Recipe: Country Gravy (Sausage Gravy)

This is one of those American staples that I really like; usually found in Southern restaurants and breakfast places. I discovered it's incredibly easy to make at home, great for isolation brunch. Best served over warm plain biscuits but goes great with chicken fried steak or meatloaf too.

Ingredients

1 lb (450g) breakfast sausage
1/3 cup flour
2 cups milk
1 cup water
1 tbspn freshly ground black pepper

Method

If you can find breakfast sausage in packs or plastic tubes this is best, if not cut open the casings on fresh pork sausages. 

Add the sausage to a saucepan and fry until brown, you might need to break up the meat into small chunks. You don't need oil to fry as there's plenty in the sausage itself. Once browned add the pepper and fry to distribute. Add the flour and stir until all the meat is well coated. 

Combine the water and milk in a pourable container like a measuring jug (pitcher). Add in small amounts and stir heavily to combine. 

The flour and meat fat will form a thick white sauce, keep adding till all the liquid is gone then taste. You can add more milk or pepper to taste if desired but this amount gives the consistency I like. Continue to stir on a medium heat until the desired consistency is reached. 

For serving suggestion pour over freshly baked biscuits, being careful to understand portion control.  1 biscuit with gravy can be quite heavy, decide if you want more *after* you've eaten the first. 

The gravy goes well with Southern comfort classics like meatloaf and fried chicken. Comfort food yum!

Review: Junior's Restaurant and Bakery, Brooklyn

Do you have a "go to" place that you take your partner *all* the time? Junior's very quickly established itself as our regular date night haunt when we moved to NYC. Junior's is everything I want in an iconic East Coast diner; good quality comfort food served just right. There's even quirky sitcom-esque regulars like the jovial middle aged preachers that meet there every Friday night dressed in brightly coloured 3 piece suits. Conveniently it is also right next door to the local Alamo Drafthouse, the only cinema chain worth going to in the US. 

Junior's is famous for having (deservedly) the best cheesecake in New York. If you're looking for that iconic, creamy but light classic dessert this is the place for you to go. This is a cheesecake so good you can buy it mail order from the home shopping network. Be warned though the servings are huge, if you're in it for the cheesecake consider skipping the main meal. 

One has to assume that the Cheesecake Factory stole their format from Junior's. Huge platters of food, amazing cheesecake, friendly family atmosphere. It doesn't seem to be hurting them though, with two bustling restaurants one on Times Square and the original in Downtown Brooklyn.

Free pickles and bread are served with every main meal



Potato pancakes with sour cream $5.95USD

The large Jewish population in New York provides an endless array of pickles, deli food and delicious latkes. These potato pancakes are made with mashed rather than grated potato which is a shame but they are very generous and delicous. 

Cheeseburger with Fries and Onion Rings $11.50USD

A classic thick handmade chuck burger cooked to your liking with American cheese and salad. Served with your choice of fries or onion rings. Pickles and sauces on the side so you can mix to your pleasure. An American classic done just right.

Brisket Melt With Fries $18.95USD

They offer a range of hot sandwiches like a brisket melt, cheesesteak and multiple kids of reubens that are all excellent with chewy bread and melt in your mouth meats. Deli sandwiches like pastrami, corned beef, ham and salami are also available with  your choice of cheese and sides. 

Chopped Steak with Double Coleslaw $20.95USD

When you're limited to gluten free or low carb food diners can seem like they offer only egg dishes. Not Junior's though! This chopped steak dish is a large formed meat patty with gravy and peppers and onions; in Japan they call this dish Salisbury Steak and I've always been a huge fan. This one is moist and the gravy is delicious. By default it comes with mashed potatoes and more gravy.

Goulash and Buttered Noodles $22.95USD

Perfect for the brutal New York winter this goulash is warm and hearty. A little spice but not too much on buttered noodles with sour cream and peas. 

Roast Turkey Platter $23.95USD

Roast turkey has always been one of my favourite dishes and I've always bucked against the idea that it should be just a holiday food. The roast turkey platter at Junior's fulfills all of my desires. Rich moist roast turkey, chestnut stuffing, gravy, mash, vegetables and cranberry sauce. Like a holiday in your mouth. They also offer the roast turkey and gravy on an open faced sandwich if you can't face an entire roast dinner with all the sides.

Classic New York Cheesecake $7.50USD

In New York you see a lot of people claim they're the "best" of this or the "highest rated" of that but the Junior's New York Cheesecake is the best cheesecake in NYC. It's repeatedly rated this way and for a reason. Creamy, tangy, not too heavy, not too sweet, the classic recipe that others try to emulate. Worth every calorie.

Sugar Free Cheesecake  $7.50USD

For those of us who watch our carbs or the diabetics the sugar free cheesecake is every bit as good as the original. The cake is baked with sucralose (Splenda) and so lacks the browned top of the sugar filled version  but has the same creamy texture and taste but with less calories, carbs and no biscuit base. This makes it a good gluten free option as well.

Lemon Meringue Pie $6.95USD

They also offer a range of delicious pies including classic American apple, cherry and Lemon Meringue. All are excellent with thick gelatinous fruit fillings that aren't too sweet. Layered cakes like chocolate fudge, coconut, red velvet and carrot cake are also available. The portions are big here too though so think about skipping a main meal if you want a sweet treat. 

Junior's is one of those classic NYC establishments that has been doing thriving business for decades for a reason. Good food, good prices, friendly staff. After a long day of site seeing the continuous refills and giant plates of food are very welcome. Every dish we've had here has been good, you really can't go wrong. If you have fussy kids or a craving for something simple this is the place to go.

Junior's Restaurant and Bakery

https://www.juniorscheesecake.com/blog/restaurants/brooklyn/ 

386 Flatbush Ave Ext

Brooklyn, NY 11201

Family friendly comfort food classics

Come for the cheesecake, stay for everything

Review: Hill Country BBQ Market, Brooklyn New York

One of the best things about moving to Brooklyn has to be affordable living space so that we could have a guest room. This has lead to a regular queue of visitors from Australia wanting to experience the delights of the US. 

What more do you want out of a trip to the US than BBQ? Hill Country has become our stable meat fest for visitors. The Brooklyn venue has live music on Friday and Saturday nights and is conveniently located steps from the Jay St Metrotech Subway. 

We mostly stick to the combination meal of "Cue and 2" which is 2 Meats and 2 sides for $23USD  but there's plenty of add ons if you can stomach the load. The 2 sides does not include the Cornbread which comes included with the meal deal and served with honey butter. You can get another meat for an extra $4USD but even my food loving husband can't finish it.

Chopped Brisket and Spicy Hot Link with Coleslaw and Beans

In America baked beans are a BBQ food, which I find kind of weird coming from the Commonwealth, but it's delicious and includes chopped meat. Hmm. Notice the Brooklyn hipster Mason jars full of cheap beer.

Smoked Jalapeno Hot Link

Moist Brisket with Mustard

Chopped Pork Open Sandwich $10USD

If you can't face a whole meal I recommend their chopped BBQ sandwiches for $10. A smaller serve of meat with pickles, onions and a bun. No sides. 

I love the super casual Texas style eating here. Get a tray and see the meat man, he'll give you a card with a barcode for your order, work through the sides and drinks options like a cafeteria. Seat yourself and gorge. The music is great fun but it's also not jarring so you can easily have a conversation with guests and not worry about it. There's a casual bar and table service for drinks and you can even reserve a table for busy Friday nights using online services like Open Table. Highly recommended. 

Hill Country BBQ Market

http://hillcountry.com/nyc/menu/

345 Adams Street (on Willoughby Plaza)Brooklyn,
NY 11201

Casual Texas style BBQ in an urban setting

New Orleans Culinary History Tour

We spent Halloween in New Orleans and while many go simply to party at Voodoo Festival and Bourbon St I was there to try the famous creole food. 

I found a highly rated culinary history tour and boy did it pay off. All the food shown was included on the tour, drinks had to be purchased, but it was still a bargain. 

We started at Tujague's restaurant, the oldest restaurant in the city circa 1856 which still has the original bar back and old school charm. The hey day might be long gone but it's well worth a stop for a drink especially if you are waiting out the lines at Cafe du Monde. 

We were given a braised beef and hot sauce dish, a little dry for me but a pretty sizeable portion for a walking tour so I figured we were in for a good start!

The tour guide Rose was a font of information and clearly a huge fan of New Orleans. She told us that she fell in love with the city and not only moved their for retirement but went to study it's history at college. This meant she had all sorts of pieces of knowledge about the founding of the city, each quarter, even the architecture of each building. 

We pottered around Jackson Square and she gave us a huge rundown on it's creation, the funding of the buildings and how each came to be residential and business. Today Jackson Square is still filled with artists and bohemians but the building is stocked to the brim with excellent restaurants plying morning after brunch food to die for. 

We were led into a Louisianna specialty shop filled with spices, Jambalaya mix and hot sauces and I thought this would be where we stopped but no! We were taken through into a secret courtyard where a small demonstration space was created. Many of their iconic items were on display and we were ready for our next bite. 

Red Beans and Rice seems to be a staple food of the area, eaten on it's own as a cheap dish or as a side for almost every other main one could think of. To appeal to a wider audience they started with a reasonably bland version but provided many of the seasonings and hot sauces  to add to the dish so we dialed ours up a lot! My favourite had to be the Slap Ya Mama seasoning which was tasty but also gave a little nod to the laid back humour of New Orleans - which as an Aussie resonates well!

 Then we wandered through some of the alleys that run off Jackson Square, it seems like every building in New Orleans has a story.

As an magnet for artists, pirates, thieves and plunderers there are plenty of stories to be told - many of them tall I'm sure. At Halloween though it's plenty of fun to be told stories of adventure regardless of their historical value.

We heard stories of books written, sailors being "Shanghaiied" into service, society madams and more.

Next it was off to Cafe la di Fina for some Italian treats; one of the delights of New Orleans is how ethnically mixed it is. French, Italian, British, American, Caribbean to name a few all blend in hedonous harmony and the food that comes out of it is truly excellent!
Here we got a number of treats, it would definitely make a good stop for those looking for some authentic food or just something sweet to appease some roudy kids



This sandwich was a fusion panini muffaletta. For those uninitiated the muffaletta is a unique New Orleans dish of pressed ham, olive salad and cheese often in a hollowed out Sicilian style crisp bun. It is perfect hangover food and as an olive obsessive I am a fan. This panini version forwent the stacked ham and went for a lighter pressed sandwich..

Afterwards it was time for sweets!

Nutella gelato, perfect in the muggy New Orleans weather. I'm a little suprised that more ice cream shops weren't around the city.

Ricotta canoli, which happens to be my husband's favourite. Very happy.

Afterwards we were off to the old dames of the New Orleans culinary tradition. Antoine's is a sprawling maze of connected buildings that make up one of the most famous restaurants in the area frequented by presidents and popes. 

It features no less than 14 dining rooms including a number of hidden private rooms for visiting celebrities. 

Even if you don't have Hollywood money to dine at Antoine's the front bar is well worth a stop for a soothing cocktail. It feels like something out of another era and is extremely affordable. You never know who you might meet!

Antoine's is particularly famous for its above ground"cellar" a 25000 bottle monstrosity crammed in the alley between two of the buildings that make up the complex. As a wine buff it was a shame we weren't allowed to tour it but given the price tag of some of the wine and the temperature controls it's not surprising. Again we got fascinating stories of the fate of their wine during Hurricane Katrina when the majority of the wine store was lost due to power failure affecting the temperature control. Antoine's is slowly rebuilding it's collecting spending  no less than $10,000 USD a week on high end wine.

For extra fun we stopped in the "Mystery Room" a large secret dining room used for serving alcohol during prohibition including a secret entrance off the ladies room!

Next we were off to the Rex Krewe room. Krewes are the private organisations that put on parades and balls for Mardi Gras season and the Rex group is one of the wealthiest and most fanciful. Memorabilia of Mardi Gras Kings and Queens line the room along with their bejewelled accessories. Fancy and very iconic!

We got to trial some of Antoine's Gumbo but I'll admit without all the additional spices to add this was a little bland for me. With the addition of okra which I find slimey this wasn't for me and I didn't end up finishing it.

Open courtyards and beer gardens are everywhere in New Orleans, much like they are from where I came from in Australia. Live music is everywhere along with cold beer and excellent drinking snacks.

Afterwards it was off to Cafe Remoulade which has a jaunty family friendly vibe and a long oyster bar for those who want to try local shellfish. 

Shrimp and turtle soup are next. As a fan of Victoriana I was very intrigued by Turtle Soup and this is one of the easiest markets to buy it in due to the proliferation of the local Snapping Turtle. This version is quite similar to gumbo and has a rich gravy to it. 

Next we went past Leah's Pralines where I picked up some butter / nut delights to take home to my team at work. Southern style pralines are rather like peanut brittle but where enough butter has been added to give it a soft creamy texture almost like cookie icing. My only critique would be that the use of soft toffee and pecans lacks the snap of nut brittles I so enjoy. Nonetheless it makes a great gift for co-workers.

Our last stop is Arnaud's where we tour a quaint English conservatory style dining room that reminds me of the old department store queens for ladies who lunch. 

We don't stop for food here but instead tour the Mardi Gras Museum upstairs in the restaurant which is a sight to be seen!

The mseum contains Mardi Gras artifacts all accumulated by Germaine Wells, the daughter of the original Arnaud. She was an ambitious socialite who seems to have been indulged by her friends and community. 

Intent on winning the most Mardi Gras crowns she reigned over 22 annual Mardi Gras Balls. While the costumes are amazing and the collection is worth a stop the pictures get increasingly bizarre over time. From debutante teen to middle aged woman the costumes and makeup scene being age appropriate long into the display. 

Worth a stop though particularly if you're in town for Mardi Gras. 

All in all the the food tour was excellent and well worth the cost. Due to the enthusiastic guide and long itinerary we actually ran a little over time and you wouldn't want to put another event back to back with the tour just in case. There was a reasonable amount of walking but it was all slow paced and flat, people with mobility issues would easily be able to enjoy.

New Orleans Culinary History Tour

https://noculinarytours.com/

Food and history walking tour, adults only recommended

Disney Polynesian Village Spirit of Aloha Luau, Orlando Florida

As well as multiple theme parks DisneyWorld has a number of hotels on property ranging from affordable family lodgings to high end resorts. The Polynesian Village is one of the original resorts that opened with DisneyWorld in 1971. 

With no family in tow we were looking for something a little different to do for Christmas dinner and booked the Spirit of Aloha Luau. This is a theatre dinner with tropical food and Polynesian entertainment strung together with a slightly hokey Disney channel style story about a Hawaiian girl leaving her family to make it big in America.

 Truly I was hoping that there would be a Character experience with Lilo and Stitch but instead we got a series of fairly authentic Polynesian dances. Many island cultures were represented including Tonga, Samoa, Maori (New Zealand) and of course Hawaii.

 Costumes were based on real Polynesian national dress and the highlight of the night was an incredible fire dancing display as the finale. Some games and songs appeared during costume changes and of course songs from the soundtrack to Lilo and Stitch were highlighted. 

The dinner is presented in a large tropical bungalow, prices varied based on the view of the stage but even the "cheap seats" had an excellent view. Prices per adult include all you can eat food plus basic beer, wine and sangria $64USD for Category 3 to $74USD for Category 1. 

Tiki style cocktails were available for additional cost like this Pina Colada fit for a Hawaiian King at $14USD

The appetizers were reasonably healthy and included a tangy Coleslaw, Mandarin Salad, Sesame Soba noodles and chunks of sweet Hawaiian pineapple.

The main meal was a hungi / luau style barbecue meat platter including roasted chickens, ribs, pulled pork and an Asian vegetable medley. Gluten free and vegetarian alternatives were available on request.

Further platters were available on request but the servings were generous and we found we were unable to eat the platter presented to us. 

A moist pineapple bread pudding with soft Hawaiian style bread was served for dessert. 

The food was surprisingly good for a family all you can eat dinner and the service and show were Disney quality family entertainment. We had a great time and while it was a little cheesey it was great fun especially for the kids. The dance shows were excellent and the music and comedy were at least Dad Joke funny. 

To top it all off Florida had a heat wave over the holiday break. The heat, food and families dining in tropical Hawaiian clothing made it feel just like Christmas in Australia. We had a great time and would recommend it for someone looking for a different dinner at DisneyWorld. 

Disney's Spirit of Aloha Luau

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/polynesian-resort/disney-spirit-of-aloha-dinner-show/

1600 Seven Seas Drive
Orlando, FL 32830