Vegetarian sausage gravy

Ingredients:
1/2 lb	Vegetarian sausage (I use MorningStar Farms' 6-pack)
3 tbsp	Butter
2 tbsp	Flour
2 cups	Milk (skim works well; higher fat will thicken more and require more for thinning)
1/2 tbsp	Rubbed sage
3/4 tsp	Savory (optional)
(to taste)	MSG, salt, black pepper

Procedure:

Thaw the sausage patties if they are frozen. For MorningStar Farms, I microwave for 2-3 minutes on high with all six patties on one plate.

Shred the sausage patties. I use two forks, one to anchor a patty and the other to pull off chunks. It should look like cooked ground beef when finished, but a little chunkier.

Melt the butter in a large frying pan. Add the sausage and cook on medium heat, stirring regularly, for 5-10 minutes. The sausage should take on a slightly darker color, and the granules will look a little smaller.

Sprinkle the flour on top, one tablespoon at a time, stirring until it is not really visible any more. This is also a good time to mix in some black pepper; I usually go with about a dozen turns of my grinder.

Add the milk and mix until the sausage is evenly distributed. Add the sage. Turn the heat up to high and keep stirring until the milk begins to boil. The gravy should thicken very quickly at this point, so turn the heat down to medium-low until the desired thickness is reached. Add the rest of the seasonings to taste. I usually use about a half teaspoon each of MSG and kosher salt, and sometimes a little more black pepper.

If the gravy gets too thick, stir in more milk to thin it to your liking. It will tend to thicken a bit as it cools, so aim for a little thinner than you want it to be on the plate.

This recipe works great for sausage gravy and biscuits (or, as my wife and I tend to say, "sausage biscuits and gravy"). It should cover 4-6 biscuits, or all 8 of a Pillsbury can if you use enough milk.

Not what you think (macaroni and cheese)

I've been updating my other blog, Ramblings of a Computer Guy fairly often lately with notes about making my own bitters. But, in doing so, it reminded me of this sorely neglected blog. My entries on bitters may belong here, being culinary in nature, but I decided that this blog is really intended for full recipes.

So, without further ado, the pièce de résistance, my favorite recipe, the one I tend to make when first cooking for somebody new... (Insert drumroll here)

Macaroni and cheese!

"Really?" I hear from my future readers. "Macaroni and cheese?"

Some of you may be thinking, "But I can get that out of a box! It's made by some company... What's their name? I think it starts with a K..." You probably don't belong here, but please stick around, you might learn something awesome.

The rest of you are probably thinking, "But that's so simple! Why even bother with a recipe?"

To be honest, I don't. I make it up anew every time. But recipes, with very few exceptions, are only to be made once, maximum. After that, you should be tweaking to your own personal tastes.

So, here you go. This is my own tweaked version of my mother's recipe, and the measurements are estimated, since I've never checked them. Make it and enjoy:

Ingredients:
1 lb medium pasta shells
3 tbsp butter (I use salted, but it doesn't really matter)
4 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp yellow mustard powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, to your liking
1 1/2 cups milk (I use skim)
3/4 lb cheddar cheese, shredded or cubed small
1/4 lb American cheese
1/2 bunch fresh parsley, de-stemmed and coarsely chopped (probably about 3/4 cup)
1 tbsp dry parsley
1-2 tbsp black peppercorns, to your liking, ground
3-4 tbsp Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
Kosher salt to taste, probably about 1 1/2 tsp
Optionally, 1/4 cup white wine

Procedure:
Preheat the oven to 350 (my oven needs 365).

Boil and salt water for the pasta. Par-boil the shells. Try to have them finish at the same time the cheese sauce is ready. Do not rinse unless absolutely necessary, and don't get rid of the pot.

Toss the cheese with 1 tbsp of flour to lightly coat.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan and make a blonde to peanut butter colored roux with the flour. Add the mustard, onion, and garlic powders while it is cooking.

Add the milk and whisk out any clumps. Add the black pepper, cayenne pepper, and about a tsp of kosher salt. Once the mixture is hot, begin adding cheese, stirring almost constantly. Plan for three or four equal additions, allowing it to melt in between. After the second or third addition, add the wine if you like. Its purpose is to prevent the cheese from breaking and to add some flavor. If not using wine, be extra careful with your heat. Add the dry parsley after the last batch of cheese. Season to taste, remembering that it needs to be strong to flavor the bland pasta.

Once both the noodles and cheese sauce are ready, mix them in the pasta pot, along with the fresh parsley. Pour this all into a round oven-safe dish and top with a light coating of breadcrumbs.

Bake for 30 minutes, and let sit for 5-10 more before serving.

Serves about 6 depending on how hungry they are.

I also recommend using gruyère in addition to, or instead of, the cheddar. Something soft like American cheese is necessary to keep the sauce from getting grainy, but please experiment.