Gravy

What I have learned:

1) Making gravy is a piece of cake.

2) Making it more photogenic is a bit more of a challenge!

Since I was making Beef Stew, and remembered that I always end up wishing I had some gravy for it, I decided to take the plunge and make some gravy from the drippings contained in the CrockPot.  Gravy hasn't been something I have tackled recently, since my first (and last, till now) attempt was a little hair-raising. 

(Let's just put it this way... it involved Thanksgiving dinner at my house, my first time hosting, and my Mother-in-Law and my Mom in the kitchen with me both trying to show me how they make gravy.  And no, they weren't the same methods.  I felt like either method I chose, I was going to hurt someone's feelings.  Oy.) 

I want to curl up into the fetal position just remembering that moment.  

But anyway, I'm a big girl now, and I dove into making it on my own using what I remembered of that Thanksgiving near-meltdown. 

Source:  My Mom

Pretty much, you need 3 things to make any kind of gravy...

Drippings from the meat (I started with about 2 c.)-- I used a turkey baster to get the drippings out of the CrockPot and into a measuring cup.  Ideally, I'd use one of those nifty fat-separating cups with a spout, but that will have to wait till I get one!) 

Milk-- I started off with about 1/2 c. 

Flour-- I think I used about 1-2 T.

And just for good measure, I also ended up adding about 1 tsp. (maybe more) of beef-flavored soup base.  If I were working with chicken or turkey drippings, I'd use a chicken flavored soup base. 

Directions:

1.  In a saucepan, heat the drippings on medium heat. 

Here's the part that my Mom swears by... and I think I'll end up swearing by it, too...  

2.  In a Tupperware shaker, combine the milk and flour.  Shake well till flour is mixed thoroughly with the milk. 

3.  Stirring constantly with a whisk, add the milk mixture to the drippings. 

4.  Add soup base.

5.  Continue stirring for several minutes.  Gravy will thicken. 

Verdict:

Keeper!  The Mr. said that his Mom, a gravy expert, would love it.  That's good enough for me! :)