Biscuits and Sausage Gravy

This is honestly one of my favorite things in the world to cook. It is also one of the easiest things I cook. It takes about 25-30 minutes from start to finish. Honestly, the hardest part about this post is going to be coming up with the actual recipe, because I have'nt used one for this particular dish since I was about 18.

A FEW POINTERS ABOUT THIS POST:

1. I was cooking for 5 adults and 4 children in these pictures. The recipe I'm giving you is scaled way back.
2. Use cheap sausage. I used the cheapest sausage they had at the store. Not only is it easy on the wallet, but the cheaper the sausage, the higher the fat content. The more fat content, the more grease. You need the grease to add the overall flavor to your flour mixture.
3. Taste it before you serve it! there is nothing worse for me than watching people take a bite of something that I've cooked and then seeing them grab the salt and pepper.

The Recipe

Ingredients:
1 tube of pork sausage
1/4 cup flour (or less depending on amount of grease)
1/4 cup cold water
2-3 cups whole milk
1 tbsp salt
pepper to taste

Directions:

In large skillet over medium heat, brown sausage until crumbled. remove sausage with slotted spoon, draining meat as best you can. Put meat in a separate bowl and set aside.Turn up heat to med-high. Add the flour to the grease. using a spatula, mix up the flour in the grease, making sure to scrape up any particles from the bottom of the pan. Once the flour mixture gets pasty and starts turning light brown, turn down the heat to medium, and add the water to the pan. Mix around the flour, making sure to crush any clumps that you see. As the water heats up, the flour will expand, having a paste like texture. Add your milk. while you are waiting for the flour to expand again, crush and mix any clumps that you see. Once it begins to thicken again, add your sausage back to the pan. mix up well. Turn off the heat and cover the pan for about 3-4 minutes. give it a good stir. If it is too thick, turn on the heat to medium and add more milk. (in small portions.)

OK. So here we go. How I made the biscuits and gravy.
I started off with my cheap tubes of sausage. I threw them in my pan.

So then I just cooked the sausage down, making sure to break it up in little pieces with my spatula.

Once it was completely cooked, I took my slotted spoon and removed the sausage, letting it drain as much as I could. I put the sausage in another bowl and set it aside.
Next, I turned up the heat, and I put my biscuits in the oven. (most people prefer the canned biscuits, but I think frozen are way better. Not to say that you cant make your own biscuits, I just didn't do all that this time.)
Alright, now that the fat was getting hotter, I added the flour and mixed it around in the pan.
After that started to turn light brown, I added the water to the pan.
And in about 2 minutes, the flour expanded into this paste like consistency.
Now it was time to add the milk.
Once the milk began to heat up, the flour was expanding again, so I added the sausage back into the gravy.
And just then the timer went off for the biscuits.
Then I just kept stirring, until it was almost to the thickness I wanted, then I turned off the heat.
Oh man. it smelled so good. So now would be the time to taste it. Make sure there is enough salt, and a little kick from the pepper.
And there you have it. grab some warm biscuits, and cover them in the gravy like so. Just try not to drool too much as you make your plate. LOL

The Spanglish Sandwich

So here we go, this is how I made the Spanglish Sandwich. Let me tell you, wow. It was amazingly tasty! But really unhealthy...LOL

Alright, so I found the best bread that I could, A local Deli had this Italian crust loaf, so I tried it.

So, Obviously, I had to slice the bread.

Earlier I had already cooked the bacon, which I had draining on some paper towels.
Next, I sliced my tomato.....
Then I laid two pieces of bread flat.
I spread mayonnaise on one.....
Then dropped two slices of tomato on top of the mayo.
Then I neatly places five bacon slices, alternating ends, on top of the tomato.....
Alright, next, I laid three slices of provolone on the other slice of bread, and threw it in the broiler. (I like provolone because it melts awesome!)
Then I threw a few leaves of lettuce (iceberg) on top of the bacon.
Alright, a couple of things here. In the original recipe I believe it calls for an extra large egg, well all I had was medium, so I used two. Also, in the video, somehow they get the yolk to line up perfectly in the middle of the sandwich to get cut through when they cut the entire sandwich in half. I'm not so lucky. Plus I was using two eggs to boot. So just before I slid them out of the pan, I popped both yolks. mmmmmm runny yolks........

Doesn't that look good? I think so!
Next, I pulled the cheesy side out of the broiler.
oh man...that looked good to. I mean, can you pack this much goodness in a sandwich?
So I just put the cheesy top on.
Don't hate it cause it's beautiful people. It was born that way.
Three words people. FAT GUY HEAVEN.......
Honestly, you cant knock this until you try it. I absolutely am in love with this sandwich.
Thanks again to my beautiful wife for helping me with the pictures.

Upcoming Foods

Here is a list of what to expect in the next couple of weeks here at Steve's Kitchen.

Biscuits and Sausage Gravy.

Stuffed Pork Chops

Grilled Garlic Bread

Check back soon. I hope to post at least one of these this weekend.

Steve's Stuffed Spuds

Well, my dad's birthday dinner was pretty great! Everything turned out quite well and it was a very filling meal. The carb of the meal this evening was my stuffed spuds. This is really a spin off of a spin off of a spin off of the original recipe that I started with, But it turns out awesome every single time, so I thought I would share it with you.

You can download the recipe for my spuds RIGHT HERE!

This is honestly one of the easiest things I make, although it looks really fancy, believe me, it is super simple, and does not take a ton of time. You can even make them in advance, like a day or so, before you actually want to serve them, and then just throw them in the oven when you are ready.

So here we go, this is how I make my stuffed spuds.


First, I preheated my oven to 450 degrees. Then, I put the potatoes in a colander and washed them off in the sink, making sure to get all the dirt and grime off.

Next, I put the spuds in the oven, directly on the oven rack. (Now I have heard of people poking holes, or wrapping the potatoes in tin foil, but, honestly, this way has been fine for me.)

While the potatoes are baking, I use this time to chop up my toppings, and take out the butter and cream cheese from the fridge, to let it soften up a bit.
After about an hour, the potatoes are done, so I take them out of the oven and let them cool down for about five minutes. Here's a tip, don't let the potatoes cool off too long, because you need the heat from the insides of the spuds to help melt your butter and cheeses. If you wait too long, it makes mixing more difficult.
After they are cool enough to work with, slice off about 1/3 from the top (lengthwise) of each potato. Some people cut theirs in equal halves, but honestly, I like the looks of a huge stuffed potato. My preference is one big one, over two dinky ones.
Next, take a spoon and begin to take out the insides of each potato. It's easy once you get past the first one. But be careful not to push through or tare the sides of the potato skins. This makes them ugly, and when you put them back in the oven, the stuffing will drip out of the holes.
Now its time to make the "stuffing". Cut up your butter and your cream cheese and drop it into the mixing bowl. Add the milk, and begin to start mixing. (If you are using a hand mixer like mine, start at a very low speed, unless you like the view of launched pieces of potato splattering against your kitchen walls. I speak from experience people....LOL)
Once I see that the butter cream cheese and milk are well worked into the mixture, I add the shredded cheese.
Now you don't have to use the same as what I use. I have used shredded velveta, Feta, mozzarella, really, whatever your favorite kind is. I just recommend at least something with a yellow tint to it. It makes the whole look of the finished product better. (In my humble fat guy opinion.)
Once I see the cheese getting worked into the mixture well, I add the bacon, onion, and garlic to the mixture. continue mixing until you get a nice even distribution of the ingredients.
Whooop there it is. Man I have always wanted to say that....LOL
Now that our mixture is all set, taste it! Make sure you don't need to add salt or pepper before you start spooning it into the shells. Every time Steve's stuffed spuds are under seasoned a puppy in Idaho dies! LOL Don't kill puppies! Season your spuds!
So I just spoon in the filling, until they are all good and full.
There we go. Slightly over stuffed. That my friends, is one attractive potato.
Now we put them on a baking sheet, and put them back in the oven for about 15 minutes, or until the tips of the stuffing start to turn brown.
Perfection! here they are just before they are plated. Man these are good, but honestly, don't make them too often, or your nearest heart doctor will be outside your house going cha-ching!
Here's a couple of shots of my potatoes plated with my Dad's 71st birthday dinner. Marinated Ribeye steak, grilled garlic bread, stuffed potatoes, with some steamed brocoli. Garnished with some cucumber spears that were leftover from chopping up the salad.
Here's a shot of my son's face when he found out I was making these with dinner!
Again, Thanks to my wife Shanon for helping me with the pictures. They are awesome as usual.