Biscuits and Sausage Gravy

I found this recipe several months ago and thought it was too good to be true, thankfully it wasn't! It is in fact possible to make biscuits and sausage gravy in 30 minutes! And it tastes good, the most important part!!!!

One day I am going to think up some amazing new recipe that every one just dies over, but until then, I am going to use other peoples. This stuff is good y'all!!

Easiest biscuits ever...at least I assume. I've never actually made 

biscuits before. Maybe I need to do that!!

Sausage, yum!

The beginning of the gravy.

Once the gravy is done, put the sausage back in and drop chunks 

of biscuit batter straight in the gravy. I had never heard of such a thing.

Stick the whole pot in the oven for 10-12 minutes!

Top with parsley.

That's good Southern cooking' right there y'all!!

I think my Granddad would be proud! I remember eating biscuits and gravy at his house as a small child, although I think they were cooked separate. Either way, I think he would love this meal!

Sourdough Rut

Too much of a good thing sadly ends up being not so good. We have had sourdough weekly for about 2 years. To be honest, I'm sick of it! I would just stop making it altogether and pick it back up in a few months, but sourdough doesn't work that way. I have to keep the starter alive in the fridge by feeding it every week. If I don't feed the starter I won't be able to make any sourdough in a few months. So for the last several weeks I've fed the starter and just dumped out the extra.

This week I decided I could just change things up. I added some craisins and oats and all the sudden it was like new! Sometimes its the simple things!!

Santi loves the kneading process!

Such a helper!

Let it rise for 8-12 hours.

Roll it up and let it rise another 8-12 hours. I topped it with some more oats.

When it came out of the oven it was beautiful.

Next time I'll make sure to add some oil or egg to the top so the oats actually stick, fail!

Know whats not a fail? Mr. Im sick of Mamas fresh bread wanted to eat some...from 

the center out...a little like a monster with a crazy look to boot!

Im actually excited about making it next week now. What shall I add this time?

Sweet and Spicy Chinese Honey Sriracha Chicken

I stumbled upon this recipe and thought I would give it a shot since someone had recently given me some Sriracha and I hadn't ever used it before. Ummm...the sauce alone is worth making again...just for drinking. It was awesome!!

Oh, and start to finish, dinner in 30 minutes. Hallelujah! I do love a quick meal, but it needs to taste good too! And by good I mean awesome! I like my food to taste awesome!!

The beginnings of the sauce.

The beginnings of the chicken.

I added cashews and sesame seeds, because why wouldn't you?!

After cooking the chicken (I added salt and pepper as well as the cornstarch) 

I took some out for the boys since the sauce is spicy.

Then I added the sauce to the rest of the chicken.

Plop it on some white rice and serve with a green salad!

Heavenly!!

Nolans lunch tomorrow! And I only used 2 chicken breasts and 2 cups of rice! 

Dinner for 2 adults and 2 kids and a lunch for Nolan! Can't get much cheaper than that!

Must Haves In My Kitchen

I am normally pretty good about making a dinner list each week before grocery shopping. But there are  weeks where I don't have time to sit down and plan before I'm out of everything and have to go to the store. So there are some staples that I buy regardless. As long as I have several or all of these items on hand I can make just about anything.

Must haves in my kitchen:

Spices: Sea salt, pepper, cumin, basil, oregano (there are so many more that I love and have, but these are the must haves!)

Parmesan

Some sort of pasta: shells, lasagna noodles, bow tie

Cilantro

Garlic

Tomatoes

Eggs

Sour cream

Cream cheese

Butter

Carrots

Lime

Onions

Shredded cheese

Chicken, potatoes, chicken broth, olive oil & milk (not pictured)

Must have tools:

Iron dutch oven

Iron skillet

Wooden spoons

Cutting board

Measuring cup

If you have these things on hand, dinner is a cinch!!

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

I planned on making this casserole last week, but ended up not being able to for one reason or another. So last night when nothing sounded good I remembered I still had the majority of the ingredients (already had eaten the avocado and cilantro....naturally)! I was a little short on the cheese too, so I just added some parmesan. Ummm....it was really good! I highly recommend it, even if you don't have all the ingredients and you have to sub for whatever is in the fridge!!! I added jalepeños on Nolan's part and snatched one or two for myself! BEST decision ever!!!

The recipe calls for several cups of shredded chicken. I cooked a couple 

chicken breasts with lime juice (1/2 lime), paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper.

Enchilada sauce, corn tortillas, beans, corn, chicken, cheese...repeat!

And if you don't have enough cheese add parmesan. And if you don't have 

avocado and cilantro (or even if you do) add jalapeño!

Whenever cooking something with cheese on top, right when its almost done cooking, turn the broiler on for a few minutes. The cheese turns from good to awesome!!

I will be making this again for sure!

Whenever I find a big recipe, I always cut it in half and stick 1 in the freezer! We will be having this again in a few weeks...for free...when I don't have time to cook or just don't feel like it! Win win win!!

Easter Egg Hunt

Santi is now 3 and this is the first year that he has truly understood the point of an egg hunt. He ran around like crazy trying to find as many eggs as he could. Luca on the other hand, bless him. Luca does not understand the point. He was outside in the grass and just ran. He enjoys just being outside. One time, quite by accident, he found an egg in a planter and was very excited, and then kept running! I think in the end Santi had upwards of 20 and Luca had 3. It was a fun day!!

Nana, she is the best. Also she made lamb today. Oh.my.word!!!!!

The hunt is on! Hurry! Luca may get an egg...maybe...probably not!

He was sweet to share at the end!

Very proud of himself!

Luca loves the camera! CHEESE!

This was as Santi was running around like crazy! Luca was in no hurry!

Never mind, there he goes! In a hurry...to run!

Just running in circles!

He found a way to escape!

Once Santi found all his hidden eggs he started over to Luca's side where they were just in the middle of the yard! It was like taking candy from a baby, but really!

It was a good day! Happy Easter! He is RISEN!

Dying Easter Eggs

Today we dyed eggs for the first time. Yes, Santi is almost 4, but I have always tried to stay away from unnecessarily messy things. The thought of glitter, glue, sprinkles, food coloring or anything messy like that has always made me shiver! It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought!!! Santi had a sweet friend over, and we had a blast. The only downside, neither boy wanted to get food coloring on their fingers, so I had to! Come on! Seriously?

I found the recipe for the dye here, SO much easier than I thought!

Our colors.

The boys.

The eggs.

It was actually a lot of fun! Good job boys! Now how do I get the food coloring 

off my nails before Easter?!

April Fools For A Three Year Old!

Santi is too young for April Fools! He doesn't even really know how to make a joke yet. BUT, I found a super cute idea and thought it would be the perfect joke for a 3 year old!

We made dirt for Papi's dessert tonight!!

All you need is:
instant chocolate pudding
a few cups of milk
cool whip
Oreo cookies
and gummy worms

Make the pudding as the box says. Once the pudding is set add 8 oz of cool whip and some crushed Oreos. Put the mixture in pots or glasses. Add worms and more dirt, I mean Oreos, to the top. DONE!

They turned out pretty cute actually!

Not bad for a quick April Fools joke.

Nolan was such a good sport! Look at his face! Santi handed it to him and said

 "Papi, we made you dirt!"

The best part about this joke is that you get to eat it!! We laughed at each other the whole time, making dirt and worm jokes! Oh to be 3 again!

April Fools wins!

Surprisingly it tasted pretty good too!

Meanwhile....

this...

happened!

Happy April!