Gravy; Mountain Dew

[Penny & Bryce Linsenmayer]

Hi --

aichambaye at yahoo.com wrote:

> You cannot make white gravy without sausage and have it come out ok.

Yes, you can!!  :--)

> I don't eat pork but I eat sausgae gravy. Even the mixes are based in
> powdered animal stuff, so I don't think Neil will be eating any.
> Penny, have you ever tried to make "cream" gravy? (No cream in it: is
> this some Yankee name for gravy? When we say gravy it's white. We say
> brown gravy if we mean otherwise!)

Actually, it most certainly can have cream in it!  And, no, as Kelley
pointed out, I "ain't no Yankee" either.  <vbg>  I'm a native Texan, not
a transplant.  My father is a 6th generation Alabamian on both sides.
Now, my mother hails from northern Missouri and my Dad does jokingly
refer to her as a Yankee.  But, I am a Texan.  :--)  I've also seen my
Alabama grandmother make white gravy before, and she does use cream.

>From Southern Living Cookbook (their 20th Anniversary edition) -- there
is a recipe for sage gravy.  I don't know how this would be with
biscuits mind you, but it could be completely vegetarian (substitute
vegetable broth for chicken broth or other "drippings").  That one calls
for half & half (for you Brits, half & half is half milk & half cream).
>From the Houston Junior League cookbook, there is peppered cream gravy
to be served with chicken fried steak -- butter, flour, milk, cream,
salt & pepper (no sausage nor animal drippings in sight).

Granted, most people do make "cream" (white) gravy with drippings from
chicken fried steak, fried chicken or sausage, but it *can* be done
without it.

Kelley said:

> Brown gravy is brown gravy.  Cream gravy is the one that's always served with chicken-
> fried steak.
>
Exactly.  That's how we Texans refer to it.  Brown gravy or cream
gravy.  You want cream gravy with chicken fried steak, steak fingers,
biscuits, etc.  You want brown gravy on your mashed potatoes or with
roast beef.

Heather again:

> It has no taste at all if you don't have enough sausage grease in it.
> I cant imagine how horrible it would be with vegetable oil.

I disagree!  I like sausage gravy myself, but I've had it loads of time
with no sausage and it's just as good.

> Texas is definately in the South, and I apologize to Penny for that yankee crack **grin** Hush my mouth!!
>
Thanks!  I would be taking offense otherwise ... <g>

> I am a person who learns to cook by watching. I'm
> having some people - a texan and two Yankee new yorkers - for chicken
> fried steak on Friday. It must be sausage gravy (or bacon gravy).
>
Your Texan friend will like cream gravy sans the sausage just fine if
you want to try it.  Trust me.

Switching gears to Mountain Dew --

> Surely mountain dew should be just pure water, plain and simple, with
> perhaps a bit of granite: hence the addition of 'diet' would be
> superfluous?
>
It is the most caffeinated soft drink made, as I so unfortunately
discovered one exam day back in law school.  The machine was out of my
usual Dr Pepper, so I opted for the mountain dew.  20 minutes into the
exam I was having a nervous breakdown from the overdose of caffeine.
Terrible stuff!!  I've since gone caffeine-free (for 10 years now).

Penny



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