Simply Delicious Sausage Gravy

Simply Delicious Sausage Gravy

Ingredients:

• 1 pound breakfast sausage
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk or half & half, heavy whipping cream, evaporated milk – pretty much any dairy product ;)
• Black pepper to taste – I use lots of cracked black pepper
• pinch of sugar {cause that’s what my Nana used!}

Directions:

• Brown sausage. Season liberally with black pepper. 
• Sprinkle flour over the cooked sausage and stir. 
• Let flour cook for 1-2 minutes and then gradually add milk, stirring as you pour. 
•  Bring gravy to a simmer and let thicken. 
• This is where my Nana adds a pinch of sugar and so do I. She told me that it helps the gravy brown and I guess that makes sense because the sugar is caramelizing.

Spiral-Wrapped Sausages on a Stick

Spiral-Wrapped Sausages on a Stick

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 envelope Fleischmann's® RapidRise Yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3/4 cup cottage cheese
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon Mazola® Vegetable Plus! Oil
1 egg
1-1/4 to 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
12 polish sausages, brats, or any other fully cooked sausage/dog
12 popsicle sticks
Dipping Sauce:
1/3 cup yellow mustard
2 tablespoons dill pickle relish, lightly drained

Instructions

Mix whole wheat flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a mixer bowl.
Combine cottage cheese, water and oil; heat to very warm, between 120° to 130°F.
Add to flour mixture along with the egg. Beat for 3 minutes on medium speed.
Add 1/2 cup all-purpose flour; beat 1 minute. Gradually add enough remaining all-purpose flour to form a soft dough.
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 6 to 8 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic. Cover and let dough rest for 10 minutes.
Roll dough into a 12 x 10-inch rectangle. Cut twelve 1-inch strips (each 10 inches in length). Wrap a strip around each sausage, tucking ends under sausage.
Place on a parchment-lined or greased baking sheet.
Cover and let rise 20 minutes, until puffy (dough will not double).
Place in preheated 350°F oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown.
Remove and insert stick in one end. Serve immediately with dipping sauce.
Dipping Sauce: Combine mustard and relish in a small bowl.
Recipe Tip: These can be frozen after baking. To do, simply wrap tightly in foil, then freeze for up to 3 weeks. Thaw in refrigerator, then either heat in 350° oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until heated through OR place Polish dog(s) on a plate and microwave about 45 seconds per dog until heated.

Eggs Benedict with Hollandaise Sauce

Eggs Benedict with Hollandaise Sauce

Ingredients:

• 4 whole English muffins, split
• 8 slices of Canadian Bacon
• 8 eggs + 4 egg yolks
• 3 Tbls lemon juice (fresh is best but use what you have)
• 1 cup + 2 Tbls butter
• 1 Tbls white vinegar
• 1 Tbls water
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 tsp ground white pepper

Directions:

Heating It Up:

- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees or set a toaster oven to toast.
- Fill the bottom of a double boiler with water and bring to a simmer. The water should not touch the bottom of the top pan. If you do not have a double boiler, just put a glass bowl on top of a sauce pan (again making sure the water is not touching the bottom of the bowl.)
- Add three inches of water to a deep pan (I use my wok) and start bringing it to a simmer for the eggs.

Prep Work:

- Separate 4 eggs, reserving the yolks in a small bowl.
- Combine the lemon juice, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, and water in another small bowl. Having these ingredients pre-combined will make it easier later.

- Melt 2 sticks of butter (1 cup) and have it ready to pour into the double boiler.
- Try not to think of the fat and calories that are going into this – instead focus on the creamy goodness you are going to be enjoying in a few short minutes…

Making the Hollandaise Sauce:

- Add the 4 egg yolks to the double boiler and whisk in the lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, white ground pepper, and vinegar (already combined).
- Whisk in the melted butter 2-3 tablespoons at a time making sure the butter is fully incorporated into the egg mixture.
– Keep on whisking and you will notice the color changing, turning a lighter yellow.
- Once all the butter has been added and incorporated, whisk in the salt and then remove the sauce from the heat and cover it.

The sauce may appear thin but don’t worry – it will thicken while you prepare the other components.

Poaching the Eggs:

- Bring water to a simmer in a deep pan (I use my wok and it works great!) You will need a couple inches of water to poach the eggs in.
- Add 1 Tbls of vinegar to the water (this helps keep the eggs whites from getting too crazy).

Canadian Bacon and English Muffins:

Before poaching the eggs, place the English muffins and Canadian bacon on a baking sheet and into the preheated oven. If you are using a toaster oven, set it to toast or broil. The bacon warms up nicely and the english muffins will toast slightly. You don’t want your English muffins too crunchy – just slightly toasted.

Poaching Eggs:

- Drop the eggs into the water one at a time – slowly! Be gentle with the eggs and make sure the water doesn’t get up to a boil.
- Let the eggs cook for 3-4 minutes at a low simmer. The centers should still be soft.
- Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon letting all the water drip off.
- Place on a warm plate until ready to assemble.

Assembling the Eggs Benedict:

- Place two English Muffin halves on a plate.
- Add the canadian bacon.
- Top with poached egg.
- Finish this off by drizzling the Hollandiase Sauce over the top.
(I am totally getting hungry right now just typing this up!)
- You can add some fresh chives or paprika to the top for some color.
Serve this with some hashed browns and you’ve got a meal to remember.

Triple Tomato Pasta Sauce with Whole Wheat Penne

Triple Tomato Pasta Sauce with Whole Wheat Penne

Ingredients :-

1.     1lb whole wheat penne
2.     1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3.     1 onion, diced
4.     2 garlic cloves, diced
5.     1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, drained and diced
6.     1 tbsp tomato paste
7.     Salt & Pepper
8.     Red Pepper Flakes
9.     1 28 oz can whole tomatoes
10.     6 basil leaves, torn
11.     Basil for garnish

Directions:

•     In a large pot of boiling water, cook penne until al dente. Save 1/2 cup of pasta water when draining cooked pasta. You may need it to thin out the sauce.
•     In a sauce pan with olive oil, add onions and garlic. Stir and cook for 5 minutes. Add sun dried tomatoes and tomato paste. Continue stirring to incorporate paste. Add Salt & Pepper and a dash of red pepper flakes.
•     In a blender, add canned tomatoes, basil and onion mixture. Blend until smooth. Wipe/wash clean the sauce pan if there is a lot of oil from the sun-dried tomatoes. You don’t want a oily sauce. Add sauce back to the pan and keep warm until pasta is cooked. (If you have a Vitamix, just keep the sauce in the blender. The blades will warm it, so you can skip this step.) If the sauce is too thick, add a some of the pasta water to thin it out.
•     When the pasta is cooked and drained, add sauce and garnish with basil.

Spiral-Wrapped Sausages on a Stick

Spiral-Wrapped Sausages on a Stick

Ingredients

1.     1 cup whole wheat flour
2.     1 envelope Fleischmann's® RapidRise Yeast
3.     1/2 teaspoon salt
4.     2 tablespoons brown sugar
5.     3/4 cup cottage cheese
6.     1/4 cup water
7.     1 tablespoon Mazola® Vegetable Plus! Oil
8.     1 egg
9.     1-1/4 to 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
10.     12 polish sausages, brats, or any other fully cooked sausage/dog
11.     12 popsicle sticks
12.     Dipping Sauce:
13.     1/3 cup yellow mustard
14.     2 tablespoons dill pickle relish, lightly drained

Instructions

•     Mix whole wheat flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a mixer bowl.
•     Combine cottage cheese, water and oil; heat to very warm, between 120° to 130°F.
•     Add to flour mixture along with the egg. Beat for 3 minutes on medium speed.
•     Add 1/2 cup all-purpose flour; beat 1 minute. Gradually add enough remaining all-purpose flour to form a soft dough.
•     Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 6 to 8 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic. Cover and let dough rest for 10 minutes.
•     Roll dough into a 12 x 10-inch rectangle. Cut twelve 1-inch strips (each 10 inches in length). Wrap a strip around each sausage, tucking ends under sausage.
•     Place on a parchment-lined or greased baking sheet.
•     Cover and let rise 20 minutes, until puffy (dough will not double).
•     Place in preheated 350°F oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown.
•     Remove and insert stick in one end. Serve immediately with dipping sauce.
•     Dipping Sauce: Combine mustard and relish in a small bowl.
•     Recipe Tip: These can be frozen after baking. To do, simply wrap tightly in foil, then freeze for up to 3 weeks. Thaw in refrigerator, then either heat in 350° oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until heated through OR place Polish dog(s) on a plate and microwave about 45 seconds per dog until heated.