That Super Sausage Gravy You All Asked About

Most everyone noticed the delicious looking sausage gravy that smothered my biscuits in the Tuesdays with Dorie recipe. And a ton of you mentioned that you'd like the recipe to make this sinfulness too. Thank you for that. You know how you make something so high in calories that it makes you feel fat immediately after eating it? Well, that's how this is... it feels wrong to tell the world how much I loved it. But you asked, so therefore I answer.


The recipe is actually from Bob Evans via Allrecipes.com. It has 5 stars and exactly 624 glowing reviews on the site. Uuummmm... do ya think it's good? Don't take my word for it - take the other 624 people who liked it!

I never knew sausage gravy was so easy to make. Which poses a dilemma... now that I know how easy it is, how do I NOT make it every Sunday morning? And how do I make my hips NOT grow? Anyone?

Super Sausage Gravy
(from Bob Evans)

1 pound mild or hot ground sausage
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
Salt and black pepper to taste
8 prepared biscuits

1. Crumble and cook sausage in large skillet over medium heat until browned. Stir in flour until dissolved. Gradually stir in milk. Cook gravy until thick and bubbly. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot over biscuits. Refrigerate leftovers.

Gorilla Bread

I'm assuming that most people have either had monkey bread, or have at least heard of it. If not, you're totally missing out. And here's your chance to try something like it, but even better. This Gorilla Bread is like a kicked-up version of monkey bread. Way more fattening. Way more filling. Way more tasty.

The bread was selected for this week's installment of the group My Girl, Paula. I'm happy... and slightly embarrassed... but mainly happy... to say that when we were asked for suggestions of what we should choose from Paula's book to make this month, it was ME who suggested this one. The most buttery, sugary, cream cheese-ey, heart attack inducing selection. Yep, that was me.


This Gorilla Bread was really outstanding. It totally puts monkey bread to shame. It's made very similarly, with the store-bought cans of rolls smothered in seasonings and baked up in a bundt pan. But with this one, you insert a square of cream cheese in the center of each roll before putting it into the pan to bake. And you pour a brown sugar/butter mixture over top of it. The recipe also calls for nuts, which I omitted, though they sure would have been pretty on top.

Here's a picture of it still in the pan, waiting to be taken out and completely devoured.

The bread is perfect for breakfast or dessert and is easily reheated the next day to enjoy leftovers. My hubby really liked it with his coffee in the mornings. And I liked it at pretty much any time of the day. Very delicious!


Gorilla Bread
(from Paula Deen)

1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
2 (12-ounce) cans refrigerated biscuits (10 count)
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Spray a bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray. Mix the granulated sugar and cinnamon. In a saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar over low heat, stirring well; set aside.

3. Cut the cream cheese into 20 equal cubes. Press the biscuits out with your fingers and sprinkle each with 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon sugar. Place a cube of cream cheese in the center of each biscuit, wrapping and sealing the dough around the cream cheese.

4. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the nuts into the bottom of the bundt pan. Place half of the prepared biscuits in the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, pour half of the melted butter mixture over the biscuits, and sprinkle on 1/2 cup of nuts. Layer the remaining biscuits on top, sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon sugar, pour the remaining butter mixture over the biscuits, and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of nuts.

5. Bake for 30 minutes (Mine needed a tad bit longer to cook all the way through). Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Place a plate on top and invert.

Makes 12 to 14 servings.

TWD: Blueberry Muffins

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection is Blueberry Crumb Cake, chosen by Sihan of Befuddlement. I bought the ingredients for this recipe early last week and was excited to make it. But somehow all of these other baked goods ended up in our house. Cheesecake, brownies, cookies... I don't know where they came from. Actually, that's a lie. I made them. The cheesecake was for a get-together that never actually ended up getting to the get together (long story). And the brownies were for another get-together in which we ended up with leftovers. So there are already way too many baked goods in our house.

I contemplated skipping... but then I remembered my husband's office. I hadn't sent anything to work with him in a while. And the ingredients were just sitting there. How could I not make it? So I decided to make Blueberry Crumb Muffins, instead of the cake. Easier to pass muffins around at work, is what I figured.


So the recipe came together really easily. I made 12 muffins and baked them for about 25 minutes. I had a ton of the crumb topping leftover and it's currently sitting in the fridge. I haven't really figured out what I'm going to do with it, but suggestions are welcome!

And then I started washing all of the dishes. And I'm now on incident number two that involves me bleeding as a result of a TWD recipe. I was very unsuspectingly washing the blade to my food processor when it slipped and sliced open my thumb. Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. I could say ouch a few dozen more times, but I'll spare ya. I've led a fairly boring life when it comes to injuries. I've never broken a bone, never had stitches, and before I gave birth to my son, had never had an overnight stay at the hospital or even an IV. And I had two brothers... so I'm not sure how I managed that. But yesterday I reeeeally sliced myself like never before. I wrapped my thumb up in a towel and held it over my head to try to stop the bleeding. I frantically called my husband saying, what do I do? And then when he really didn't have a good answer, I called my sister who's a nurse and said, what do I do? I think I over-reacted a little. It finally stopped bleeding and I've been applying neosporin like it's going out of style. And I'm pretty sure we're about to run out of band-aids.


But I think I'm going to survive. It's a good thing or else I'd never have gotten to eat one of these DELICIOUS blueberry muffins. Gosh, they're good. Go visit Sihan's site for the recipe. Stat!

French Toast Stuffed with Bananas and Walnuts

Well, I am trying very hard to recuperate from my holiday sugar high. Unfortunately I don't think it's really going to end until after New Year's, when I'm vowing to start back up my diet and do some exercising again. This holiday season seems to have been filled with more food than ever, and while it's really been enjoyable, it's just not good, if you know what I mean.


I've had this particular recipe for Stuffed French Toast bookmarked for quite a while in one of Paula Deen's cookbooks. In her The Lady and Sons, Too cookbook she has a chapter of recipes from some of her favorite Savannah restaurants, and this recipe for Banana and Walnut Stuffed French Toast piqued my interest from that chapter quite some time ago. So when planning out our Christmas morning menu, I remembered this and knew I had to make it. The result was great - this is very tasty and so easy. And I had all of the ingredients on hand, which means now I have no excuse not to make this over and over and over again... maybe New Year's Day breakfast?

French Toast Stuffed with Bananas and Walnuts
(adapted from Paula Deen)

6 eggs
1/4 cup milk
4 very ripe bananas
1/4 cup (1 oz.) coarsely chopped walnuts
1/8 tsp. grated nutmeg
8 slices egg bread
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1. In a large, shallow bowl, using a fork, beat the eggs until lightly frothy. Stir in the milk; set aside. Peel the bananas into a small bowl and mash them with a fork. Stir in the walnuts and the nutmeg. Spread the walnut mixture evenly over half the bread slices, leaving a 1/4-inch border uncovered on all edges. Top with the remaining bread slices and press down gently. Turn gently and let soak for a moment, until evenly saturated on both sides. Remove from the bowl and repeat with the remaining 2 sandwiches.

2. In a frying pan or on a griddle large enough to hold all the sandwiches at once, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the sandwiches and fry until the undersides are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Flip the sandwiches with a spatula and fry until the second side is browned, about 2 minutes longer. Serve hot, with jam or maple syrup.

Makes 4 servings.

Pumpkin-Filled Cinnamon Rolls

A few weeks ago I compiled a kinda-sorta bucket list. Just a list of things I want to do or places I want to see over the next several years. It was kind of fun to do! One of the things on my list was to make homemade cinnamon rolls. I am a die-hard cinnamon roll fan and I just looove their ooey gooey goodness. So I've always wanted to make the perfect cinnamon roll.

Well, I think I may have done just that. And instead of the normal cinnamon-filled kind, I decided to mix in some pumpkin to make them even more flavorful and wonderful. It totally worked. These rock!

My all-time favorite kind of icing on a cinnamon roll is cream cheese flavored. So I frosted them with a great cream cheese icing recipe and it all came together perfectly.


Anyone who's ever made cinnamon rolls from scratch knows what a tedious process it is. If you want these for a weekend breakfast, you'll need to start the dough the day before. Just pop the dough in the fridge after it's done with its first rise, and pick up the directions where you left off the next morning. These are so perfect for a Sunday morning breakfast. Enjoy!



Pumpkin-Filled Cinnamon Rolls
(dough recipe adapted from Betty Crocker)

Dough:
3 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 packages regular or quick active dry yeast
1 cup very warm milk (120 to 130 degrees F)
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 large egg

Filling:
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/2 c packed dark brown sugar
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup pumpkin puree

Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1. To make dough: mix 2 cups of the flour, the sugar, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Add warm milk, 1/4 cup butter and the egg. Beat with electric mixer on low speed 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently. Beat on medium speed 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently. Stir in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle.

2. Place dough on lightly floured surface. Knead about 5 minutes or until dough is smooth and springy. Place dough in large well-greased bowl, turning dough to grease all sides. Cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place about 1 hour 30 minutes or until double. Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.

3. Prepare filling: place all ingredients in a large bowl and stir until well blended.

4. Gently push fist into dough to deflate. Flatten dough with hands or rolling pin into 15x10-inch rectangle on lightly floured surface. Spread with filling. Roll rectangle up tightly, beginning at 15-inch side. Pinch edge of dough into roll to seal. Stretch and shape until even. Cut roll into fifteen 1-inch slices with dental floss or a sharp serrated knife. Place slightly apart on a well-greased baking sheet. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place about 30 minutes or until double.

5. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown.

6. Prepare cream cheese frosting: cream butter and cream cheese in a bowl. Mix in the vanilla and then the powdered sugar until well blended. Frost cinnamon rolls in the pan if eating them warm. Or, remove them to cooling racks and frost when cooled.

Makes 15 rolls.

Marmalade French Toast

I'm not usually a big breakfast person, but every once in a while I get a hankering to do something fun. I'm the type of person who usually eats a bowl of cereal - usually Raisin Bran or Fiber One or some other not-so-fun, but healthy, kind. Hey, it's my one meal where I can easily get in all of those good vitamins and fiber and a little calcium from the milk. A rather boring but good way to start the day. But that's neither here nor there... we're talking about the yummy, fattening, french toast here.


This french toast is made the night before. Yes, the night before! That means you don't have to worry about thinking straight first thing in the morning. All I had to do was make sure I set the oven at the right temp. And thankfully I managed not to screw that up.

So here's the skinny on this recipe - marmalade of your choice between slices of sourdough bread. And that's what's fun about this recipe - make it how you like it. I used orange marmalade, but pick what you like. And you can even switch out the sourdough for something you like better. Put it all in a baking dish, cover it with a milk/egg/sugar/spice mixture. Let it all meld together overnight, then pop it in the oven and you've got a savory breakfast!


Marmalade French Toast

2 Tbsp. butter or margarine
16 oz. loaf of sourdough, or other favorite bread
12 oz. jar fruit marmalade
1 and 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
4 large eggs

1. Spread butter or margarine on one side of each bread slice. In a lightly greased 13x9 inch baking dish, arrange as many of the bread slices as you can fit, buttered side down, and slightly overlapping. Spread the marmalade evenly over bread, then top with the remaining bread slices, buttered side up.

2. Combine milk and next 4 ingredients, stirring with a whisk. Pour egg mixture over bread. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

4. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Serve with honey or syrup.

Makes 12 servings.

Banana Crumb Muffins

I was perusing the Allrecipes.com website trying to find a breakfast idea for some company I had coming when I came across these. I eyed the blackening bananas on my countertop and said, yep, this is the one. I had everything on hand and didn't even need to buy anything.

These banana muffins are incredibly moist and flavorful. They were really easy to whip up and made 10 plump muffins. The brown sugar topping gives them a little extra sweetness. I have this thing I do when I'm eating something yummy... I save the best part for last so that I can really savor it. That's what you'll want to do with the tops of these muffins. So good! They were so gorgeous coming out of the oven too... puffing up out of the tins. Irresistible!



Banana Crumb Muffins

1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3 bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp. butter

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease 10 muffin cups or line with muffin papers.

2. In a large bowl, mix together 1 and 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

3. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 Tbsp. flour, and cinnamon. Cut in 1 Tbsp. butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

Blueberry Buttermilk Coffee Cake

I am finally putting those blueberries we picked last month to good use. I had stuck them in the freezer in anticipation of making this recipe, and they were just as good as they were when first picked. I've been on vacation for the past week with family, and this coffee cake was the perfect thing to make and bring along for breakfast. It was so delicious that every crumb got eaten. To be honest, I was kind of sad when it was gone.

The buttermilk makes it heavy with calories, but it's worth it for that melt-in-your-mouth feeling. And that streusel topping in all of its buttery, sugary goodness... Mmmmm. This cake was really easy to transport since it's baked in a 13x9 pan. It was an easy dish to make and so worth the time! My husband is already asking for more!




Blueberry Buttermilk Coffee Cake
(from Good Housekeeping magazine)

Streusel Topping:
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 Tbsp. cold butter or margarine, cut up

Coffee Cake:
2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 and 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 and 1/4 cups granulated sugar
10 Tbsp. butter or margarine (1 and 1/4 sticks), softened
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 and 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 pint blueberries (about 2 and 1/2 cups)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 13" by 9" metal baking pan; dust with flour.

2. Prepare streusel topping: In medium bowl, combine brown sugar, flour and butter. With fingertips, work in butter until mixture is crumbly. Refrigerate streusel while preparing cake.

3. Prepare coffee cake: On waxed paper, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In large bowl, with mixer at low speed, beat sugar with butter until blended. Increase speed to medium-high; beat until creamy, about 2 minutes, frequently scraping bowl with rubber spatula. Reduce speed to low; add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.

4. At low speed, beat in flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat just until batter is smooth, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula. With spatula, fold in all but 1/2 cup blueberries.

5. Spoon batter into prepared pan; spread evenly. Sprinkle batter with reserved blueberries. With fingers, press streusel into clumps; sprinkle evenly over batter. Bake coffee cake 35 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on wire rack 1 hour to serve warm, or cool completely to serve later.

Makes 16 servings.

Baked Eggs In Maple Toast Cups

Weekends are meant for great breakfasts, right? We love a special breakfast once in a while at my house to break up the monotony of the typical bowl of cereal. This breakfast really hit the spot. Baked Eggs in Maple Toast Cups were easy and fun to make. They're just about the cutest little things I've ever seen.

The important thing to note when making this is to use real maple syrup for delicious flavor. Wheat or white sandwich bread is fine, just cut off the crusts and roll them really thin before brushing on the glaze. I started checking on my eggs after about 5 minutes, but I found that they took closer to 9 or 10 minutes before they were set. Cook them a little less or a little longer depending on whether you want cooked or runny yolks.

Enjoy!



Baked Eggs In Maple Toast Cups
(adapted from Dakin Farms)

1 and a half Tbsp. butter
1 and a half Tbsp. pure maple syrup
6 slices thin sandwich bread
3 slices bacon, cooked until crisp and broken into small pieces
6 large eggs

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease 6 muffin cups. In a small saucepan, melt the butter and add the syrup.

2. Remove the crusts from the bread. Flatten each slice with a rolling pin. Brush both sides of the bread with the syrup mixture. Pat the bread into the muffin cups and sprinkle the bacon pieces into the bottom of each cup. Break an egg into each cup and bake until the eggs are set; this will take approximately 8 to 10 minutes, check regularly.

3. Lift the toast cups from the tin and serve immediately, drizzled with additional syrup, if desired.

Serves 3 to 6.