The Bison Girl :: a lifestyle of good cooking, good eating & living well

Seriously. Because this is my mom's recipe. See what I did there? Except actually, I wouldn't know because I don't think I've ever actually had my mom's biscuits and gravy. She always made other breakfast when she made biscuits and gravy, because while Dad loved them, the rest of us were too stubborn to try. Which is too darn bad. Because these are phenomenal. The truth is, I didn't know I liked biscuits and gravy until I had my first apartment in college. I decided to give mom's recipe a try - and once I actually looked at the ingredients, I realized it probably wasn't as scary as it looked. I've never looked back from there. I love making biscuits and gravy now, although I don't make them very often. That requires getting up to work right after waking up in the morning on a weekend. No thank you! But there are those times when nothing can hold me back from the thought of nice warm biscuits smothered in this thick, creamy gravy... and on those...

In case you haven't read my introduction/about me section, I should preface this post by flat out saying: I sell bison meat as my full time job. So that is reason number one why I made the switch from beef to bison. However, I can also tell you, that if I didn't love it, I wouldn't eat it ( see #2 of my rules of the kitchen section ). So, I promise to you, I have several other, much more real reasons for choosing bison meat as the primary source of protein in my diet, and I would love to share them with you now. I promise, I will do my best not to be too sales pitchy. After all, a blog with the title "The Bison Girl" probably needs a post talking about why I eat bison, as this awesome meat still hasn't gone "mainstream" quite yet.

Enchiladas are probably one of the first foods I learned how to make. My mother loves Mexican food, and that is something I definitely inherited. And luckily, I found a partner in crime who loves Mexican food as well. I'm going to start by telling you, the enchilada recipe I'm about to share with you is nothing like the enchiladas you'll get if you go to the local Mexican restaurant... or at least it's nothing like the enchiladas I've ordered at Mexican restaurants here in Nebraska... I know, I know... Nebraska is not known for our quality Mexican food. And to be honest, I've been to Mexico City once back in high school and I didn't get the chance to order an enchilada  (although I will say I had a few homemade tamales that I still dream about and salivate over... but that's another story)  but I'm sure these enchiladas aren't super authentic either. But what these enchiladas are is delicious. And that's what truly counts, right? At least tha...

When food is involved, I hate buying things when I can make them myself. When you make food yourself, you know and control exactly what goes into it, it's likely healthier and it's probably cheaper. All of the following are the case for the meal I'm about to show you. And fair warning, after seeing these pictures, you're probably going to drop whatever it is you're supposed to be doing and make way for either your kitchen or the grocery store! This was a good dinner! The make it instead of buy it rule particularly applies to pizza... but not just that. I make my crust from scratch. I don't like to buy the pizza crust mix where you just add water, and I don't like to buy pre-made crusts. To tell you the truth, I can make a pretty kick ass pizza crust. Growing up, homemade pizza was a go-to favorite in our house. Sure, we ordered our fair share of delivery and carry-out pizza, but we also have plenty of memories (and photos) from making homemade pizzas...

Salsa disappears so fast in my home. I feel like every time I go to the grocery store, I have to pick up another jar of salsa. And to tell you the truth, I never feel particularly good about shoveling store bought salsa into my body like it's water–with its preservatives and excess salt... I know that salsa can be and should be a healthy dish... after all, it can pretty much be made entirely from a garden! We've been making fresh pico de gallo for a long time... and I LOVE it. In fact, I've had meals that are just chips and homemade pico de gallo. However, it's always a lot of work, and for it to have the freshest taste, you have to make it the same day you are wanting to eat it... so it just doesn't work for those times, when you just want to sit down for some chips and salsa. I wanted to make some salsa in bulk, that I could can and leave on the shelf, so we can enjoy one of our favorite snacks with less guilt. After all, that's what this new cooking lifes...