I bought a lot of ingredients the other day. There's a reason why I did this. Bob and I tend to use a lot of instant gravy packages. Instant gravy packages tend to have a large amount of salt in them. I'm trying to cut down on salt per my doctor.
I ran across a YouTube video the other day and I thought that what this lady did was such a great idea that I wanted to make my own. Click here to view the video. She did a lot of other instant sauce mixes and I will make some, but I wanted to make these 3 instant gravies first.
On a side note, the cost of powdered milk is ridiculous! That bag, that doesn't even weigh 2 pounds, was almost $8.50! That's frigging expensive! The good thing is that I only used 1 cup of it on these recipes.
Some of these items were a stock up. I can't believe I didn't have poultry seasoning, but I haven't bought it in many, many years. I grow everything that's in poultry seasoning and I'm able to grow it and harvest it year round. So, now I have a small bottle of poultry seasoning. I'll have to think of things to use it in. If you have an idea, let me know in the comments below.
I am not stressing on the fact that 2 of these recipes have 1/2 cup of bouillon in each one. I only use 2 or 3 tablespoons per batch of gravy anyhow.
Everything gets whisked up in a big bowl and put into quart canning jars.
Whisk! Whisk! Whisk!
This is an amount that will take us well through next fall and into next winter before I will need to make more. I'm very happy with that. The bonus is that I don't have to corral and contain a gazillion little packets in my cabinet. I'm trying to get away from doing that. Less garbage to haul off. I like that.
On the lid, I wrote the directions. I didn't mind doing this because these 3 jars are now dedicated to holding gravy mixes.
Into the jars. This is my production line.
These 3 mixes will handle any situation where a gravy is called for.
Can I make gravy from scratch? Yes, I certainly can and I do on different occasions. I make really good gravy! An ordinary dinner is just not one of those occasions for us...especially since we're both tired from diving into spring cleaning and Operation Organize the RV Kitchen.
We are just too worn out for anything other than a homemade instant gravy.
Country Gravy
*makes approximately one quart of instant dry gravy mix
2 cups flour
1 cup powdered milk
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper (yes, 1/2 of a tablespoon! You read that right!)
2-1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
Mix everything together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months. I don't know why they said 6 months because this stuff will totally last for a year or better if it's in a sealed jar.
Chicken Gravy
*makes approximately one quart of instant dry gravy mix
2 cups flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup chicken bouillon powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon ground dried thyme
2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
Mix everything together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
Brown/Beef Gravy
*makes approximately one quart of instant dry gravy mix
2 cups flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup beef bouillon powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1-1/2 teaspoons dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon dried parsley
The following recipe directions are for all 3 gravy mixes.
To use: melt 2 tablespoons of fat in a saucepan. I used butter but you can use oil, lard, chicken fat, bacon grease...whatever you'd like. Add 2 tablespoons of instant gravy mix and cook, stirring for 2 minutes to take the raw taste out of the flour. You're making a roux. Pour in 1 cup of milk, water or broth. Make sure your liquid is cold. Whisk and cook until mixture boils and the gravy gets thick.
NOTE: Do you notice how these 3 recipes all start off with 2 cups of flour and 1/4 cup of cornstarch? That's handy.
NOTE: With the brown/beef gravy, when you make it, it will not be very brown. You can add 1/2 teaspoon of a browning sauce, like Kitchen Bouquet when cooking.
NOTE: With the chicken gravy, once gravy comes to a boil and is thickened, you can add 1/4 cup heavy cream to make a delicious sauce for a Chicken Pot Pie.
So, I hope you find these recipes useful because you never know when you might be in a situation where you need to get a meal put together quickly. This fits that ticket quite nicely.
