While I’ve shared a basic Southern gravy recipe here before, if you’re thinking of making biscuits and gravy it can’t be done with restaurant style gravy. It must be made with sausage gravy.  Sausage gravy is a Southern staple.  It can be found in nearly every restaurant and diner in the South and the Southwest and is undoubtedly made in nearly every home in the area as well.

Nothing quite compares with biscuits and gravy.  It’s not a fancy meal.  It shouldn’t be made into a fancy meal.  It’s peasant food at its best.  Pure, simple and filling.  It is food born from a need to feed a family with only what was on hand and feed them well.

This is my mother’s recipe.  I have not adapted it, modified it or otherwise mucked with it.  On the contrary, I’ve invested over 20 years of my life trying to perfect my mother’s technique. At first I tried to make it my own. These attempts resulted in some pretty good gravies, but they just weren’t “right.”  It’s taken a long time, but I think that if my mother was still with us, this gravy would make her proud.

The real secret behind sausage gravy is in both the sausage and in the way it is cooked.  The sausage used in this dish should be of the bulk store variety and preferably be very fatty. Also, low, gentle heat should be used to cook the sausage.  This low cooking temperature allows the fat in the sausage to completely render out of the meat.  The resulting grease is the heart and soul of a great gravy.  It ads the base flavor, body and character of everything that comes later.

Another key to success is in cooking the sausage properly.  The aim here isn’t to just barely get your sausage cooked through, but to take it just a tiny bit past that point.  At the end the sausage should be slightly dry.  It should then be strained for at least five minutes through a fine mesh sieve or colander and the drippings should be reserved.

From this point making sausage gravy is an identical process to any other flour-based pan gravy.  Return the oil to the pan, add flour and brown, season, add milk and stir, stir, stir!  I use all-purpose flour in my gravies, but there are those who swear by Wondra.  I’m not going to judge, but I’ve never ended up with lumpy gravy, so all-purpose is just fine by me.

Of course a gravy of this caliber needs something to be lavished upon.  The go-to (and highly preferred) vehicle for gravy delivery is the plain ol’ buttermilk biscuit.  The light, flaky, multilayered biscuits of the North are not appreciated here.  The gravy just makes them soggy and they don’t have the right texture.  You gotta have a biscuit with some heft to it.

And there, my friends, you have it.  The ultimate experience in breakfast, brunch or late night munching fare. The culinary pinnacle of flour, milk and flavor.  A humble food that deserves a place in every kitchen.  My mother’s sausage gravy.  Give this a try the next time you’re craving a little love. Trust me, there’s a lot of love in this recipe.

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Popularity: 5% [?]

Before anyone starts anything, I know that you probably have your own ideas on what makes the perfect grilled cheese sandwich and I’m pretty sure that this one isn’t it. For me though, nobody will ever make a more perfect grilled cheese sandwich than the one I’m discussing here.  Why?  Because my son made it and you can’t top my son’s very first grilled cheese sandwich for the perfect sandwich.

Sure, I helped a little and I stood by while he made it, but this is Lil’ E’s moment, not mine.  this almost 12 year-old is taking his first steps towards learning to be independent (and avoiding the pitfalls of an all fast food diet in college).  It’s an amazing thing to be the one teaching him  some of the skills that will help him through life. And he did a pretty darned good job for a first try, don’t you think?

Please be aware that I’m all for a panini-pressed masterpiece of good aged cheeses and all varieties of additions from ham to prosciutto or veggies and tomatoes, but around the Russell house a grilled cheese sandwich has a few well defined criteria:

1. It’s cooked in olive oil, not butter.  This makes for a crisp sandwich that isn’t slathered in butter.

2 .It must be over-stuffed with cheese.  Cheddar cheese. sharp cheddar is preferred

3. It also must be messy, gooey and dripping copious amounts of cheese all over the eater and the plate.

In all, you are free to have your grilled cheese in any manner you choose.  This particular sandwich will stand out in my memory as the best I’ve ever seen for quite some time, I’m sure.

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Popularity: 6% [?]

One of the best parts of having my wife home for a visit is that she is also an excellent cook.  This has not only given me a much needed break from the kitchen, but has given the entire family a perspective on cooking that is different from my own.

While my cooking style tends towards Asian influence with go-to spices and sauces like soy, curry and five-spice powder, my wife’s cooking is heavily Puerto Rican and Mediterranean in influence. The change has been welcome and has me longing to broaden my horizons as well.

This was one of the dishes she made during her visit and is one that I could eat over and over again if it were possible. I am very much looking forward to having it again at the end of her time in Turkey.  The roasted garlic in the filling makes all the difference and elevates this Manicotti above many of the others that I’ve had.

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Popularity: 2% [?]

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Hormel Foods. All opinions are 100% mine.

Not too many products manage to become icons in the American household, especially food products.  For most, their lives are fairly short, spanning a few years here and there, to be replaced by a newer version or a different product altogether… Assuming that the manufacture is still in business.

Then there are those that hit it right on the head.  Something about their offering embeds itself into the consciousness of our culture, it becomes part of who and what we are, it defines us and is defined by us.  The folks at hormel have done this and done it exceedingly well for the past 75 years.

Granted, I don’t usually aim for canned anything these days, and I have the time to make my own stew anytime I feel the need, but there are times when there really is no substitute for a can of Dinty Moore® beef stew, or a good spoonful of Hormel® Chili on a chili dog.  In these moments it’s not about over 20 years of culinary experimentation or the need to fulfill my creative passions, it’s about childhood, feeling loved and family. It’s about comfort foods, warmth and security.

To this day I remember shopping with my mother and specifically requesting the stew with the “giant’s thumbprint”, which was the hallmark of Dinty Moore for years. It was what i loved, and the thumbprint proved that it was good. (And somehow sanctioned by a very large and jovial lumberjack.)  It was one of the foods my mother served as an after school snack on cold, windy days.  It’s as much a part of my life as beans, cornbread and my aunt’s special Tea cookies.

And it’s in my pantry right now.  Right next to tomatoes imported from Italy, a jar of capers and some olives packaged in Napa Valley.  Foodie or not, Hormel is a part of my life and always will be, and this post is to congratulate them on 75 years of success, with wishes for 75 more.

I just want that big blue thumbprint back.

Does anyone else miss it?  to me the loss of that emblem somehow changes the whole thing a bit…  But maybe I’m just sentimental.

Do you buy hormel products?  If so, which ones? (SPAM is always in my pantry, but then I’m strange.)  do you stock hormel Chili? Dinty Moore? Anything else?  let us know in the comments!

Popularity: 2% [?]

Anyone who’s followed this blog for a while will know that curry powders in various forms are some of my favorite spice blends.  I regularly use them to put a little depth of flavor and a hint of kick to poultry, vegetables and especially potatoes.

For me curry is a comfort food.  Not because of the flavors, but because the aroma of curry powder transports me immediately back into the safest and most loving place I’ve ever known.  My mother’s kitchen.  If I’m feeling down, you can bet there will be a dash of curry in the recipe of the day, whether anyone but me ever realizes it or not.

Having said that; This dish stems more from an onslaught of British television than a bout of depression.  It seems that the English love their Indian curries, and almost any program on BBC America mentions them every few episodes or so.  It was a subtle brainwashing on their part, but after a week of gordon Ramsay’s F word and Top Gear, I was dying for chicken curry.  not my Mother’s version, but the ones I kept seeing on Television.

A quick browsing for curry recipes brought me to this one, which I adapted to fit what I had on hand and the volumes I needed.  The recipe was good, it was quick and above all, it was so rich that seconds were not even an option.  For that matter neither was dessert.  this is now most definitely on my list of go-to base recipes and I’m looking forward to making some variations on this theme.

Give it a go and tell us what you think of the recipe.  We’d love to hear them!

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Popularity: 5% [?]

Is there any other food as comforting as chicken noodle soup? It seems to me that you would be hard pressed to find one.  It’s a staple of mothers for sick children, adults who are feeling homesick and the perfect choice for a gloomy drizzly day at any time.

Most people my age probably grew up on the version in the little red and white can, but there is absolutely nor reason why you shouldn’t be making this from scratch.  The flavor is better, the vegetables are crisp and the texture is amazing.  All it takes is a little time and a little love an you too can have the ultimate chicken noodle soup ready and waiting for you when you need it the most, even on days when you would rather not be cooking at all.

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Popularity: 5% [?]

From the archives.  One of our family’s all time favorite leftover turkey recipes. Stay tuned for more though!

I Promise that this will be the last of my leftover turkey recipes. By now we’re both most likely getting tired of turkey. Personally, I’ll be buying another while they’re still on sale, but it will be getting cut down into component parts and frozen for when the urge strikes later in the year.

This is a simple method for taking those last little bits of turkey and turning them into something hearty and filling at the same time. Total cook and prep time are less than 40 minutes, perfect for a quick meal after work,or a good hot lunch on the weekends. The addition of a ton of potatoes takes the focus off of the turkey and puts it on the vegetables which, in this case is exactly where it belongs.

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Popularity: 26% [?]

From the archives – What’s  a Holiday feast without mashed potatoes?  If this basic method can be modified to your liking, but yields strikingly good results all on its own.  Enjoy!

Yesterday I received a request through my wife for my mashed potato recipe. Honestly, I’d never thought to post it, because to me, it’s just one of those things that I make without thinking about it. I’ve been helping my mother make mashed spuds since I was six years old and I suppose I just assumed that everyone else had done the same. I really should know better by now, shouldn’t I?

As my wife kindly pointed out to me, there is a whole generation of people who grew up eating mashed potatoes primarily from a box or a tin. While I’ll admit to having used potato flakes, they simply don’t compare to the fresh alternative. (They do however, work wonderfully as a thickener in soups and stews, and are great at fixing a batch of fresh potatoes if too much liquid has been added, but that’s an entry for another time.)

Homemade mashed potatoes should not be daunting, nor are they complicated. The basic procedure is a simple 3 step process of boil, add flavorings and mash. Many of the more modern upscale recipes call for the use of a food mill or potato ricer. If you have either of these tools, by all means feel free to use them, but they aren’t strictly necessary. All you need is a mashing device. This can be a large fork or slotted spoon, a potato masher or a hand held mixer.

I’ll cover the basics here, then point out some additions and other tips at the end.

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Popularity: 6% [?]

Winter is finally rearing it’s chilly head here in Northern California.  With temperatures finally dipping into the 30′s in the early mornings and the need for a jacket even in the afternoons the thought of a warm and comforting meal in the evening becomes less of a fond memory and more of an urgent desire. Baby, it’s cold outside!  Time for some comfort food.

Please note that this is not a recipe for Shepherd’s Pie.  Shepherd’s Pie, by definition uses minced lamb.  Anything else is a cottage pie and cannot technically be called a shepherd’s pie.  Regardless of that factoid (which you may or may not give a hoot about), this dish is full of all the love and goodness that you and your family will be craving throughout the oncoming chilly days and nights of winter. It’s a satisfying, warm and hearty dish that’s just perfect for cozying up around the table with family or friends and some good wine and conversation. (Or stout.  Stout is good here, too!)

Have yourself some meat and mash love this winter.  You deserve it.  It’s comfort food season, so consider this a calorie free meal for a Saturday night and enjoy!  We surely did.

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Popularity: 8% [?]

Before there was California Fusion Cuisine or even California Cuisine, there was the California health food craze.  This is a style of cooking that still defines what most of the country thinks everyone in California eats every day.  Anyone that lived in California in the late 80′s will remember some of the hallmarks of this misguided good frenzy, from enormously sized composed salads to anything and everything with cashews. These were bad enough, but the one signature example of California’s contribution to the mid-to late 80′s, and to the perception of America as a whole cannot help but be the chicken sandwich with avocado and bean sprouts, otherwise known as the California Chicken Sandwich.

In its basic form, this is just a sandwich composed of chicken, avocado, bean sprouts and cheese.  There isn’t anything intrinsically wrong with it, it’s a good meal.  When I worked the line at my local Lyon’s restaurant we made hundreds of these things every week and they were well liked.  The downfall of this unassuming little dish is that somewhere, somehow, it found its way into the American psyche and became linked to California in the same breath as tofu, Haight-Ashburry, Flower Power and brown rice. Just ask a non-Californian what we eat every day and chances are they’re going to mention tofu, bean sprouts and avocado.

My wife is Texan and has teased me about this combination since the day we met. (Fair, since I tease her constantly about having to ride a cow to school.) This post is for her as much as it is for the rest of the world.  Yes, this dish is indicative of what California was in the 80′s. Yes, it’s something many Californians would like to forget, and something no self-respecting chef in the state would place on their menu.  In fairness though, it’s stood the test as a great combination of flavors and when I though of it the other day I simply couldn’t pass up the chance to make one.

Just for old times sake, you know?

So I present to you my latest version of California’s most widely recognized dish; the California Chicken Sandwich.

Hope you enjoy.

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Popularity: 4% [?]