A Note About Flavoring Homemade Breakfast Sausage

My biggest pet peeve about ‘homemade’ versions of recipes is they taste nothing like the store bought version. I love store bought breakfast sausages because they taste so good! I wanted to base my own homemade breakfast sausage based on the ones I know and love. This means I used spices like:

• thyme
• rosemary
• sage
• marjoram
• nutmeg
• and cayenne pepper

Plus, I used my secret ingredient: smokehouse maple seasoning. This stuff gives that maple flavor that we all love about breakfast sausages.

How To Make Homemade Breakfast Sausage

Like I said before, making homemade breakfast sausage is so simple, why wouldn’t you always go this route…it’s so much more flavorful than store bought, in my opinion. For full recipe details and ingredients, see the printable recipe card down below.

Combine Ground Pork + Seasonings

In a large bowl, place ground pork in the bowl. Add nutmeg, cayenne, sage, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, brown sugar, salt and pepper to the bowl. I also added some McCormick Grill Mates Smokehouse Maple seasoning (totally optional). I love this flavor it brings to the sausage.

Combine + Mix Well

Stir all the spices into the meat and mix well. Using a cookie scoop or spoon, divide mixture into 12 even sized balls and flatten into patties.

Cook + Serve

Cook in your pan until thoroughly cooked and drain on paper towels and serve as you like!

Storing Leftover Breakfast Sausage

Place any leftover breakfast sausage in an airtight container and place in the fridge. Sausage will stay fresh for 4-5 days.

Other Breakfast Recipes to Try:

• Breakfast or Dinner Mini Skillets
• Biscuits and Gravy
• Fruit & Waffle Breakfast Pizzas
• Southwest Steak and Egg Breakfast Burritos
• Breakfast Tacos

Here’s the printable recipe card. Have a great day, friends!

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Easy Homemade Breakfast Sausage

If you love breakfast sausage, try this homemade recipe. Super tasty and surprisingly easy… just a bunch of seasonings mixed together with ground pork!

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Keyword Homemade Sausage

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings 12 mini patties

Calories 103kcal

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground pork
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
• 1/8 teaspoon marjoram
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon smokehouse maple seasoning optional

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• In a large bowl, stir seasonings together with ground pork. Scoop into 12 even balls {I used a cookie scoop for this}, form into patties and fry in a nonstick skillet with a little cooking spray. Once fully cooked, remove to paper towels and serve as desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 103kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 166mg | Potassium: 108mg | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 0.4mg

The post Homemade Breakfast Sausage Recipe appeared first on Lauren's Latest.

A Few Tips for Success

For the Biscuits

For the biscuits, I made the dough in a food processor, but can totally be made by hand in a bowl. You’ll just be using a pastry blender to break apart the butter. Also, the biggest tip for making tender and flaky biscuits is to not work the dough too much once you add the milk. Once the liquid goes in and you start mixing, gluten starts to form. Too much gluten and you’ll have a chewy mess. For pizza dough, you want to knead it for that chew….not so much for biscuits.

For the Gravy

For the gravy, I flavor my ground pork with a homemade spice blend (based on my homemade breakfast sausage recipe here). Of course you can use breakfast sausage that is already flavored but I didn’t have any on hand, hence the homemade seasoning. One other tip that you’ll need to remember: once you add in the milk to create that thick gravy, you’ll want to increase the heat to get it bubbling but then reduce it right away to keep it at a light simmer. This is to prevent the milk from curdling. Chunky gravy is not delicious, incase you were wondering.

Other biscuit recipes you might like: Southern-Style Biscuits with Sweet Maple Sausage Gravy, Gluten-Free Cheddar Bay Biscuits, Light & Fluffy Angel Biscuits, Butter Drop Biscuits.

How to Make Biscuits and Gravy

Because this is a homemade, from scratch version of Biscuits and Gravy, the whole process start to finish can be a little time consuming (1 hour+). However, the effort is so so worth it! Don’t forget the ingredient measurements plus more detailed directions are listed below in the recipe card. Here’s how to do it:

Make the Biscuits

Preheat the oven and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside. Measure out all dry ingredients into a large bowl or food processor. Cut cold butter into the dry ingredients until it’s the size of small peas. Pour in the milk all at once and stir only until just incorporated.

Roll, Cut + Bake

Roll out dough and cut into biscuits. Place biscuits on baking sheet and bake until lightly browned. Set aside.

Make the Gravy

Start by mixing ground pork together with spices and set aside. Saute onions in olive oil until tender. Add pork into hot pan and break apart while it browns. Sprinkle in the flour and cook 1 minute. Whisk in milk and bring to a simmer to thicken the gravy. Stir in maple syrup and taste. Adjust salt and pepper as necessary.

Do I Have to Make My Own Breakfast Sausage?

Absolutely not! I love making my own because it incorporates all the flavors I love. However, feel free to get a store bought pre-seasoned breakfast sausage. Most brands offer some kind of ‘original’ breakfast sausage, a maple sausage and/or sage breakfast sausage. Any kind you like would work well in this recipe.

Serve

Cut warm biscuits in half and spoon gravy overtop. Serve.

What to Serve with Biscuits and Gravy?

• Lemony Vanilla Fruit Salad
• Oven Baked Bacon
• Easy Breakfast Casserole
• Perfect French Toast Casserole
• Pan Fried Potatoes

Storing Leftovers + Making Ahead

Store biscuits and gravy separately in airtight containers, in the fridge for up 3-4 days until you’re ready to heat them up again. You may need to add a splash of milk to the gravy when reheating, to thin it out again.

Can I Make This Recipe in Advance?

You can definitely make parts of this dish ahead, just at different times for the best finished product.

I would suggest making the gravy up to two days in advance, and storing in an airtight container in the fridge. To serve, simply reheat over the stove or in the microwave.

The biscuits, however, taste their best when baked fresh. You can make the biscuit dough up to 24 hours in advance, storing in the refrigerator covered, but be sure to bake them off right before serving for the best finished product.

Other Hearty Breakfast Ideas to Try!

• Breakfast Burritos
• Southern Biscuits and Gravy
• Oatmeal Pancakes
• Hash Brown Egg Cups
• Classic Breakfast Casserole

There you have it! A good, hot breakfast recipe that is good for the soul. Be sure to save, print or bookmark this recipe to come back to again and again. The printable recipe card is below. Have a great day, friends!

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Biscuits and Gravy

A reliable, classic recipe for Biscuits and Gravy. Creamy, savory and oh so comforting this is a staple breakfast recipe!

Course Breakfast

Cuisine Southern

Keyword biscuits and gravy

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 8 servings

Calories 601kcal

Ingredients

For the biscuits:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour plus more as needed
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt or more to taste
• 8 tablespoons cold butter cut into small pieces
• 1 1/4 cups whole milk

For the gravy:

• 1 pound ground pork
• 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon McCormick’s Grill Mates Smokehouse Maple seasoning optional
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper or more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
• 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/8 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Pinch ground cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup yellow onion finely diced
• 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour plus more as needed
• 3 cups whole milk
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup or more to taste

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• To make the biscuits, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside. 
• In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda, pulsing a few times to mix.Add the butter and pulse until it’s the size of small peas. Pour in the milk, pulsing, until incorporated. Pulse 5 more times, then transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Form dough into a ball, ensuring it is well mixed, sprinkling with flour as needed. Roll the dough out to 1 1/4-inch thick, then use a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter to make 8 biscuits, re-kneading and re-rolling the scraps as necessary. 
• Arrange the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet and bake until lightly browned, 12 to 14 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the gravy: In a large bowl, combine the pork, brown sugar, maple seasoning (if using), salt, black pepper, sage, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, nutmeg and cayenne, stirring to thoroughly combine. Set aside.
• In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the pork mixture and cook, breaking it up with a spoon or spatula, until no longer pink, 5 to 6 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in the milk, increase the heat to medium high, to bubble and thicken gravy. Reduce heat immediately to bring to a gentle simmer, whisking to smooth any lumps, until completely thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add more flour as needed to achieve desired consistency. Remove from the heat and stir in the maple syrup. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more maple syrup, salt and black pepper to taste.
• Split the biscuits and arrange on plates. Spoon the gravy on top and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 601kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 948mg | Potassium: 516mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 560IU | Vitamin C: 1.9mg | Calcium: 213mg | Iron: 3.1mg

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I grew up eating this sweet and savory version of stuffed peppers. There are so many different kinds and ways to make stuffed peppers and I’m thrilled to share this saucy recipe with you today!

These stuffed peppers fall under the ‘make it until it tastes right’ family recipe category. Meaning there are no measurements–just ingredients. So, after a few days of trial and error, I got the measurements DOWN so you too can make my Mom’s stuffed peppers… It’s just a delicious, stick to your ribs kind of recipe. Good food for the upcoming months.

How to Make Stuffed Peppers

{For full recipe with measurements and cook time, see the printable recipe card below}

1. Prepare bell peppers by cutting the tops off and removing the seeds and the ribs. Wash and set aside.
2. Make the meat mixture by mixing ground beef, pork, onion, rice, salt, and pepper together.
3. Stuff bell peppers and place into a large pot.
4. Top stuffed peppers with tomato juice. Try to submerge them as best as possible.
5. Cook several hours until peppers are tender and rice is completely cooked.
6. Make a roux using vegetable shortening and flour. Cook roux to be a medium brown color.
7. Thicken the tomato sauce using the prepared roux. It will bubble and that is totally normal! Sweeten sauce with sugar.
8. Serve stuffed peppers hot with rye bread–or any other bread you have around, but really, rye is the best.

Hope you all are in the mood for some German food tonight! Or maybe it’s Hungarian. (My ancestors are from both places, so we eat food from both places and things get confusing!) Either way, these stuffed peppers are mighty tasty.

Printable recipe card below! Enjoy!

Recipes similar to Stuffed Peppers you will love:

• Grandma’s Cucumber Salad Recipe
• Goulash Recipe with Nookedli
• Broccoli Salad Recipe with Bacon
• Hungarian Chicken Paprikash Recipe

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Hungarian Stuffed Peppers Recipe

An amazingly savory and sweet stuffed peppers recipe, filled with pork, beef, and rice served with a tasty tomato sauce. A hearty, delicious dinner.

Course Dinner

Cuisine German

Keyword beef, cooking, german food, meatballs, pork, rice, stuffed peppers, stuffed peppers recipe

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 2 hours

Total Time 2 hours 25 minutes

Servings 6 servings

Calories 599kcal

Author Lauren

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground beef 80/20
• 1 lb. ground pork
• 1 medium onion diced
• 1/2 cup long grain white rice
• salt & pepper
• 6 green bell peppers*
• 46 oz tomato juice 1 can
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup lard or shortening
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Prepare bell peppers by cutting the tops off and removing the seeds and the ribs. Wash and set aside. In a large bowl, mix together beef, pork, onion, rice, salt, and pepper. Stuff bell peppers with meat mixture.
• *If you do not have enough green peppers, then form meatballs with the remaining stuffing--this is a great way to get your kids to eat this meal, too!*
• In a large pot, pour in the entire can of tomato juice. Rinse can out with 1/2 cup water. Place stuffed peppers and any meatballs into the pot. Try to submerge them as best as possible. Cover with lid and heat pot over medium-high heat. Once it comes to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer lightly for 1-2 hours.
• In a large skillet, melt shortening over medium heat. Sprinkle in flour and whisk until smooth. Cook roux until it deepens in color to be a medium brown. Stir frequently to make sure it doesn't burn.
• Using a slotted spoon, remove stuffed peppers and meatballs from the pot leaving the hot cooking liquid. Pour the browned roux into remaining tomato juice (it will bubble violently for a few seconds at first, so just be aware that it is totally normal). Stir well. After a few minutes, the tomato juice should thicken and become more of a sauce. Stir in sugar and more salt and pepper. It will be sweet--as it should be Serve with rye bread--or any other bread you have around, but really, rye is the best. 

Notes

You can use all ground beef if you don't have/can't find ground pork.

Nutrition

Calories: 599kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 108mg | Sodium: 121mg | Potassium: 1171mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 1495IU | Vitamin C: 137.9mg | Calcium: 70mg | Iron: 3.9mg

The post Stuffed Peppers Recipe appeared first on Lauren's Latest.

Potstickers

The only thing that deters me from making Potstickers all the time is the time it takes to fill and fold them. But, they’re still easy to make! Gather some little hands for the assembling and before you know it, your freezer and tummy will be full of potstickers.

What are Potstickers?

Potstickers are Chinese dumplings usually consisting of ground meat and vegetable filling. The filling is wrapped in a dough and then is boiled, steamed or fried. They can also be served with a variety of sauces. In summary, Potstickers are tasty little devils. And quite simple to make.

Main Ingredients Needed

• Ground Pork – Delicious pork can also be substituted for ground turkey or chicken. Or you can replace the whole meat thing with a medley of minced vegetables.
• Gyoza Wrappers – Basically holds all of the flavors and delivers it to your mouth. It helps that this wrapper can be shifted from soft to crunchy by the way you cook it.
• Potsticker Sauce – Equal parts honey and soy sauce. It’s the perfect salty-sweet complement.

How to Make Potstickers

1. In a large bowl, stir pork, onion soup mix, pepper, green onion, and sesame oil together until well combined.
2. Crack an egg into a bowl and whisk it up. That’s basically all the prep work you need to do before filling the potstickers. Easy peasy.
3. Now comes the part that makes me want to hibernate: filling seventy billion potstickers. It’s time-consuming but oh so worth it! I think I can I think I can… Scoop about 2 teaspoons of the ground pork mixture into the center of a gyoza wrapper.
4. Brush one half of the wrapper with the beaten egg.
5. Then fold/crimp it up into a potsticker, being sure to remove any air pockets as you go. It might take a few tries, but you can and will succeed…because I believe in you! I’m so supportive.

How to Cook Potstickers

1. To cook these suckers, spray a large skillet with nonstick cooking spray. On top of the spray, add in 2 tablespoons of canola oil.
2. Place the pan over medium-high heat and add in enough potstickers to cover the bottom but not touch each other. Mine fit 12.
3. Once the pan is hot, throw in about 3/4 cup cold water and cover with a lid. Let the potstickers cook for about 3 minutes. A good indicator of the potstickers being done is the water is nearly evaporated.
4. Remove the lid, let the water completely evaporate and let the bottoms crisp up. After they have gotten some color, remove and serve with fried rice and a little sauce.

Leftovers

That’s it!! Any extra potstickers that you made can go on a baking sheet into the freezer. Once they are frozen, transfer them to a plastic freezer bag so they are ready to cook whenever you get the urge.

Not a hard thing to make, just time-consuming. Your families and fat pants will thank you….or me. Either way, you’re welcome.

More Recipes to Try!

• Fresh Spring Rolls Recipe with Peanut Dipping Sauce
• 15 Minute Chow Mein
• Stir Fry Recipe
• Asian Slaw Recipe with Peanuts
• Chicken Pad Thai Recipe
• Homemade Teriyaki Chicken

Enjoy a batch of Potstickers this weekend Printable recipe below!

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Easy Pork Potstickers

These Pork Potstickers make for an easy lunch or dinner! I love making a big batch of this potsticker recipe and freezing them for later! 

Course Dinner

Cuisine Asian

Keyword How to Make Potstickers, Potsticker Recipe, Potsticker Sauce, Potstickers

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings 36 potstickers, approximately

Calories 96kcal

Author Lauren Brennan

Ingredients

• 1.5 lbs ground pork or ground chicken
• 1 envelope onion soup mix
• pepper to taste
• 2 green onions white and light green parts chopped finely
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 12 oz. gyoza wrappers in 3-inch circles
• 1 egg beaten
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• sauce: equal parts soy sauce and honey
• sesame seeds for garnish optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• In a large bowl, stir pork, onion soup mix, pepper, green onion, and sesame oil together until well combined.
• Place 4 gyoza wrappers onto a clean work surface. Scoop 2 teaspoons of meat onto the center of each wrapper. Brush half of the circles' edge with beaten egg, then seal, folding 5 to 6 pleats into each pot sticker. Repeat until no more meat filling remains.
• To cook: spray a large skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Add in canola oil and place over medium-high heat. Add in about 12 potstickers, or enough to cover the bottom without touching each other. Once the pan has become hot, pour in about 3/4 cup cold water and cover to cook thoroughly. Once the water is nearly evaporated, remove lid and crisp bottoms of potstickers. Remove from pan and serve with the sauce and sesame seeds.
• To make the sauce: stir equal parts of soy sauce and honey together.
• To freeze potstickers: place on baking tray and freeze. After about 12 hours, transfer to a plastic freezer bag.

Nutrition

Calories: 96kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 155mg | Potassium: 73mg | Vitamin A: 15IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 0.5mg

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I don’t have a lot of time today because, well, LIFE.

Kids, work, deadlines, errands, dirty house, laundry, exhaustion, etc. etc…..ya know. Just same old same old in the life of single parent Lauren’s Latest.

I told my husband over the phone very positively that “he only had 74 days left! WAHOO!”

And he was like “WHAT? 74 days still?” As in….that sucks.

I’m not sure at what point we switched to me being the positive one and him being the negative one, but I’m thoroughly enjoying this happy-go-lucky Lauren.

Why yes, I think my sink full of dishes is FANTASTIC.

My son spreading yogurt all over the oven door is ADORABLE.

My sassy 6 year old who refuses to put her laundry away is PERFECT.

Like, I literally think like that now.

Who am I and what have I become? THE HORROR.

Just kidding, Mom.

Anyways, we’re almost to the end of the month so I thought I’d share a few more slow cooker recipes with you before March is here. So so excited for spring!!

Enter bolognese.

If you like pasta, then this is the sauce you need to make pronto. It’s so creamy, salty, meaty and delicious. And because you cook it in the crockpot, the flavors just keep getting better

Yes, puh-lease.

This recipe starts on the stove because that’s where the flavor start coming together, but beyond that the majority of the cook time is spent in your lovely slow cooker. It’s super convenient because it means less babysitting the sauce and even steven temperatures for the whole 4 hours this sauce cooks.

If you’re looking for a new way to kick up your bolognese sauce, this is the recipe for you! Enjoy, friends!

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Slow Cooker Bolognese Sauce

A meaty, Slow Cooker Bolognese Sauce made in the crockpot! This sauce is the perfect balance of salty, creamy, rich, and delicious.

Course Sauce

Cuisine Italian

Keyword Slow Cooker Bolognese Sauce

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 4 hours

Total Time 4 hours 30 minutes

Servings 6 servings

Calories 641kcal

Author Lauren's Latest

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion diced
• 4 large cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 cup carrot finely diced
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1.25 lbs ground sirloin in the lowest fat ratio
• 1 lb ground pork
• 3/4 cup red wine
• 42 ounces plain marinara sauce 1 1/2 jars
• 14.5 oz fire-roasted diced tomatoes* 1 can
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves not ground thyme!
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 bay leaves
• 2/3 cup heavy cream

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Preheat crockpot to high.
• Heat olive oil in large pot over medium heat. Saute onion, garlic and carrot 5 minutes or until they start to get tender and get a little color. Add in meat, salt & pepper.
• As the meat cooks, break apart into smaller pieces. Deglaze pan with red wine and cook down 5 minutes. Transfer meat mixture to crock pot. Add in remaining ingredients and stir well. Cover and cook 4 hours on high heat, stirring occasionally.
• Serve over pasta.

Notes

*plain diced tomatoes is fine

Recipe adapted from Kelsey Nixon.

Nutrition

Calories: 641kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 45g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Cholesterol: 155mg | Sodium: 1270mg | Potassium: 1289mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 3304IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 104mg | Iron: 5mg

Follow laurens_latest on Instagram and show me what recipes you are making from this blog! Use the hashtag #laurenslatest! I want to see what you’re making  

The post Slow Cooker Bolognese Sauce appeared first on Lauren's Latest.