Chipped Beef Gravy over Homefries

I meant to post this recipe before we left for the weekend. We traveled to our family's cabin on Friday afternoon. The weather was less than perfect (cold and rainy with a little bit of slushy snow), but our time was nothing short of relaxing and necessary. Thank goodness the modern marvels of cell-phone coverage, internet access, and modern cable television have not arrived yet in Blairs Mills, PA. We enjoyed time together, some exploration into neighboring towns (we found a great farm-stand), and some really yummy food - with the exception of a sacrificed beef brisket.

I'm not sure if it's the smoke smell that permeates the cabin [from the heat source - the woodstove] or if I just really enjoy smoked meats, but I thought chipped beef gravy would be a perfect pick for a brunch-time treat.

This recipe is inspired by my dearly departed grandmother (a lady in every sense of the word) and improved upon by my dad. Growing up, my dad was always in charge of Sunday breakfast. Upon entering the car [after church], my dad would yell out, "who wants what for breakfast"? We would then all take turns "placing our orders", go home and change into something much more comfortable, and eat a nice, hearty breakfast so we could then immediately head to our beds for a nice long nap.

This chipped-beef gravy was a favorite and we usually top a toasted english muffin or homefries with this creamy goodness. I am thankful to have a local butcher who smokes their own chipped beef, but in desperate moments have found the paper-thin slices in the bacon section of the supermarket.

I realize that the weekend is over, but maybe you could eat lots of veggies in preparation this week [to compensate for the sodium intake of the gravy]. I also made cinnamon pancakes, and added my new favorite ingredient, "Chobani" non-fat greek yogurt [in place of the oil]. Here are the recipes...

Chipped Beef Gravy with Homefries
3/4 lb chipped beef, sliced into bite-sized stacks
8-10 button mushrooms, sliced
1 small onion, chopped finely
2 T canola oil
3 T flour
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup shredded cheddar
ground pepper
1/2 cup sour cream or Chobani

1. Saute onion and mushroom in oil until browned. Add beef and stir for one minute.
2. Sprinkle flour over beef and stir. Slowly add milk until thick. Add cheddar and pepper.
3. Turn off heat and stir mixture until cheddar is melted. Add sour cream or yogurt and stir until combined. Pour over toasted english muffins.....or.....

Homefries
1 red potato per person, washed and pierced on all sides
1 medium onion, sliced thinly
4 T canola oil
kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper

1. Cook whole potatoes in microwave until just a little soft.
2. Slice potatoes and add with onions to large saute pan. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
3. Cook on medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until nicely browned on all sides and soft.


Cinnamon Pancakes (makes about 7 generously-sized cakes)
2 eggs
2 cups flour
4 T sugar or brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
6 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup milk (more or less, depending on your preference)
4 T greek yogurt (or canola oil)
2-3 tsp cinnamon

1. With a hand-mixer, beat eggs until a little fluffy. Add remaining ingredients and mix on low until just combined.
2. Set aside mixture until you notice air bubbles (about five minutes).
3. Cook pancakes in a non-stick pan (that's been sprayed with cooking spray and butter) on medium heat until browned on both sides.
4. We topped our pancakes with lots of butter, some fresh apple butter [from the Harvest Moon grocery in Orbisonia, PA], and lots of syrup.