Make this for your Honey!

My boyfriend domestic partner (in the eyes of the insurance company) Blake loves biscuits and gravy.  Anytime we try a new breakfast or brunch type restaurant and they have B & G on the menu, Blake orders some.  I'm determined that he is on a quest to find a restaurant that makes better gravy than the one I serve.  The good news is that he's yet to find a gravy he likes better than this recipe below.

I bet you have almost all of these ingredients in your pantry, so what are you waiting for? 

Sausage Gravy

1 lb breakfast sausage (I used Spicy)

2 TBS Butter

6 TBS Flour

3 1/2 Cups of Milk

1/4 tsp Salt

1 tsp Pepper

1/2 tsp parsley

1/4 tsp garlic powder

Brown the sausage in a large skillet over medium high.  Next add the butter and allow to melt, then stir in the flour.  Add the seasonings and the milk and stir until mixed well.  Bring the gravy to a boil and allow to simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the gravy has reached your desired consistency.

Serve over your favorite biscuits.  I used canned because I had them on hand and am lazy.  :) 

Strawberries & Cream Croissants

Baby steps back into the kitchen.... Since I've been on vacation, I haven't even made it to the grocery. Luckily I did have a few things on hand to throw together for a breakfast treat. Check your fridge and you just might have everything you need to make these tasty treats!

Strawberries & Cream Croissants

1 package croissant rolls
8 teaspoons cream cheese (I used low fat)
8 teaspoons strawberry jelly (I used low sugar)

Unroll croissants as directed on package. At the larger part of the triangle, place 1 teaspoon of cream cheese and one teaspoon of strawberry jelly. Roll as directed and place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake as directed. Enjoy!

Source: Me!

SNOW DAY!!!

It started snowing last night, and didn't stop until it dumped over a foot of snow here in Indy. Luckily I had my work laptop with me at home, and opted to work from the sofa today. I thought I'd make a breakfast casserole since I'm stuck in the house. One of my favorite recipes on this blog is another awesome breakfast casserole, and while this one is great, I don't know if it surpasses the other one. I think next time I might make a combo of the two.




Sausage & Egg Casserole

3/4 pound ground pork sausage
1 tablespoon butter
4 green onions, chopped
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
10 eggs, beaten
1 (16 ounce) container low-fat cottage cheese
1 pound Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
2 (4 ounce) cans diced green chile peppers, drained
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter, melted

Place sausage in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, and set aside. Melt butter in skillet, and cook and stir the green onions and mushrooms until tender. In a large bowl, mix the eggs, cottage cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, and chiles. Stir in the sausage, green onions, and mushrooms. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Blend in the melted butter. Stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Bake 40 to 50 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Source: allrecipes.com

Good morning pumpkin!

After doing some fall baking, I always seem to end up with half a can of pumpkin puree in the fridge that ends up getting tossed. So this morning I thought I'd see what I could do to use it up. I dug deep into my pantry and found some Hungry Jack pancake mix, the "just add water" kind, since I rarely keep milk on hand. I added the pumpkin, and some spice and voila! tasty pumpkin pancakes!

Pumpkin Pancakes

2 Cups Hungry Jack "just add water" Pancake Mix

1 1/2 cups water

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Prepare as directed on box. Yum!

Breakfast Quesadillas

This recipe was so easy to make, almost everything came out of the freezer. I had chopped onions, chopped peppers, flour tortillas, and breafast sausage patties all frozen in the freezer. The only other things I needed were eggs & cheese! I threw this together this morning because neither of us felt like going out for breakfast. They were great!



Breakfast Quesadillas


1/4 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup diece green pepper
4 large eggs
2 sausage patties, (pre-cooked and chopped)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 large flour tortillas
olive oil

Sautee onions and peppers over medium high heat until soft. Add sausage. Whisk 4 eggs together and add to skillet. Cook until eggs are done.Heat another skillet over medium high heat and spray with cooking spray. Add a tortilla and fill one side with egg mixture and top with shredded cheese, then fold. Cook on both sides for a few minutes until the cheese is melted and the tortilla is browned.serve with salsa and sour cream if desired.

Sunday Morning Cheddar Biscuits & Gravy

I don't think I've made biscuits and gravy since 8th grade home-ec, but it is still just as easy now as it was then. This time I took a hint from our local Taste Cafe and added some Sharp Cheddar to the mix and they were delicious! (Pardon the shadows in the picture, just the metal cris-crosses on the old 1920's windows)

Cheddar Biscuits & Gravy

Biscuits:
1 cup all-purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon butter, melted
1/4 cup shredded Sharp Cheddar
Gravy:
1/2 pound bulk pork sausage
1 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups milk
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Combine milk and butter; stir into dry ingredients just until blended, then stir in cheese. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees F for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, cook the sausage over medium heat until no longer pink. Stir in butter until melted. Sprinkle with flour. Gradually stir in milk, and seasonings. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until desired thickness. Serve over biscuits and top with additional cheese if desired.

Source: adapted from Allrecipes.com

My Favorite Casserole

If you know me, chances are I've fed you this. It is my favorite breakfast casserole, and it is always a hit at baby showers, office breakfast meetings, or for dinner. This past Friday I decided to take this to the office on Friday morning. We were closing the office to take a 33 ft RV down to the track for Carb Day (part of the Indy 500 festival for you non-Indiana people). Seeing as I knew the rest of the day would involve consuming mass quantities of beer and booze, I figured the more food in our stomachs, the better!




Crista's Favorite Breakfast Casserole

1 pound breakfast sausage (I like hot)
3 cups hashbrowns (thawed if frozen - the refrigerated Simply Potatoes brand are the perfect amount)
1/4 cup butter, melted
12 ounces Cheddar cheese, shredded (I like sharp cheddar)
1/2 cup onion, diced
1 (16 ounce) container small curd cottage cheese
6 jumbo eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Dice the onion and place onion and sausage in a large skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain and set aside. In the prepared baking dish, stir together the shredded potatoes and butter. Line the bottom and sides of the baking dish with the mixture. In a bowl, mix the sausage, Cheddar cheese,  cottage cheese, and eggs. Pour over the potato mixture. Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into center of the casserole comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Source: Adapted from Allrecipes.com

Tasty Treats in Tucson

We had a great trip out to Arizona to visit Scott's Dad & Step-mom. We spent 5 relaxing days hanging out in the sun, visiting the sites, and spending time with Scott's family. I also got to take a little road trip down to Tucson. I went to visit my old college roomie, Andrea, and her new beau, Moose (aka Eric). I had a great, but way too short visit. We went and had some great wine, Masi Campofiorin at dinner. Because the wine was so good, we headed to Bev Mo (the "Wal-Mart of Liquor" as Andrea puts it) and bought a few bottles. We decided that we would also make some Peach Sangria. We found it ironic that both of us had seen a Peach Sangria at Applebee's and both of us had taken the time to write down the ingredients from the menu. So we bought the required ingredients and concocted a very yummy sangria. The next morning, Andrea & Moose fixed a quick and very healthy breakfast that I enjoyed before hitting the road and heading back to Sun City. Here are the two recipes we enjoyed:

*note- I didn't take a picture, this one is borrowed from Martha Stewart

Peachy Sangria Ala Andrea & Crista

1 bottle White Zinfandel
1 liter Lemon-Lime Soda
1 small can Pineapple Juice (approx 10 oz)
1/2 cup Peach Schnapps
frozen peach slices for garnish

Mix together and serve. Yum!

Source: Applebees inspired us.

Turkey Waffles

sliced deli turkey
sliced apple
whole wheat waffle

Prepare as seen in the picture for a healthy and very tasty breakfast.

Source: Andrea & Moose

Fruity Breakfast Burrito

I wanted to whip up something for breakfast that involved stuff I need to use up. I have a ton of strawberries and bananas, and some left over tortillas. Combined with a few pantry staples, this was a delicious treat!

Strawberry & Banana PB Burrito

1 fajita sized flour tortilla

1/4 cup diced strawberries

1 diced small banana

2 Tablespoons peanut butter

1 teaspoon of honey

Spread peanut butter over tortilla, top with diced fruit and drizzle with honey.

Oh so sickly.

Terrible respiratory flu...going on day 3. This is all the time in the kitchen I could muster.

I've Got the Plague Eggs & Toast

Butter
2 Eggs
2 Slices of bread

Cook eggs in a skillet with some butter, salt & pepper to taste if you like. Put bread in toaster. When it pops up butter it.