Sausage Gravy

My kids love biscuits and gravy. They would eat it daily if they could. I could cheat and make them the crappy packaged powder kind that you mix with milk and water. I won’t lie – sometimes I do. I take But, you know what? Making sausage gravy from scratch is really quick and easy. There are minimal ingredients (a lot of which I bet you already have on hand). Plus, if you make it from scratch there’s no added preservatives and all the extra yucky stuff in the powdered stuff.

It makes a really good hearty breakfast, or a quick easy weeknight dinner. Who doesn’t love breakfast for dinner now and then? Plus, it’s a cheap way to get a good, hearty meal in picky little bellies. Bonus: it comes together in under 30 minutes. Perfect for a busy weeknight.

I did use canned biscuits. I am a cook, not a baker. I loathe baking and am not really good at it. I am ok with that, though. Plus, using the canned biscuits means they’re ready in like 10 minutes as opposed to the hour or so it would take for homemade biscuits. Not to mention all the added dishes and mess. So, canned biscuits for us it is. If you’re the baking type and want “real” biscuits – by all means, go for it!

Ready to cook?

Ingredients:

Put sausage, onion and garlic in a skillet.

Add in seasoned salt and a healthy dose of ground black pepper.

Cook over medium heat until onion is softened and sausage is cooked through.

Sprinkle flour over top of the sausage and mix in well. You want to cook the flour in the sausage for 3 to 5 minutes. Don’t skip this step. A lot of recipes tell you to add the flour and then immediately add the milk. That’s a good way to get a really raw flour tasting gravy. Yuck. By mixing it into the sausage and letting it cook some, it gives the gravy another layer of flavor and it is amazing (that’s also why the end product is more of a tan color than the white powder kind). Take my word for it – you won’t be disappointed.

Pour in your milk and mix well.

Continue cooking over medium heat while stirring frequently. About another 5 to 7 minutes.

It should thicken to the point of being able to coat your spoon, but still be somewhat runny. If it gets too thick, just stir in a little more milk. I only used 3 cups of milk this time, but have had to add in up to a whole cup in the past. Just add it in about 1/4 cup increments so you don’t make it too runny.

I went super simple tonight and just served ours with some skillet potatoes on the side.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound mild pork sausage
• 2 tablespoons onion, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/3 cup flour
• 3 cups of milk, plus more if needed
• seasoned salt, to taste
• ground black pepper, to taste

Preparation:

1. Cook sausage, onion, garlic, seasoned salt and pepper in a skillet over medium heat until onion is softened and sausage is cooked through.
2. Stir in flour and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Pour in milk and mix well.
4. Continue to cook over medium heat until gravy thickens; about another 5 to 7 minutes. Adding more milk, in 1/4 cup increments, if needed, to get desired consistency.

 

 

Mexican Rice

I love Mexican food. Like, seriously love. I could eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner for the rest of my life and be perfectly ok with that. Anyone who knows me, even a little bit, knows this. While tacos are my first love (and probably always will be) a good Mexican rice is definitely a close second. In fact, when trying a Mexican restaurant for the first time, how good their rice and beans are determines whether or not I will eat there again.

Guess what? Making good, authentic Mexican rice at home is really not hard at all! It’s even only 5 ingredients. Super easy! It did take me a few tries to get the hang of it, but once you get it, it really is ridiculously easy, I promise! Bonus: it reheats really well too. Just add a scant teaspoon or so of water to keep it moist, or top with a damp paper towel and microwave it till hot.

Ready to cook?

Ingredients:

Heat about two tablespoons of oil in a large pot. Once its hot, add in a tablespoon of minced garlic and your rice.

Note: Some recipes call for rinsing your rice beforehand. I don’t. I have tried it in the past and, in my opinion, it makes the finished rice mushy.

Continue to sauté rice, over medium heat, until rice is opaque and a light golden color. Make sure you watch it closely – it will burn pretty quickly and easily.

Once rice is a lightly toasted, measure out 3/4 cup of tomato sauce and 3 tablespoons of caldo de pollo. Add water two the 2 cup mark (you will add an additional 2 cups of plain water as well so you have a total of 4 cups of liquid, or 2:1 ratio of liquid to rice.)

Note: it is imperative that you use the Knorr Caldo de Pollo. There is just something about the flavorings they use in it that make the perfect rice. No other bouillon, broth or stock even come close to this stuff. You can use it where you would use regular bouillon in any other recipe too.

Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally for about 20-25 minutes or until the liquid is mostly absorbed. It will be a little moist and even have a slight bit of an al dente feel to it. That’s normal. Remove it from the heat and keep covered for about another 10 or so minutes until all the liquid is fully absorbed and the grains separate from each other easily.

We had ours with carne asada tacos. Tacos? Shocking, I know!

Pro tip: pour the remainder of your can of tomato sauce in a baggie, squeeze all the air out and then flatten it out and stick it in your freezer. Flattening it out will make it take up less space (I do this with everything I possibly can when I freeze stuff. Even meats. You’d be surprised how much less space stuff takes up when it’s flattened out) It will last 4 to 6 months in the freezer. When you’re ready to use it, just toss the sealed baggie in a bowl of hot water for about 10 minutes and you’re good to go.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups long grain white rice
• 3/4 cup tomato sauce
• 3 tablespoons Knorr Caldo de Pollo bouillon granules
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 3 1/4 cups water

Preparation:

1. Heat oil in large pot. Add garlic and rice. Stir constantly over medium heat until rice is opaque and a light golden color.
2. In measuring cup, add tomato sauce, caldo de pollo and enough water to make 2 cups of liquid. Add to rice along with an additional 2 cups of water for a total of 4 cups of liquid (you want a 2:1 ratio of liquid to rice).
3. Cover and gently simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed.
4. Keeping pot covered, remove from heat and let sit another 10 or so minutes until liquid is fully absorbed and the grains separate from each other easily.

Beef Stroganoff

With the chilly Fall weather finally kicking in, some warm, hearty comfort food sounded really good tonight. So, I asked the kiddos what we should have. My oldest begged for Beef Stroganoff.

It’s funny how Beef Stroganoff is a popular comfort food here in America when it’s actually a Russian dish. Can you blame us though? Rich, creamy, meaty sauce over pasta…what’s not to like?

Regardless of the country of origin of the original dish, my Beef Stroganoff is far from traditional. The short people and I absolutely despise mushrooms, so you won’t find them in this, or really, any recipe from me. Instead of slicing my onions, I mince them up pretty small. It’s the only way I can get the kids to eat them! I also cheat and use packets of brown gravy as part of the sauce. I know, I know. You’re thinking packaged gravy is gross. And for the most part, I agree. However, it really adds to the flavor and ease in creating the sauce for this particular dish. Another thing is that I use ground beef instead of the traditional strips of beef. The reasoning behind that is partly due to cost and partly due to the ease. While I am certainly no Martha Stewart or Gordon Ramsay, I am a fairly decent cook but I seem to struggle with getting the meat tender enough when I use strips of beef and it seemed like we were always chewing on leather. So, I decided long ago to just use ground beef instead. Lastly, I make it a one pot meal by cooking the pasta directly in the sauce. I will admit this method came about on accident. One of the times I was making this, I made it way too soupy. I was trying to figure out how to fix it when I decided to just throw the pasta in with it and hope that it would help thicken it. It worked! From that day forward, I started making it all in one pot. I guess you could say that by the time I have made all my changes and adjustments, it’s not really “Beef Stroganoff” anymore. Whatevs. It’s yummy and quick and easy to  make (about 30 minutes from start to finish) and that’s all that matters, right? Right.

Ready to cook?

Ingredients:

Start with the ground beef, onion, garlic, salt (go easy on the salt as the gravy mix and broth both have quite a bit of salt in them as well) and pepper in a large skillet. You’ll want a skillet that has a lid for when you add the pasta later on:

Get the meat all browned up nicely and drain any excess grease:

Next, add your packets of gravy mix:

Mix the gravy packets into the meat. This will help keep it from clumping up on you when you add in the broth:

Add in the beef broth, beef consommé, and Worcestershire sauce:

Add in the sour cream and stir until it’s all combined:

Once the sour cream is all melted and incorporated in, add in your pasta. You can use whatever type you like. Egg noodles are traditional. Penne is my absolute favorite (and what I usually use) because the sauce gets inside the little tubes and its amazing. I used radiatore this time because it’s what I had on hand. I have also used farfalle in the past as well. Use whatever strikes your fancy.

Once you have the pasta mixed in, cover and simmer for about 5 to 8 minutes or until the pasta is a firm al dente. When you take the lid off, it will probably still look a little soupy. That’s totally normal, I promise!

Let it sit for another 5-10 minutes and it will thicken up beautifully and the pasta will be cooked to perfection.

Not the prettiest of meals (plus, I am a cook, not a photographer!) but so yummy and the perfect comfort food meal for a chilly night. I served it long with some roasted, fresh Brussels sprouts.

Ingredients:

• 1 – 1.5 lbs ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 2 14.5-ounce cans of beef broth
• 1 10.5-ounce can of beef consommé
• 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 16-ounce container of sour cream
• 2 packets of brown gravy mix
• 1 pound of pasta
• salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation:

1. Brown ground beef with onion, garlic, salt and pepper.
2. Add in packets of brown gravy mix and stir well.
3. Stir in beef broth, beef consommé and Worcestershire sauce.
4. Add in sour cream and stir until incorporated.
5. Mix in pasta and bring to a slow boil.
6. Cover and cook 5 to 8 minutes, or until pasta is a firm al dente.
7. Uncover, turn off heat, and let stand 5 to 10 more minutes until thickened and pasta is fully cooked.