Open House Win

We're winners here at the Kiefer Cottage.  Not to say that everyone else is a loser.  Just saying we are most definitely cream of the crop, top of the heap around here.

How do I know this?

We had a great party.  And losers don't have great parties. Winners do.

More than thirty adults and little kids dropped by Saturday morning to wish the girls happy birthday and see our new house in person.  Friends, neighbors, although sadly no enemies.  That's okay. We'll have another party so everyone who is annoyed by us can attend.

Crudites with mint dip, chocolate meringue pie, fresh fruit.

Homemade, from scratch, take all day to make cinnamon rolls.

Deviled eggs with chipotle peppers.

The best gravy I've ever tasted.  And I've tasted a lot.

The most definitive sign of a successful party?  Well, other than people staying well beyond the invitation times, empty platters.  When it's all gone, it means it's all good.

I had several compliments on the gravy.  So I'm going to share this recipe with you. It's been in the family for quite some time. At least 1 week.  My mom sent me the November issue of Southern Living magazine, and there it was. Waiting for a winner like me.

Up-A-Notch Sausage and Gravy

Adapted from Southern Living

1/2 lb mild ground pork sausage

Butter (if necessary)

1/2 package of button mushrooms, quartered

2 minced shallots

1/4 c. flour

1/2 c. chicken broth

1/4 c. white wine

2 c. half-and-half

2 T chopped fresh parsley

1 T chopped fresh sage

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1. Brown the sausage.  Take the sausage out and leave 1/4 c. drippings in pan.  If your sausage is lean like ours was, you'll have to add in enough butter to make 1/4 c. fat.  

2. Add the mushrooms and shallots in for a few minutes.  Then whisk in the flour.  Don't stop stirring!  Cook a minute or so, then add in the chicken broth and wine.  Cook a couple minutes while you scrape the yummy stuff from the bottom of the pan.  Add the sausage back in.

3. Pour in the half-and-half (recipe says slowly, I just dumped it in) and cook for a few minutes until it's thickened.  Stir in the rest of the ingredients.  Cook about 5 minutes. And serve with biscuits.

I needed it to be party ready so I put it in the slow cooker to keep it warm.  I also doubled the recipe for the party.  The only downside is that after a couple of hours, some of the liquid had bubbled off so it got a tad salty. Otherwise, it was worthy of a fistfight.  As in, Ryan and I almost came to blows over the leftovers.

Parties of five are fun.  Parties of thirty are funner.  I hope as the holiday season comes on, you'll enjoy one or two yourself.  And if you're interested in how we made the cinnamon rolls, hold on to your hats because we'll share that soon enough.  Have a great weekend, y'all!