Slather up those biscuits

If we know each other very well, then you know my favorite meal is breakfast, even for dinner. The sad thing is, I don't get to cook it as often as I would like.

From the recipe for decadent quiche (egg pie as my son calls it) to the simple techniques necessary to make a fried egg with a runny yolk so you can dip your toast in it, I love all breakfast foods.

I believe its providence that my husband does too. He loves anything with bacon and all the sweets.

My son loves pancakes, while my daughter enjoys waffles.

My father, who is from the south, loves grits.

We all love to eat breakfast for dinner, anytime.

One of our family favorites is biscuits and gravy.

Cook one pound of sausage until brown; remove from the pan leaving at least 3-4 tablespoons of the drippings to sauté one cup of finely chopped red/yellow/green onions (we love the variety of color, but you can use whatever onions you like), two finely chopped fresh garlic cloves, a half-cup of finely chopped celery and one stalk of fennel (including the leaves) until they look translucent.

Remove the vegetables, leaving the flavored drippings in the skillet.

Add 1/4- to 1/2-cup of flour to the pan, cooking for at least three minutes before adding milk to make the gravy.

Once the gravy is the consistency you like, add the sausage and vegetables to the pan.

Now, salt and pepper to taste. As for my husband, this is when he adds the cayenne pepper.

Pour the gravy over split biscuits and enjoy.

If you're in a hurry, take advantage of those canned biscuits from the grocery store. This sausage gravy more than makes up for it, but -- if you got the time -- try making homemade biscuits.

With my Grandma Iva's recipe, it's really easy.

Measure out the following:

2 cups all-purpose flour


1-tablespoon baking powder


1/2-teaspoon salt


2 tablespoons sugar


1/4-cup cold, chopped sweet butter 


3/4-cup cold buttermilk

(TIP: Don't have buttermilk? That's OK. Substitute plain yogurt or sour cream, or add 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar plus enough milk equal your measurement, but let the milk mixture sit 5 minutes before use for the tangy flavor and thick texture of buttermilk to develop. Honestly, my grandmother used this last method more often than using real buttermilk.)

Combine all the dry ingredients with a whisk in a large bowl. Cut in the coldest butter you can get into small cubes. (Although you can, but I recommend you don't use margarine. Remember: Everything is better with real butter in the mix!) Smash the butter your fingers into the dry mixture until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs/cornmeal.

Stir in milk with a fork until the mixture comes together to form a dough ball.

Dump the dough ball onto a heavily floured surface covered with wax paper. Let set for a couple of minutes and then knead for approximately a minute.

Now you can roll/pat out the dough to about a half-inch and then use a floured-biscuit cutter to make your biscuits. You can also roll up balls and smash them slightly down before cooking or omit the kneading and drop the dough by tablespoons on the ungreased cookie sheet.

However, my grandmother rolled the dough into a log (however big in diameter she wanted) and cut 1/2- to 1-inch slices.

Whichever way you choose to do it, bake the biscuits in a 425-450 degree oven for 12-15 minutes.

NOTE: The recipe freezes well too. Place cut biscuits onto a cookie sheet lined with wax paper and freeze on a level surface in the freezer. Once frozen, place biscuits into a freezer bag (removing any excess air to prevent freezer burn) and store in freezer.

When ready to use, bake the amount that you need following the baking instructions.