Tag Archives: dicedtomatoes

Gravy & Biscuits

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Over the last year or two, I’ve really gotten into breakfast.

It’s not just cereal and milk, or eggs and bacon anymore. I can do without that. It’s boring and over done and I’d rather just skip it and get lunch. But hubby and I started eating breakfast out, and I’ve discovered a whole new world of tasty morning delights.

I think it really started with Crabcake Benedict at Metro Diner (yes, the same one in Jacksonville that appeared on Diners, Drive-in’s, and Dives).  After we saw it on the show, we had to try it. Since then, they’ve opened several diners around town, one being less than 5 miles from my house, so eating breakfast out became a weekly ritual. Now all breakfasts, at home or otherwise, must be as interesting and delicious, or it may as well be skipped for lunch!

My “Me-me” used to make the  best sausage gravy, with just a roll of Jimmy Dean, flour, and milk. It was the greatest! Staying overnight at Me-me’s always meant gravy & biscuits for breakfast, and even to this day, the smell of sausage gravy reminds me of my me-me. It took several failed attempts but I managed to get my sausage gravy close, but not quite like hers.

Basically, brown and crumble a 16oz. roll of sausage ( any flavor you like) in a skillet over medium heat, Do Not Drain! Grease is required for gravy! Add two to three tablespoons of flour and cook and stir one to two minutes. Slowly stir in WHOLE milk ( I use to try and make it with skim, FAIL!) a half cup at a time, allowing to thicken in between each addition of milk to make sure it doesn’t get too watery. When it’s as thick as you like, season with salt & pepper to taste and serve over hot biscuits ( I like the frozen Pillsbury biscuits).

And now, meet the newest evolution of gravy & biscuits!

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On our last trip to Asheville, we had breakfast not just once, but twice at Early Girl Eatery. Out of all the places we’ve traveled, this is by far the best breakfast place we’ve ever eaten at, period! Both times, I had their wonderful tomato gravy on my breakfasts. I knew I had to come home and try to re-create it!

I “Bing”-ed tomato gravy and realized it was a fairly common gravy, made by lots of people, lots of different ways. This is the way I make it: In a mixing bowl, combine a 15oz can of diced tomatoes and their juices, with 1 cup vegetable broth. In a medium sauce pan or skillet, melt two tablespoons of butter or olive oil. Add 2 tablespoons flour and cook and stir for one minute. Stir in tomato/broth and add a teaspoon of fresh thyme, and salt and pepper. Continue to cook and stir over medium heat until thickened.

What is so awesome about this gravy is it can be made to suit anyone’s taste! You can add 1/4 cup diced onions and peppers to the melted butter and cook till soft before adding the flour; or as shown above, 4 diced links of fully cooked chicken breakfast sausage, and sliced green onions. You could also make it Vegan friendly by using olive oil instead of butter. If you don’t like big chunks of tomato, you could change things up and use a 15oz can of crushed tomatoes for the diced.

I’ve also made a Benedict (that I’ve included a photo of below), by sauteing some fresh spinach, shitake mushrooms, and diced chicken breakfast sausage in olive oil and garlic, spooning that over a toasted English muffin with an over medium egg, and topped it with the tomato gravy instead of traditional Hollandaise. The possibilities are endless with this stuff!

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I hope this has inspired happy breakfasts! Wish me luck for today as I attempt my first Chicken Pot Pie! 🙂

Tomato Soup

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I know, I’m terrible with keeping up on the posting. I still cook, I’m just too lazy to write most recipes down while cooking, then trying to take a decent picture, then typing it out… well, you get it.

I’m just going to start posting about food in general. This sounds more like fun and less like work, which is what this “blog posting” was starting to feel like!

Lately I’ve been into soups. Of the homemade variety of course. I was starting to get tired of the bland canned soups, though convenient, they were getting boring.

I’m more of a “creamy soup” person. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind a nice chicken noodle soup or, one of my favorites, Italian Wedding Soup, but there’s something about a ” cream-of-something” soup that says comfort food.

About a month ago, I made my very first homemade tomato soup. It was delicious! Way better than canned stuff and lots cheaper than getting it from The Loop ( a little better tasting than The Loop, if I do say so myself). The only gripe I had about it was having to cook everything, then transfer it in batches to the food processor, then strain it back into the original pan I started with. Not only did it make a mess and dirty up more dishes than I thought necessary, it took waaaaaay too long. I work 8 hours a day in a refrigerated cutting room, the last thing my weary bones want to do is stand in the kitchen for an hour and a half making soup!

So I decided I needed an immersion/hand blender. Good thing hubby paid attention to my griping! I came home a few days ago to an early Christmas present! Not only did he get me my hand blender; he got me the “Mac-Daddy” hand blender that resembles something a mechanic would have in his garage for working on exotic cars.photo 4

  Let me tell you, this thing is awesome! Last night I decided to make tomato soup again, albeit a little on the chunky side since I really didn’t think straining it was necessary (what’s a chunk or two of tomato in tomato soup, I mean, really!?)  I also made some cod croquettes to go with it, but they ended up being cod/tuna croquettes since I didn’t buy enough cod to feed everybody (through no fault of my own). They still turned out good, I just wish there would have been more!

I did manage to take a picture of my dinner last night…photo 5

For the soup, I used a recipe from Food Network that I tweaked a bit: cooked onions, carrots, celery, and garlic in olive oil till soft, added 5 tablespoons flour, then a 28 oz can of diced tomatoes and their juices, a 32 oz carton plus one cup of chicken stock, parsley, thyme and 2 bay leaves and let it simmer half an hour. Then took out the bay leaves and blended up all the veggies in the pot with my new toy, then added a cup of cream. So much easier this time around! Now I have to figure out what other kinds of soup to make!

Well off to play with some cheesecakes! I bought these mini springform pans months ago and haven’t used them yet so I’m thinking it’s time to break them in!

Filet Burgundy Chili

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Beef tenderloin and Burgundy wine, with peppers, onions, and kidney beans! No, I’m not crazy! It’s the best chili you’ve ever eaten! But I must warn you, few other bowls of chili will ever come close after you’ve had this tasty sensation!

  • 1 lb beef tenderloin, cut into bite size pieces*
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 lg onion, chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 tbsp oregano
  • 1 tbsp cilantro
  • 1 tbsp cumin
  • 2 tbsp chili powder
  • 2 tsp chipotle powder
  • 2 tsp cayenne
  • 2 cups Burgundy wine
  • 1 15 oz can kidney beans
  • 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
  • 1 15 oz can tomato sauce

Heat olive oil in a stock pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and jalapeno and cook, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook 5 minutes more. Stir in tenderloin to sear on all sides, about 2 minutes, then add spices. Drain off any grease that may cook out of the meat, then add Burgundy wine, and let simmer 10 minutes, or until wine is reduced by half.

Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and kidney beans. When it starts to bubble, cover the stock pot and reduce heat to low. Let simmer, stirring every now and then, for an hour to let the flavors meld together. Serve with your favorite chili toppings.

*You can also substitute ground chuck, for the filet, and it’s still delicious!

**Chili can be made up to two days in advance. The longer it sits in the fridge, the better it tastes!