Sage Sausage and Gravy

This is a Southern staple; without sausage and gravy, farms would not be plowed, homes would not be built, and sermons would not be given. It is the heartiest of all breakfasts that fueled the South.


Sage Sausage and Gravy

Ingredients:
1 lb. sage sausage (bulk)
1/3 cup flour
3 1/2 cups whole milk
Salt and pepper
Biscuits, prepared and warm

Preparation:

Brown the sausage in a large skillet, making sure to crumble the sausage as it is cooking. Reduce heat to medium-low. Pour in about half of the flour and allow the sausage grease to soak it up. Continue to gradually add flour until all is gone. Stir and cook for 2 minutes. Add milk, and stir constantly.

Allow the gravy to thicken by keeping it on medium-low heat and stirring it. Expect this to take several minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste (more pepper than salt), and continue to cook and stir until the gravy is thick. Add more milk if gravy becomes too thick.

Cut biscuits in half and spread open on a plate. Spoon gravy (generously!) onto biscuits, and serve hot.

 

 

Andouille Spaghetti Squash

I tried this sauce recipe for the first time last night and LOVED IT! The sausage, tomato sauce, and squash went together perfectly and created a slightly spicy, tangy, low-carb dish!

Andouille Spaghetti Squash


Ingredients:
1 lb. Andouille sausage, thawed
1 extra large spaghetti squash
1 jar of favorite pasta sauce
1/2 onion
3 cloves garlic
salt, pepper, garlic powder

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 450F. Wash and cut the spaghetti squash in half. Scoop out the seeds. Drizzle with olive oil and thoroughly coat with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Line a baking sheet with foil and place the squash open-side down on the sheet. Bake for 40 minutes, or until tender on the inside. The outside may still be a little hard.

While the squash is baking, cook sausage in a large skillet on medium heat until it is brown. Dice onions and garlic and add to skillet. Saute for 5 minutes. Add pasta sauce and turn heat to simmer. Allow flavors to marry until the spaghetti squash has finished cooking.

When the squash is done, take a fork and carefully "string" the fibers of the squash into a dish.

Spoon sauce onto individual servings of squash. An extra large spaghetti squash will make 2 entree servings, or 4 side-dish servings.

Grilled Okra

Grilled Okra

Ingredients:

Okra, 2 pints
3 tbsp. olive oil
garilc powder, salt, and pepper to taste


Preparation:

Preheat grill to medium heat. Wash and dry okra. Toss with olive oil in a large bowl. Add seasonings and toss again. Place a large piece of aluminum foil over grill, and evenly distribute okra on top. Grill for 8-10 minutes, stirring often. The okra will have light brown caramel colored spots on it when done.  Be careful, it burns easily.