Venison Sausage Gravy and Homemade Biscuits

Now doesn't that sound like a real country made breakfast!!  I can guarantee you won't find that on any Bob Evans menu!!

The venison sausage gravy is a version of Paula Dean's Sawmill Gravy from her cookbook, Southern Cooking Bible, though I did make a few substitutions besides using deer sausage.  I raise goats, so the only milk I have is goat's milk, though you can use regular store-bought cow's milk (won't make any difference).  And if you don't have deer sausage, pork sausage will work, also.

Sausage Gravy

Ingredients:

1 lb deer sausage (or pork sausage) your choice
1/2 cup flour
2 cups milk
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large skillet, brown the sausage while breaking it up with a spoon into smaller pieces.

Sprinkle the browned sausage with the flour, stir to add to sausage.  Slowly pour milk while stirring.  Cook, while stirring constantly, until the gravy has thickened. 

Remove pan from stove.  Pour over homemade biscuits (see below for recipe!).

This is the BEST biscuit recipe!!  I don't remember where I found it, but if I need homemade biscuits this is my go-to recipe!!  My husband LOVES it.  And it is so easy to make!!

Homemade Biscuits

Ingredients

2 1/3 cups self-rising flour ** (you cannot use all purpose!!!)
1 1/2 T sugar
1/2 t baking soda
1 1/4 stick butter, cold
1 cup buttermilk (if you don't have it, add 1 T lemon juice to a cup of milk - let sit for 5 minutes)

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

You have to use self-rising flour, otherwise the biscuits won't rise.

Sift flour, sugar and soda together.

Slice the butter into small pieces and mix into flour mixture (I used a pastry blender - works perfectly!) until you have fairly large lumps.

Stir in the buttermilk.

Roll out 1/2 inch size and using a round cookie cutter (or a drinking glass) place on a cookie sheet.

Bake for 13 to 15 minutes.

They just don't get any better than this!!

Perfect for sausage and gravy or with a good soup!!

Entire Recipes:

Sausage Gravy

Ingredients:

1 lb deer sausage (or pork sausage) your choice
1/2 cup flour
2 cups milk
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large skillet, brown the sausage while breaking it up with a spoon into smaller pieces.  Sprinkle the browned sausage with the flour, stir to add to sausage.  Slowly pour milk while stirring.  Cook, while stirring constantly, until the gravy has thickened.  Remove pan from stove.  Pour over homemade biscuits (see below for recipe!).

This is the BEST biscuit recipe!!  I don't remember where I found it, but if I need homemade biscuits this is my go-to recipe!!  My husband LOVES it.  And it is so easy to make!!

Homemade Biscuits

Ingredients

2 1/3 cups self-rising flour ** (you cannot use all purpose!!!)
1 1/2 T sugar
1/2 t baking soda
1 1/4 stick butter, cold
1 cup buttermilk (if you don't have it, add 1 T lemon juice to a cup of milk - let sit for 5 minutes)

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Sift flour, sugar and soda together.

Slice the butter into small pieces and mix into flour mixture (I used a pastry blender - works perfectly!) until you have fairly large lumps.

Stir in the buttermilk.

Roll out 1/2 inch size and using a round cookie cutter (or a drinking glass) place on a cookie sheet.

Bake for 13 to 15 minutes.

Perfect for sausage and gravy or with a good soup!!

VERDICT:

I have already said this is my best biscuit recipe.   And my husband LOVED the venison sausage gravy.  Will I be making this again - most definitely YES!!!

Homemade Cherry Pie

I have been in such a pie baking mood!!  Pies are so easy to make and everyone loves pie!!  My husband will take a pie any day over a piece of cake.  And I do love my heart shaped pie dish!!

Last month I made him a cherry pie using canned pie filling (I know . . . I cheated!).   The other day when I was looking through my Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook and found a recipe for Canned Cherry Pie, I knew I had a new adventure.  Of course, it involved a trip to the grocery store to buy canned tart cherries and almond extract.

I bought the cherries packed in water.  This and the almond extract are the only items you need to buy as you should have the rest of the ingredients already in your kitchen.

This is such an easy pie to make.  You can whip this up in matter of minutes.

For the crust, I used the crust recipe from my "Perfect Apple Pie", the link is below:

Pie Crust Recipe

Or you can use your favorite recipe.

Betty Crocker's Cherry Pie

Ingredients:

3/4 to 1 cup sugar (depending if your canned cherries are water packed or in syrup - if in syrup, use less sugar)
4T all purpose flour
1/4 tsp almond extract
2 1/2 cups cherries with juice (or syrup)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 425.

Make your pie dough for a two crust pie.  Line the pie pan.

Mix the sugar and flour in a sauce pan.

Add the 2 1/2 cups of berries with the almond extract.

Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly until it thickens.  This thickens pretty fast, so keep a watchful eye.

Pour into your pie pan.

Dot the filling with pie with 1 T of butter.

Cover the filling with the second pie crust. (I chose to do a lattice because I love how that looks)

Bake until nicely brown - about 30 to 40 minutes.  Remove and let cool on a rack.

Entire Recipe:

Betty Crocker's Cherry Pie

Ingredients:

3/4 to 1 cup sugar (depending if your canned cherries are water packed or in syrup - if in syrup, use less sugar)
4T all purpose flour
1/4 tsp almond extract
2 1/2 cups cherries with juice (or syrup)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 425.

Make your pie dough for a two crust pie.  Line the pie pan.

Mix the sugar and flour in a sauce pan.

Add the 2 1/2 cups of berries with the almond extract.

Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly until it thickens.  This thickens pretty fast, so keep a watchful eye.

Pour into your pie pan.

Dot the filling with pie with 1 T of butter.

Cover the filling with the second pie crust.  I sprinkled a little bit of sugar on top of the second crust.

Bake until nicely brown - about 30 to 40 minutes.  Remove and let cool on a rack.

Betty Crocker's Cherry Pie

Ingredients:

3/4 to 1 cup sugar (depending if your canned cherries are water packed or in syrup - if in syrup, use less sugar)
4T all purpose flour
1/4 tsp almond extract
2 1/2 cups cherries with juice (or syrup)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 425.

Make your pie dough for a two crust pie.  Line the pie pan.

Mix the sugar and flour in a sauce pan.

Add the 2 1/2 cups of berries with the almond extract.

Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly until it thickens.  This thickens pretty fast, so keep a watchful eye.

Pour into your pie pan.

Dot the filling with pie with 1 T of butter.

Cover the filling with the second pie crust.  I also sprinkled a little bit of sugar on the top of the pie crust.

Bake until nicely brown - about 30 to 40 minutes.  Remove and let cool on a rack.

Verdict:

Oh yes . . . he loved it!!!  I will definitely be making this one again.  It is good and will even be better with ice cream (am I evil or what!!!)