CLICK HERE FOR BLOGGER TEMPLATES AND MYSPACE LAYOUTS »

Thursday, March 04, 2010

Biscuits and Sausage Gravy

Few things say "Country Farm Fare" more than homemade buttermilk biscuits with sausage gravy! What was once a special treat has become a regular on our frugal menu...and there is such versatility to it, you can make it fit practically any budget!

To serve our family of 10, I made the biscuits large and plentiful. There were even a couple left over, so if you're a smaller clan, feel free to halve it! But these beauties are great toasted the next day, so don't feel like you have to!

SallyMolly Farms Buttermilk Biscuits

In a large bowl, mix the following:
6 cups flour
2 1/2 t. salt
2 T. baking powder
1 1/2 t. baking soda

Cut in 1 cup of butter until the flour mixture is coarse.

Add 1 stick melted butter

Gently mix in 2 cups buttermilk

On a floured counter or board, gently fold the dough into two balls, flatten (or roll) the dough into 3/4" circles. Cut out with a large (2-3") round cutter and place on parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 10-14 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and the biscuits are cooked fully through.




You're going to want to top these lovelies with delicious, caloric sausage gravy. We learned how to make this several years ago from dear friends, and it's been a family favorite ever since. The ingredients? Simple! Sausage, butter, flour, half and half, and salt/pepper!

Brown up 3 pounds of ground breakfast sausage, remove it with a slotted spoon to a bowl, and add about 5 tablespoons of butter to the remaining sausage...grease. There, I said it. Yes, you keep the grease, and you use it!
:-)

Melt the two together, and drop in 1/2 cup flour. Whisk until combined and then begin adding the half-and-half, one large splash after the other. Stir and stir, whisk and whisk, until you have added 3 quarts of half-and-half to the mixture. It should remain thick if you go slowly! Salt to taste, and add plenty of black pepper. Toss in the sausage, stir well, and taste. Is it good? Thick enough? If it's not looking thick, before I add the sausage in, I toss it with about 1/2 cup of flour...then add it in, and it does some thickening for you! If it's too thick (and this is a problem for you?) add more half-and-half!
Then split the biscuits in half, pour on the gravy, and have at it. You can always exercise in the morning!



Some variations:
  • Buy the biscuits in a tube and just make the gravy.
  • Use milk instead of half and half.
  • Use less sausage and it will be a thinner, but still delicious gravy!
  • We made this for dinner, but obviously it makes a perfect breakfast or brunch!
We had some fruit in our fruit cupboard, a pineapple that really needed to be eaten and some oranges, that we cut up into a sweet fruit platter. Trust me when I say that this meal cries out for something light to accompany it!


Until we journey together again...

A bit of life on the farm...

This week was a busy one, and we weren't home much. So sad - I like being home. But we had time for some photography lessons, baking together, and more.



Timmy wanted to learn more about photography, so I gave him free reign for a bit with my camera. Apparently he's decided that still-life photos are intriguing. I found his addition of eggs and teriyaki sauce to be equally intriguing.




But then he went on to find Gusper, who, in taking apart the fridge (faithful homeschooler that he is), proved to be good for a live shot.





Here's Gus playing at our toy shelf. With so many blessed children and critters around, we try to keep toys to a minimum...not only do we not need the extra clutter, but there are always things to be done, aren't there? So we have a small toy-box in our family room, the toy shelf in the hallway, and each child has their own treasure boxes. Gusper just celebrated his first birthday recently, at which he received some new toys. He's having a blast with them!



Getting dinner on: Timmy, EJ, and Abbie making mashed potatoes. A couple of scrubbers, a trimmer, and into the pot they go!


Meatloaf-in-the-making...seasonings and ground beef made for a delish dinner that night, along with the mashed potatoes, of course! Now, meatloaf in our neck of the woods is not a frugal dish, but it was a special occasion, and those deserve special meals!



Until we journey together again...

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Welcome to Hobby Farm Tails

Here at SallyMolly Farms, we're just bustling about, getting ready for spring. Spring is the most exciting time on a hobby farm - dreams of gardens dancing in our heads, hopes for new babes to be born, and so much work to do that we wonder if we'll ever catch up!

This year is shaping up to be a productive one - we've increased our garden size (by experimenting with cold frames) and we're gearing up for our first kidding season (if you can call one doe pregnant 'kidding season'!).

Join us on our journey as we frolic with goats and kittens, garden our hearts out, and live frugally in a consumer culture.

Saturday, February 20, 2010

About the Authors




Wife, mother and devoted follower of our Lord and Saviour, she enjoys gardening, homeschooling her eight children and finding and making new recipes that add color to the table. Also known as MamaK.




Daughter, sister in Christ, goat herder, artist, gardener and just an average high-schooler at home. She enjoys writing almost as much as she likes to spend time with all her hobby farm critters.

The Critters

We will add to this list as more critters come to our hobby farm
The Girls

Molly (0n left) and Sally (right) are Oberhasli sisters. They are two years old.


The Watchers

Glorie (around eleven years old) is a mix between Bernese Mountain and Australian Shepherd, her daughter Reignie (bottom, 4 years old) has some Beagle as well as (we think) Retriever in her. They are companions as well as watch dogs.



The Mousers



Brothers Simon (top) and Jackson are the mousers on the hobby farm. Not sure about their breed but the are very friendly (sometimes too much - people have had to drive back to our house because they found Simon in their car) and good catchers.

The Ducks

Just one of our 5 ducklings. They are a mix of Kaki Campbells and Rouen breed.