Water Gravy - Ma's good cookin'!

Ma would cook up some of the best breakfast!

Her house always smelled so good anyway, 

but the breakfast meal, to me, smelled the best!

If we weren't soppin' our biscuits in butter and syrup,

then she'd make up a skillet full of water gravy. 

Ma loved to add fresh tomatoes and sometimes even mackerel to her gravy!

Yea...gross, I know.
I can handle the tomatoes...but the fish? No way!

So, one day, Ma asked us kids to try something else a little bit different.
Water gravy. 

With ketchup in it.

We knew you couldn't go wrong with ketchup.

Ketchup was good on everything!

Well, needless to say...

we were hooked.

I introduced gravy and ketchup to my children when they were young,

now they love it too!

Ma's Buttermilk Biscuits

It's definitely one of those

"don't knock it 'til you've tried it" 

kind of meals!


WATER GRAVY
Over medium heat, melt 2 - 3 TBSP shortening or bacon grease in a skillet.
Add enough flour to thicken...about 1/4 - 1/2 cup.

Cook until flour mixture is medium brown in color.
(the flavor of the gravy changes from light to dark)
Stir constantly.....

Stir in 2 cups water, mix with whisk to remove some of the chunks.
Continue to stir until it's as thick or thin as you like...add more water if needed.

Turn fire down to low and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes...

while you're getting biscuits out of the oven. :-)

While gravy sits, it will form a film over the top.

And that's ok...

Just stir it around and the film will dissolve back in to the gravy!

We like our gravy thick...and this is why.

We add ketchup to it. 

Yes...ketchup.

Stir until ketchup and gravy are combined.
Break up a biscuit and add it to the gravy.

Stir around until biscuits are covered!

With a tall glass of cold milk,

believe it or not...

it is

DELICIOUS!!

Soppin' Biscuits

I learned early in my years, that soppin' biscuits was the best way to finish off a meal. You had to save one big bite of biscuit so you could sop up whatever was left on your plate. This was the only way to clean your plate before you excused yourself from the table.  If you didn't save that last big bite of biscuit, then it was okay to pinch off a piece from another 'good' biscuit. I do believe that was the only food that you could touch, take off what you wanted and put the rest back. You always knew that someone would use the rest of the biscuit, or it would be eaten as we cleared the table!

Aaah....the memories....

Ma's Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe

Soppin' biscuits in butter and syrup could be eaten as a meal or a snack. 

I remember many a day,

momma would heat up a leftover biscuit, 

fix up a plate of butter 'n syrup for lunch and call it a meal.

Our favorite syrup was Johnnie Fair Syrup.
There was just something about the flavor of Johnnie Fair,

and it will always be my favorite!

Butter and Syrup

Not a hard recipe at all...

2 slices of butter

about 1 TBSP of syrup

Place butter on your plate.
Pour syrup over the butter.

Smash, then stir together with your fork,

mixing all the syrup in to the butter,

adding more syrup if needed.

Grab a biscuit and sop away!

Ahhhh...country cookin' at it's finest!

Fluffy Baked Eggs and Bacon

      I'm not a regular bacon eater like the rest of my family.

     I'll eat it, but I prefer sausage.
     But, when I make this recipe, I can't get enough of it!

 Fluffy Baked Eggs and Bacon
from the cookbook Cookin' Up Country Breakfasts

 1/2 lb sliced bacon, cut in to 1 inch pieces

1/2 cup chopped onion

3 eggs

1 1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup buttermilk biscuit mix

1/4 tsp salt

1/9 tsp pepper

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

 In a skillet, cook bacon until almost crisp; add onion.

Cook, stirring frequently, until bacon is crisp and onion is tender.

Drain.

Transfer to a 1 1/2 qt casserole.

In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, milk, biscuit mix, salt and pepper until almost smooth.

Slowly pour over bacon and onion.

Bake, uncovered, at 375* for 30 minutes or until knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

Sprinkle with cheese.
(My son likes a lot of cheese,
but it does tend to make the dish a little less fluffy)

Let stand 5 minutes before cutting.

 DELICIOUS!!

Sausage Gravy

When I think of breakfast, I think of Sausage Gravy and Biscuits.

That, in itself, is a meal.

There are so many different recipes for Sausage Gravy.
I will use one of the others from time to time, 

but I was taught to make it simple.

So, that's what I do.
Sausage, flour, milk, salt and pepper.

That's it.
Ma would tell me,

"We didn't have all that extra stuff back in the day. We used what we had."
If it worked for my grandma, it'll work for me!

And like Ma, I usually don't measure my ingredients,

I "just add it 'til it looks good".

Sausage Gravy

1 lb bulk pork sausage (I use mild)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 -3 cups milk
(depends on how thick or thin you like your gravy.

Start with 2 cups, then add more as needed)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 - 1 tsp pepper

Brown sausage on medium/high heat. DO NOT drain.

Add flour and stir until all is combined.

Add milk, gradually, then stir until all mixed together.

Turn fire down to medium,

stirring occasionally.
Allow to cook for about 15 - 20 minutes,
turning to low, when heated through, to keep from scorching.

Add more milk if needed.

Gravy will thicken as it cooks.

Spoon over biscuits or toast!

 A country breakfast at it's finest!

RECIPE FOR 7-UP BISCUITS

Pumpkin Streusel Coffee Cake

My granddaughters came over to spend the day with me today. 

We love to 'play' in the kitchen, so we did a little baking. 

Pumpkin Streusel Coffee Cake was the recipe picked for today.
Trust me...this moist, delicious cake tastes as great as it looks!

Pumpkin Streusel Coffee Cake
found in Gooseberry Patch
101 Breakfast & Brunch Recipes cookbook

18 1/2 oz pkg yellow cake mix

1 cup canned pumpkin

3 eggs, beaten

3 T oil

1/3 cup water

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed and divided

 2 t cinnamon, divided

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup butter, softened

In a bowl, combine dry cake mix, pumpkin, eggs, oil, water and pie spice. 

Pour half the batter into a greased 13" x 9" baking pan; set aside remaining batter.

Mix together 1/3 cup brown sugar and 3/4 tsp cinnamon; sprinkle over batter in pan. 

Carefully spread remaining batter over cinnamon mixture. 

Combine flour with remaining brown sugar, 

remaining cinnamon and butter; mix well. 

Spread evenly over top.

Bake at 325* for 30 - 40 minutes, until a knife tip inserted in the center tests clean.
Serves 10 to 12

Moist and delicious...

with the perfect touch of pumpkin, 

cinnamon and brown sugar flavor!

Is this too much for your family? 
Cut out what you need now and place the rest in the freezer.
When cake has cooled, cut each piece and place on a cookie sheet an inch or two apart. Freeze the cake until it's just frozen..about one hour.
Place cake in a freezer container or freezer bags and put back in freezer.
When ready to eat...fold a paper towel in quarters. Place paper towel on a small plate. Place piece of cake on the paper towel, cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge. In the morning, pop it in the microwave for a few seconds...approx 10 - 15....and there you go...hot coffee cake!

Cinnamon-Apple Breakfast Cake

Cinnamon is a favorite spice of mine. 

It doesn't matter the season...I cook with it all year long. 

 When I came across this recipe in

 

from Gooseberry Patch

I knew it would be delicious!

Apples, Cinnamon, Almond...

aaahhh...some of my favorites!

Turns out...

this recipe is now a family favorite,

like I knew it would be. 

Full of flavor, moist....

it's the perfect cake for breakfast or for dessert!

Cinnamon-Apple Breakfast Cake

18 1/2 oz pkg yellow cake mix

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp cinnamon

21 oz can apple pie filling

In a bowl, blend dry cake mix, eggs, vanilla and cinnamon; fold in pie filling.
(it will become moist and thick after adding the pie filling)

Pour into a greased 13"x9" baking pan.

Bake, uncovered, at 350* for 35 -45 minutes, 

or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool; drizzle with Almond Glaze

Almond Glaze

2 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp almond extract

1 to 2 tsp milk

(I'm thinking this is a typo...it took 2 TBSP milk)

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients; mix well. 

YUM!

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls - bread machine dough

I've shared my bread machine recipe for 

Semi-Homemade Rolls 

before. 

This is the same recipe as the rolls, but instead of making rolls...

we're making Cinnamon Rolls!

Semi-Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 tsp salt
4 cups all purpose or bread flour
1 pkg active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp)

Put ingredients in your bread machine pan in the order listed.
Put on dough setting. Mine takes 1 1/2 hrs to prepare the dough.

You can also use your own homemade dough or the frozen bread dough from the grocery store.

Flour your counter top and 'pour' dough on top of flour.
Sprinkle a dab of flour on top of the dough.

Flour your rolling pin.

Roll dough until 1/2 thickness.

Spread melted/softened butter over dough.

 Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over butter. 

You can also use brown sugar, and add pecans, 

walnuts, raisins or any other filling that you chose.

I make my own cinnamon sugar...

1 cup sugar

2 heaping teaspoons cinnamon

and keep it in a canning jar, 

with the seal and lid.

and poke a few holes in the top!. 

It's ready any time you need it!

Roll dough up, starting at a long end, until completely rolled. 

Cut in to 1 - 1 1/2 inch slices and place cut side down on a 

lightly greased (I used non-stick spray) baking sheet. 

I use a piece of thread to cut mine in to rolls. 

Loop the thread around the dough, and pull to opposites sides. 

It makes a perfect cut through!

  

Place on the greased (I use non-stick spray)

cut side down.

Place rolls in the oven and turn oven on to 350*.
Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown on top.
Not necessarily this golden..

(note to self...stay off of facebook while baking cinnamon rolls!)

Mix 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla or other flavor (today I used Lemon extract) and 2 tsp water or milk. You can start with 1 tsp and keep adding 1/2 tsp at a time until it reaches the spreadable thickness you'd like.

Spread the icing over the rolls.

And wa-la! 

Soft, sweet, and cinnamony