Homemade Sausage Gravy for Biscuits

About one month ago Son Number 2, bought his first home and moved out. We now just have our daughter at home. Son Number 2, Kyle, needed to do some work to his bathroom floor, so my husband took off work the week after Christmas. How does this relate to Sausage Gravy you might ask? Well, with my husband off work, and both of our sons cutting and laying floor tile, I was busy cooking up a storm for my hungry guys. Forget the diet foods that normally come after the New Year; I made comfort foods and stick-to-your-ribs, type foods for my hard working guys. Thus the Sausage Gravy. This easy dish is perfect for breakfast of course, but also lunch or an evening meal. Served with some creamy scrambled eggs, it's a wonderful meal. Here's how:

First, you need to brown the sausage in a large skillet, breaking the meat apart as it browns. I used Jimmy Dean sausage and there was very little fat in the pan. You can drain the fat off the sausage, if desired. I drain off the extra fat cuz I don't need it. I do not make a roux with this gravy, I just add the flour directly to the meat. The extra fat will not be missed. Trust me.

Just Sprinkle the flour over the meat and then stir it in until there is no flour showing. Continue to stir the sausage and flour for a minute, making sure it does not burn. Pour in part of the milk.

Stir until the gravy thickens, and then add more milk as needed. The gravy does need to cook and thicken a couple of minutes, long enough to cook the flour, and let the gravy thicken to your desired consistency. I usually end up using at least 2 1/2 cups of milk, or more. It's delicious! Sometimes you just need a plateful of Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits smothered in Homemade Sausage Gravy. It really hit the spot for my busy family. Give it a try!

HOMEMADE SAUSAGE GRAVY WITH BISCUITS- (biscuit recipe here)

1 pound of breakfast sausage

3 Tablespoons of flour

2 1/2 cups milk, or more

salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet(12 inch), brown the sausage. While it cooks, break the meat apart and turn the meat over as it browns. If the sausage starts to burn, turn the heat down. At this point, I drain off any fat in the skillet if there is any, but you may leave it if you desire.. I'm just for using less fat, if possible! When the sausage is done, sprinkle the flour over the sausage. Stir the flour into the meat and keep stirring for a minute or two, while the flour browns with the sausage. The flour will stick some, so it's important to keep stirring. Now, stir in 1 cup of milk and stir until thickened. It will be very thick. Add 1 1/2 cups more of milk. Cook and stir until thickened, several minutes. Now, taste the gravy to determine how much salt and pepper is needed. Each brand of sausage is different as to how much seasoning is added. I do like plenty of black pepper in my gravy. This will serve 4-6. If you desire a larger batch of gravy, add more flour in the beginning, and more milk. Enjoy!

Buttermilk Biscuits

I have always loved biscuits. When I was little my Mother used the biscuit mix from a box, but I loved them and always looked forward to the meals where they would be served. She even used them to top her chicken pot pie, and a sweeter version topped her cherry cobbler. Biscuits have always been comfort food to me!

When I married, and my confidence with cooking grew, I wanted to learn how to make homemade biscuits, so I began trying different recipes. Through the years I have developed my own way of making Buttermilk Biscuits using real butter, which gives the biscuits a buttery flavor and a soft, flaky texture. They are very easy to make and compliment almost any meal. They're great with soups and stews, beans, holiday dinners, and of course, sausage gravy! If you haven't tried making homemade biscuits, you're missing a real treat!

Buttermilk Biscuits

2 cups flour

2& 1/2 tea. baking powder

1/2 tea. salt

1/4 tea. soda

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 stick ( 1/2 cup) of cold butter

1 cup of cold buttermilk (be sure to shake it)

In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Cut the butter into pieces with a knife into the bowl. Taking a pastry blender, or a fork, blend the butter into the flour mixture until it is crumbly. Add buttermilk, stirring until dry ingredients are moistened. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat into a ball. Knead 4or 5 times, then flatten the dough with your hand or a rolling pin into a rectangle. Fold the dough in half and then roll it until it's about 1/2 inch thick. Using a biscuit cutter or a glass, cut out the biscuits and place on ungreased baking pan with sides of biscuits touching. Roll up the left over scraps and cut more biscuits. Bake in a 425 degree oven for about 15 min. or til golden. Best served hot with butter and honey, or jam! Do you make biscuits? What are your favorite meals to serve them with?