Southern-style Biscuits and Gravy

It's been a long time, everyone.  I think we should resurrect this blog.

My Grandma Margaret is from the deep south.  This is her recipe; I guarantee it's as authentic as you can get and better than anything you've ever had in a restaurant.  Note: this recipe feeds an army.  You may want to halve it.

Ingredients:

2 lbs sausage (preferably Bob Evan's, and at least one Bob Evan's Sage Sausage.  My mother forbids any other brand.)
1 can evaporated milk
A lot of regular milk
Sage
Black pepper

2 or 3 rolls of biscuits (16-18)
Note: We use Pilsbury Grands, but if you have a great biscuit recipe, go with that.  Have an assistant bake them during the extended amount of time you are stirring the gravy.

Note again: This recipe is too authentic for actual measurements, so bear with me.  ; )

Brown the sausage in a large (large) pan.  DO NOT DRAIN THE FAT.  DO NOT.  Fight those healthy instincts!  This is Southern food!

Turn your heat down to medium to not-quite-medium-high.  Put one or two heaping spoons of flour in the sausage and mix it up.  If there is still grease, put in a little more flour.  Do this until your sausage looks like it is coated in paste and there's no more grease, being careful not to add too much (or your gravy will taste like flour).

Add the evaporated milk.  Even if you're halving the recipe, go ahead and dump that whole can right in.  Now add regular milk, whatever percentage you like, until you have about the volume of gravy you want (I told you this recipe was too authentic for measurements).

Now this is the exciting part: stir.  Stand there and stir that gravy until it feels like your arm is about to fall off.  Just kidding.  Stir it until it thickens to the consistency of... well... gravy.  Don't stop stirring, or it will scorch.  This is also the point where your biscuit assistant should start his/her work.  A good sign it is done is when all of the floating grease droplets incorporate themselves into the gravy.  It takes varying amounts of time, but maybe in the ballpark of 10-15 minutes.  Maybe 20.  I'm usually talking to someone while I stir (we make this for family get-togethers), so I've never timed it.

Gravy without grease incorporated.

Gravy once all grease is incorporated.

Now taste your gravy.  It probably needs sage.  It may also need salt and/or black pepper.  Mostly, though, it will need sage, especially if only one or none of your pounds of sausage were sage sausage.  Keep seasoning until you love it.  If it gets too thick, add more milk.  If it's too thin, add more flour (I recommend doing this in small increments to avoid floury flavor) or just keep stirring.

The keys to this recipe are the sage and the fact that you don't drain the grease.

Good luck, y'all!  (I am also authentic.)

Broccoli & Sausage Egg Muffins

We eat this for dinner, because we like breakfast for dinner, but it could be used in the morning or as appetizers or for a brunch.

-6 large refrigerated biscuits (from a can)

-pinches of salt & pepper

-approx. 1 cup broccoli florets, cut up into small pieces

-approx. 3/4 cup cooked sausage links, cut up

(I really just guesstimate at how much broccoli & how much sausage to use. This is just what the recipe says. I have never actually measured it.)

-8 eggs

-6 TBS milk

-shredded cheddar cheese

-hot sauce (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray muffin pan with cooking spray. Cut each of the biscuits into 8 mini triangles. Place 4 biscuit triangles into each of the 12 muffin cups.

Place even amounts of broccoli & sausage into each muffin cup. (each individual cup will be really full!)

Place eggs, milk, salt & pepper (I omit the salt just because I don't cook with it if I don't have to) into a mixing bowl. Beat until well blended. Pour egg mixture evenly into each muffin cup. Top with sprinkles of cheese. Bake for 30-32 min or until egg is completely cooked. We eat ours with hot sauce but Caiden likes his with ketchup.

Conference Casserole

We have made this a new tradition, we make this yummy egg and bacon  breakfast casserole for our church's General Conference weekend (http://www.lds.org/). We just started this but know it will stick because, mmm is it yummy! Thanks Angie for giving this to me!

Preheat oven to 350* and used for a 9x13 pan/casserole dish

1 baguette loaf (about 12oz.) broken in pieces

9 eggs (or egg beaters)

2 lbs. bacon or sausage (cooked)

3 C 1% milk

3 C shredded cheddar cheese

1 1/2 tsp. dry mustard

Grease bottom of pan or dish. Place broken bread pieces in the bottom of pan or dish. Sprinkle cooked bacon/sausage pieces over the bread. Sprinkle cheese on next. Mix the eggs, milk and dry mustard together and pour all over top of casserole. Bake at 350* for 50-55 minutes and serve!

*Make the casserole ahead of time and allow to sit over night in refrigerator ( I didn't do this, I didn't have time, but it still tasted great!)