100% food storage. Last grocery trip was November 2023 and today is March 3, 2024.
As I previously posted, we had mashed potatoes and chicken the night before last. I made extra for lunch/dinner the next day.
I wanted gravy with it the first night, but didn't want to bother making it. However, I knew when I had the leftovers the second day I would get my gravy. I wanted 'white' gravy or 'country' gravy, which I love and was craving, but I have always, (always) made it homemade.
I've never in my life made gravy from a mix or a powder.
I taught myself to make gravy as a teen by watching my mother and grandmother and honestly have never, ever bought a gravy mix in my life. My kids now also only make gravy from scratch - brown gravy and white, country gravy (sausage gravy)... biscuits and gravy are a favorite and they all make them from scratch.
I picked up a couple of these at Sam's Club at some point in the past few years and I knew I had them in long term storage, although I had never opened one or tried one because... hello, I seriously just make it all from scratch.
Well, homemade country gravy takes milk, and yes, I was prepared to either use evaporated milk, reconstituted with water, or mix up a container of Country Cream milk....
Speaking of which - This is Country Cream milk and I think is by far the best tasting instant milk (or powdered milk) out there. Seriously. The preschooler even prefers this over store bought whole milk. Vitamins D and A, and real milk. That's it. Wholesome and good - and creamy. I do use regular store brand dry milk powder (like Carnation or Walmart Great Value Brand) for every day (prior to food storage living) for my pizza dough, etc. but I wouldn't drink it.
This is the stuff that is drinkable.
Anyway! I remembered I had gravy mixes in our 2-3 year old pantry and grabbed one, wondering if I needed to use milk to make it.
You don't! It's just add water.
I kind of chuckled and laughed at myself... being middle aged before I ever learned how to use a 'mix' to make gravy.
So, 1 1/2 cups of water put to boil while you mix 3/4 cup gravy mix with 1/2 cup cold water, then add it to the boiling water. I kept it on the heat and whisked until it just got thick, then removed from heat.
First taste test: well, it's not homemade.
Second taste: Ok, not homemade, but... still ok.
Placed it on my mashed potatoes and started to eat my dinner.
Third and Fourth bites: this isn't bad at all.
After that I just really liked it. It's creamy, smooth and good! I finished off almost all of it, because truth is, I'm a gravy girl. I only eat potatoes or biscuits with it because it's probably not socially acceptable to eat it as a soup with a spoon. Ha ha.
I am thrilled with this product not only because it actually tastes good (and mine is like, at least a couple years old at this point - I didn't bother going to check the best buy date on it because I'm in the office typing this and the product is in the kitchen) but because this is a GREAT option for food storage.
Just add WATER.
That's it.
Now you have a pantry friendly gravy you can also add sausage to for biscuits, ground hamburger to for hamburger gravy on potatoes, use as is for chicken, potatoes, etc.
