Skinny Cooks Can't Be Trusted by Dave Kessler 

 

One of my favorite comfort foods when I need something in that department is biscuits and gravy. I know almost all the restaurants that serve biscuits and gravy in a couple of counties, and have my favorites. I also know what time of day some quit serving biscuits and gravy, and plan my trips accordingly.

Carry-out biscuits and gravy from restaurants suit me just fine. I usually get at least two orders so I can put one in the fridge for use the next morning. Of course, some have smaller serving sizes and I have to get two orders to fill me to my sufficiency for one meal.

When I make biscuits and gravy I generally use tube biscuits from the refrigerator section of the local markets.

However, I’m not so conventional when it comes to the rest of the fixins’.

Sausage or ground beef are my first choices for meat in my biscuits and gravy, but I also use dried beef or cut-up hot dogs, bratwurst or chicken. Other ingredients I like to include are chopped onions and chopped celery – but I have also been guilty of adding peas, green beans or chopped carrots.

When I make my own I don’t add cheese, but when making the casserole I always use the cheese.

Biscuits, Gravy

& Cheese Casserole

Butter or nonstick vegetable spray

1 tube of buttermilk biscuit dough

6 eggs

1/2 cup of milk

1 pouch of powdered gravy mix  (if I’m doing it from scratch I use flour, plenty of pepper and milk to make my gravy)

1 pound of sausage

1/3 chopped onion

2 stalks of celery, minced

1/2 cup shredded cheese

Use a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish and rub the heck out of it with the butter so the ingredients won’t stick to the bottom.

Heat your oven to 350 degrees.

Use a sharp knife to cut the biscuits into small pieces, about an inch in size. Spread these over the bottom of the casserole dish.

Brown the sausage or ground beef, including the onions and celery, in the skillet. When nicely browned drain off the grease. Scatter the browned meat with the onions and celery and the shredded cheese over the biscuit pieces in the casserole.

Beat together the eggs and milk and add plenty of pepper. Pour this over the casserole. Make the gravy by following the directions on the pouch. Pour this on top of the casserole.

Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 40 minutes. Slice into squares and serve warm. This makes a great breakfast or a delicious meal, sure to please in this cold weather.

Readers with questions or comments for Dave Kessler may write to him in care of this publication.