I don’t have an actual recipe, but I’ll share how I made the gravy.

Crumble and brown 1 pound of pork sausage over medium heat.

Once browned, add 4 heaping tablespoons of flour to the sausage and stir so that all the sausage pieces are covered. The flour will begin to brown. The longer you let it brown, the darker your gravy will be.

Slowly add 2 cups of milk, stirring constantly. A pinch of salt and pepper can be added to taste. Once all the ingredients are incorporated, the gravy looks like this…

Almost immediately the mixture begins to thicken. Cook it until you are personally satisfied with the thickness you created or until you can drag a spatula across the bottom of the pan and leave a trail.

This gravy was a little on the brown side, but I refuse to believe that its color was due to me over-cooking the flour. I barely mixed the flour around before I stirred in the milk. I think it was because I didn’t drain the extra grease from the pan.

Oh yeah…the biscuits. I guess I cheated as far as comfort foods go and baked biscuits from a can rather than scratch. I blame Pilsbury Grands! for being so handy and delightfully fluffy.

The final result was delicious.

Now can someone get me a popsicle?

Last but not least…Mariah Carey. There is no way to tie this into a post about Biscuits and Gravy besides saying, “While we’re on the topic of comfort…”

Mariah’s ballads, style, and grace seems to be infinite. Apparently she doesn’t age either, which I think is neat. Her most recent performance was at Michael Jackson’s Memorial singing “I’ll Be There.”  What a touching performance that was! If you haven’t seen the video, take a look. (skip ahead to 2:40 to hear a man’s voice who can nearly reach Mariah’s vocals. Almost comical. Great duet. Good stuff!) If you have seen it, it’s worth a re-watch. And that’s a fact. (hey, it’s my site!)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8yKcmru0JM[/youtube]

I mean hot dogs! A fun, summertime food that is so easy to make, whether you are feeding yourself or a large group…fried, steamed, grilled or broiled, a piping hot dog in a warm roll is a tasty treat no matter how you top it.

I topped mine with a thin layer of mayo, shredded lettuce and salt & peppered tomato slices. Then, of course, mustard…a definite hot dog must.

Tasty!

And to accompany the dogs were some Bush’s Original Baked Beans.

One thing I will admit is liking to get the “prize” of the little lardish mystery bit in a can of beans. No one else really wants it. This can was extra intriguing when the mystery bit looked like bacon, not to be confused with Beggin’ Strips, which also look like bacon. I thought I was going to win with this fancy-looking bit of lard. Nope. The three sections on the right dissolved instantly when the chunk was placed on tongue. That fourth section was so odd. Odd enough to make me reference Beggin’ Strips once again. The fourth section was almost unchewable, but I think with persistence it would have gone down the throat. I didn’t stick with it long enough to completely know for myself because the flavor was bland.

Regardless, Bush’s Baked Beans are a tasty canned bean to satisfy a need for a quick side item. Just don’t eat the mystery bit!

And here is a video that I want to share not only because BBQ Pit Boys is a cool name, but because the video is as sedating as it is motivating. You’ll have to watch the video to see what I mean. In the end you are definitely hungry.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBFI_pW8z9g[/youtube]

And a neat camping trick with hot dogs…

All you need is ten minutes, a knife and some roasting sticks. Cut the ends of each hot dog into quarters leaving about 1-1/2 to 2 inches in the middle uncut. You want to leave enough uncut to stick the fork in. Roast the dogs over the fire or hot coals in a grill. The “legs” will curl out as the hot dogs cook. You can also do them in the kitchen at home over a hot stove burner.

Last but not least, here is a recipe for barbequed hot dogs  that may be the change of pace your dogs are looking for, but you better have quite a few hungry mouths awaiting…

• Barbequed Hot Dogs
  • 3/4 C. chopped onion
  • 3 Tbsp. butter or margarine
  • 1-1/2 C. chopped celery
  • 1- 1/2 C. ketchup
  • 3/4 C. water
  • 1/3 C. lemon juice
  • 3 Tbsp. brown sugar
  • 3 Tbsp. vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 Tbsp. yellow mustard
  • 2 – 8 count packages of  hot dogs
  • 16 hot dog buns, split
  • In a saucepan over medium heat, saute onion in butter until tender.
  • Add celery, ketchup, water, lemon juice, sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and mustard; bring to a boil.
  • Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
  • Cut three ¼ inch deep slits on each side of hot dogs; place in a 2-1/2 quart baking dish.
  • Pour the sauce over the hot dogs.
  • Cover and bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until heated through.

I’m setting my pots and pans aside to share some thoughts of mine.

A wild ride that began in early 2003 has ended victoriously with a Master’s Degree for my husband.

Or in other words a M.S.E. ES S-I-P-P-I!  A Master’s in Software Engineering!

True dedication got him to where he is today. Nothing was given to him freely or easily and I admire his persistence and success. I am continually amazed by his non-stop go get it mind-set and ideas.

drawk, I know you are going far. I can’t wait to see where you go from here…I can only imagine.

There is so much to learn from you and thank you for all you have given me.

I’m not the best at getting sentimental in words, so here is a song that describes pretty much how I’m feeling.

It’s a good listen anyhow…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLR4g33W6R8[/youtube]

CONGRATULATIONS!

Do you celebrate Cinco de Mayo? How do you celebrate?

I thought to myself, “What better way to celebrate than get Mexican food take-out.”

Not just any ole take-out, though.

Burrito Express, a true family run business and as importantly, home of the Best Bean and Cheese Burrito in Chandler for it’s price.

Sorry Elmer’s Tacos. You were a childhood, high school and adulthood favorite who never did me wrong, but you are no longer the best bean and cheese burrito in Chandler. Regardless, Elmer’s…you still rock.

Where was I? Oh yes…

The Best Bean and Cheese Burrito in Chandler…

For $2.75 you surely cannot find a tastier bean and cheese burrito to fill your belly. Each bite contains exactly what it should. Hearty, homemade refried beans and cheese.

FOUR bites wide of bean and cheese burrito!

Enjoying the lovely picture of eaten food?

Oh my goodness, it was good!

I think the very best part of Burrito Express’ bean and cheese burrito is the tortilla. Its not too thick and not too thin, with a right off of the griddle taste. The little blackened parts on the tortilla add a perfect smokey flavor to this soft and chewy wrap.

This is where I get into trouble.

I should have warned you first.

I can usually only make it halfway through the burrito before I start unfolding all the extra tortilla goodness and pulling off the excess for consumption. The excess is always there for a reason, but I can’t seem to stop grabbing for just one more super chewy piece before I wrap the burrito back up. Then a few bites later, the ultimate blowout comes, but it was my fault.

For under $3, Burrito Express’ Bean and Cheese Burrito is the BEST in Chandler. It is fully satisfying, especially if you are craving Mexican food.

Lastly, what kind of Cinco de Mayo doesn’t include Selena?! Here’s a really fun tune that’s worth a listen, especially if you haven’t heard it for awhile. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qm8JdfOcQwc[/youtube]