Do you ever crave something simply because it reminds you of home? It’s not a ‘oh my body really needs iron’ craving. Or, a ‘I’ve had a few beers and need something greasy’ craving. It’s also not a ‘I’ve been so good lately and deserve to eat a carton of Coffee Heath Bar Crunch ice cream’ craving. It’s none of those. What it is is a good ‘ole fashioned craving for something that reminds you of home. Something that makes you feel like a kid again…eating in your mom’s kitchen.


I’ve been having one of those cravings.


As a kid, I never would have said biscuits and gravy were my favorite breakfast. They were just something we usually ate on the weekends and I totally took them for granted. My mom had the process down. She could whip up homemade biscuits and gravy in 30 minutes flat. I don’t know how she did it. Or, maybe I do–she had plenty of practice.

Even when I was a teenager and was hyper aware of what I ate, I couldn’t help myself when it came to Mom’s biscuits and gravy. I’d have a suitable portion for breakfast. But then, Mom would leave them sitting out until she started dinner. During the day, I’d walk by and grab a biscuit, dollop a spoonful of gravy in the middle and have a little biscuits and gravy sandwich. Ummm…like 4 times. Cold. They were that good.

It helps that the two states I’ve lived in are big on biscuits and gravy. You’d think it was strictly a Southern thing, but it’s not. Biscuits and gravy, like Prime Rib, is kind of a big deal in Nevada. You’re not a real restaurant unless they’re on your breakfast menu. Even the Mexican restaurant in the small town where I’m from serves biscuits and gravy (and they’re amazing!).

So, I’ve been having this craving. Probably, the craving is more about wanting to be 17 again, coming downstairs on a Saturday morning in my pajamas to eat breakfast with my parents and little brother. Since I can’t exactly do that, my grown-up self decided to make biscuits and gravy in my grown-up kitchen.


They were pretty good. Not the same, but pretty good.

Biscuits and Gravy

From Homesick Texan
Mom made her biscuits and gravy with sausage as Lisa suggests here. Since I’m fairly vegetarian, I made the gravy with grapeseed oil and added fake sausage to the gravy once it was cooked.
Biscuits
Two cups of flour
1 tablespoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of sugar (can add more to taste)
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 stick of butter, cold (8 tablespoons)
3/4 cup of buttermilk, cream or half-and-half
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Mix all the dry ingredients together.
Cut the stick of butter into pieces, and work into the flour mixture with your hands or a pastry blender until it resembles pea-sized crumbs.
Add the liquid, mixing until a bit loose and sticky.
Pour dough out on a floured surface, and knead for a minute. Dough should be smooth and no longer wet. You can sprinkle more flour on the surface if you find it’s sticking.
Take dough into a ball, and hit it with a rolling pin, turning it and folding it in half every few whacks. Do this for a couple of minutes. I did this with my hand.
Roll out dough until it’s 1/4 of an inch thick, and then fold it in half. This is the key to making biscuits that are easy to separate.
Using a round cutter (can use a glass or a cup if don’t have a biscuit cutter) cut out your biscuits from folded dough.
Place on a greased baking sheet close together (so they rise up not out), and bake for 15 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
Makes 10-12 biscuits.


Gravy
Two tablespoons of pan drippings, bacon grease or vegetable oil
Two tablespoons of flour
1 1/2 cups of milk
1 teaspoon of cracked black pepper
Salt to taste.
Preparation:
Combine fat with flour in a hot skillet, continuously stirring, cook on medium for a couple of minutes until a dark roux is formed.
Add milk slowly to skillet, and mix with roux using either a whisk or wooden spoon (be sure and press out any lumps).
Turn heat to low and continue stirring until mixture is thickened, a couple more minutes.
Add pepper and salt to taste.
If gravy is too thick for your taste, you can thin it by adding either more milk or water a tablespoon at a time.

Time: 45 minutes to an hour
Serves: 4-6
Menu: Serve with eggs and sliced tomatoes


Good enough to satisfy the food craving, not powerful enough to quench the homesickness. Maybe fried chicken will help.