Vacation Week

Just a note to those of you who so faithfully keep an eye on my blog. My hubby and I will be going "home" to visit family and friends for a week, then the week of our return we have some very dear friends stopping by for a visit, so that will be a busy week. I will be back to my "post" as soon as I can. I appreciate you, blessings...

Sausage Gravy for Biscuits

This excellent gravy recipe comes from one of my favorite cookbooks by Marcia Adams, "Cooking from Quilt Country". She worked long and hard at gathering some wonderful Amish recipes and compiled them in two beautiful books. The Amish people are committed to family, and a very important part of their day is mealtime together. This recipe sold me on biscuits and gravy, a dish I never intended to try, but am so glad I did. This meal works great on the weekend when there is a little more time to relax and enjoy a slower pace. I hope your family enjoys the dish as much as mine. Blessings...

Recipe:

1 pound sage-flavored bulk sausage, as lean as possible (I've also used plain sausage)
2 tbsps. finely minced onion
6 tbsps. flour
4 cups milk (I use 1%)
1/4 tsp. grated nutmeg, rounded
1/4 tsp. poultry seasoning, rounded
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
Dash of Tabasco
18 large hot Buttermilk Biscuits or biscuits of your choice

1. Crumble the sausage into a large saucepan, and saute' over medium-low heat, breaking the meat into small pieces while it cooks; do not allow it to brown or get crisp.
2. When the  meat is about three-quarters cooked, add the onion and cook until the onion is transparent.
3. Drain off all but 2 tbsps. of the meat drippings - you don't have to be too precise about this. Stir in the flour with a whisk, and cook over medium-low heat for 6 - 7 minutes, or until the flour turns golden and bubbles up.
4. Pour in the milk all at once, and add the seasonings. Cook and whisk until the mixture thickens.

Serve over biscuits. This is a meal in itself, so I usually only serve fruit along side.

Tip: I cut the recipe in half for my husband and I and it will make two meals easily. For the seasoning, I use 1/4 level tsp. nutmeg and poultry seasoning. I do use the dash of Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco. This has worked great for me.

Buttermilk Biscuits

This recipe for buttermilk biscuits comes from a wonderful cookbook entitled "America the Beautiful Cookbook" written by Phillip Stephen Schulz. I've used many different recipes for buttermilk biscuits, but I think this one is my favorite because it is not only simple, but I like the fact that the biscuits are baked in a pan rather than baked on a cookie sheet. As a result, the biscuits are very large and high, and they are perfect with sausage gravy for a weekend breakfast. Of course, the biscuits are also wonderful spread with butter and a favorite jam, or honey, for dinner. We absolutely love them, and I think you and your family will, too. Blessings...

Recipe:

4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsps. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. sugar
2/3 cup cold unsalted butter
1-1/2 cups buttermilk

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
2. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Cut in the chilled butter until the texture of coarse crumbs. Stir in the buttermilk to form a soft dough.
3. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured board. Knead briefly and roll out to about 1-1/4 inches thick. (For this step, I simply pat the dough into a round and make sure it is 1-1/4 inches thick by measuring it.)
4. Cut into 3-inch rounds and arrange with sides touching in a greased 9-inch square pan. Brush the tops with 1/4 cup melted butter, if you like. (I don't do this step because of the extra calories.)
5. Bake the biscuits for about 25 minutes.

Makes 9 biscuits
Tip: If you don't have a large enough biscuit cutter, use a drinking glass that measures 3-inches across the top. Works great!

California Beef Salad

This is a wonderful recipe for those times when there is leftover beef in the fridge. Whenever we barbecue beef I plan on this salad to use up leftovers. It isn't a pretty sight, hence no picture, but it is a hearty main dish salad that is very tasty and satisfying. Blessings...

Recipe:

1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup water
2 tbsps. fresh lemon juice
2 tbsps. sugar
1/4 tsp. dillweed
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
freshly ground pepper to taste
3 cups leftover cold beef, cut into strips
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 head romaine lettuce
1 cup sour cream, lite is fine

1. In a small saucepan, simmer the first 8 ingredients for 15 minutes. Cool.
2. Combine marinade with the beef and onion and chill overnight. Drain, reserving marinade.
3. Tear the lettuce into a large salad bowl. Top with the beef and onion.
4. Combine the sour cream with the reserved marinade and whisk until smooth.
5. Toss the dressing with the lettuce and beef and serve.

Serves 6

Lemon Tea Bread

This wonderful bread is almost like a cake because of the syrup that is brushed over the bread when it comes right out of the oven. The bread then sits in the pan for an hour to absorb all the wonderful added flavor. It's yummy for breakfast, tea, or as a snack. Blessings...

Recipe:

1 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 eggs
1 cup unbleached white flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk
2 tsps. freshly grated lemon zest
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

Syrup:

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1. Combine sugar, butter and lemon juice in a mixing bowl.
2. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, until smooth.
3. Stir together dry ingredients in a separate bowl and add alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Four additions of flour to 3 additions of milk.
4. Add lemon zest and pecans.
5. Pour into a buttered 8" x 4" loaf pan and bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack.
6. While bread is baking, dissolve powdered sugar in lemon juice in a small saucepan over low heat. Set aside.
7. Use a long-tined meat fork, if you have one, to pierce the entire top of the bread so the lemon syrup penetrates the entire surface. If you don't have a meat fork you can use a sharp knife, it just takes a little more time. I prefer to brush the syrup on the loaf with a pastry brush because I think it covers more evenly, but you can spoon the syrup over, as well.
8. Cool the bread in the pan for 1 hour. Remove by running a table knife around the edge of the bread to loosen it from the pan and turn out onto the rack to cool completely. If the bread is sticking, put a pancake turner under each end of the loaf to further loosen and it will turn right out.
9. When the bread is cool, wrap it in foil and set aside for 24 hours before cutting.

Frozen Fruit Cups

This recipe is wonderful with large groups or children in mind because the salad is frozen and served in individual plastic cups. The original recipe was written to serve 20 people so I made some adjustments and cut it down to serve about 11. The cups will last for weeks stored in plastic freezer bags or plastic containers. The fruit cups are a wonderful addition to a meal or great for a summer snack. Have a wonderful weekend with your family, blessings...

Recipe:

1 can (20 oz.) crushed pineapple, undrained
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen sweetened strawberries, thawed
1 can (11 oz.) mandarin oranges, undrained
1 can (6 oz.) frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
3 oz. thawed pink lemonade concentrate
3 firm bananas, cubed

1. In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients.
2. Pour into foil-lined muffin cups or individual plastic beverage cups. Freeze until solid.
3. Remove from the freezer about 30 - 45 minutes before serving. Adjust the time as you determine how solid you want the fruit for serving.

Note: If you use the foil cupcake papers, you will want to serve them in some form of a serving glass for easier eating. Two filled cupcake liners is about 6 oz. fruit salad.