Tantalizing Tuesday: Sausage Gravy and Biscuits

I am not much of a breakfast eater, but what I am going to share with you today could be used for breakfast (as it often is) or for dinner! It's a "stick to the ribs" meal, and it really satisfies with just a few bites! It can also be revamped many ways, which I will share in a "tasty tip" section below.

Gravy Ingredients
1 lb roll of breakfast sausage
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup flour
2 cups of whole milk
Salt and pepper (to taste)
Dash of Tabasco sauce

Brown sausage in a skillet. (I prefer my cast iron but since moving we have a glass top stove and are unable to use it on top of the stove anymore. BOO!) Remove into bowl, leaving drippings and bits and pieces on the bottom. Add oil and allow to warm up. Add flour and whisk into oil. Allow the flour to cook for about a minute or two NOT allowing it to brown. Slowly whisk in milk making sure to get all the bits from the bottom in the pan. Once you add all of the milk, whisk and reduce heat to low. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (I personally like it with lots of black pepper.) Add cooked sausage and allow to sit on warm until ready to eat. *You might need a bit more milk, or a bit less. That is why it is wise to whisk it in rather then dump it in.* Add dash of Tabasco. It really adds to the flavor so if you omit it, it's on you! (Insert smile here)

Buttermilk Biscuits
2/3 cup of milk
Just shy of 1 tbs white vinegar
2 1/4 cup Bisquick
1/2 stick of butter

Preheat oven to 450*. Add vinegar to milk and allow to sit for a minute or two. (You can omit this step by using 2/3 cup of buttermilk. Adding the vinegar to whole milk makes buttermilk.) In a large bowl add Bisquick and milk. Stir together and knead in the bowl until it all comes together in a bowl and is no longer sticky. You may need to add a tad more Bisquick. Pat out dough into a round mound that is at least 1 inch to 1 1/2 inch thick. Cut out biscuits. Melt butter. Dip biscuits in butter tops AND bottoms. Place on cookie sheet that has been sprayed with Pam. Cook in oven for 10 minutes.

**Tasty Tips**
Instead of breakfast sausage you could use:
hamburger meat (add onions while browning for added flavor)
Cut up lunch meat (I have done this with roast beef)
Omit meat all together, and add a breaded chicken patty on to biscuit then putting gravy on top
Add sliced up Serrano pepper (we did this and it was GREAT)

Added to biscuits:
1/2 cup shredded cheese (any kind)
Cut biscuits in 1/2 and toast each side

Sometimes simple southern cooking taste just as good as any gourmet meal you can find in the best of restaurants.