Looking Back

As I am reminiscing about our wedding 2 years ago, I have been looking at our wedding snapshots....and look at this one I found of a pouting Georgie. I guess she was a little jealous of Bryan taking her spot as Toe Toe's #1. Poor Georgie...

Sausage Biscuits

This is one of the best things I make. It is always a hit with everyone and the great thing is that you can make them ahead and freeze them.

2 2/3 cups all purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 pound hot sausage (very important)

1/2 cup shortening

1 cup whole buttermilk

1/4 cup warm water

1 package of active dry yeast

melted butter

Mix the first 5 ingredients together.

Brown and crumble the sausage.

Drain on a paper towel. Let cool.

Cut in the shortening to the dry ingredients with a fork or pastry cutter.

Meanwhile, measure out 1 cup buttermilk and 1/4 cup very warm water and let the yeast bloom in the warm water (about 5 minutes).

Add the cooled sausage to the flour.

Add the yeast water to the buttermilk.

Mix the buttermilk mixture with the flour and sausage mixture and dump onto a floured surface.

Knead the dough into a ball.

Roll out with a rolling pin to about an inch thick.

Choose the size biscuit cutter you would like and cut the biscuits. I like using a medium size, but large is good for breakfast with sides and small is good for a party.

At this point, if you are going to bake them right away, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bake for about 9-12 minutes or until the tops are ever so slightly browned. DO NOT overcook. I say this on every recipe, but you can always put them back in to cook a little more, but if you over bake, they will be dry and you can't undo it. :)

Melt butter and brush the tops with melted butter right away. Do not use low fat butter or margarine, as it will make the biscuits soggy.

Okay, now if you are going to freeze them, here is what you do. Place the biscuits on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Place them in the freezer for about an hour. This is very important because if you place the soft biscuits in the freezer, they will stick together. This way, they will not stick together, allowing you to get a few out at a time.

Next, take them out and line a freezer container with parchment paper and stack them.

Freeze for up to 3 months. When you are ready to bake, take the desired amount out and place them in a cold oven, set to 400 degrees. Bake until the tops are ever so slightly brown. Brush with melted butter.

Note: DO NOT bake on an "air" cookie sheet or insulated cookie sheet, as the bottoms will not be done. Use a good old fashion sheet pan. ENJOY!

Banks and Barrett

Banks and his friend Barrett Jones played together last week. Banks loved watching Barrett move all around the den and Barrett enjoyed watching Casey and Basil through the french doors. It was very sweet the see them interact and play. Ashley and I had a nice visit too. It is just amazing to watch Barrett go all around and realize that my days of my baby just sitting in one spot and being content are limited. Boo hoo! I love watching him grow but it makes me sad because the "baby" stage is going by way too fast!

My Baby is Rocking!

First of all, let me say these pictures are not blurry if you double click on each one. For those who read and are blogger users, if you have had this problem with pictures appearing blurry on the blog and know how to troubleshoot it, PLEASE let me know! I am a MAC user if that makes a difference.

Okay, moving on. Banks is getting up on his knees and rocking and it is TOO cute! He is so proud of himself and will do it as long as you let him.

Or at least as long as he has the energy....but after a small rest....

He is ready to go again!

Then if he gets tired, I just sit him up and he is still so happy!

Stuffed Mushrooms

This is my Mom's recipe for Stuffed Mushrooms (from her cousin Joy Lance). It is easy and delicious. It can be made early in the day, refrigerated, and then baked right before serving. You will need:

1 pound of mushrooms

1 onion, diced,

3 tablespoons butter

1 clove of garlic, minced

2-4 tablespoons of cooking sherry, to moisten

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1/4 cup crushed corn flakes

salt and pepper to taste

To clean the mushroom, wipe down with a slightly damp paper towel. NEVER put mushrooms under running water to wash, the will turn to mush. Remove stems and hollow out mushroom cap enough to stuff. Reserve stems.

Place butter in pan on medium high heat. Saute chopped mushroom stems, onion, and garlic for about 10 minutes or until the mixture is done. Season with salt and pepper.

Add cooking sherry, corn flakes, cheese, and breadcrumbs. Add more sherry if needed to moisten the stuffing. You do not want it too dry so make sure to add enough. You can also add dry white wine if you wish.

Stuff the mushroom caps.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

4th of July Weekend

We had a fun filled weekend that all started on Saturday morning with Tripp Williams' 1st Birthday Party. Tripp is a classmate of Banks and Rebekah and Rich are in our Sunday School.

Tripp had a Cat in the Hat Theme for his party and it was super cute!

Tripp reading The Cat in the Hat.

After the party, we began to make our way to Tallassee. We stopped at Lake Martin to hang out with Lauren and Joe Baugh and their family for a bit of swimming and fun.

Lendon is 2 going on 5 and loves to jump in the lake!

Lauren and Collin

We made it to Tallassee and had a great dinner with my parents. On Sunday, we all went to church and of course, had to take some family photos.

The Butler Three plus their cousin

Family Photo. I think this one might make it into a frame!

Me, Banks, Leigh Anne and Mama

Mama, Granny, and Daddy

Nana and Banks

We played at the Butler house in the afternoon, where the children kept Banks very entertained!

On Monday morning, on the way back to Birmingham, we stopped at the lake again to see Kenzie and Joe and their boys.

Charlie, Kenzie, Jackson, and Joe

We went to The Club on the night of the 4th, but did not take many pictures, as it was so crowded and Banks was running on fumes. We had to leave early to put him to bed. We had a great time but were worn out.