Sausage and Biscuit Pull-Apart Breakfast

Sausage and Biscuit Pull-Apart Breakfast

(8 servings)

Ingredients:

1 lb. Pork Breakfast Sausage
3 cups All Purpose Flour
2 tsp. Baking Powder
½ tsp. Salt
¼ tsp. Baking Soda
6 tbsp. Unsalted Butter, cubed
4 tbsp. Cold Shortening, cubed
1 cup Buttermilk
½ cup Scallions, sliced
8 strips Bacon, thick sliced and diced
¼ cup All Purpose Flour
2½ cups Milk
6 oz. Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1 tsp. Yellow Mustard, prepared
dash Worcestershire Sauce
as needed Salt and Pepper

Directions:

Form sausage into 15 patties and cook according to package directions.  Set aside.  Whisk 3 cups flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda together.  Cut in butter and shortening with a pastry blender until pea-sized.  Stir in buttermilk and scallions until dough comes together.  Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface.  Pat into a 12x12 inch square and cut into 16 equal pieces.  Stack biscuit squares and sausage patties together starting with a biscuit piece.  Place stack in a 9x5 loaf pan that has been sprayed with nonstick pan spray.  Bake in a pre-heated 450-degree oven for 30 or 40 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer reads 180-degrees inserted in the center.  While baking, cook bacon in the sausage drippings until crisp.  Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate and reserve ¼ cup of drippings.  Whisk ¼ cup flour into drippings, cooking over medium heat for 2 minutes.  Gradually add the milk whisking until gravy thickens, 5-8 minutes.  Stir in cheese, mustard and Worcestershire.  Season gravy with pepper and whisk bacon back in.  Pour over loaf and garnish with a little bacon and scallions before serving.

Notes:              If you are not into a bacon gravy, just crumble in cooked breakfast sausage.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Bundt Cake Breakfast

Bundt Cake Breakfast

(6 servings)

Ingredients:

1 cup Ham, diced
2 cups Tater Tots, frozen
1 doz. Fresh Eggs, slightly whisked
1 can (8 ct.) Grand Biscuits, each quartered raw
2 cups Cheddar Cheese, shredded
¼ cup Milk

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl until well combined.  Pour mixture into a greased bundt pan.  Bake in a pre-heated 400-degree oven for 45 minutes.  When done, flip bundt pan onto a serving platter.  Cut into six portions and serve.

Notes:              You can get creative by changing out the ham with other breakfast meats, mushrooms, etc.  The same goes for the cheese.  Try different varieties to see what you like best.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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New Year's Breakfast

This week I have two breakfast casserole type dishes.  The first is easy and tasty.  The second one takes a little more time but is well worth the effort.

These dishes would be great anytime but believe they would be a big hit on New Year’s morning.

So we start with “Bundt Cake Breakfast” on Wednesday (also Christmas Day).  Then follow up on Thursday with “Sausage and Biscuit Pull-Apart Breakfast” for something a little different but still mighty tasty.

Be sure to give them a try and enjoy Christmas this week and the New Year next week.  “Happy Cooking” until next year.  Happy 2020 too!

Lemon Drop Cookies

Lemon Drop Cookies

(40 cookies)

Ingredients:

¾ cup Unsalted Butter, softened
1½ cups Sugar
6 tsp. Lemon Zest, divided
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Salt
3 large Fresh Eggs
¼ cup plus 3 tbsp. Fresh Lemon Juice, divided
3 cups All-Purpose Flour
¼ cup Lemon Candy Drops, crushed
2 cups Powdered Sugar

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, place butter and beat with an electric mixer for 30-seconds.  Add sugar, 4 tsp. lemon zest, baking powder and salt.  Beat on medium for 2 minutes, scraping sides occasionally.  Beat in eggs and ¼ cup lemon juice until combined.  Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer.  Stir in remaining flour.  Stir in crushed lemon drops.  Drop dough by the rounded teaspoon or a small cookie scoop 2-inches apart onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet.  Bake for 8-10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned in a pre-heated 375-degree oven.  Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes.  Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.  Whisk together powdered sugar, remaining 3 tbsp. lemon juice and remaining 2 tsp. lemon zest in a small bowl until combined.  Add more lemon juice, if needed, for glaze consistency.  Spread tops of cooled cookies with glaze.  Garnish with additional lemon zest, if desired.

Notes:              For a different flavor profile, try using lime juice and lime zest.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Yuletide Pinwheels

Yuletide Pinwheels

(32 cookies)

Ingredients:

2 1-lb. pkg. Refrigerated Sugar Cookie Dough, softened
½ tsp. Red Gel Food Coloring
½ tsp. Green Gel Food Coloring
as needed Red or Green Coarse Decorating Sugar
as needed All-Purpose Flour

Directions:

Divide the softened cookie dough into 3 equal portions.  Shape one portion into a 4x6 inch rectangle, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate.  Take the next portion in a mixing bowl and add red gel food coloring.  Beat with a hand mixer to combine well.  Shape into a 4x6 inch rectangle, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate.  Repeat this process using the green gel food coloring.  Refrigerate all 3 portions at least one hour or until firm.  Spoon the coarse colored sugar in a thin layer onto a baking sheet.  See aside.  On a lightly floured work surface, roll out each portion into an 11x7 rectangle.  Stack each rectangle on top of each other starting with the untinted portion.  Gently roll this stack into a 13x10 rectangle.  Trim all sides to make a perfect rectangle.  Starting on the long side, roll up the stack tightly to create a log.  Now roll log in the decorating sugar, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.  Using a sharp knife, cut log into ¼-inch thick slices.  Arrange slices 1-inch apart on two parchment paper lined baking sheets.  Put remaining dough back in refrigerator until needed.  Bake 14-16 minutes in a pre-heated 350-degree oven with racks evenly spaced in the middle of oven.  Let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes.  Remove to wire racks to cool completely.  Repeat with remaining dough on new parchment paper.

Notes:              Use Wilton’s gel food coloring for best results.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Cookies for Christmas

At this time of year, Christmas cookies are a really big thing.  But with all that is going on during the holiday season, you will find people using refrigerated cookie dough to help them out and maybe save a little time for other holiday tasks.

The recipe on Wednesday does just that.  The “Yuletide Pinwheels” utilize ready-to-bake sugar cookie dough.  These cookies still take a little time to produce.

Our second cookie on Thursday, has a bright tang to it using fresh lemon juice and zest.  The “Lemon Drop Cookies” will be quite refreshing for this time of year.

If you are looking for other great holiday cookie recipes, check out the “Baking and Desserts” tab above.  Enjoy the making and eating of holiday cookies this season.

Until next time, “Happy Cooking” and “Merry Christmas” too.