Sausage Gravy

Because you didn't like your heart that much, anyway.

Sometimes it's nice to deviate from the standard menu and shake things up a bit.  In our house, we always have breakfast together on the weekends.  Usually this means frosty green smoothies enjoyed on the porch, hanging out with the cats, and wondering if the very loud construction on the new school down the street is ever going to end.

But I digress.

This weekend, after months of pleasantly 84° morning temperatures, we unexpectedly woke up to a ( Southern ) bone-chilling 58° on Saturday morning.  This was not smoothie weather.

I decided to make a rare treat: Biscuits and Gravy.

You've probably noticed at this point that Biscuits and Gravy is not the name of this post.  See, I am unfortunately very dough-challenged.  I can knock a homemade pasta, cracker, or cookie out of the park, but anything that even remotely resembles bread will end up a hockey puck in my hands.  Before you ask, yes, I've tried every trick that Google could spit at me -- but I think the unfortunate truth is that doughs require practice, and I just don't care to make biscuits every weekend.

For now, I'll share my dirty little secret with you: Pillsbury Southern Style Frozen Biscuits.  I really hate using packaged products, but sometimes you do what you have to do, and frankly, these little guys are better than anything I could have made. ( and no, Pillsbury did not pay me to say that.  I don't think that 'you do what you have to do' is really the slogan they would be going for anyway. )

Sorry, guys.

So, on to the gravy!  This is hands-down the easiest recipe I know.

Let's do this.

SAUSAGE GRAVY

• 1 lb raw loose breakfast sausage
• ½ cup flour
• 4 cups low fat milk
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon ground sage

In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the breakfast sausage, breaking it into smaller hunks as it cooks so you don't end up with a large-skillet sized sausage patty.

Once the sausage is browned, leave it in the skillet over medium heat and add the flour, pepper, and sage to the pan.  Stir the sausage to make sure it is coated with the flour and spices.

Slowly pour one cup of the milk into the pan, stirring slowly while pouring.  The milk will get absorbed by the flour/sausage mixture and everything in the pan will start to look "thick".

Keep adding one cup of milk at a time, stirring until it is absorbed into the existing mixture in the pan, until no milk is remaining.

Serve over hot biscuits.

Makes approximately 5 servings.