Cooking in a COVID-19 Crisis: Day Three

Shortcut cooking at its best!

We don’t live on baked goods alone, but apparently baking has a new fascination. People who have never made bread before are trying it, putting packaged yeast in the endangered column. Cinnamon rolls, banana bread, even hot cross buns have all crossed my feed from everyday cooks.

Perhaps it’s a primordial need for carbs, and bread feels more virtuous than baking cookies. However, not everyone has the baking gene, and the desire for something comforting and yeasty doesn’t necessarily have to be fulfilled with hours spent waiting for something to rise before  baking.

Enter biscuits and gravy. My grandmother can be credited (or blamed) with my love for this  dish. She’d roll out fresh biscuits, fry up the sausage, and use the remaining grease to make the most delectable gravy my childhood heart could imagine. She’d bring it all to the table with flour smudged up her forearms and, often, in her hair. The smell throughout the house was tantalizing, and just the memory makes me salivate just a little.

Last year we had a big family event where 16 of us ended up in one house, sharing the cooking and clean up and having a wonderful time, with other family members nearby. At one point I suggested biscuits and gravy, and the next thing I knew we had 26 coming for breakfast. I took the shortcut of open-and-bake biscuits, but did the quick gravy from scratch—and the method below shortens it even more. In our theme of supporting local restaurants while still cooking, try this out on your carb-craving family.

Shortcut Biscuits & Gravy

Sure, you can make biscuits from scratch, or pop open a can (which is my usual go-to shortcut). However, times like these call for a quick drive through your favorite biscuit breakfast place. The easiest thing to do is drive-thru a Brahm’s, if you have one in your  area. Trust me, we’ve tested a huge sample of biscuits and gravy, and while Another Broken Egg Café has the best, Brahm’s is a good back up  found in more places.

For biscuits alone, though we tend to favor Hardee’s biscuits, but you may have other great choices in your  town. If you aren’t going to take the easiest road  and just pick up the full meal, the following is  about as easy as we can make it!

Step 1: Send someone to pick up the hot biscuits, as many as you need (and don’t fear the leftovers). If they don’t sell the biscuits by themselves, ask for them deconstructed. OR, pop open and bake a tube of Grands.

Step 2: Meanwhile, fry up one tube of Jimmy Dean regular/mild sausage in a frying pan.

Step 3: Add ¼ cup flour to the cooked sausage.

Step 4: Add 2 ½ cups whole milk and stir quickly.

Step 5: Add a little salt and a LOT of black pepper.

Step 6: Serve with coffee and juice. Leftovers, if any, microwave just fine.

Ingredients needed from your pantry (or the grocery store):

  • Grands Homestyle biscuits (if baking at home)
  • Jimmy Dean sausage
  • Flour
  • Milk
  • Salt and pepper
  • Coffee
  • Choice of juice

As always, be sure to plan ahead and limit your trips to the grocery store, and be safe out there!

 

Photo by John Cameron on Unsplash

 

Touring Carlos Dunlap’s Miami restaurant Honey Uninhibited

Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Carlos Dunlap is the proud owner of Brickell restaurant Honey Uninhibited, where the slogan is “Brunch. Breakfast. Booze.” Dunlap took us inside his restaurant and shared his inspiration for opening the spot, which features many varieties of eggs Benedict, french toast and all the brunch foods you could wish for.

Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Carlos Dunlap is the proud owner of Brickell restaurant Honey Uninhibited, where the slogan is “Brunch. Breakfast. Booze.” Dunlap took us inside his restaurant and shared his inspiration for opening the spot, which features many varieties of eggs Benedict, french toast and all the brunch foods you could wish for.

8 Mouthwatering Facts About Bacon (National Bacon Day)

8 Mouthwatering
Facts About Bacon.
Whether you fry it up in the morning or
prefer it as a candle scent, bacon is universally
loved for its delicious taste and smell. .
In honor of National Bacon Day on Dec. 30,
here are eight mouthwatering facts about bacon.
1. Bacon is one of the world’s oldest processed
meats, dating back to 1500 BCE.
2. In ancient Rome, bacon was called “petaso” and was
traditionally eaten with figs, pepper sauce and wine. .
3. John Harris opened the first bacon
factory in 1770 in Wiltshire, England. .
4. The phrase “bringing home the bacon” originated in
12th century England, when churches rewarded husbands
with bacon for having an argument-free marriage. .
5. During Word War II, rendered bacon fat
was used to create glycerin, which in turn was
used to create bombs and gunpowder.
6. The 1992 Hardee’s Frisco
Burger revitalized the popularity
of bacon and set the stage for
future bacon-ized burgers.
7. The average American
consumes upwards of 18
pounds of bacon annually. .
8. Camp Bacon is a five-day camp held every
year in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It features speakers,
cooking classes and other bacon-related activities.

8 Mouthwatering
Facts About Bacon.
Whether you fry it up in the morning or
prefer it as a candle scent, bacon is universally
loved for its delicious taste and smell. .
In honor of National Bacon Day on Dec. 30,
here are eight mouthwatering facts about bacon.
1. Bacon is one of the world’s oldest processed
meats, dating back to 1500 BCE.
2. In ancient Rome, bacon was called “petaso” and was
traditionally eaten with figs, pepper sauce and wine. .
3. John Harris opened the first bacon
factory in 1770 in Wiltshire, England. .
4. The phrase “bringing home the bacon” originated in
12th century England, when churches rewarded husbands
with bacon for having an argument-free marriage. .
5. During Word War II, rendered bacon fat
was used to create glycerin, which in turn was
used to create bombs and gunpowder.
6. The 1992 Hardee’s Frisco
Burger revitalized the popularity
of bacon and set the stage for
future bacon-ized burgers.
7. The average American
consumes upwards of 18
pounds of bacon annually. .
8. Camp Bacon is a five-day camp held every
year in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It features speakers,
cooking classes and other bacon-related activities.

8 Mouthwatering Facts About Bacon (National Bacon Day)

8 Mouthwatering
Facts About Bacon.
Whether you fry it up in the morning or
prefer it as a candle scent, bacon is universally
loved for its delicious taste and smell. .
In honor of National Bacon Day on Dec. 30,
here are eight mouthwatering facts about bacon.
1. Bacon is one of the world’s oldest processed
meats, dating back to 1500 BCE.
2. In ancient Rome, bacon was called “petaso” and was
traditionally eaten with figs, pepper sauce and wine. .
3. John Harris opened the first bacon
factory in 1770 in Wiltshire, England. .
4. The phrase “bringing home the bacon” originated in
12th century England, when churches rewarded husbands
with bacon for having an argument-free marriage. .
5. During Word War II, rendered bacon fat
was used to create glycerin, which in turn was
used to create bombs and gunpowder.
6. The 1992 Hardee’s Frisco
Burger revitalized the popularity
of bacon and set the stage for
future bacon-ized burgers.
7. The average American
consumes upwards of 18
pounds of bacon annually. .
8. Camp Bacon is a five-day camp held every
year in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It features speakers,
cooking classes and other bacon-related activities.

8 Mouthwatering
Facts About Bacon.
Whether you fry it up in the morning or
prefer it as a candle scent, bacon is universally
loved for its delicious taste and smell. .
In honor of National Bacon Day on Dec. 30,
here are eight mouthwatering facts about bacon.
1. Bacon is one of the world’s oldest processed
meats, dating back to 1500 BCE.
2. In ancient Rome, bacon was called “petaso” and was
traditionally eaten with figs, pepper sauce and wine. .
3. John Harris opened the first bacon
factory in 1770 in Wiltshire, England. .
4. The phrase “bringing home the bacon” originated in
12th century England, when churches rewarded husbands
with bacon for having an argument-free marriage. .
5. During Word War II, rendered bacon fat
was used to create glycerin, which in turn was
used to create bombs and gunpowder.
6. The 1992 Hardee’s Frisco
Burger revitalized the popularity
of bacon and set the stage for
future bacon-ized burgers.
7. The average American
consumes upwards of 18
pounds of bacon annually. .
8. Camp Bacon is a five-day camp held every
year in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It features speakers,
cooking classes and other bacon-related activities.