QuiltLady

Damn, woman, you are a quilt-making maniac! Still love tumbling blocks most of all.

Biscuits:

2 C all purpose flour (if you can find the southern variety it works better. It is softer and has less gluten, so makes a lighter biscuit)
1 T baking powder
1 t soda
1 t salt
4 T cold butter cut in small pieces
1 C buttermilk, if thick, or 3/4 C if not thick (I use whole milk buttermilk)

Sift together the flour, baking powder, soda and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until the texture is like coarse meal. Make a well in the center of the bowl and add the milk all at once. Stir just enough to combine all the ingredients -- don't beat it too much or you'll get tough biscuits.

The mixture can be kind of sloppy at this point. You can drop it by rounded tablespoons onto a cookie sheet, or, if it's dry enough you can roll it and cut circles. (You'll need to sprinkle some flour on the dough if you go this route.)

Bake at 450 for 12 minutes or so, until they're light brown.

Don't be discouraged if they aren't perfect the first time. It takes some experience to see what the consistency needs to be, and the moisture content of the flour and thickness of the buttermilk are serious variables.

Gravy follows . . .

v
 

Sausage gravy

1 lb of whole hog southern style sausage (If you can find Tennessee Pride, which I sort of doubt, it is the best I know of. Jimmy Dean will work, but doesn't generate as much grease to work with; you might have to add butter to make the roux.)
Cook the sausage and save the drippings. Measure 2 T of the drippings, put back in the pan, and add an equal amount of flour, salt (maybe a teaspoon), pepper -- a little sage is good, or a little cayenne, or both.
Cook the roux slowly for several minutes, but don't let it get too brown. Whisk in a cup or cup and a half of milk (how much depends on how thick you like it. Experiment!) Stir over medium heat until it's thick -- it'll take maybe ten minutes to thicken all the way.

Put a whole lot on your hot biscuits. Lick plate.

Timing: I make the biscuits and preheat the oven, cook the sausage, and start the roux. Put the biscuits into the oven when the roux has cooked for a couple of minutes, and everything should come out about the same time.

v