Biscuits & Sausage Gravy

There is a chill in the air and fall is definitely upon us.  Yesterday was a dreary and rainy evening.  During the evening hours, I was cozy watching the World Series on TV and text messaging with a friend about the events of the game and hoping our beloved Royals would rally.  Sadly, they did not, but the Series isn't over yet!  During our text conversation,  she asked me if I had added anything to the blog lately.  Well, I had to confess, that things have been busy and I have just not been feeling very creative in the kitchen and no, I haven't had an entry in several months.  

The guilt set in.  

I have been craving biscuits and sausage gravy for the last few days, so I decided it was time to take care of that craving, and I would leverage the basic recipes for photos and a new blog entry.  I've historically not been a baking powder biscuit fan, because I've never seemed to master them.  They often were more like hockey pucks rather than the light, fluffy creations I expected them to be.  For these reasons, I generally take the easy way out and get a tube of biscuits from the grocery.  

Well, I won't be doing that any more!  This is my new go to recipe for light fluffy and flaky buttermilk biscuits that I can easily mix up with ingredients I have on hand.  These biscuits are not my recipe, credit belongs to Cooking Light.  I'm excited to find an easy recipe that fits my biscuit expectations and am excited to share the recipe with you.  

So without further ado, here's the biscuit recipe that can be quickly pulled together for a tasty breakfast.  They would be fantastic simply slathered with butter or with some jelly or a drizzle of honey.     

But for the royal treatment, whip up a skillet full of gravy to make you feel warm and cozy!

Tasty Meatballs

Mama Mia!

That is what you will be saying when you make these for the first time.

If you are looking for a good incredible meatball recipe to try, buckle up and give this one a test drive.

I've always been a meat sauce kinda of gal.  Why?  I can't say really, other that we always had spaghetti and meat sauce when I was growing up.  I've always thought making meatballs was way too much trouble.  Yup, you can see, that I am lazy!  It's easier to brown up the meat and add the sauce.

I know you've all heard the saying "try it, you might like it".  You will be delighted to find that these meatballs really aren't too much work  (okay, maybe a little messy) but they are so worth it and I bet you will agree that they are slap yourself silly awesome!

This recipe is an adaptation of one I had Pinned from Kaye's Low Carb Lifestyle.  Thanks for the inspiration!

Breakfast Bake

I made a frittata last week and it was so good, I decided to make a similar version to pack for my breakfasts this week.  It is a good breakfast  dish or can be used for lunch or dinner, just add a tossed salad as a side.   

Substitute fresh vegetables to your liking.  I used what I had on hand.  Onions and bell peppers and carrots are  staples in my veggie drawer in the fridge so mixing this up is super quick and easy.

You can also change up the meat(s) in this recipe to fit your family's tastes as well. 
 I made sausage earlier this spring and have it in handy 1 pound packages in the freezer.  I also had some bacon remaining from another recipe so I chopped it up, cooked it until crispy and added it to the mixture. 

If you are not a meat eater, you can leave out the meat, add some chopped, sauted portabella mushrooms instead or just use more fresh veggies.  You can truly  "have it your way".  

Breakfast Bake
 Yield:  8 Servings

Ingredients:

1 pound sausage (breakfast, italian, turkey - you decide)
8 oz. bacon, diced and cooked
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 orange bell pepper, diced
1/2 medium red onion, diced
1/2 sweet vidalia onion, diced
1 cup shredded carrots
12 eggs, beaten, or equivalent egg substitute (I used the substitute)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (again, use what you like or have on hand)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Spray a casserole dish with non stick spray.  This fit nicely in my "hand me down" pyrex dish that had been my mom's.  It measures 7 1/2 x 12 inches.
3. Preheat 12" skillet over medium heat, add the sausage, cook until brown and crumbly.  Remove sausage with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
4. Add the chopped bacon to the pan and cook until crispy.  Remove the bacon pieces with a slotted spoon and drain on paper toweling.
5. Chop the bell peppers and onions and shred the carrots (hint - buy the carrots already shredded, it is easier and saves your knuckles).
6. Place the meat in the greased casserole.
7. Layer on the vegetables.
8. Beat and pour the eggs over the top.  Sprinkle with black pepper.
9. Sprinkle with the cheddar cheese.
10. Give everything a quick stir to evenly distribute the ingredients.
11. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45-60 minutes until set in the center.