3 Ingredient Slow Cooker Biscuits and Gravy

 OK here’s a recipe that you simply MUST add to your repertoire. It’s one of the easiest recipes you’ll ever see, it feeds an army, gives you a ton of bang for your buck, and it’s delicious! I’ve seen it bouncing around on social media, and it’s been on my to-do list forever.
 Funny story.. when I was testing it, I needed feedback.. so I grabbed my crock pot and off I went to my sister Cathy’s house for everyone to have a taste. She said “you brought the whole crock pot?” I said “well of course! That’s not unusual is it? to just show up at someone’s house with a crock pot? I think not. “
 Anyway, I found this recipe on a site called groceryshrink.com. I’m not sure if it’s her recipe or not, but that’s where I got it, so she gets the credit! If you like biscuits and gravy, then you will absolutely LOVE it. Not even kidding.



1 lb breakfast sausage (in a bulk log)
2 cans refrigerator biscuits (the small ones that come 10 to a can)
2 cans cream of mushroom soup


Brown and drain the sausage.
Layer 1 can of biscuits in the bottom of a greased slow cooker.
Top with half the sausage and then 1 can of cream of mushroom soup.
Repeat the layers once more.
Cook on high for 2 hours just before time to serve breakfast.
Or 4 hours on low.



Tips:
When I made it, it tasted very salty to me. I mean, I know that different brands of sausage have different amounts of sodium, but just keep an eye on that. Maybe use a low sodium cream of mushroom soup? I think I will next time.
Not a fan of cream of mushroom soup? Try cream of something else instead!
Don’t want to use the slow cooker? Bake it in a casserole dish at 350F or until golden.
One other thing… the original recipe suggested setting your slow cooker to a time delay, so it would be ready for breakfast first thing in the morning, and if your cooker doesn’t have a time delay setting, you could also use an outlet timer. If you don’t feel comfortable setting it out on the counter for that long before it cooks, then you could just leave it in the fridge overnight, take it out early in the morning, and add another hour for the cold crock.

Coconut Cream Puffs

 

 Very often, I’ll invite friends to come over to my house to cook with me. Of course, the first question I ask is “what is your favorite food?” Sometimes, we’ll do an entree, as in the case of my nephew Tommy, specifically Chicken Parm. Other times, as with my friend Maryann, we’ll learn how to make homemade jam. (that was a virtual lesson!)
 This time, I asked my friend, Chewie, what his favorite food is, and he said he loves coconut cream pie, and also cream puffs. So, naturally, I figured, why not combine them and make coconut cream puffs! Perfect, right?
 And then that thing happened again. That thing where I go looking on my website for a specific recipe, because “I’m SURE I had to have posted it during the last 13 years of blogging”… but no… it’s nowhere to be found. How does this keep happening? Has it really been that long since I’ve made cream puffs? Oh, well, it’s fine. No time like the present.
 So here they are. This recipe is from Tasty, and it’s a basic recipe for Choux Pastry (pronounced SHOO pastry), which can be used with any cream filling for cream puffs or eclairs. It may seem a little daunting, but it’s a pretty simple recipe to follow. And the payoff is HUGE. They turn out light and fluffy and perfect! Definitely worthy of your next holiday or special occasion! Thanx again for the suggestion, Chewie!



For the Cream Filling:
5 egg yolks
2 cups half & half
1 cup coconut milk
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


For the Puffs:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cubed
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup water
1 pinch salt
1 cup flour
4 eggs, plus 1 more for egg wash


Preheat oven to 425˚F (220˚C).
To make the cream filling whisk together egg yolks, half and half, and coconut milk in a medium saucepan over medium/low heat.
Once combined, add in sugar and corn starch, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens and comes to a light boil.
Remove from heat and mix in the shredded coconut and vanilla extract. Cover with plastic wrap and chill at least two hours.

To make the puffs, combine the butter, water, coconut milk, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Allow all the butter to melt and bring the mixture to a boil.
As soon as the mixture begins to boil, reduce heat to medium-low and add in the flour.
Using a wooden spoon, mix thoroughly to incorporate the flour. Continue stirring until the dough starts to pull away from the sides and a thin film forms on the bottom of the pan (about three minutes).
Remove the mixture from heat and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Let the dough cool slightly.
Add in the eggs, one at a time, being sure to fully incorporate each egg before adding the next.
Once the dough comes together, transfer it to a piping bag.
Pipe onto a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet into 1½-inch (3 cm) mounds.
Smooth out any peaks/ridges caused by piping with a wet fingertip (this will ensure your puffs cook evenly and maintain a nice ball shape).
Then brush the dough with egg wash and place in preheated oven.
Bake for 15 minutes at 425˚F (220°C). Then, without opening the oven, reduce heat to 350˚ (180˚C) and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
Remove puffs from oven. Using the tip of a knife, cut a small “x” into the bottom of each puff and transfer (“x” side up) to a cooling rack.
Just before serving (or up to two hours in advance), pipe the cream filling into the cooled puffs. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.


Tips:
You know I’m always one to tweak a recipe whenever I’m so inclined, but this recipe is pretty flawless. There isn’t much I would change! I will say, though, that I would add a little coconut extract to the cream filling, just to bump up the coconut flavor. And also the recipe doesn’t specify this, but it’s definitely easiest to use a mixer to add the eggs (still one at a time) to the dough, rather than stirring them in by hand. I mean, why wouldn’t you?
Oh, and one more thing… when I took the picture, it didn’t occur to me that maybe you’d like to see the yummy filling inside, and I didn’t slice one in half. You’ll just have to take my word for it that they’re filled with yummy coconut pastry cream !

 

 

Better than Plain Roasted Potatoes

   Roasted Potatoes. What's not to love, right? They're the perfect side dish and they go with anything and everything. So lets talk about 'em for a quick sec, want to?
  At the very base, roasted potatoes are just that.... potatoes that are often peeled and diced, seasoned, tossed with a little oil, and roasted in the oven. Fabulous. Can't go wrong. But there are a couple things I like to do to make them a little easier, and definitely better than plain.
 For one thing, I like to use baby potatoes. Red, gold, any color you like. The point is that they're small, they require minimum prep, and the skins are tender so they don't need to be peeled. All you need to do is cut them in half and they're good to go.
Now lets talk about seasoning. You can't go wrong with just your basic salt and pepper. But the thing about this one is that you need more salt and pepper than you think you do. My friends always rave about my potatoes, why? Because I aggressively season them! It really does make the world of difference. You can use other seasonings too.. Old Bay is a personal fave.. or you could even do curry or cumin, depending on which direction you'd like to go. Love it. You could even use herbs to flavor your potatoes. Just be sure to use herbs that can hold up to the roasting. Thyme and rosemary would be fabulous. I'm a HUGE fan of rosemary roasted potatoes with a nice roast beast. Yum.
Next... the other thing that I feel is a MUST with roasting potatoes is the addition of onions. Potatoes and onions are a match made in culinary heaven. Even when I'm out at a diner and ordering a fabulous breakfast, I always ask them to add onions to my home fries. The same applies here. Yes, you could just peel and chop up an onion and toss it with the potatoes or do the favorite Onion Soup Mix potatoes. YUM. But this time, I made it easy and just chopped up some scallions. No onion-peeling necessary, and you still get delicious onion flavor and the bonus of a nice pop of green. Easy!
 The only thing left to talk about is fat. You need some kind of fat to coat them for roasting. Usually, I just go with your basic vegetable oil. It's simple and does the job. Sometimes, if I happen to have some saved bacon fat, I'll use that (which is FABULOUS btw). You could also use olive oil, but that's a little more expensive. The one thing you don't want to use is butter. Why not? Usually you think of butter on potatoes.. perfect, right? Wrong! If you toss your potatoes in melted butter and then roast them, you run the risk of burning the milk solids that are in the butter. I suppose you could use clarified butter to eliminate that risk, but that adds more work. I'll just stick with vegetable oil, thank you very much. If you want buttery flavor, you can always toss the already-roasted potatoes with a little butter just before serving.
 So there we have it. Everything you need to know about roasted potatoes. Make a ton for dinner, and then serve the leftovers at breakfast the next day. SO good. You really can't go wrong!

 Even though I never really think about this as a recipe... this is how I do it..

2-3 lbs baby potatoes, rinsed, dried, halved or quartered
3 or 4 large scallions, sliced
kosher salt and black pepper, or other seasonings, if desired
vegetable oil or rendered bacon fat to coat

Heat oven to 400ºF.
Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Toss until well coated.
Pour all onto a parchment lined baking sheet and spread into one even layer.
Roast in oven for 45 minutes until fork tender. Garnish with fresh chopped scallions.


Tips:
One of the great things about this is that you can cook these potatoes while you have something else in the oven, even though it may be at a different temperature. If you're roasting a chicken or a roast beast, you could place the potatoes in the same pan, and then baste them with the juices, or just roast them as directed on a lower rack in the oven. The lower temperature will just mean that the potatoes might take a little longer.
When you arrange them on your baking sheet, be sure to spread them out into one even layer. It really helps everything too cook evenly and aids in roasting instead of steaming. Also, arrange them so they're cut side down for best results. Also, I like to turn them about half way through the cooking. I just use a flat edged spatula to flip them over, like you're turning over a pancake. Helps to brown everything evenly, and also makes sure the potatoes aren't stuck to the pan!

Joey's Cabbage and Sausage Casserole

 

 Usually, when St Patrick’s Day approaches, I like to make some sort of dish with cabbage, just like my Mom used to do. Of course, we always had boiled ham and cabbage along with boiled potatoes (that my Dad always called “boilies”) but I like to mix it up from year to year. Yes, I’ve done the classic corned beef, (can’t go wrong there), but I think, for the most part, I like to stick with the pork dishes. One year I did roasted cabbage with bacon. I’ve also done cabbage and pork chops. This year, I thought I’d do a casserole with sausage. I mean, why not? right? It’s already a perfect pairing! Add some onions and a little tangy sour cream. Top it all off with a couple different kinds of cheese. What’s not to love???? It was super simple to throw together and it packs a PUNCH of flavor. Serve it with a pile of mashed potatoes and you’re all set!
So give this one a try. If you like cabbage, I KNOW you'll love it.





1 lb bratwurst links, casings removed
1 small onion, chopped
1 small cabbage, chopped
1 cup each, shredded Cheddar and Mozzarella cheese, divided
1 cup sour cream
salt and pepper
Chopped fresh parsley


Heat oven to 350ºF.
In a large oven proof skillet, brown the sausage, breaking it up as you go. Add the onions and cabbage. Stir and saute until the cabbage and onions begin to soften. Stir in the sour cream and half of each kind of cheese along with the salt and pepper. Place in oven and bake until bubbly and the top is slightly golden, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven. Top with remaining cheeses. Place in oven again for another 15 minutes until the cheese is slightly browned and ooey gooey. Remove from oven. Top with chopped fresh parsley.




Tips:
You can use other kinds of sausage, but you’ll definitely end up with a different product. I like to use Johnsonville brats, but if you can find Irish Bangers, even better!
When it was time to stir in the sour cream and cheeses, I found it easier to dump everything into a giant mixing bowl, stir it all together, and then pour it back into the big skillet. I know it’s another dish to wash, but it just made it easier!
Instead of serving it with mashed potatoes. if you want to feed a crowd, you could stretch the dish even further by adding a few diced boilies right into the casserole!

Joey's Favorite Broccoli and Cheese Mac

 

 Ok ok, I know I have MANY recipes for mac and cheese, but seriously, can one have too many?? I think not! So this is another variation. It’s literally as simple as it sounds: Regular mac and cheese with broccoli added to it. Simple, right? But it’s definitely proof that sometimes the simplest things are the best.  
 Now, before you cheese purists out there go all Judgey McJudgerson on me about using Velveeta “processed cheese product”, all I have to say is don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it! I’m not saying I don’t love cheddar or Swiss or any other variety of gooey cheese… but I just love how Velveeta melts, and it’s ALWAYS a big hit. Not only that, I just love how it tastes. I don’t even care if it’s not REAL American cheese. I still wind up cutting off little chunks for tasting whenever I use it. (It’s great in an omelette btw, and it makes fabulous queso!)
 This recipe is basically a riff on my sister Jeanie's recipe, and it's my go to for all things mac and cheese. It's a great side dish for, say, a ham dinner, and it also goes great with your Sunday roast. You can also just leave it as a stand alone dinner. This is definitely a great one to keep in your arsenal of recipes!


2 crowns fresh broccoli, cut into florets
1 lb cavatappi noodles or other favorite cut pasta
4 tbs butter
4 tbs flour
4 cups milk
2 tbs prepared mustard
1 lb Velveeta cheese, cubed


Heat oven to 350ºF.
Spray a large casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
In a large pot of salted boiling water, add broccoli florets. Stir them around for a minute or two, and then scoop them out, using a slotted spoon. Place them in the casserole dish. Set aside.
Add the pasta to the same boiling pot of water. Stir them around so they don’t stick together. Let it boil until about 2 minutes before they’re done.
Meanwhile, in another sauce pot, over medium heat, add the butter until melted. Add the flour and whisk to form a paste. Let it cook for about a minute, then add the milk, mustard, and cubes of velveeta. Stir over medium heat until the cheese is melted, and the sauce has thickened.
Drain the pasta, then add to the broccoli. Now pour the cheese sauce over the broccoli and pasta. Stir to coat well and evenly distribute the broccoli throughout the dish. Place casserole in oven, and bake for about 30 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand for a good 10 minutes before serving.

Tips:
Make sure you include the mustard. It makes the sauce taste cheesier!
Don’t like broccoli? Try another veggie instead! How about asparagus? or how about carrots and cauliflower? Seriously any veggie will work.
For an added touch, sprinkle some shredded cheddar over the top before you bake.
For an EXTRA added touch, add some panko bread crumbs and grated Parmesan cheese to a little melted butter. Then sprinkle the buttered bread crumbs over the top for the last 10 minutes of baking. Perfectly golden crust!

One-Bowl Chocolate Chip Bread

OK, this one is so quick and easy, you won't even believe it.
I was browsing some recipes to use up a bag of chocolate chips, and I found this one on Taste of Home. I knew at once that I needed to test this one for my sister, Cathy, because (as I immediately texted her), this one has her hubby, Gregg's, name written all over it. Seriously, though, that's the absolute truth. You could bake ANY kind of cake or bread, and he'll say "it's great, but it would be better if it had chocolate chips in it." Not even kidding.
 Anyway... whenever I read recipes on different websites, I'm always sure to read the comments below. More times than not, it aggravates the hell out of me when someone says all the changes they made to the recipe, and then only give it one star because they didn't like the way it turned out. Are you kidding?? I want to say "Just make it as directed and maybe it'll turn out!"
 So, with this recipe, I noticed a lot of the comments said that it needed to be split into two loaves, or that it was too dense, or that it had too many chocolate chips for one loaf (as if that's possible). Honestly, I have no idea what recipe they're talking about, because mine turned out perfectly. It was the perfect amount of batter for one loaf, it was just the right amount of chips, and in baked in exactly the time was supposed to. And, true to its name, I only used one bowl!  Sounds pretty perfect to me!
 So if you're looking for a not-too-sweet bread to have with your coffee or your cup of tea, you should try this one. I'm pretty sure if you just follow the recipe, it'll turn out perfectly for you too!
This one's for you, Gregg! Hope you like it!





3 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 cups sour cream
3 cups self-rising flour*
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350°F.
Beat eggs, sugar, and sour cream until well blended. Gradually stir in flour. Fold in chocolate chips. Transfer to a greased 9x5" loaf pan. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, 65-75 minutes. Cool in pan 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool.

*As a substitute for 3 cups of self-rising flour:
Place 4-1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1-1/2 teaspoons salt in a 1-cup measuring cup. Add all-purpose flour to measure 1 cup; combine with an additional 2 cups all-purpose flour.




Tips:
OK, usually this is where I would tell you everything I would do differently, but like I said, I wouldn't change a thing. It took literally only 5 minutes to prep and get into the oven, it baked perfectly (right at the 65 minute mark for me), and it was exactly perfect in one loaf pan. The only thing I can think of that I would do differently is maybe to try adding different mix-ins. Cinnamon chips? Peanut Butter Chips? Butterscotch chips? I bet they'd all be pretty fabulous!

Chocolate Cherry Cobbler

 

 

 Usually, when you think of a cobbler, you think of apples or peaches, correct? Or maybe even blackberries, and yes definitely cherries. But most times, we think of a simple biscuit topping. Well, at least I always do. But what if we took that biscuit topping and made it a CHOCOLATE biscuit instead? Now we’ve bumped up the decadence factor a few notches! Of course chocolate and cherry are a wildly famous couple, and it comes together in no time at all. They’re even better when you serve them warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Btw, speaking of couples, if you’d like to make this for your special someone, this has romance written all over it! Enjoy!



1  1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter
1 cup chocolate chips
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1 (21 oz) purchased cherry pie filling or your own


Heat oven to 350ºF.
Coat a 2 quart casserole dish with vegetable cooking spray. Melt chocolate chips in a measuring cup in the microwave, stirring every 20 seconds until smooth. Let stand for 5 minutes to cool slightly.
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter until the dough is a uniform crumbly texture. Beat the egg into the melted chocolate chips, then stir the milk in. Pour the chocolate mixture into the dry ingredients, and stir until well blended.
Pour the cherry pie filling in an even layer in the bottom of the greased casserole dish. Drop spoonfuls of the chocolate batter over the cherries in a random pattern.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until top crust is not doughy when lifted.
Serve warm.




Tips:
Be careful of scorching the chocolate chips in the microwave. Just take your time and stir at 20 second intervals as directed. Another way to do it would be to place your chocolate chips in a heat proof bowl, then place the bowl over a small pot of simmering water. Let the steam from the water gently melt the chips, then stir until smooth.
Not a fan of cherries? Use another kind of pie filling! How about strawberry?!