Vegetarian Biscuits and Gravy???

I had a dentist appointment this morning, but it wasn't until 9:45, which meant I had some time to kill after dropping the kids at school.  So I decided to search for something yummy to eat, like a breakfast burrito.  As I drove past Whole Foods Market, I remembered that they have a salad bar there, so I stopped to see if maybe, just maybe they also have an eggs and bacon bar.  Sure enough, they also have a hot breakfast buffet for something like $7.99 a pound.

While browsing my choices, I noticed a pan of "Vegetarian Gravy" next to the homemade biscuits.  I decided to give it a try, even though I had never heard of vegetarian gravy before, and could not imagine what it was made out of.  It looked just like gravy.

It was pretty good!  It tasted like.... gravy!

So that's my story.  I sat down and had vegetarian biscuits and gravy and a lovely cup of coffee from the other part of the store.  That was a nice way to start my morning, and well, I survived the dentist chair.  :-)

Easy Cheesy Cheese Straws Please!

When we were little, my mom used to make these cheese crackers that me and my brothers and sisters could make the dough into whatever shapes we wanted.  After she baked them we could eat the crackers we made.  They were cheesy and yummy, but I have no idea where her recipe came from.  I thought she may have consulted Joy of Cooking, but no cheese crackers there!

I was inspired to try making them last week after the Supreme Court struck down the laws banning same-sex marriage.  Don't ask me why my mind went there because I have no clue!  I went ahead and got a recipe off the internet, and me and the girls sat down and made many heart shape cheese crackers.  They're yummy with broccoli cheese soup!  I suppose if you want lovely crackers like the ones pictured above, you should probably pipe them out of a pastry bag with a star tip.  Otherwise you might end up with something like these:   :-)

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

In a food processor, add the butter, cheese, flour, salt and cayenne and process until a smooth dough is formed. Scoop it into a cookie press, fitted with a flat ridged tip. Pipe the dough in 2-inch strips onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. (Alternatively, refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes and roll on a lightly floured surface into a 1/4-inch thick rectangle. Cut into smaller rectangles, about 2 by 3-inches, with a pizza wheel or sharp knife.) Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to racks to cool.

Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/zesty-cheese-straws-recipe.html?oc=linkback