Biscuits with a Little Intervention....

I was in the kitchen the other day, trying to quickly throw something together for dinner.  Well, I decided that the good old "breakfast for supper" routine was going to be the best thing. 
I preheated the oven to 450, intending on baking some biscuits, which I had big plans on using for some good ole biscuits and sausage gravy.
The joke was on me however, when I got down the ice cream bucket that contains the flour.  There wasn't near enough to make the huge pan of biscuits it takes to feed my family of seven!  I put the flour I did have, about 2 and 1/2 cups, in the mixing bowl, hoping that it would be like when Elijah went to the widow's house in Zarephath and the barrel of meal always had some left.
My bucket emptied out verrryy quickly, and when it was gone, it was gone!
I put a couple of tablespoons of shortening in there and turned on the mixer.  Then I went hunting through the pantry for something that I could use to stretch that mix!  The answer came to me as soon as the cabinet door was opened.  Pancake mix.
I used about 1 1/2 cups of pancake mix, added a bit more shortening and then added the milk I needed to make a soft biscuit dough.  I did not add my usual bit of sugar, as I figured the pancake mix already had some in it.
It worked out supremely well!  I was really impressed.  If I had not added the pancake mix in there myself, I would have never have known it was there. 
They were especially good smothered in the white gravy I made!
Here is how I make yummy white sausage gravy!

Sausage Gravy

3 Tbsp of shortening or drippings from bacon or sausage
3 Tbsp of flour
3 to 4 Cups of Milk
Salt and pepper
1 pound of cooked crumbled sausage

Melt the shortening in a heavy skillet and add flour.  Stir it around for about a minute or so, until it is hot and bubbly.  It needs to be about the consistency of very thick cake batter, so adjust the shortening or flour as you need to. 
Slowly, while stirring constantly, add about a cup or so of the milk.  It should thicken up pretty quickly, as it starts to get thick, add another cup of the milk, again, while stirring constantly.  Continue until you have added at least 3 cups of milk.  When it is thick and bubbly, add salt and pepper.  Taste, if it is bland, add more salt and pepper.  It always takes more than I think it will!  Just taste it as you go along and stop when it is good!  If the gravy is too thick, add more milk.  If it is too thin, remember it will thicken as it stands.  If it is runny like water, you will need to simmer it while stirring almost constantly until it thickens up.  This could take a while.  Another option you have is too mix a tablespoon of water with a tablespoon of flour - in a separate container - until it is very smooth, and then adding that to your cooking gravy.  DO NOT add more flour into the gravy without mixing it with water or milk first, you are asking for lumpy gravy otherwise!

After you have the gravy perfect, add your cooked sausage. We like a lot in ours so we use a full pound.  Use what you have or what you like!

Merry Christmas and may all your biscuits turn out light and your gravies smooth!

Share