​This post contains affiliate links.  If you make a purchase after clicking them, we will be compensated, but there is no additional cost to you.  All opinions expressed are our own.  Thank you for your support.

Alicia here, and I'm back with another American recipe. This time, a controversial one. Have you ever seen those lists of American foods, that the rest of the world doesn't understand or thinks is weird? Biscuits and Gravy is always on those lists. It's terrible because this classic American breakfast is super delicious. My father and my husband both claim it as their favorite. I hope you will enjoy this family favorite breakfast too!

The foundation of great biscuits and gravy is a great biscuit. My mom always makes these biscuits from scratch and they're always delicious. Plus they are easily made vegan by subbing in almond milk for regular milk. These are always crispy on the outside and soft and flaky on the inside.They're the perfect base for her country gravy. Don't confuse American biscuits with British biscuits which are more like American cookies. American biscuits are more like scones, only more delicious.

My mom got her recipe from her Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, which was a wedding gift. I have a newer version of this classic cookbook and noticed some of the recipes are different (actually many of them). But she still uses this old classic so we share it with you here. If you don't have this recipe book in your own kitchen, you're missing out! We love it. When I was browsing the bookstore and found it on sale I had to buy it because I knew it was a well loved recipe book of my mother. A new version is coming out this year which you can preorder on Amazon.  

Biscuits Supreme

To top your biscuits you need country gravy, which is thicker and creamier than brown gravy. My mom has been making this gravy for as long as I can remember and it's so delicious. And it's pretty easy too. So stay away from the country gravy packets in stores and make your own gravy, trust me! My mom's is not as white as the gravy packet kind, and that's because it uses the bits from the pan where you cooked the bacon and sausage. A cast iron pan is perfect for this because it helps to develop a great flavor.

I recently bought one because I have so many recipes that call for a pan that can go from the stove top to the oven. I'm so excited to use it and make my delicious recipes. Amazon still has a lot ofgreat deals on cast iron pans, so if you're thinking about getting one, now's the time!

Grandma's Country Gravy

On the side you can, of course, enjoy the bacon and sausage used to make the gravy. Add some eggs and orange juice, and you've got a complete and very filling American breakfast.

And if you're still on the fence about this great breakfast, remember what Daniel Tiger always says..."You got to try new foods because they might taste good!"

​This post contains affiliate links.  If you make a purchase after clicking them, we will be compensated, but there is no additional cost to you.  All opinions expressed are our own.  Thank you for your support

     A few years ago, my Sisters-in-law and others in our family decided to have a family craft day in December.  We had crafts for kids and crafts for adults and food, and it was a lot of fun.  We decided that we should do it every year, but unfortunately, it hasn't happened. December is just so busy and full of activities for everyone that we could never make that fun day happen again.  
     This year, Alicia mentioned to me that we should do a Christmas in July and wouldn't it be great to do it when she was in town with her kids so that she could see her aunts and cousins as well!  So, we began planning our Christmas in July with crafts, food and swimming! You may remember that I shared the invitation I came up with on this post. (The invitation for Christmas in July is available on our subscribers only page that you will have access to if you opt into follow us!) Lindsey said that we could have the party at her house where we could all swim, as well as eat and do crafts.  We came up with some simple crafts for kids and adults, we also made some super cute decorations and we made the food potluck and asked for a holiday twist if possible.  It was mostly fun just being able to get together and enjoy each other's company without feeling rushed. Here are some of the simple things that we did:

Food

Some of the things we had to eat were pasta salad, pizza and fresh fruits and veggies. Look how we made some of them fit the Christmas theme.

​Watermelon Stars and Santa Hat Strawberries!  The Strawberries were filled with coconut cream whipped cream so that they were vegan for Maddy to enjoy with us all. 

​A Christmas tree made out of fresh veggies.  We served them with hummus, pretzels and ranch dip.  

    We also had Root Beer Floats and Christmas Cookies that Lindsey made for the kids to decorate! 

Decorations

We kept the decorations simple, but gave some cute ideas that people could recreate later.  We even printed up instructions on how they could make some of the items on their own. (We have them available for you as well)!  We also covered the craft tables with Christmas wrap for a festive flair, plus...

Crafts

We knew that on a hot summer day in Phoenix, swimming was going to be a popular activity at our party, so we wanted to keep our crafts simple and something that could be completed quickly in order to give everyone time to swim! Of course, the garland and the stars could have totally been part of the crafts, but we just gave everyone the directions instead.  Here are the things we came up with to actually make at the party! 

We used stencils and fabric markers to make designs on flour sack towels.  We purchased our markers at Walmart, but those linked on Amazon are less expensive. Here is a another brand. This was a great craft for children through adults!  A sweet kitchen towel from a child would be a gift any mother would love and be able to use! We all enjoyed honing our pointillism techniques creating these towels.  Plus, the flour sack towels were inexpensive to provide.  

Chalkboard ornaments or magnets.  The chalk marker really added pizzazz to these. If you are uncomfortable coming up with your own designs, there are a couple of websites where you can download and print some designs to decoupage:
The Cottage Market and LDS Lane had designs I loved.

We provided basic sugar and salt scrub bases that people were allowed to add extra ingredients to themselves.  Plus, we had supplies available to decorate their jars! The recipes are available in our booklet.

Subscribe for the FREE booklet! 

The directions for all of these ideas are available for free on our subscribers only page! It is also going to be available in our Etsy shop, but you can download it for free today!

​​You don't have to plan your early Christmas party for July, there are a few months left to get one planned and done before the holiday rush begins! Or, begin planning your Christmas in July for next year now and make it a big blow-out!  This was our first one and we kept it relatively simple, which was perfect for our family this year.  But, I already have some fun ideas for next year that I can't wait to try out! 
Now, this is a great opportunity to show you how some of my grandchildren enjoyed the party! Please don't mind my post swimming look! 

This post contains affiliate links.  If you make a purchase after clicking them, we will be compensated, but there is no additional cost to you.  All opinions expressed are our own.  Thank you for your support

     Last week, when I didn't post Friday Faves, my plan had been to celebrate Bastille Day which is always on the 14th of July.  I guess it is just as well that I ran out of time because it was hard to limit our love of French culture and products to just a few things.  After all, we all studied French, my husband served a french speaking mission in Tahiti, Lindsey served one in France, plus did a semester of law school there, My son Jacob is currently serving a french speaking mission in the Ivory Coast!  That is a lot of french influence in our lives!  The language is beautiful, the country has so much rich history, the cuisine is amazing, France has been the center of fashion for ages, there is just so much to enjoy.  
     So, Instead of trying to get everyone to focus on a favorite, I decided that this week I would share a french dish that I learned from Panna Cooking for a delicious Brown Butter Tart to give a nod to a favorite place of ours, France.  

      This tart recipe is currently being offered for free on Panna. If you love watching cooking shows like I do, you know that it can be frustrating to try to reproduce the recipes you see on TV and get a good result.  The videos on Panna and step by step written instructions make it so easy to follow and make their recipes yourself. Blueberries have been priced fairly reasonably lately, so when I saw this Browned Butter Tart with Berries, I knew I had to give this recipe a try. You can click on the link and give it a try as well.   The chef that teaches this class is Nancy Silverton. I am referring you to her class for this recipe, but I will share some of the tips she gave and some adaptations that I made for my purposes.  
     At first I thought that this recipe was going to be too much for me to do as I babysat my granddaughter, but as it turned out, each step was fairly quick to do and then it would have to chill awhile.  When the baby went down for her nap, I could do the next step or I would put her in her high chair to watch me for a bit.  It was a breeze!  Then, one of the best things about this recipe is that it makes enough crust and custard for 2 tarts and the extra dough and custard keeps in the fridge for a good amount of time.  In the middle of the week, I made the blueberry tart, and then on the weekend, I made a peach tart!  The peach one was super fast to do since the dough and custard were already made.  

My Take-Aways From Nancy Silverton:

• When working this dough for the crust, be very careful to not overwork it! Try to keep it cool by using your fingertips and not the palms of your hands.
• After the dough is refrigerated, begin by pounding it out with your rolling pin rather than rolling it.  (You have to watch her do it! It is so cool!  Also, when you do it yourself, it is very therapeutic).
• Use a simple syrup to make the blueberries shine! 
• When browning butter, use your ears and your nose to tell when it is ready.
• Sprinkle powdered sugar like you mean it, but also let some of the fruit show.

A Couple of Adaptations:

• I pretty much followed Nancy's recipe spot on, but one thing that she used that I don't have is a Flan Ring to form her tart. I had never heard of one, but here is the link to one.  

• I used a spring form pan instead.  I just fit the crust only halfway up the side of the pan and trimmed it to make it somewhat even.  It worked pretty well. Here is a pan like the one I have.

• When I made the peach tart, I sliced the peaches and laid them decoratively on the custard.  Then, after the tart was baked, I used chopped peaches on top.  I didn't coat them with simple syrup because they were already shiny.  Click the pictures below for descriptions. 

     If you try this recipe, let me know how yours turns out!  And, consider signing up for the Panna 7 day free trial and get access to many more cooking classes and recipes with master chefs!
     Also, if you enjoyed this post about Browned Butter Tarts, you may enjoy some of our other posts that are about cooking with Panna!

• Crockpot Boeuf Bourguignon
• Pan Roasting Chicken
• Chicken  Cacciatore - Crock Pot Version