Biscuits and Gravy

I am a Southern girl at heart even though I have lived my entire life in the Pacific Northwest. I love the traditions, the food and being a Southern Belle. One thing that I am a bit afraid of is Biscuits and Gravy, it seems soo heavy, I have eaten it about twice in my life.

I found a recipe for some amazing biscuits at Grace's blog from her Mama. I knew I had to make them. This is my second time making biscuits and they turned out great, I impressed myself. There really is a process to making them, and I am finally getting it!

I found some Roasted Bell Pepper and Carmelized Onion Sausage for the gravy and we were off! I must say this was one of my top 10 breakfast's! My husband made the gravy and wrote the directions, I apologize in advance, he is wordy! I managed the Biscuits.

Grace's Mammy's Beautiful Biscuits

2 cups self rising flour (add a dash of salt)

2-3 heaping tablespoons shortening

Milk

I froze my shortening, used my cheese shredder and grated it right into the flour. Lightly mix with your fingers. Make a well and fill with milk.

Stir briefly and turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until the dough comes together

Pat out to a thickness of about 1/2 inch, cut the biscuits and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes, broiling at the end as needed to make sure they are nicely browned.

Gravy (it's so easy!):

Cook your sausage until done, remove from pan and set aside

Save your pan drippings from the sausage

Heat the pan back up to a medium heat

Add about two TBL of real butter

Add about 3 heaping TBL of AP flour

Stir the flour until the oils are fully incorporated. Keep stirring around the bubbly flour until it starts to take on just a little color (very light brown). You are doing a few things in the process

1) this serves to de-glaze the pan and incorporate all the yumminess that the sausage gave up

2) you are cooking the flour and giving it a slight nutty flavor and 3) you are making a roux to thicken the gravy.

Meanwhile, add*:

~1tsp fresh cracked black pepper

~ 1tsp Johnny's Seasoning Salt

~ 1tbsp granulated onion

~ tsp garlic salt

*actual amounts are more/less depending on how much flour you used for the roux and how much gravy you actually end up with -- which overall depends how thick/thin you like your gravy

Reduce pan heat to low, stir in milk starting with 1/2c. We used a combination of whole milk and 1% milk. It really doesn't make much difference on taste.

Stir in the milk until the clumps are gone, then add more milk until it reaches the consistency you desire. Be patient! Clumps and lumps will work out, just be patient, really. If you add too much milk, simmer and let it reduce instead of trying to add more flour because uncooked flour will taste like, you guessed it, FLOUR.

Now taste for seasoning, adjust and then add the sausage back to the pan and bring it up to a nice simmer. This is a good time to prepare your biscuits, set the table, cook a gooey over-medium egg to compliment.

Spoon the gravy over the biscuits, enjoy.