Dennis’ Biscuits 'n' Gravy

The Biscuits:

4 cups flour

2 T. baking powder

4 t. sugar

1 t. cream of tartar

½ t. salt

½ cup (1 cube) butter, margarine or shortening

About 1 ½ cups milk

Preheat oven to 450°

Sift together flour, baking powder, sugar, cream of tartar, and salt. Cut butter into flour mixture until it looks like coarse crumbs. Add 1 ½ cups milk all at once and stir until well blended. Knead in a large bowl (or turn out on a floured surface) 10 - 14 strokes. Dust your hands with flour first, and knead as little as possible for the softest biscuits. Roll the dough out ½ inch thick and cut with floured cutter (about the size of a wide-mouth Mason jar lid). Do not twist as you cut. Place them on ungreased baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Before putting them in the oven, brush tops with a little butter to make them brown better. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. When they are done take them off the baking sheet and place in a covered bowl to keep them warm while you proceed. If you leave them on the baking sheet, the bottoms will become hardened. Put 3-4 eggs on the boil for later.

The Gravy:

½ cup (1 cube) butter

½ cup flour

About 8 cups milk

Optional:

1 onion

1 lb. meat (Italian sausage, kielbasa, ham, hamburger, etc.)

1 can mushrooms, sliced

Put chopped onion and crumbled sausage in a frying pan and brown. Add a can of sliced mushrooms. When this is done put it in a bowl and set aside. Put butter in a larger pan and melt. Add flour. Blend flour and butter with a whisk until smooth and let it cook over medium heat till slightly brown (to remove raw flour flavor). All at once, pour in milk and stir long enough with the whisk to ensure no lumps--at least a minute. Turn up the heat a little and stir often to keep it smooth. As it thickens, you decide whether you like light, medium or heavy gravy. If it's too thick, add another cup of milk and keep heating till it is the right consistency. Turn the heat down to low and add the bowl of meat and onion mixture, stirring well. Continue stirring occasionally while it simmers on the lowest heat setting and you work on your toppings.

The Toppings:

3-4 boiled eggs, sliced

Cheese, grated

½ can olives, sliced

1-2 tomatoes, chopped

Salt and pepper

Optional toppings for the adventurous: minced onion, pepperocini, bacon bits, bell pepper, green olives, croutons, pickles or parmesan cheese.

You'll have turned the heat under the boiling eggs off by now. Pour off the hot water and cool them quickly with cold water (makes them easier to peel and eliminates the gas that turns the yolk dark). Put each of your chopped, grated or sliced toppings into their own bowl. Add a handful of the shredded cheese to the gravy and blend it in well.

Now you can stop pushing everyone away and let them eat. Recipe may be cut in ½ for smaller portion.