Biscuits and Gravy

What's up foodies? Y'all doing good? You good? You good? I'm good. You good? Okay, good. Well. today I am sharing my recipe for biscuits and gravy. This should have been posted three weeks ago, but I got so busy and distracted.

Biscuits and gravy is easily one of my favorite breakfast items to eat. It's simple and very delicious. About a month ago, I shared recipe for buttermilk biscuits, which you can find here. These biscuits are the perfect base for this sausage gravy.

You will see below that the measurements for the salt and pepper are to taste. I did that because when making any kind of gravy, you add a little salt and it seems bland, but as the gray cooks, the flavor comes out more. So I have left the salt and pepper up to you because the gravy can go from super bland to super salty in a snap (I know from experience).

Notes:

- If the sausage you use renders a lot of fat, you may not need to add the butter.

- If gravy gets too thick, add a little more milk.

Recipe:

Gravy:

- 1 pound ground sausage

- 2 tbsp. butter

- 3 tbsp.flour

- 4 cups milk

- 1/2 tsp. ground sage

- salt and pepper to taste.

Get buttermilk biscuit recipe here.

Directions:

In a skillet, cook sausage over medium heat, crumbling up with spoon. Once sausage is full cooked, add in butter an stir until melted. Add in flour and stir about 2 minutes until flour has dissolved and most of the flour taste has cooked out. Add in milk and bring to a simmer for about 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Add in the salt, pepper, and sage and cook for an additional 5 minutes over medium heat or until desired thickness is reached. 

Buttermilk Biscuits

What's up foodies? Y'all doing good? You good? You good? I'm good!You good? Okay, good. Today I'm sharing my recipe for buttermilk biscuits. Now, I already have another biscuit recipe on my blog that is a little different from this one, but I figured, everyone needs a good buttermilk biscuit recipe, right? 

I love a good biscuit and these really hit the spot. I'm not just saying that because it's my recipe either. In this  recipe, I used both butter and shortening, I feel this just adds to the overall flavor of the biscuits. I have another recipe coming up within the next week that will go perfectly with these biscuits.

I hope you enjoy the recipe, and if you try them, please let me know what you think.

Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 cups self-rising flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 3/4 cups buttermilk
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• 4 tbsp.butter
• 4 tbsp. shortening (cold)- [butter flavored if you can find it]
• 2 tbsp. melted butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a bowl whisk together the flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder. Cut in butter in shortening with pastry blender or two forks until the butter and shortening are in small crumbles. Make a well in the middle of the bowl and pour in buttermilk. Gently mix until dough forms. Pour the dough out onto floured work surface and knead until it comes together. Using a floured biscuit cutter, cut the biscuits closely together.  Place biscuits onto baking pan and brush the tops with melted butter. Placed into preheated oven. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Homemade Sock It To Me Cake

What's up foodies? Y'all doing good? You good? You good? I'm Good! You Good? Okay good. Today, I am sharing my recipe for homemade sock it to me cake. Now, I'm not sure why it's called sock it to me, but what I do know is that it is very good.

I remember eat these all the time when I was younger and up until about four months ago, I haven't had one in a very long time. I was in Walmart in the bakery section and I saw a sock it to me cake. Long story short I bought it and became addicted. I realized that as soon as I finished one, I was buying another one. So I decided to make my own version of it.

So, a few weeks ago, I started developing the recipe. After making it three times, I finally got the recipe just how I like it, I gave some to my sister (who was also addicted to the Walmart brand) she said she loved it and that it tasted just like the ones from Walmart. Now, I will be honest and say that mine doesn't taste just like theirs, but it is just as good.

Recipe

Cake: 

- 12 tbsp butter, softened 

- 3 cups sugar

- 1/3 cup vegetable oil

- 4 eggs

- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

- 2 tsp. vanilla

- 1/2 tsp. baking powder

- 1 1/4 cups buttermilk

- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

- 1 (3.4 ounce) pack vanilla pudding (or french vanilla)

- 1/2 tsp. salt

Filling

-3 tbsp. brown sugar

- 1 tsp. cinnamon

- 1/2 cup choped pecans

Glaze:

- 2 cups powdered sugar

- 3 tbsp. butter, softened 

- 4 to 7 tbsp. milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a bowl beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating until egg is combined. Add vegetable oil and vanilla extract and mix. In another bowl, mix the flour, salt, cinnamon, and pudding together. Add in one-third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix. Add in half the buttermilk and mix. Repeat steps until flour and buttermilk are mixed in. In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar, cinnamon and pecans together. Place half the cake batter into a prepared tube pan. Sprinkle the top with the filling mixture. Add the remaining cake batter and smooth out. Bake in preheated oven for 55 minutes to 1 hour. When cake comes out of the oven, let it sit in the pan 15 to 20 minutes, then remove cake from pan and continue cooling for about an hour. Mix the powered sugar and butter together. Add milk just until the glaze is thick, but still runny. Spread glaze over cooled cake. 

Bourbon Chicken

What's up foodies? Y'all doing good? You Good? You Good? I'm good! You good? Okay, good? It has been a while since I have posted a recipe, and so today I am back with this delicious Bourbon Chicken recipe. 

I must add that this bourbon chicken does have bourbon in it, which I know traditionally bourbon chicken doesn't have bourbon in it. The recipe got its name because it was originally made on bourbon street, but I decided to add in some bourbon.

If you do not want to add the bourbon, you can leave it out, but keep in mind that the alcohol is going to cook out.

Ingredients: 

- 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or breast)

- 3 tsbp. bourbon

- 1/4 cup brown sugar

- 1 clove garlic, minced

- 1/3 cup apple juice (I sometimes use 2/3 cups)

- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce (optional)

- 3 tbsp. ketchup

- 2 tsp. apple cider vinegar

- 1/4 cup water

- 1/3 cup soy sauce

- 1/4 tsp. ginger paste (or minced ginger)

- 3 tsp. cornstarch 

- 1 tbsp. vegetable oil

Directions:

Cut the chicken thighs into 1-inch cups. Add the oil into a skillet and place over medium heat. Once the oil has come up to temperature, add in the chicken and cook until browned (about 3-4 minutes). Once the chicken is browned, remove from skillet. In a separate bowl, mix together the water and cornstarch until combined and no lumps are visible. Add in the remaining ingredients and stir until well combined. Place the sauce into a skillet over medium heat and let it come to a light simmer. Once the sauce comes to a simmer, add in the chicken and cook for 15-20 minutes. Serve with rice and enjoy. 

Vegetable and Beef Soup

Whats up my fellow foodies? Are you good? You good? You good? I'm good! You good? Okay good. Well, today I am sharing my recipe for vegetable and beef soup. I wanted to get this recipe and the video posted back in the colder months, but like usual, most things don't always go as planned. So even though we are starting to transition into the warmer time of the year, I still wanted to post this recipe.

Although, were I am, we still have a few more cold days left and that's why I decided to post this. After all, who says you can only have soup during the colder months? This soup is so basic and easy, but It tastes so good. Keep in mind while making this that you do not have to use everything that I am using. Make it your own and put what you want in it! It is pretty hard to mess up soup. If you've ever made any type of soup before, then you probably know that it always tastes better the next day, so I strongly advise making this ahead of time. I really hope you enjoy this recipe.

Recipe:

- 1 to 2 pounds ground beef

- 1 (29 ounce) can mixed vegetables

- 1 (29 ounce) can diced tomatoes (undrained) 

- 1 can corn

- 1 can sweet peas

- 1 can tomato sauce

- 1 onion, diced

- 2 stalks celery, chopped

- 1 clover garlic, minced

- 1 cup frozen okra (optional)

- 1 potato diced (optional)

- 1 tbsp, vegetable oil 

- 1 pack Knorr vegetable recipe mix (optional)

- 1 tsp. oregano

- 2 cups chicken broth

- 4 cups water

- salt and pepper to taste

Directions: 

Brown the ground beef. When fully cooked, drain fat. Saute the onion in the oil until the onion is translucent. Add in the garlic and saute for about two minutes. In a big pot or dutch oven, add the ground beef, the onion, celery, and garlic mixture, tomatoes, mixed vegetables, corn, peas, tomato sauce, okra, and potatoes. Add in the chicken broth and water. Sprinkle in the vegetable recipe mix and oregano. Season with salt and pepper. Add the lid, and with the heat on medium low, let the soup cook for about 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours. After that taste the soup to see if it needs more salt or pepper.

Serve the soup with crackers or cornbread and enjoy.

Cinnamon Rolls

CINNAMON ROLLS

What's up foodies? Y'all doing good? You good? You good? I'm good! You good? Okay, good! Today I'm going to share my recipe for cinnamon rolls. Cinnamon rolls are one of my favorite sweet things to eat. There is just something so amazing about the soft dough, sweet filling, and the amazing cream cheese glaze on top.

As much as I love cinnamon rolls, I don't make them too often because I know how I am around them. I eat one, and one turns into two, and so on and so forth. For the past two weeks, I have been working on this recipe and I got it exactly how I want it. Now, I will admit, making cinnamon rolls is  a bit of a process, and I am no stranger to just hitting up the dairy section at my local grocery store and grabbing a can of Pillsbury cinnamon rolls. There is, however, a sense of pride when you make them yourself.

To be honest, After testing and trying to perfect my own recipe for cinnamon rolls these past two weeks, I am pretty sick of them at the moment, but I'm sure I'll be back to loving them again soon.

Okay, enough of me...let's get to the recipe.

NOTES:

• It is very important that your water is warm. If it is too hot, it will kill the yeast and the dough will not rise. The easiest way to test is to place your finger in the water. When you do, the water should be warm to the touch. If you have to snatch your finger out because of the heat, it's too hot.
• If you want to make the cinnamon rolls in a mixer with a dough attachment, that is fine, but if you're using a spoon, after a while you might need to knead the flour in by hand if it is too hard to mix with the spoon.
• The warm place I like to put my dough is in the microwave or in the oven with the oven light on.
• You can use regular milk instead of half and half.
• Make sure the yeast you're using is not expired.

Ingredients:

Dough:

-1/2 cup warm water

- 2 tsp. sugar

- 1 pack (2 1/4 tsp.) active dry yeast

- 4 1/2  to 5 cups flour (all purpose of bread flour)

- 1 tsp. salt

- 5 tbsp. melted butter

- 2 eggs

- 1/3 cup sugar

- 1 cup half and half

- 2 tbsp. vegetable oil

- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract (optional)

Filling: 

- 1 cup brown sugar

- 2 tbsp. cinnamon

- 4 tbsp. softened butter

Cream Cheese Glaze:
- 4 ounces cream cheese (softened)

- 4 tbsp. butter (softened)

- 2 to 4 tbsp. half and half

- 1 tsp. vanilla extract

- 1 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

Stir together the warm water, 2 teaspoons of sugar, and pack of yeast. Let that sit and proof for five minutes (it should look foamy after five minutes). Mix together the flour and salt. In a mixing bowl, add the melted butter, half and half, eggs, vanilla, sugar, and oil and mix those together. Add in the yeast and water mixture and stir. Using a wooden spoon or mixer with dough attachment. Add in the flour a little at a time until a dough forms *see notes*. Knead the dough a few times by hand until it comes into a smooth ball. Place the dough into a bowl that has been greased with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place into a warm place to rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or doubled in size *see notes*.

Once the dough has risen, punch it down to release the air and turn out onto work area. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a rectangle about 14 inches tall and 20 inches wide. Mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon very well. Spread the softened butter all over the inside of the dough. Sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture on top of the butter, leaving a 1/2 inch border on all sides with no cinnamon sugar. Starting with the longest end, roll the dough up really tight. Slice the rolls into 1 inch pieces using a serrated knife. Place the rolls into a greased 9 x 19 inch pan and cover with plastic wrap. Let the rolls rise for 45 minutes to an hour in a warm place. Once the rolls have risen, remove the plastic wrap and place into a preheated 350 degree oven and bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Cream Cheese Glaze:

Mix together the softened butter and cream cheese until combined. Add in the vanilla and powdered sugar and mix until the sugar is incorporated. Add in the milk or half and half until it is a thick, but runny consistency. Spread the glaze over the hot rolls.