Southern Tomato Gravy ~ a classic

Savory and not widely known today ~

 

I’ve been on the Mediterranean Diet-ish plan for quite a while. I say “ish” because I use their food pyramid as a tool. I’m not fanatical about it. And I don’t restrict myself to Mediterranean recipes. Last week I made a huge pot of rustic American vegetable soup. This week I made rice and beans with veggies (onion, fresh tomato, and green pepper). I’m big on fresh veggies and usually add more than the recipe calls for.

I’ve been serious about restricting beef, butter, and sweets which are at the top of the Mediterranean Diet Food Pyramid (squeezed into that tiny peak). That means what’s allowed is one serving of beef (6 oz), one serving of butter (1 Tbs), one small serving of sweets (candy, ice cream, baked/unbaked deserts) every two weeks. And margarine isn’t even on the pyramid, probably because it’s very questionable health-wise.

However, autumn is here and it’s time to start making hot cereal. I usually have a bowl of organic oatmeal for breakfast with organic raisins (if the supermarket has organic raisins in stock. Other wise I use regular raisins…I’m not an organic fanatic), or I’ll have a bowl of grits.  I eat a good deal more oatmeal than grits because grits is a ‘white’ grain and white foods aren’t favored. Most nutritionists agree, the more color the better. Another strike against grits is that traditionally a huge chunk of butter is stirred in at the table along with salt and pepper. Off and on, I’ve had cholesterol issues and that’s why I’m serious about restricting red meat and saturated fats. Ah, but I love grits.

How to eat grits without butter. The answer is Southern Tomato Gravy. Southern grandmothers made this savory gravy with tomatoes from their gardens they’d canned. My recipe uses store bought canned tomatoes, and I use organic ones. Even though I’ve been talking about grits, Winn Dixie’s bakery had gorgeous biscuits. So, I bought some and slathered tomato gravy on them. Delish. Trust me I made enough tomato gravy to have some on grits later in the week.

SOUTHERN TOMATO GRAVY

Ingredients: 3 Tbs grapeseed oil (or another vegetable oil, not olive oil), 3 Tbs all purpose flour, 1 1/2 C chicken broth, 1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper. Optional: real bacon bits.

Directions: In a fairly large skillet warm the oil and whisk the flour into it, stirring constantly until the flour becomes ‘mooshy’ and golden brown. Then pour the chicken broth in, stirring constantly until the mixture becomes smooth (no lumps), add the salt and pepper and the undrained diced tomatoes. If you have no dietary restrictions, add the real bacon bits here, if you like. Simmer 5-7 minutes, stirring constantly. Serve over grits, biscuits, even over scrambled eggs (or on the side). If, like me, you have heath issues and are cutting way-way down on butter and sugar, you can even slather tomato gravy on a couple of pieces of multi-grain toast and eat it with a knife and fork for breakfast.

 

The American-style rustic vegetable soup I made last week.

 

In HARMFUL INTENT, gal private eye Veronica “Ronnie” Ingels goes undercover taking a gourmet healthy cooking class and that changes her out look on food. Sheriff’s deputy Dawson Hughes enjoys her cooking and everything about her, but remains a meat and potatoes man. All the while they are hunting a viscous killer and things are not what they seems in west Texas.

 

D0 Not Be Anxious About ~ politics

SASSY PANTS LEARNS TO TAKE CARE OF OTHERS by Carol Brown ~ a review

 

From escape artist to protector

This children’s book for grades 1 – 3 charmed me. It’s the perfect book for an adult to read to or with children. The story opens on Farmer White’s woodsy little farm, a place where animals with frazzled nerves to come and heal. On this farm, the animals seem almost human.

Miss Merino, a wise sheep, tells stories that have lessons for the young barnyard animals. These stories explore values and give lessons about fences, boundaries, and rules. And so she begins telling a story about Sassy Pants, who was once a young rebellious piggy.

Sassy Pants begins life as a teeny piglet in Farmer White’s and Mrs. White’s big house where she has a great feeling of belonging. When she gets old enough, she’s brought to the pig pen on the farm where her mother and her father Boss Hog live. She’s intimidated by Boss Hog’s scary looking tusks and his mean sounding deep voice. Sassy Pants wants to go back to the big house and becomes a little escape artist…unaware there are wild predatory animals beyond the fence in the nearby forest who would love to eat a little piggy.

In addition, she becomes a bully to other animals at the farm and is rude and disrespectful to Boss Hog (her dad). In the section titled “The Last Amend” Sassy Pants apologizes to Boss Hog and they forge a new father-daughter relationship. She also begins doing helpful deeds for other animals at the farm. Her dad has been walking the fence for years and telling Farmer White if there are any weakness that would allow wild predators inside. One day he takes her with him to walk the fence because he feels her former fence escape artist tactics (skills) would make her the perfect one to take over for him in walking the fence as he is getting older.

My favorite part of the story is when her dad wants to change her name to Petra, the rock. She no longer feels like the escape artist, disrespectful little piggy. She feels transformed into a new creature, so she agrees to the name change.

Purchase SASSY PANTS LEARNS TO TAKE CARE OF OTHERS on Amazon