Cheesy Sausage Biscuits

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 lb sausage - cooked and leave rendered fat in with cooked sausage (if good quality sausage shouldn’t be more than a tablespoon fat)
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups shredded cheese
⅔ - ¾ cup milk (depending on texture)


Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Brown sausage in a pan when cooked add 1 tablespoon of butter.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in large bowl.
Mix in shredded cheese.
Mix in warm sausage with fat.
Add milk and combine into a dough.
Place parchment paper on baking sheet. Drop dough by rounded tablespoons onto baking sheet leave 1-2 inches between. Bake 10 - 13 minutes.


Optional Gravy:
1 pkg sausage (good quality)
2 heaping tablespoons all purpose flour
2 cups milk (best at room temp)
Salt and pepper to taste
Brown sausage - leave grease. Add flour to sausage and grease over medium heat. Stir until flour is absorbed and cook for 1- 2 minutes. Add milk and stir until thickened, stirring constantly. Let thicken until gravy coats a spoon. Gravy will continue to thicken as it cools. Salt and pepper to taste (needs a decent amount of salt).

Strawberry Scones

Ingredients

Strawberry Scone Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, (8 Tbsp or 1 stick), chilled and diced
1 cup chopped fresh strawberries
1 large eggs
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, (chilled)
1 Tbsp milk, to brush the top
1/2 Tbsp course sugar, to sprinkle the top

Ingredients for Easy Scone Glaze:
2/3 cup Powdered sugar
1 Tbsp Milk

Instructions

How to Make Strawberry Scones:

Preheat oven to 400˚F. In a large bowl, sift together 2 cups flour, 3 Tbsp sugar, 1 Tbsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt. Add 1/2 cup diced butter and cut it into flour using pastry blender until mixture resembles pea-sized coarse crumbs. Gently toss in chopped strawberries. Make an indentation in the center and set the bowl aside.
In a second small mixing bowl, beat 1 egg with a fork then stir in 1/2 cup heavy cream. Add the egg mixture to flour mixture and use a large spoon to gently stir just until moistened. Do not over-mix.
Place dough onto generously floured sheet of parchment paper. Pull dough together and shape it into a 3/4-inch-thick circle. Cut into 12 equal wedges and pull them apart slightly (at least 1/2" apart).
Brush wedges with 1 Tbsp milk, sprinkle with coarse sugar. Slide the parchment paper with scones onto a baking sheet and bake at 400˚F for 15-16 min, or until puffed and golden.

How to Make Scone Glaze Recipe:

Stir together 2/3 cup powdered sugar and 1 Tbsp milk. Easily thicken glaze by adding more powdered sugar and thin it out with more milk. Drizzle glaze over scones and serve scones warm or at room temperature.

No Bake Energy Bites

These delicious little no bake energy bites are the perfect healthy snack!

INGREDIENTS:

·       1 cup dry old-fashioned oats

·       2/3 cup toasted coconut flakes

·       1/2 cup organic peanut butter

·       1/2 cup ground flax seeds

·       1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

·       1/3 cup raw honey

·       1 tablespoon chia seeds 

·       1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

1.     Stir all ingredients together in a medium bowl until thoroughly mixed. Cover and let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour.

2.     Once chilled, roll into balls about 1" in diameter. Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week. These can also be frozen for several months and are delicious straight out of the freezer.

3.     Makes about 20-25 balls.

Lemon Pound Cake (Katelynn's Favorite)

INGREDIENTS:

Loaf

3 large eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream

1/2 cup canola oil

2 tablespoons lemon zest

1 to 2 tablespoons lemon extract, to taste (not teaspoons; and not lemon oil and not lemon juice - see step 4 in directions)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Lemon Glaze

1 cup confectioners' sugar

3 tablespoons lemon juice, or as necessary for consistency

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9x5-inch loaf pan with floured cooking spray, or grease and flour the pan; set aside.

2. Loaf - To a large bowl, add the eggs, sugar, sour cream, and whisk vigorously until smooth and combined.

3. Drizzle in the oil while whisking to combine.

4. Add the lemon zest, lemon extract, and whisk to combine. Note - I used 2 tablespoons of lemon extract because no actual lemon juice is used in the loaf and I found 2 tablespoons lemon extract necessary for full-bodied lemon flavor, but add to taste. Don't use lemon oil and lemon extract interchangeably because they're not; oil is much more potent and intense. Don't use lemon juice in place of lemon extract because it's not strong enough and the acidity can alter the overall results.

5. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and stir until just combined, don't overmix. Some lumps will be present and that's okay, don't try to stir them smooth.

6. Turn the batter out into prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula. Bake for about 50 to 52 minutes, or until top is domed, set, and toothpick inserted in the center crack comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs but no batter. In the last 10 minutes of baking, tent pan with foil (loosely drape a sheet of foil over pan) to prevent excessive browning on the top and sides of bread before center cooks through.

7. Allow loaf to cool in pan on top of a wire rack for at least 30 minutes (I cooled 4 hours) before turning out onto rack to cool completely before glazing.

8. Lemon Glaze - To a small bowl, add the confectioner's sugar and slowly drizzle in the lemon juice while whisking until smooth and combined. You may need to play with the sugar and lemon juice amounts a bit as necessary for desired consistency and flavor.

Evenly drizzle glaze over bread before slicing and serving. Extra glaze can be spread on the cut surface of the bread like you'd spread butter on toast and it soaks right in making the bread even moister and more lemony. Or you can halve the glaze recipe if you're not a glaze person. Bread will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months; I don't recommend storing it in the fridge because it'll dry out.

Paula Deen's Quiche

6 large eggs, beaten

1 1/2 cups half & half

Salt and pepper

2 cups chopped fresh baby spinach, packed

1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 1/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese

1 (9-inch) refrigerated pie crust, fitted to a 9-inch glass pie plate

(I’ve also made this with cheddar instead of swiss, and a pound of ham instead of bacon…you can really add any “fillings” you want… steamed broccoli, sautéed asparagus, sautéed diced sweet onion, tomatoes, sautéed mushrooms, etc.)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine the eggs, cream, salt, and pepper in a food processor or blender. Layer the spinach, bacon, and cheese in the bottom of the pie crust, then pour the egg mixture on top. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes until the egg mixture is set. Cut into 8 wedges.

Note: This makes more than one pie shell worth. It rises and will spill over. I usually make one quiche and one “frittata” in a glass baking dish.

Pineapple Pecan Cheese Ball

INGREDIENTS

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened

⅓ cup finely diced green or red pepper

¼ cup thinly sliced green onion

20-ounce can crushed pineapple, very well drained

2 teaspoons seasoned salt

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

2 cups crushed pecans

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large bowl, mix together the first 6 ingredients and ½ cup of the pecans until

thoroughly combined. Shape into a ball, cover and allow to chill in the refrigerator for at

least 8 hours or preferably overnight.

2. Before serving, roll the cheese ball in the remaining pecans. Place on a platter and serve with crackers.