Biscuits & Gravy!! My new favorite food!

This past weekend was the third installment of my weekly supper club on Sundays! Kind of an underground restaurant kind of thing, I guess you could say. I have been wanting to make breakfast for one of the meals, so I figured this week was better than any! I have also been a little obsessed with biscuits and gravy...so this was the only breakfast food I could even fathom making.

Here are the fluuuuuffy biscuits.....Then they got smothered in a creamy, rich mushroom gravy! Duh. On the side, I made homemade seitan sausage patties, which turned out brilliantly for my first try, and a Local Potato Hash made with local yukon gold and sweet potatoes, homegrown peppers and tomatoes, garlic, and local onions. This was a superb and filling breakfast...I think everyone else was pleased as well!

And for a nice little after-breakfast dessert: Parfaits! The fruit was a mixture of local peaches, watermelon, and pawpaws....mmmm...and on top was vanilla soy yogurt and a sprinkling of my homemade granola! Perfect ending to a perfect breakfast!

Which Came First...The Biscuit or The Gravy?

I celebrated my first morning of spring break (my last one ever!) with making a delicious tester recipe for Bianca's Cookin' Crunk cookbook....Whole Wheat Butter(Soy)milk Biscuits with Sausage-Sage Gravy!! This is what breakfast is supposed to be, folks. Warm and comforting and aromatic and filling and yummy. This was worth getting out of bed!
I used Gimme Lean Faux Sausage for the gravy, which has FRESH SAGE in it, and the result was fabulous! I think I will just have to make these tomorrow morning, too!

How could you ever skip breakfast if you had THIS waiting for you???

Happy Pi Day!

Happy Pi Day!...yeah, 3.14, nerdy, I know. I had to celebrate with a pie, of course! I opted for cherry pie, with a whole wheat crust from scratch. This was my first cherry pie, so it wasn't perfect. I thought the filling didn't come out quite as gooey and sweet as cherry pies I've had in the past, but it was still pretty good! I mean, come on, it is a pie!

Here is the topless pie, brimming with big cherries...

And here is the pre-bake pic...A peek inside, post-baking...The final masterpiece....any day can be a holiday, or an excuse to make dessert!

Also, I have another tester recipe for you, courtesy of lovely Vegan Crunk Bianca's upcoming cookbook! This week was a Vegan Buttermilk Biscuits with Gravy...a southern staple that is just delicious. The twist on the recipe was that it is a Chocolate Gravy! It may sound kind of weird at first, but I trusted Bianca and gave it a shot...and it is so good! It is kind of like the down-home version of the European tradition of Nutella with pastries for breakfast! It reminded me a little of a thinner pudding, but it wasn't too sweet or anything. I'm thinking it would be even better to put a little raspberry jam on the biscuits and THEN pour some chocolate gravy over the top of everything...now I've just gone too far!

The First Day of School...My Last One!

So everyone be really excited and happy for me because today was my last first day of school ever! I will be graduating in May, with a degree in dietetics, so no more class for me after that! At least not for a long time...

To celebrate this momentous occasion (kind of.) I thought I needed to start the day with a good breakfast! What better place than Columbia's best local bakery, Uprise Bakery! They make a fantastic granola there, and they offer soy milk, so this was perfect. Their Almond Crunch Granola has a really nutty and sweet flavor, but is not too sugary to overpower the wonderful flavors of the almonds and sesame seeds. The perfect combination of salty and sweet, with a lovely hint of vanilla! One of my new favorites!A lovely bowl of Uprise's Almond Crunch Granola with Soymilk

And for a great way to end the day, another tester recipe from Bianca at Vegan Crunk for her upcoming cookbook! Yes! Tonight's Southern treat was Country-Fried Tempeh Steak with "Milk" Gravy. That just sounds too good...AND it tastes that way! This recipe is really true to its country-fried cousin with its triple-breading and salty, savory flavor. Oh, yeah, did I mention gravy? Maybe I forgot to mention this awesome gravy! I love a nice, peppery gravy for a little creamy texture on top of my crunchy. This did the trick! You all are going to love this freakin cookbook if you like down-home cooking at all!! Tester Country-Fried Tempeh Steak with "Milk" Gravy,

served with Homemade Sweet Yeast Rolls and Collard Greens!