Regina's Sausage Gravy

I have been making sausage gravy since I was a young teen. Over the years I have tweaked my recipe to this below. The recipe is requested every time I serve it. I believe that part of that is the combination of seasonings and the other reason is because of the method.

I never measure ingredients for the gravy so I am giving it my best guess. Adjust to you liking or as necessary. The picture below was obviously a large batch to feed a crowd. This is great for Easter Sunrise breakfasts.

Regina's Sausage Gravy

1 pound ground sausage
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon or more garlic powder
A shake of onion powder (Instead of using these two separate ingredients, I use about a 1/2 teaspoon of Wildtree Rancher Steak Rub.)
A quart or more of milk
A dash of hot sauce (to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste

Method: Brown sausage slowly in skillet, breaking apart any large clumps. (I like it really fine.) I do this at medium low heat.

Turn burner temperature up a little higher for the rest of the process.

Do not drain sausage. Add flour to sausage in skillet and stir to coat. Add seasonings, but not hot sauce. Continue to stir until flour starts browning.

Add milk, stirring constantly. Either have additional milk or some water handy to thin if needed. Continue stirring until gravy has reached desired thickness. Add hot sauce. Add more milk (I usually use water) to thin if needed. If it does not thicken as you would like, take an additional 1/4 cup flour, mix with cold water until all clumps are stirred out and add to gravy. Just remember, gravy always thickens as it stands.

Serve with biscuits or pancakes.

Fruit Pizza

This is a beautiful tasty treat that will have your guests and family asking for more... AND the recipe.
This recipe can easily be doubled and can be fun for theme parties. For Christmas, use red and green fruit, for July 4th, red and blue. You can also use star fruit for something different.

Fruit Pizza

Crust:
1 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 large egg or 2 small (if doubling recipe use 3 eggs)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

Filling:
2 cups whipped cream
4 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Optional - 4 teaspoons of Wildtree's very berry cheesecake blend

Fruit:
Your choice entirely! This one has kiwi, strawberries and blueberries. Use your creativity and imagination. We also love peaches, mango, papaya, and kiwi for the fruit. Mandarin oranges, pears, pineapple chucks or slices and halved grapes are also yummy. (Frozen blueberries are not recommended.)

Optional - Glaze: 
The pizza above does not have the glaze on it.
Juice drained from mandarin oranges plus enough water added to ale 1 1/4 cup liquid. (Or you could just use orange juice mixed with water.)
1 1/4 Tablespoon cornstarch
sugar to taste

Method: Mix together the ingredients for the dough. Roll out into a jelly roll pan or on a large round pizza stone. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-17 minutes or until slightly golden. Do not overbake.

Cool the crust

Mix together filling ingredients and spread on cooled crust.

Top with sliced fruit.

For glaze, heat the mandarin orange juice, cornstarch and sugar in a saucepan. Heat until thickened. Cool. Pour over sliced fruit.

Quick and Easy Chicken Salad

You can vary this recipe SO many ways. Use your imagination with the ingredients in your cabinet and enjoy. Just don't eat bland chicken salad ever again. :)

2 cups cooked chicken, diced or shredded (Use leftover grilled chicken breast for added flavor or even use canned. Your choice.)

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup Greek yogurt or sour cream

Now here's where it gets fun. For this recipe, I used 2 Tablespoons Wildtree Absolutely Onion Blend (similar in nature to Lipton's onion soup mix) and about 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of Wildtree Dill Dip Blend. I enjoyed my husband's raves from this combination.

Use whatever seasonings you like from your own spice cabinet. Just zest it up with something.

You can also add finely chopped celery and/or onion for a little crunch. Sometimes I use milder seasonings (like Wildtree Opa! Greek Seasoning) and add grapes (quartered), chopped walnuts and the smallest amount of bleu cheese.

Mix, refrigerate for a minimum of 1/2 hour so flavors can blend and enjoy!

Wyoming Bars

I just tried these for the first time and they were a big hit. I think these are a good compromise for something sweet but not to unhealthy. I will use them for packing lunches.

I got the recipe from A+ Recipes from Hickory Hollow School.

Wyoming Bars

2/3 cup butter
3 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups peanut butter (I used sunflower seed butter)
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla
6 cups rolled (old fashioned) oats
2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips

I also added
1/2 cup coconut
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

In large saucepan, melt butter on low heat. Blend in sugars, peanut butter and eggs. Mix until smooth. Cool. Add remaining ingredients. Dough will be somewhat sticky. Press into greased jelly roll pan (I use coconut oil to grease most of my pans.) Bake at 350 degrees for 15-17 minutes. Cool and cut into squares.

Lunch

A vegetable salad with mixed greens, chopped yellow bell pepper, tomatoes, cucumbers, Feta cheese and Wildtree's honey Dijon dressing and dipping sauce.

To drink... Yogi Raspberry passion perfect energy tea.

Buttermilk Pancakes

A little late on sharing this for Shrove Tuesday, but this is what we had for dinner tonight.

Buttermilk Pancakes

1 Cup Flour
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons oil (I use Wildtree Butter flavored grapeseed oil
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg

Optional: After pouring the batter onto the griddle in individual cakes, drop a few chocolate chips or fresh blueberries on top before flipping them over to come te the frying.

Mix all together. Fry on griddle or non-stick skillet.

Salmon and Sugar Peas

Tonight's dinner: salmon glazed with Wildtree's Outrageous Orange Sauce, Sugar Peas with slivered almonds, Wildtree's Butter Flavored Grapeseed Oil and Wildtree's Dill Dip Blend and hot cup of African Rooibos Tea to drink. Yum. What are you having for dinner?