Crock Pot Brisket, the best I've ever had!

I couldn't figure out why my briskets never came out tender and yummy, then a friend once told the that I "over think things"! Imagine that! If you know me, you know me....I have learned that the best way to cook a brisket is, buy it, take it out of the package, Sprinkle seasoning salt on both sides, fold it with the fat side down toward the bottom of the crock pot, and walk away! DO NOT add juice, water, sauce, NOTHING, just put the lid on, and let it go all day on high, then when you walk in from work to the stomach growling smell, and would like to get dinner going, you can slice off portion that you'd like to use as brisket and season how ever you'd like, then either use two forks and pull apart the rest of the Brisket in the pot, add BBQ Sauce of your choice and make delicious BBQ Beef sandwiches, or slice for Roast with Gravy or Roast Beef sandwiches for lunches. I never cook a Brisket any other way now.

Grandma's Sausage Gravy

My Grandma was born and raised in the Tobacco fields in the hills of Tennessee, and the first time I met her in the mid 1960's, she had raised 12 kids, still cooked on a wood stove, bathed in an aluminum tub, and used an outhouse. Coming to visit from the very modern California, my sister and I couldn't figure out how to flush the outhouse. Grandmas cooking was more delicious that anything I'd ever had, her Biscuits and Gravy were not like anything I'd ever tasted. Eventually, she moved to California, and as the years went by, she taught us her secrets, just plain, good ol' home cooking. She said she just did with whatever she had on hand.

I have tried every kind of sausage that I can find to see how it tastes with this gravy, our local grocery store, Leekers, makes their own Country Sausage, it is by far the best, but, J.B. Rice is pretty good, and of course there is Jimmie Dean, but, as my husband says, Dean has too many "Noogies", small chunks of gristle. Any kind of breakfast sausage will do.

Sausage, you can decide how much you'd like to use, as Grandma said, it depended on how the money was to how much sausage she used.
White Flour
Milk
Salt
White Pepper

Here goes:
Brown Sausage, preferably in an iron skillet, don't drain grease off.
Sprinkle enough flour on sausage to to make an even layer over all sausage
Stir with wooden spoon until all white is gone, this is important, this is what makes what some call a "roux".
Pour enough milk over the mixture to just cover the sausage, with medium heat, continue to stir slowly until the mixture thickens and gets a shiny glossy look. Adjust heat while stirring as needed to not scorch the bottom of the gravy. Salt and pepper to taste.
I use whatever biscuits are available, but, I slather them in butter before I ladle gravy over them. I asked my mom why Grandma used white pepper instead of black, she said it was because the black pepper reminded her of mouse droppings! So, there you have it, very simple, not much measuring, and people young and old tell me it's the best gravy they've ever had! My son's college friends ask if they can come home with him for gravy, so, that in itself, makes it worth making! I can still see my grandma telling my step-dad after he praised her for her gravy the first time he tried it saying in her fine Tennessee twang "Oh, shoot, it's just gravy"

Sweet Potatoes-the champion anti oxidant and anti carcinogen

Digestion: Sweet potatoes make an excellent food for digestion.

Immunity: Very rich in beta carotene, which is a major anti oxidant, apart from vitamin-C and B-complex, iron and phosphorus present in them, excellent immunity boosters.

Inflammation: Like the common potato, sweet potato also has anti inflammatory properties, although it does not belong to the family of common potato. This is primarily due to presence of beta-carotene, vitamin-C and magnesium. It is equally effective in curing internal and external inflammations.

Congestion: The sweet potato is said to be effective in curing congestion of nose, bronchi and

Arthritis: Beta-carotene, magnesium, zinc and vitamin-B complex, among others, make sweet potato a helping hand to cure arthritis.

Water Balance: The fiber or roughage present in sweet potatoes helps retain water. This maintains water balance in the body.

Stomach Ulcers: Sweet potato has a soothing effect on the stomach and intestines. The vitamins (B-complex and C), beta carotene, potassium and calcium are very effective in curing stomach ulcers. The roughage in sweet potatoes prevents constipation and resultant acid formation, thereby reducing the chance of ulcers. The anti inflammatory and soothing properties of sweet potatoes also reduce the pain and inflammation of the ulcers.

Diabetes: The sweet potatoes are said to be beneficial for diabetics. Amazingly, they are very effective in regulating blood sugar lever by helping proper secretion and function of insulin. Of course, that does not mean that diabetics should eat them indiscriminately. The idea is that they can replace their rice or carbohydrate intake with sweet potatoes.

Weight Gain: This is easily understood. The sweet potatoes are sweet as well as contain very good amount of complex starch, apart from healthy vitamins, minerals and some proteins too. Moreover, they are very easy to digest. Thus they provide a lot of energy and are excellent bulk builders.

Other Benefits: They are effective in quitting addictions like smoking, drinking and taking certain narcotics. They are good for the health of arteries and veins, as they protect their walls against hardening. The high concentration of beta carotene (an alternative of vitamin-A) and phosphorus are excellent for ocular and cardiac health.

Nutritional Values for Sweet Potato
Serving Size: 1 potato (3 oz), baked

Calories	90
Fat	0 g
Saturated Fat	0 g
Cholesterol	0 mg
Carbohydrate	21 g
Protein	2 g
Dietary Fiber	3 g
Sodium	36 mg
Vitamin A	19,218 IU
Folic Acid	6 micrograms
Pantothenic Acid	1 mg
Vitamin B6	<1 mg
Vitamin C	20 mg
Vitamin E	1 mg
Calcium	38 mg
Manganese	1 mg
Carotenoids	11,552 mcg
Potassium	475 mg
Magnesium	27 mg

Easy Buttermilk Dumplings

1 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 tsp. Salt

Mix together flour, baking powder, and, baking soda, mix until blended.
add buttermilk and salt, stir just until blended.
Use Ice cream scoop of desired size to drop into soup of your choice.
Cover and simmer until toothpick comes out clean.