Breakfast Served Anytime

Truth be told, I'm not a big fan of breakfast. Sometimes it's all I can do to fix something for Sparky on the mornings she's here. After I'm awake for a couple of hours, I start to get hungry, but it's usual not for typical breakfast food. Once in a while, on a lazy weekend morning, I'll fix a big breakfast or we'll go out for breakfast. Most of the time, though, I'd much rather have my omelets and sausage links for lunch or supper.

Tonight we're having Biscuits & Gravy, either Fried or Scrambled Eggs, and Hash Browns for supper. A few years ago, I was working at the time with a man who had transfered here from near New York City, and he had no idea what Biscuits & Gravy was. Until then, I had no idea that good ol' B&G might be a somewhat regional dish. For that reason, I'm posting the recipe.

BTW, Sparky helped roll and cut out the biscuits.


Biscuits With Sausage Gravy

1/2 pound pork breakfast sausage
1/3 cup flour
1/8 teaspoon ground sage (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
3 to 4 cups of milk, or a mixture of milk and half-n-half cream
Hot homemade biscuits (see recipe below)

In a large deep skillet, fry crumbled sausage until completely cooked. Drain, leaving about 4 tablespoons of fat in the skillet with the sausage crumbles.

Stir in flour, sage (if using), salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat until flour begins to give off a nutty aroma, about 2 minutes.

Gradually add about half of the milk, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. This mixture will thicken very quickly. Continue adding milk a little at a time until desired consistency is reached.

Serve immediately over split homemade biscuits.

Makes 3-4 cups of gravy.


Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits

2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 (1/2 stick) cup cold butter
3/4 cup buttermilk (or 3/4 cup milk plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice stirred in to "sour" it)

Heat oven to 400° F.

In large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut in cold butter until mixture resembles course crumbs.

Stir in just enough buttermilk so that dough leaves the side of the bowl and forms a ball.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead lightly about 20 times. Roll or pat to 1/2 inch thick and cut with floured biscuit cutter. Place on ungreased cookie sheet or baking stone. Bake until golden brown, about 12 minutes.

Makes 8-16 biscuits, depending on size of biscuit cutter.