Yummy Supper

We have recently moved to a "cash" system for groceries and household needs. I love it and highly recommend it. However, it does make you more aware of what you spend.

This week due to some higher spending last week (diapers, brownie mix, snacks, etc.), we had enough for milk, fruit, veggies and any "emergency" ingredient, but not so much to plan gourmet meals every night. So, in my effort to stay on budget, I was trying to figure out what we could eat with what we had in the house. (We probably could eat for several weeks with the food in our house, it's just more fun to go shopping. Did I mention I really enjoy grocery shopping? I find it relaxing, especially if done without the children.)

Anyway, I decided to make biscuits and gravy with eggs for supper last night. I had never made sausage gravy, but I used my Internet searching skills and found the following recipe. It was super good. :-) And really the only "extra" ingredient I needed last night was the sausage, which I had picked up last week when I saw it was on sale. The rest of the ingredients are basic kitchen ingredients ... same for the biscuit recipe I used. Enjoy!

Southern Sausage Gravy

Ingredients:
16 oz. breakfast sausage
4 tablespoons shortening or lard (does anyone still cook with lard?)
6 tablespoons flour
3 to 3 1/2 cups milk
Salt and pepper to taste
Dash cayenne pepper, optional

Directions:
Cook sausage until brown and crumbly. Remove sausage onto a paper towel-lined plate. Reduce heat to medium-low to medium. Add shortening to sausage drippings. Add flour, stirring until blended and bubbling. Gradually at milk; continuing to stir and cooking until thickened and bubbly. Add the cook sausage. If too thick, add a little more milk. Taste and add salt and pepper; cayenne pepper, if desired.

Serve of split biscuits. I used the baking powder biscuit recipe from my older Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. (My newer one doesn't have it.) If anyone wants the recipe, just let me know.