MONTGOMERY, Ill. -- The Graves family has experienced some closed doors in the past years, but experience and life have always opened doors, too. One landed them in the sausage making business.

"It really has been a journey for us," says Sarah Graves who lives with her husband Ron and their three daughters in Montgomery.

The couple is originally from the suburban-Chicago area, but had moved to Southern California where they had a successful mortgage company. Then, nine years ago, the banks starting having trouble and "we pretty much lost everything," recalls Ron.

When Ron's mother, who lives in Aurora, Ill., needed assistance following surgery, the family decided to return to the Midwest to help her until new opportunities arose.

"We were on a tight budget and one of the ways we chose to save money was to make everything from scratch," says Sarah. "It was not only an economical decision but also a health decision. I started making 90 meals a month all at home, all from scratch."

Cookies, salad dressings and even butter were made in the Graves family kitchen. Each month, Sarah purchased eight whole chickens that she cut up and separated into bags to use for everything from stock to dinner. Ron and their daughters all joined in the effort of chopping, mixing and fixing.

As part of their resolve to eat healthy, the family decided to give up pork and focus on turkey, chicken or beef. This meant giving up many pork-based favorites, including sausage.

The family tried some chicken sausages but the cost was high and the quality was fairly low. Then Ron decided there had to be a way to give chicken sausage the same satisfying flavor as pork sausage.

"For two years, I kept playing with it," recalls Ron, who started by buying a meat grinder attachment for his Kitchen Aide mixer. He found that dark meat gave him the most flavor and that care had to be given to grinding the chicken to achieve the correct texture.

He found a way to add broth to keep it moist. He discovered lamb casing to use in place of pork casing.

"I did not want to use any preservatives or too much salt or any fillers," he explained.

After many trials, he discovered a secret ingredient that was a game changer. He had friends and family try the chicken sausage and the common response was "are you sure this is chicken?" The ingredient remains a family secret, giving them a competitive edge.

After receiving rave reviews for their chicken sausage from friends, the Graves decided the door to opportunity was opening. "We realized that we were on to something," says Ron.

They found a packing plant that would make the chicken sausage the same way they did in their home kitchen and went into the chicken sausage business.

"We have really been surprised by the number of people who have decided not to eat pork or beef. They really appreciate our chicken sausage," says Sarah, 38. They hope to have a chicken sausage pizza and a chicken breakfast sausage available at area markets in the fall.

After cooking from scratch for nearly nine years, Sarah has an impressive collection of tried-and-true recipes that she has altered to meet her healthy standards. She hopes to create more healthy Scratch Family items from her recipes in the future.

The whole family participates in demonstrations and festivals where the sausage is featured, which keeps everyone busy. However, they are still committed to making everything from scratch in their home kitchen.

"I do the baking and serve as a sous chef for Ron who does the cooking and grilling," says Sarah. "Cooking is like a part-time job for me -- I spend about 25 to 30 hours a week making meals."

Gluten-Free Almond Bars (or Brownies)

Makes 36 bars

2 cups raw almonds1/2 cup peanut or grape seed oil4 eggs1/2 cup honey2 teaspoons vanilla1/2 teaspoon sea salt1/2 teaspoon baking soda1 tablespoon cinnamon1/4 cup butter1/2 cup cocoa powderwalnuts (optional)Spread almonds on a cookie sheet. Set oven to 350 and place almonds in the oven without preheating. Bake 12 minutes. Cool. When almonds are cool, place in a blender and chop until fine. Add oil and blend to form an almond butter.Add eggs, honey, vanilla, sea salt, baking soda and cinnamon. Blend until well combined.Grease a 9-by-13 inch pan. Pour mixture into pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 22 minutes. Allow to cool. Cut into squares.Great for breakfast or snack. Makes about 36 bars.To make into brownies: omit cinnamon from above recipe.Additionally, melt 1/4 cup butter and combine with 1/2 cup cocoa powder. Add to blended ingredients and blend until smooth. Pour into pan and sprinkle with chopped walnuts if desired.Bake at 325 degrees for 22 minutes.

-- Recipes by Sarah and Ron Graves

CREAM CHEESE WONTONS

Makes 25 wontons

8 ounces cream cheese1 tablespoon pureed onion1 1/2 teaspoon sugar2 green onions24 wonton wrappers1 egg whiteoil for frying (peanut or other)Allow cream cheese to come to room temperature and place in a medium bowl. Puree yellow onion in a blender, strain to remove most of the water and add to cream cheese. Mix to blend. Add sugar and combine.Slice green onion and stir into mixture. Lay out a wonton wrapper and place about 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture into the center. Slightly beat egg white. Moisten 2 edges of wonton wrapper with egg white.Fold in half to form a triangle. Press to seal edges. Continue until filling is used up. Heat a few inches of oil in a wok or large saucepan over medium-high heat to 375 degrees. Deep-fry wontons, a few at a time, 2 to 3 minutes, or until brown and crispy.Serve with dipping sauce.WONTON DIPPING SAUCE

Makes 1/2 cup

4 tablespoons soy sauce2 tablespoons water1 tablespoon vinegar2 tablespoons sugar1 teaspoon sesame oilWhisk all ingredients together and serve with wontons. Makes about 1/2 cup.

-- Recipes by Sarah and Ron Graves