Sausage Biscuits and Gravy - NEKAMO style!

What is NEKAMO style you ask? When I was a little girl I went away to our church camp. At the time I lived in Kansas and the summer camp was named NEKAMO because girls from Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri all came to this lovely place - thus camp NEKAMO. My mother would come and cook in the kitchen the weeks I went to camp. Not until I became an adult (and mother) did I truly understand this sacrifice. Who would want to spend ALL day in a 100 degree kitchen (on a good day) and cook 3 meals a day? Not me!!! Thank you mom.
We were Midwest folks and my mother and I had never heard of "Biscuits and Gravy". The morning she showed up for work and this was on the menu - she told me she felt so sad that the campers had to eat such a "Disgusting" looking dish. She was sure these little girls would not touch the stuff. You can imagine her surprise when the campers trailed in and cheered when they saw what they were having - and scarfed it all down! She went home and put this on our family's menu and it has been a staple ever since!

NEKAMO Biscuits and Gravy
1 package Pillsbury frozen biscuits ( Why make your own when these taste sooooo good)
1 16 oz package Jimmy Dean HOT sausage in tube in the refrigerator section
3 to 4 heaping Tablespoons flour
1 tsp. onion powder
2 cups milk
Salt and pepper

Make biscuits according to directions on bag.
Brown sausage in pan. Drain grease.
Mix flour and onion powder with cooked sausage. Stir.
Pour milk over sausage mixture. Stir until thick, about 8 minutes.
Salt and Pepper to taste.

Pour sausage gravy over biscuits and prepare to be amazed! YUM!

I made wonderful memories at NEKAMO - and this breakfast was one of them!
I am glad this recipe delights my family. My Dad loves his sausage gravy on eggs and his biscuits are reserved for jam or jelly.

Roasted Snowman Noses - and other Vegetables!

This chilly weather outside has certainly made me want to warm my tummy inside. This is a lovely and simple dish that will warm your heart and cause snowmen all over the Northern states to become "Sinus Challenged"!



Basic Roasted Vagetables
Preheat oven to 425.
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 Tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoon dried basil
1 cup baby carrots
2 stalks celery, chopped (I omit because my gag reflex goes on overtime when I even hear the word Celery)
2 turnips, peeled and quartered
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red onion, peeled and quartered
1 white onion, peeled and quartered
1 red pepper, halved and sliced
1 bulb fennel, washed and quartered

In a medium size bowl, stir together the melted butter, the minced garlic and herbs. Lightly coat the vegetables and place them in a large baking pan. Bake for 45 minutes. Enjoy this warm hearty dish with your favorite Chicken or Beef dish!

As you can see - I substituted some different veggies - I just used whatever I had in my veggie bin. Clean out your veggie bin today!

Trust me - Your snowman will feel honored to donate his nose to this worthy dish!

Praline Chex Mix - Always a Touchdown!

The host for a Super Bowl game needs lots of snacks for the guests.
I think you will find this treat special and there is still time to order the
Praline Mix from Savannah Cinnamon Company. Their web site is:
www.savannahcinnamon.com. Check them out HERE!

A small bottle of Praline Mix will make three batches of Savannah
Squares Praline Crunch. My mother knows. She received the Praline
Mix from a couple my dad plays golf with. She immediately ran to the
grocery store for the ingredients and made one recipe after another.
Along with the bottle, she also received a generous sample of Savannah
Squares Praline Crunch which they quickly devoured – she knew a trip
to the grocery store was imperative.

So, order the mix and have pecans, Chex cereal, butter, brown sugar and baking soda ready for the arrival of the Praline Mix. Thank you Fran Hess – you made a golfer and his wife’s day.




Savannah Squares Praline Crunch
Stir together 6 cups Chex cereal and 2 cups pecan halves in
A 13x9 pan. Melt ¼ cup butter and ½ cup brown sugar and
½ cup of Praline Mix. Bring to a boil. Gently cook for 2 minutes,
Stir in ½ tsp baking soda and stir until foamy. Pour over mixture
and stir to coat. Bake at 250 for 1 hour. Stir once during baking.

Midwest Chowder - A Real Man's Soup!

The big red cups are out again. Yup, another soup night but when it is cold you can't have too much soup. The recipe is Midwest Chowder.
Did I tell you that much of my life I spent in the Midwest? I was born in
Minnesota where my father worked and because we followed his paycheck we spent time in Omaha and Kansas City as well as Minnesota. When the wind comes whipping across the plains you do need a good soup recipe and this one was published years ago in "Country Woman Magazine".

MIDWEST CHOWDER - Serves 8

2 cups diced potatoes
1/2 cup sliced carrots
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/4 cup diced onions
1 tsp. salt
2 cups boiling water
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
Black pepper to taste
2 cups milk
10 ounces cheddar cheese
2 cups corn

Cook potatoes, carrots, celery and onions in boiling water for 10 minutes. While vegetables cook, melt butter, stir in flour and pepper and cook for one minute. Gradually stir in milk; cook, stirring constantly until thickened. Add cheese, stirring until melted. Stir in corn. Heat through but do not boil. Add vegetables and liquid.

Although my dad likes this soup he loves this soup after he splashes in some Louisiana Hot Sauce. He loves everything just a wee bit hot. Good you're a wee bit "hot" mom!

Perfect Pancake Portion!

This entire week my youngest, Jensen, has been asking to make pancakes for breakfast. She doesn't love just any pancakes -she loves those little pancakes that are just the perfect size for dipping. In the past I have always used a measuring cup or a ladle to pour the pancake batter; however, it never fails to create a huge mess and pancakes of various sizes (mostly big ones because I can't control my pouring). I decided to try to find, among my 1073 kitchen gadgets, a perfect "Pitcher" to portion out my pancakes - and I DID! I opened up my silverware drawer and spotted these little spoons I got at IKEA for Noodle soup.
It worked great! Each pancake was just the size she wanted and the mess was kept to a minimum!



After completing the first couple of batches - I even let Jensen spoon the mixture onto the pans. So simple even a child can do it!



These were some of the finished "Dippers"! For another twist on pancakes - Try making your pancakes with Jiffy Corn Meal muffin mix. The recipe is on each box and they are so sweet - the kids will love them! Our other favorite pancake recipe comes from Big Red Kitchen. Check out how Robin Sue makes her pancakes HERE!

2 Cheap Chicks & a 20! Wegman's Style! Part 2

Oh - Just looking at this salad makes me want to make it again. I had clipped this recipe out of my Cooking Light magazine in March of 2003 - and this was the first time I tried it - but it won't be the last. My whole family loved it and gave it 2 thumbs up!



Spinach, White Bean, and Bacon Salad with Maple-Mustard Dressing:
1/4 cup maple syrup
3 Tablespoons cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 (15 oz) can Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained.
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
5 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 (7 oz) packages fresh baby spinach



1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a small microwave-safe bowl, stirring with a whisk; microwave at HIGH 1 minute or until hot. Place beans in a 2 cup glass measure; microwave on HIGH 1 minute or until hot.
2. Combine onions, bell pepper, bacon and spinach in a large bowl. Add syrup mixture and beans; toss well to combine. Serve immediately. Serves 8



Baked Apples:
4 apples - your choice.
4 teaspoons brown sugar
4 teaspoons crushed walnuts
4 Tablespoons butter
Carmel Ice cream topping

Core apples. Place 1 teaspoon brown sugar in each apple. Place 1 teaspoon nuts in each apple. Place 1 Tablespoon butter on top of each apple. Bake in 350 oven for 30 minutes, uncovered.
Let cool 10 mintues. When serving, drizzle with carmel ice cream topping.

Note to self: Kids do not accept this as dessert, but rather a tasty "Side".



Don't forget to take a look and see what Big Red Kitchen did with her 20 dollars!

2 Cheap Chicks & a 20! Wegman's Style!

Wegmans.....ahhhhhh. Need I say more. I had not been to our "Local" (and by local I mean half hour away) Wegmans store in quite a while. The minute I walked in and devoured the smells of the coffee shop and bakery - I knew I was in for a treat. Robin Sue and I decided to meet for lunch beforehand. We may be "2 Cheap Chics" but there is always money in the budget for a lunch with a good friend.



We bought our Asian style lunch and perched ourselves atop the main floor. This was our view from the deck. We strategized, ate, talked and of course people watched! We were sitting next to a Joe Biden look alike - and if any of you remember - Robin Sue is a spitting image of Sarah Palin. We were laughing at the pictures we could take if only we were brave enough to ask "Joe" for a photo. Neither of us were - so we just had to have fun chuckling to ourselves about Robin Sue jumping in "Biden's" lap and taking a photo for our blogs. Couldn't you see the headlines "Palin Pounces Biden - and he liked it"!



The challenge to make a meal on a 20 dollar bill was on and Robin and I went our separate ways. A little later we met up in the card department to calculate whether or not we had gone over our budget. Robin, unfortunately, needed to put a few things back - but I managed to stay under budget the first time around. Click HERE and see what Robin Sue did with her 20 bucks!



On the menu tonight:
Slow cooked Pork Chops
Brown Rice
Spinach, White Bean and Bacon Salad with Maple-Mustard dressing (Cooking Light March 2003)
Baked Apples



Slow Cooked Pork Chops:
Brown 4 or 5 pork chops in a skillet with some Worcestershire sauce and pepper (or any spices you prefer).
Slice half of a medium onion and put in crockpot. Put browned pork chops on top of onions.
Mix a can of Cream of Chicken soup with 1/2 can of water.
Pour soup onto pork chops, cover and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.



Brown Rice:
2 Tablespoons butter
1 cup uncooked rice
1 can beef broth
1 can beef consume



Saute rice in butter until lightly browned. Pour broth and consume and rice into a casserole dish. Cover and bake at 350 for 45 to 60 minutes.



The meal turned out to be wonderful! I have to admit my family thought the baked apples were NOT dessert - and your family might not either. I just told them "What do you expect for 20 bucks"! They proceeded to raid the pantry for Christmas chocolate gold coins! I guess they "Ate" their $20 bucks in chocolate after all!



Check back Wednesday for the recipes for the apples and salad! Don't forget to pop over to the Big Red Kitchen and see what Robin Sue did with her 20 dollars!