Tuesday, May 22, 2018

Sausage Gravy

Sausage Gravy is something that my mom always made for special occasion breakfasts. It was something that we all really enjoyed. Now that I am a mom and the one doing the cooking, we like to have it occasionally when we have time for a big Saturday morning breakfast or a nice hearty breakfast for dinner.

 (Pictured served over Tater Tots for Loaded Tater Tots. Recipe on my channel found HERE.)

Sausage Gravy

1/2 lb. ground pork sausage
1/4 c. butter
1/3 c. all purpose flour
3 1/4 c. milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. Italian seasoning

Brown Sausage in a skillet, stirring until it crumbles. Drain, reserving 1 Tbsp. drippings in skillet. Set sausage aside. Add butter to drippings; heat over low heat until butter melts. Add flour, stirring until smooth. Cook 1 min., stirring constantly. Gradually add milk; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbly. Stir in seasonings and sausage. Cook until heated through; stirring constantly.

Serve over biscuits or scrambled eggs.




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Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Lasagna Soup


It's been a while since I made this soup, but this weekend it sounded like a good option. My picky Henry even enjoyed it and he doesn't generally like much of anything with red sauce. It is really good right out of the pot, but is also good the next day (just not very soupy).

Lasagna Soup
adapted from Bobby's Lighter Tastes Like Lasagna Soup on Deen Bros

Ingredients

1lb Italian Sausage (or half sausage, half ground beef - this is our preference)
1/4 onion, chopped finely
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 box (32 oz) chicken broth
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (145 oz) petite diced tomatoes 
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp black pepper
6 broken lasagna noodles
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (reserve 1/2 cup to top each bowl of soup just before serving)


To Make
 
Brown Italian Sausage (make sure to remove the casings), onion, and garlic in a dutch oven until done. Drain well.

Add chicken broth, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, black pepper, and crushed red pepper to the sausage mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-high and continue to simmer for about 10 minutes while stirring occasionally. Add  broken lasagna noodles and continue to simmer and stir occasionally until noodles are nice and soft. This will take 20-30 mins. depending on desired consistency.

(NOTE: If you are in a hurry, boil noodles while browning meat and then add when you add the broth, tomatoes, etc.)

Once noodles have reached desired consistency add grated parmesan cheese and 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese and stir until cheese is melted. Dip the soup into bowls and top with remaining mozzarella cheese.

Serve and enjoy. Makes approx. 8 cup servings.



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Monday, January 1, 2018

My Planner Picks for 2018

This year I am sharing my planner picks for 2018 on my YouTube Channel. I wanted to include some links here for easy access. I also copied and pasted the very first planner post I wrote all the way back from 2014.


Links:

Plum Paper
The exact planner I purchased this year.
The Planner I ended 2017 In
My Planner Picks from 2017
My entire Planner Playlist 


*This post was originally written on January 16, 2014 on my old blog.

A few weeks ago I told you that I finally decided on a new planner for this year. I am a list maker, and wanted a planner that was spiral bound, had plenty of room to make all of my lists, had lines, and was stylish. I spent a lot of time reading reviews, and finally settled on the Planner from Plum Paper Designs.
 I went with the cute turquoise chevron cover. I'm pretty sure that I will never tire of chevron. It also has a nice frosted cover for extra stability.
I think my favorite part is the colorful monthly tabs. They are laminated, so I feel like they will hold up well.
The monthly spread takes up two pages, so there is plenty of room to write. I'm also really happy about the list of Birthdays, Events, and Notes on the left side. Very useful.
Here is a look at the weekly view. I haven't had much going on this week, but in my old planner this would have filled up really fast. I use the weekly goal section for projects that I want to get accomplished throughout the week. I use the checklist section at the bottom of the page for meal planning and for my daily cleaning chore. The notes section is also nice to have. I may use it for planing my weekly blog post schedule. I still haven't mastered the actual planning of blog posts, but in the event that I do, I like that I have a nice place to write it down. I use the daily section for a running to do list of all of the things that I need to do on each specific day.  
Here is a look at the monthly notes section. Lots of room to write and plan. It looks like I forgot to take a picture of the pocket in the back, but there is a pocket that is perfect for holding loose paper and/or receipts.

This is the first time that I have ever spent more than $10 for a planner, and I am happy to report that it was money well spent. I am really enjoying having a nice, organized place to write everything down. I am very please with the quality, size, and layout. I write with a mechanical pencil and then cross everything off with a highlighter, so I can't really say how pens would work. The paper is a little bit thinner than I expected, but it is perfect for my needs and I am REALLY happy with it. Make sure to check out Plum Paper Designs on Etsy. There are several types of planners to choose from and a nice selection of cover choices. There is also a Family Planner that has seven different sections that can be customized just for you.


* I was not paid or perked for this review. I looked up a coupon code before I made my purchase, and then asked for a coupon code of my own to share with you. I am happy with the planner and wanted to share. All opinions are my own.



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