butter {can't be too healthy, right?}. It tasted great. We couldn't tell the difference. I think this substitution is ideal for making this even more convenient and easy, but here’s the cream version. Also, I reduced the sugar (by a third!) and couldn’t even tell- so we’ll do it that way now. And upped the garlic a bit. Because, garlic. 

We also grilled up a few swiss cheese paninis on wheat bread for the perfect fall-weather meal (also great open faced). Mmmm... autumn!

RECIPE: Soothing Pumpkin Soup

Serves: 4

Calories: 141

Ingredients:

3 c. chicken stock**

1 c. whipping cream

1 (15 oz) can pure pumpkin puree {NOT pie filling}

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

1-2 tsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. ground coriander

dash nutmeg

fresh ground pepper and salt to taste

chopped fresh cilantro or parsley to garnish {not necessary}

**Note: You really want either stock or broth, but not bullion. It comes out way too salty with bullion- especially the Mexican kind. :(

Directions:

Bring chicken stock and cream to a boil. Whisk in remaining ingredients except garnish. Reduce to simmer and let cook 15 minutes. Season to taste. Ladle into soup bowls and garnish if desired.

RECIPE: Swiss Cheese Paninis

Ingredients:

bread slices

butter/margarine

swiss cheese, sliced

Directions:

Easy-peasy. For each panini, just butter two pieces of bread (one side of each) and throw sliced swiss between the two slices (cheese touching the non-buttered sides). Grill them up for a few minutes on each side (use a griddle, frying pan, George Foreman, panini-maker, whatever works), or until cheese is melty and bread is browned and crisp. Slice in half if desired and serve with soup.

Mmm... what a quick, easy, delicious meal. Enjoy!

banana nut muffins {mine-ish}

These banana nut muffins are my own rendition of my mother-in-law's recipe... which originally came from her mother-in-law... which may or may not have been originally hers! :) I know. That was fun.

Anyway, they're really great. They're uber-moist, almost gooey {though if cooked as muffins and not a loaf, you won't get icky actual goo}, not at all healthy, and super yum.

I took my mother-in-law's recipe, which makes enough for an army- perhaps literally, and reduced it by 5 or so. Then I tweaked a few ingredients, rounded up or down as I thought was best, added some flax seed to make it a bit healthier and voila-- this recipe was born! I hope you like it. Sorry 'bout the hips. ;)

RECIPE: Banana Nut Muffins

Ingredients:

6 1/2 Tbs. butter (soft/melted a bit)

1 1/4 c. sugar

2 eggs

2 Tbs. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

3/4 c. mashed bananas {I used like 3 large ones... it's flexible.}

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 3/4 c. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 c. chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, whatev)

1/4 c. flax seed meal

Directions:

Whisk together butter, sugar, eggs, milk, vanilla and bananas. In a separate bowl {nice concept; I never do}, combine dry ingredients. Gently add in dry ingredients, a little at a time. Pour into greased muffin tins {only fill the cups about 1/2 full... it's pretty heavy batter and will just goop over the edges otherwise}. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

zucchini bread

I told you, we have lots of zucchini around here! :) This recipe is my friend Brittney's. I don't know if it's hers originally or if she got it somewhere (though she probably altered it to make it milk-free; she tends to do that), but it's yummy. I've made it a few times in the past few months. Hm... probably not the best dieting technique. Anyway- try it out. Let me know what you think.

RECIPE: Zucchini Bread

Ingredients:

3 eggs

2 c. sugar

1 c. oil

1 Tbsp. vanilla

2 c. shredded zucchini {I did 3.}

3 c. flour

1 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. nutmeg {I'd do 1/2.}

1 Tbsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. salt

2-4 tsp. flax seed meal {My addition- to bump up the Omega3. I swear you can't taste it!}

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F.

Mix wet ingredients {first cluster} until frothy. Add zucchini. In separate bowl {nice theory; I never do}, mix dry ingredients {last cluster}. Mix all together until just wet- don't overstir.

Grease pans {Pam-spray them}. Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon around the pans. Pour the batter mixture into two loaf pans. Sprinkle the tops with sugar and cinnamon.

Bake at 350F for 1 hour.

(If making muffins, bake for about 20 min or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.)

spaghetti with zucchini and parm

We have a good deal of zucchini in our garden right now. Also, I'm pregnant and have an aversion to almost everything. This lil' concoction, however, I came up with one night and have craved it several times since. I love it. Somehow it just hits the spot.

It's very, very simple and super flexible. I'm not even going to attempt to put quantities in the recipe, since really truly you can throw in as much or as little of all of it. I honestly don't think you can go wrong. Try it. Like it. Crave it.

RECIPE: Spaghetti with Zucchini and Parm

Ingredients:

spaghetti noodles

olive oil

zucchini, seeded and chopped/diced

onion, diced

garlic (okay- quantity: I do only 1-2 cloves, grated/minced)

parmesan cheese (fresh, shredded)

salt/pepper

Directions:

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile, saute the zucchini, onion and garlic in olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. When all of it's done (spaghetti al dente, or to your prefered done-ness... zucchini and onion soft and cooked through), drain the pasta and toss it all together. Add parmesan cheese and toss to coat lightly {don't go too heavy on the cheese or you'll only taste parmesan}. Serve warm. Mmm... enjoy!