December 30, 2011: Biscuits and Sausage Gravy Recipe

While I had company for Christmas last week, I made everyone breakfast one morning that consisted of biscuits and sausage gravy along with hash browns. The hash browns were dehydrated – we get them from a store in Clay Springs that sells lots of “survival” type food and containers. All you do is add a bit of hot water and they reconstitute so you can fry them. Those hash browns are very tasty!

When everyone ate the biscuits and sausage gravy I got lots of compliments and even one, “Those are the best biscuits and gravy I’ve ever tasted” from my dear father-in-law (and he’s old enough to have tasted lots of biscuits and gravy!). I think the secret to these being so good was the addition of whipping cream. Try this recipe and see if you don’t get compliments, too.

Biscuits and Sausage Gravy Recipe

2 cans Pillsbury Grands biscuits

2 pounds breakfast sausage roll, such as Jimmy Dean

1/3 cup flour

2 cups 2% milk

1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 t. dried sage

Prepare the biscuits as directed on the can.

Meanwhile, cook sausage in a large skillet over medium heat. Drain excess fat, reserving at least a couple tablespoons in bottom of skillet. Sprinkle sausage with flour. Cook and stir for a couple minutes to thoroughly cook flour so it doesn’t taste raw. Slowly add the milk and cream, stirring constantly. Add the seasonings. Slowly bring to a boil. Boil, stirring constantly, for about five minutes, until gravy is the right consistency. You may need to add additional milk if the gravy is too thick.

To serve, spoon sausage gravy over hot biscuits, sliced in half.

Serves 8 – 10

November 25, 2011: Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

When you need a little something to fuel your Black Friday shopping, try making these homemade cinnamon rolls the night before (or even several days earlier and store them in the freezer until ready to thaw).

My recipe for cinnamon rolls simply uses a basic sweet roll recipe that is spread with lots of butter, cinnamon and sugar.

Cinnamon Rolls

Yeast dough:

½ cup milk

¼ cup sugar

2 t. salt

3 T. butter

3 packages yeast (6 ¾ teaspoons)

1 ½ cups warm water

5 – 6 cups flour

Place milk, sugar, salt and butter in small saucepan. Heat over low heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Cool to lukewarm.

Dissolve yeast in warm water in warmed bowl of a stand mixer. Add lukewarm milk mixture and 4 ½ cups flour. Attach bowl and dough hook to mixer. Mix on Speed 2 for about one minute. Add flour, half cup at a time, and continue to mix until dough clings to hook and cleans sides of bowl, about 2 minutes. Knead on Speed 2 about two minutes longer until dough is smooth and elastic. Place dough in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover and and let rise in warm place until doubled in size, about 15 minutes.

Filling:

1 stick butter, melted

½ cup sugar

¼ cup cinnamon

Mix together sugar and cinnamon.

Roll dough out on floured surface to large rectangle, about 12 x 24 inches. Brush with melted butter; sprinkle with sugar-cinnamon mixture.

Starting with long side, roll up into a cylinder shape. With a very sharp knife, cut pieces one inch thick. Place on one or two buttered baking sheets with rims. Cover and let rise until doubled, about a half hour.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake cinnamon rolls for 15 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Allow rolls to cool. If you are freezing the rolls, place cooled, unfrosted rolls in airtight containers and store in freezer.

To frost cinnamon rolls, stir together 2 cups powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla and about 3 tablespoons milk or water. Adjust as necessary to make a medium thin frosting that easily drips from a spoon. Drizzle over top of warm rolls.

Makes about 24 rolls.

September 17, 2011: Breakfast Egg, Sausage and Hash Brown Bake

We’ve got friends visiting this weekend and whenever they come up to the Mountain, we tend to stay very busy doing things. This morning I needed a breakfast I could bake while getting ready so I came up with this recipe, which fit the bill perfectly!

Breakfast Egg, Sausage and Hash Brown Bake

12 ounces breakfast sausage (such as Jimmy Dean)

½ half medium-sized yellow or white onion, diced

2 cups frozen hash browns

8 eggs

2 T. milk

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 ½ cup grated cheese (cheddar, Colby Jack, pepper jack – whatever your preference)

In a cast iron or other skillet that can withstand oven temps, brown the sausage and the onions. Remove to a paper plate or paper towel-lined dish with a slotted spoon. Leave about one tablespoon of grease in the pan.

Place the hash browns in the bottom of the pan. Top with reserved sausage and onion mixture. Whisk eggs with milk and seasonings; pour over the top of the potatoes and sausage. Top with cheese.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes, or until eggs are set and the casserole is completely heated through.

Serves 4.

September 6, 2011: Chicken Fried Breakfast Steak Recipe

I usually don’t go to the trouble of making a real elaborate breakfast for just my husband and I but I wanted something special over the long weekend. I dug down in my freezer and found a couple pork cube steaks. Voila! A breakfast fit for a king (with enough calories to last a week but we won’t mention that)!

Chicken Fried Breakfast Steak with Cream Gravy

2 beef or pork cube steaks (or two boneless chops, pounded thin and tenderized)

Garlic salt and black pepper

1 cup flour

1 egg, beaten

1 cup coarse bread crumbs (or Panko if you do not have fresh)

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 cup milk

Season the cube steaks with salt and pepper on each side. Dredge in the flour. Dip each into the beaten egg, then the bread crumbs, generously coating each side. Save remaining flour. Let the coated steaks rest for about 10 minutes minimum.

Heat the oil in an electric skillet (you can also cook them on the stove but I find the electric skillet, which is Teflon-coated, works best) to 325 degrees. Carefully place the steaks in the pan, being sure to minimize loss of bread crumbing coating. Cook about 5 minutes, until oil begins to bubble up through the spaces. Turn over and cook an additional 5 minutes or so, until the steaks are well done. Remove from the skillet and transfer on a plate to a warm oven.

Reduce heat to 250 degrees and add remaining flour to the skillet. Cook and stir for a couple minutes, to ensure that the oil and flour are well incorporated. Slowly stir in the milk. Bring to a boil and cook for a couple more minutes, until gravy is smooth and thick. Add salt and pepper to taste, if desired.

Serving suggestion: as pictured, serve with scrambled eggs, hash browns, and a piece of toast.

Serves two.

September 5, 2011: Pennsylvania Dutch Crumb Cake

My pastor and his family are going through a difficult time right now, with a treasured family member in the hospital and not doing well. They’ve got all their family here, of course, and my friend Kathy and I decided to try to make things just a bit easier for them by providing meals. I volunteered to make a coffee cake – easy to grab and munch and it feeds a lot of people. This is a spicy crumb cake that is perfect with a hot cup of coffee.

I found this recipe in an American Profile weekly magazine and didn’t have to change much of anything; I just tweaked it slightly. It was adapted with permission from Greg Patent’s A Baker’s Odyssey.

Pennsylvania Dutch Crumb Cake

Crumb Base:

4 cups flour

½ t. salt

1 cup (2 sticks) chilled butter, cut into small pieces

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 t. ground cinnamon

In a large bowl, mix together flour and salt. Cut in butter with pastry blender or two knives until the consistency of fine meal. Add sugars and cinnamon and mix well.

Topping and Cake:

6 T. butter, melted

1 t. pumpkin pie spice

½ t. nutmeg

1 t. baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

1 egg

2 t. vanilla extract

Place 4 cups of the crumb base in a medium sized bowl. Add melted butter; stir just until blended.

Add remaining ingredients to the rest of the crumb base and beat until smooth.

Grease a 13 x 9 inch pan (use the wrappers from the butter or nonstick cooking spray). Spread cake batter in bottom of pan. Using your fingers, crumble the topping over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 – 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool. Dust top of cake with powdered sugar, if desired.

August 26, 2011: Chili and Cheese Omelet Recipe

Wondering what to do with those chili leftovers? You may want to can them but you could also use up a bit by making a special breakfast. This recipe was inspired by a dish that used to be on the menu at IHOP.

Chili cheese omelet served with cornbread and a hash brown patty.

Chili and Cheese Omelet

6 eggs

1 t. vegetable oil

½ cup chili

½ cup shredded longhorn or Colby Jack cheese

1 green onion, thinly sliced on the diagonal

3 T. sliced jalapenos (from a jar)

Whisk the eggs. If using a nonstick omelet or sauce pan, spray it with nonstick cooking spray. Heat the pan to medium low and add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the egg mixture. Cook until set on the bottom, then tilt the pan and lift an edge of the omelet, allowing the runny eggs to run underneath. When the top of the omelet is almost set, spoon chili along the center; top with cheese and green onions. Slide the pan under the broiler for a couple minutes, if necessary, to completely set the eggs. 

Cut in half and serve with leftover cornbread, if desired.

Serves two.