BATTER FRIED CHICKEN

8-10 pieces of chicken thighs and legs
2 cups of pancake mix
1 teaspoon ground oregano.
1 teaspoon chili powder.
1 teaspoon ground sage.
1 teaspoon dried basil.
1 teaspoon dried marjoram.
1 teaspoon pepper.
2 teaspoons season salt.
2 teaspoons paprika.

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Combine pancake mix, all spices and herbs in large bowl. 
Coat chicken well with dry mixture; shaking off any excess mix. 
Heat oil in a deep-fat fryer or large deep skillet to 375° F.
 Fry 3-4 pieces at a time in hot oil about 10-15 minutes or until golden brown and internal temperature is 165° F.

Catch A Husband Cake

Ingredients :

For the Cake:

1 can condensed milk

1 can evaporated milk

1 cup coconut milk

500 grams flour (2½ cups)

1/2 cup sugar

3 large whole eggs

3 tablespoons margarine

For the Icing:

1 cup coconut milk

2 tablespoons sugar

1 cup shredded coconut

Directions :

For the Cake:

Blend all ingredients for cake in a blender.

Place in a greased and floured Bundt pan.

Bake at 350?F until golden brown, 30 to 60 minutes depending on the oven.

Insert a toothpick to check doneness. If it comes out clean, remove cake from oven.

For the Icing:

Put the coconut milk, sugar and grated coconut in a saucepan, stirring occasionally. Bring to a boil, let it cool a bit, then pour over hot cake. The icing mixture will look like condensed milk when done.

BEST CHICKEN SALAD EVER

Ingredients :

4 boneless chicken breast, or chuicken tenders cooked and chopped/shredded

1/2 C. onion, chopped

1/2 C. celery, chopped

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Dressing:

1 C. mayonnaise

1/2 C. sugar

1/4 C. vinegar

1 tsp. prepared mustard

1 tsp. salt to taste

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 ts onion powder

1/2 c sour cream

Directions :

Combine cooked chicken, onion and celery, salt and pepper and onion powder. Mix all dressing ingredients together and pour over chicken.   Serve with crackers or as a sandwich.

Ingredients :

4 boneless chicken breast, cooked and chopped/shredded

1/2 C. onion, chopped

1/2 C. celery, chopped

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

1/2 C. to 1 C. dried cranberries

Dressing:

1 C. mayonnaise

1/2 C. sugar

1/4 C. vinegar

1 tsp. prepared mustard

1 tsp. salt to taste

1/4 tsp. pepper

Directions :

Combine cooked chicken, onion and celery, salt and pepper. Mix all dressing ingredients together and pour over chicken.

Note: Add more dressing if chicken salad is too dry. White meat tends to "soak" up the dressing.

Lemon Pound Cake

MAKING THE CAKE

For the Cake

4 lemons

3 cups cake flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

3 cups superfine sugar

6 eggs

1 cup sour cream

For the Glaze

2 lemons

2 cups powdered sugar

Directions :

Preheat oven to 300 F.

 (clean) lemons – only the yellow , not the white .

Chop the top and bottom of the lemons to reveal the flesh of the lemons and continue with carefully removing the rest of the pith.

Cut the naked lemons to small Cubes and remove seeds and put in a bowl.

In a small bowl, mix together sugar and the zest, cover and let it sit.

Add to a bowl the Baking soda, flour and salt, mix and let is sit.

In a mixer – mix the butter and sugar for few minutes until well blend. Start adding the eggs one by one slowly.

Gently mix the rest of the ingredients, lemon juice and lemon cubes.

Grease a 16-cup tube pan. Transfer the mix to the pan.

Bake for about 30 minutes and test, bake longer if necessary.

Take out of pan and let cool down.

Juice the remaining 2 lemons. In a small bowl, slowly add the powdered sugar to the and stir until smooth. It should look thick but GIGGLY.

Pour the glaze over the cake and let it harden.

CHICKEN AND DRESSING W/ GRAVY

Ingredients :

cornbread (about 4 C. crumbled)

1 whole chicken , cooked and cubed

1 10.5 oz. can cream of chicken soup

1 tsp. poultry seasoning 

2 eggs, boiled and chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 tsp. black pepper

3 celery stalks, diced

2 C. chicken broth

2 T. melted butter

1/4 tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and pour into a 9 x 13, lightly greased casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes or until set.

Gravy:

1/2 C. unsalted butter

1/2 C. all purpose flour

1 quart chicken stock

1/3 C. heavy cream

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

pinch of cayenne pepper

melt butter then add flour and pepper , cook for 2-3 minutes
add stock cream and til it thickens for 5-6 minutes on low heat.
salt to taste.

Coconut Cake

Ingredients :

Makes an 8-inch triple layer cake

For the cake:

5 large egg whites

½ cup of milk

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

3 cups of cake flour

2 and 1/3 cup sugar

4 ½ teaspoons of baking powder

½ teaspoon of salt

2 sticks of unsalted butter (8oz.) at warm room temperature

1 cup unsweetened coconut milk

2 ½ cups of sweetened flaked coconut for garnishing cake

Directions :

1. Preheat the oven to 300F degrees. Butter the bottoms of three 8-inch round cake pans. Line the bottom of each pan with a parchment paper and butter the sheet.

2. Put the egg whites in a bowl and whisk slightly. Add the ½ cup of milk and the vanilla and whisk to mix thoroughly; set aside.

3. In a large mixer bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low, beat dry ingredients well in order to break up any lumps. Add the butter and coconut milk on low speed and beat just to combine. Raise the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy about 2 minutes.

4. Add the egg white mixture in 2 or 3 additions, scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition. Divide the batter among the pans.

5. Bake for 30 minutes or until a cake taster inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in their pans for 10 minutes. Then turn the cakes out and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

6. To assemble the cake, place one layer, flat side up, on an 8-inch cake round. Cover this layer with 1 cup of the buttercream frosting. Spread it evenly all the way to edge of the cake. Then sprinkle ½ cup of shredded coconut on top. Add the second layer and repeat the process. Top with the final layer of cake and frost the top and sides of the cake.

7. Place the remaining 1 ½ cups shredded coconut on a large baking tray. Pick up the cake and hold it on the palm of one hand over the tray. Using the other hand scoop up the coconut and press it to the sides of the cake. Continue with this process until the sides of the cake are covered. Set the cake on a serving plate and sprinkle any remaining coconut on top of cake. Chill cake for at least one hour to allow frosting to firm up a bit.

Cream cheese buttercream frosting

12 ounces of cream cheese slightly chilled

1 stick of butter plus 6 tablespoons of butter (7 ounces) unsalted butter at room temperature

1 cup of confectioners sugar, sifted after measuring

2 teaspoons of granulated sugar

¼ cup of water

3 egg whites

1. Place the cream cheese in the bowl of a mixer and beat on medium speed until slightly fluffy and smooth. Add the butter 1-2 tablespoons at a time, mixing until smooth. Add the confectioner’s sugar and vanilla and mix until fluffy. Set aside at room temperature while buttercream is made.

2. Combine the granulated sugar and water in a small heavy saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Continue to cook without stirring until the syrup reaches the soft sticky stage 

3. Meanwhile, place the egg whites in mixer bowl and have the mixer ready to go. When the syrup is ready, turn the mixer on med-low and begin mixing the egg whites. Slowly add the hot syrup to the whites .When all the syrup is mixed well, raise the speed on the mixer to med-high and beat the egg whites until mixture has cooled and meringue is stiff.

4. With the mixer on low, begin adding the cream cheese mixture by the spoonful. When all is mixed well, raise the speed to medium and whip until frosting is smooth 

Dirty Rice

Ingredients :

1 lb. ground meat

3 cups uncooked long grain white rice

4 tbsp. Creole Seasoning 

1 1/2 tbsp Dehydrated Sweet Bell Peppers

1 tbsp. minced Onion

1 tbsp. minced garlic

1 tbsp. soy sauce

6 1/2 cups water

2 tbsp. of butter

sprinkle of paprika on top for taste

Directions :

Brown ground beef in large skillet on medium-high heat,  ground it up in very small pieces, drain and set aside. 

In a large saucepan bring water to a boil add all the seasonings and butter stir until mixed. Then add the meat and rice; return to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 25 minutes or until rice is tender. Remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with fork before serving. sprinkle with paprika 

Caramel Cake II

CAKE

3 sticks butter

3 cups sugar

5 eggs

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/4 cups whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

MAKING THE CAKE

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Cream the butter, sugar and eggs together and beat well. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the milk, and then add vanilla. Beat in a mixer bowl or with a hand mixer until the batter “ribbons.” Pour batter into three greased and floured 9-inch cake pans. Bake for about 30 minutes and use a toothpick to check to see if it is done. This cake can also be made in a 9-inch x 13-inch pan, which will need to be baked for about 45 minutes. Cool layers on a cake rack before icing.

ICING

2 sticks butter

1 (16 oz.) box of light brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup evaporated milk (canned)

2 cups sifted confectioner’s sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

MAKING THE ICING

Place butter, brown sugar and salt in a saucepan. Heat, stirring until the brown sugar is well dissolved. Add milk and continue stirring until blended. Let bubble (at an easy boil) for approximately 4 minutes. Stir constantly to avoid sticking. Set hot mixture aside to cool for several minutes. Using mixer, add confectioner’s sugar and vanilla. You will see it turn lighter and caramelize. When you’ve reached the desired consistency, ice the cake, placing some of the icing between the layers.

CHEWY GLUTEN FREE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Ingredients

·         1/2 cup (1 stick ) butter at room temperature

·         1/4 cup granulated sugar

·         1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

·         1 tsp vanilla extract

·         1 large egg

·         1 1/4 cup  OF gluten free baking mix

·         1 cup  semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

1.       Using a mixer, cream butter and sugars in a large mixing bowl.

2.       Add egg and vanilla and beat again until combined, scraping sides of bowl .

3.       Add gluten free baking mix in two batches and mix again. It won't be so thick that you can't continue mixing it, but it should appear "doughy."

4.       Stir in chocolate chips, cover and refrigerate for at least 2-4 hours until . You should be able to roll the dough into balls before baking.

5.       Preheat oven to 3 degrees F.

6.       Once chilled, scoop out rounded Tablespoon amounts of dough, roll them into balls and place them 2 inches apart on a baking sheet.

7.       Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are just slightly golden brown. Remove from oven and let rest on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to several days. Freezer for longer term storage. 

Strawberry Ener-G Drink

Ingredients 

• 1 cup Freeze Dried Strawberries
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup white grape juice
• 1/4 - 1/2 tsp Green Coffee Bean Powder (the powder of about two capsules broken open)
• 2 tsp Acai powder
• 4 cups cold filtered water
• ice
• freeze-dried or fresh strawberries, for garnish

Instructions

1. Add the freeze-dried strawberries, sugar, white grape juice, green coffee bean powder and acai powder to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer for ten minutes.
2. Pour the strawberry mixture into a fine mesh strainer, capturing the liquid in a wide lipped cup or bowl. Gently push the liquid out of the strawberries. Reserve the strawberry pulp for use on pancakes or baking. Allow the syrup to cool.
3. Add a few strawberries (freeze-dried or fresh) to the bottom of two serving glasses and top with ice. Divide the cooled syrup among the two glasses, then two cups of cold filtered water to each.
4. To be even more  authentic, add everything to a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously before pouring back into your serving glass.
5. Top with the remaining strawberries reserved for garnish and serve immediately.

SHREDDED CHICKEN CHEESY TACOS

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound  chicken breast or chicken tenders which I use
1 packet taco seasoning (or use homemade)
20 corn tortillas
1 cup shredded mexican blend cheese cheese
oil, for frying
shredded lettuce, sour cream, tomato,  cilantro is optional , onion for topping

DIRECTIONS:

SEASON CHICKEN WITH CUMIN- SALT PEPPER AND GARLIC POWDER

In a medium skillet, brown chicken until cooked through, 2 minutes per side

Then add a cup of water and cover with a lid and cook for 6 minutes on low

 break it up with 2 forks as  cooks. Shred it really well.
Stir in the taco seasoning with. Stir to coat the meat in the seasoning. Remove from heat.
Heat 2 inches of oil in a large, deep skillet over medium high heat to 375 degrees.
Warm the tortillas in the microwave (in the shell warmer) 60 seconds or until soft and pliable.
Use a dinner spoon to scoop a small amount of meat right down the center of one tortilla. Fold the tortilla in half and grab it with kitchen tongs. Place the folded taco in the hot oil, continuing to hold it closed, and cook until the taco will hold it's own shape, about 20 seconds. Let go of the taco and continue cooking about 2 minutes per side, or until as crispy as you'd like. Repeat with remaining tacos, being sure not to overcrowd the pan.
When the taco is ready to come out of the oil, fold up a thick wad of paper towels in your hand. Pick the taco up with the tacos and gently tilt to allow grease to drain out, place in the wad of paper towels, and squeeze lightly to remove more grease. Make sure you have enough paper towels in your hand so that the grease does not soak through and burn your hand. Place the taco in a paper towel lined pie plate and repeat with remaining tacos.
When the tacos have cooled enough to handle them, stuff each one with a bit of the grated cheese.
Serve with your favorite taco toppings.

CHICKEN SALAD SANDWICH

Ingredients

2 cups chopped rotisserie chicken, skin removed
1/2 cup diced celery
1/3 cup diced carrot
1/3 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup mayonnaise with olive oil
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
Pinch of paprika
Freshly ground pepper
6 sourdough rolls, 

Combine the chicken, celery, carrot, red onion, mayonnaise, mustard, celery salt, granulated garlic, paprika and 1 teaspoon pepper in a bowl. Mix until combined.

Sock-It-To-Me Cake

3 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sour cream

1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup chopped, toasted pecans

Preheat oven to 325F. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan.
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vegetable oil and the eggs, adding one in at a time. Mix in vanilla extract.
stir in the flour  and the sour cream, making sure to end with an addition of the flour and other dry ingredients. Mix only until no streaks of dry ingredients remain visible.
In a small bowl, stir together cinnamon, brown sugar and toasted pecans.
Add half of the cake batter to the prepared pan and spread it into an even layer. Top evenly with cinnamon mixture, then spread the rest of the cake batter on top. making sure the nuts are in the middle.
Bake for about 45 minutes to one hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool the cake completely in the pan, on a wire rack. When cool, drizzle with cinnamon glaze.

I love my squeeze bottle- perfect for things like this. 

Cinnamon Glaze
2 tbsp milk
1 cup confectioner sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Combine all glaze ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. If glaze is too thick to drizzle easily, add a tiny bit more milk. If glaze is too thin, add an extra tablespoon or two of sugar.

BLACK EYE PEAS

Ingredients

• 1 - 16 ounce bag of dried Black Eye Peas
• 2 smoked turkey tails
• 1 - Tablespoon of Sugar
• 1 - teaspoon of Black Pepper
• 1 - teaspoon of seasoned Salt or whatever amount  suits you
• 1 - medium Onion, diced
• 10 - cups of water
• 1 ts of powdered chicken broth

Instructions

1. Open package of dry peas and spread out on a large plate or pan.
2. Sort through peas, removing any stones, or sticks and rinse them. 
3. Place peas in a large pot and and add water. 
4.  Rinse under cool running water till clean.
5. In a large pot, place about 8 to 10 cups of water. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat.
6. Place a few slits in your pork seasoning of choice and add to the boiling water.
7. Reduce to medium-heat and let simmer for about 30 minutes.
8. Add the dried peas to the pot of water.
9. Add the sugar and then the black pepper and stir well. Taste to see if more salt is needed.
10. Chop up a medium onion and add it wi the rest of the ingredients listed above. 
11. Bring the peas back to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 45 minutes.
12. Stir the peas often making sure the liquid doesn't boil away. Add more when necessary. 
13. Most beans absorb a lot of salt. Add a little at a time, let cook a minute or two and taste again.
14. Taste the peas for tenderness. When cooked to your liking,remove from heat and serve.
15. always have dinner with family !
16. serve with my hot water corn bread  listed below

For the hot water cornbread:

1 1/2 cups of yellow corn meal
1/2 cup of white flour
1/2 cup of canola oil for cooking or any oil
1 teaspoon of baking soda,
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 cups of hot water
How to make it

Mix all ingredients in a bowl- except the oil- use that for cooking
Stir ingredients as you gradually add the hot water till dough is stiff
Make dough into patties* wet hands with cold water before making patties- to avoid sticking
Fry in pre-heated greased cast iron skillet (if possible)

LEMON MERINGUE PIE

Ingredients

• Pie Crust
• 1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
• Measure flour into a large bowl.
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup vegetable shortening
• Add the salt and shortening.
• Using two dull butter knives or a pastry blender, blend the flour, salt and shortening until the shortening is the size of peas.
• 6 tablespoons ice cold water
• Fill a wide-mouthed glass with ice. Add water to the top. Measure or pour the ice cold water into the flour mixture. Using a spatula or your hands, mix the water into the flour to form a large ball of dough. You may need to add an extra tablespoon of water if you have excess flour. If you added too much water, add additional flour until the dough is well formed but not too sticky. Handle and mix the dough as little as possible.
• Form dough into a disc and wrap in wax paper. Put wrapped dough in the freezer for 10 minutes or the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 325°F. Roll dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Place in a pie plate and gently crimp edges.
• Place pie weights or a heavy lid from a saucepan on the bottom of the pie crust to hold it down. Par-bake at 325°F for 15 minutes so that dough can begin to set.
• Remove from oven and set aside to cool slightly. Reduce oven heat to 325°F.
• Lemon Filling
• 6 large eggs, separated into 4 eggs whites and 6 egg yolks
• First, separate 4 eggs, reserving yolks in a small bowl for the lemon filling and egg whites in a large bowl for the meringue. Since we only need 4 egg whites for the meringue, discard the egg whites from the last two eggs but keep the yolks for the lemon filing. Set egg whites and eggs yolks aside.
• 3 lemons, cleaned
• Zest three lemons with a grater. Reserve 1 tablespoon of zest and set aside. Juice lemons and strain juice, reserving ½ cup of lemon juice. Set aside.
• 1 cup sugar
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• 1/8 teaspoon table salt
• 1 ½ cups cold water
• In a small sauce pan, stir together sugar, cornstarch, salt, and water. Heat over medium heat to a simmer, whisking frequently until mixture starts to thicken.
• 6 reserved egg yolks
• When mixture starts to bubble and turn clear add egg yolks, two at a time, and whisk to combine.
• reserved 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• reserved ½ cup lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Add lemon zest, lemon juice, and butter to saucepan. Whisk to constantly to combine. Once returned to simmer, remove from heat and place one layer of plastic wrap on surface of filling to prevent a skin from forming.
• Meringue Topping
• ⅓ cup cold water
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• Combine water and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture begins to thicken and turn translucent. Remove from heat and set aside.
• reserved 4 egg whites
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• In a large bowl, beat egg whites and vanilla extract with an electric hand mixer on high until mixture is foamy.
• ½ cup sugar
• ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
• In a small bowl, combine sugar and cream of tartar. Add to egg white mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating to combine until mixture forms soft peaks.
• reserved cornstarch mixture
• Add cornstarch mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating to combine. Beat on high until stiff peaks form.
• Assembly and Baking
• Remove plastic wrap from filling and pour into par-baked pie shell. Spread evenly with a spatula.
• Using a spatula, spoon meringue on top of filling by starting along the outer edge and working in. This ensures that the meringue won't sink into the center of the filling. Spread evenly with spatula, then use a spoon to form peaks along top of pie.
• Bake at 325°F until meringue peaks have browned and and base surface of meringue has patches of golden brown, about 18 to 20 minutes.
• Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature. Serve

CHICKEN FRIED STEAK

Ingredients

• 6-8 pieces of Cubed Steak
• 2 cups of ALL purpose Flour
• 1/2 cup of Milk
• 2 Eggs, beaten
• 1 Teaspoon of powdered chicken stock
• 1 Tablespoon of Black Pepper
• 1 Tablespoon of Garlic Powder
• 1 Tablespoon of Paprika
• 2 teaspoons of powdered Chicken stock for the gravy.
• Cooking oil or for frying.
• 1 cup of water
• 1 cup of milk

Instructions

Prepare the Seasoning Flour:
1. In a mixing bowl, place 2 cups of Flour.
2. Add One Tablespoon each of Salt, Black Pepper, Garlic Powder, Paprika
3. Mix the dry ingedients well.
4. Remove 1/4 cup of the flour and set aside for later to make gravy.
Prepare the Egg dredge:
5. Place 2 whole eggs in a pan or plastic container.
6. Whisk or beat the eggs with a fork very well and add milk .
Prepare the steak pieces:
7. Place the steak pieces in a freezer bag 
8. Use a meat tenderizer hammer or the edge of a thick saucer and pound the cubed steak out to both tenderize and flatten the section.
9. Preheat a large skillet to medium heat or just one notch above.
10. Working with one piece of steak at a time, egg wash then  dip it in the seasoned flour, turn and coat both sides well with the flour. 
11.  shake off  excess flour, and add to pre heated skillet
12. Add enough oil or shortening to reach about 1/4 inch depth in the pan.
13. Test the oil to be sure it's hot enough to fry the meat.
14.  place the steak sections in the hot oil, one at a time.
15. Fry until brown on the bottom, about 3 minutes.
16. Turn the steak over, let cook for about 3 minutes or until done.
17. Remove the steak from the oil, place on paper towels to drain.
Prepare the gravy:
18. Leave about 2 tablespoons of the oil from frying in the pan. Do not discard the brown leftover pan drippings.
19. Reduce the heat to about medium-low.
20. Slowly sprinkle the reserved flour into the pan, stirring it into the oil and pan drippings. Let it brown for about one minute, stirring constantly.
21. Slowly add the 1 cup of warm  water,and 1 cup of milk  stirring constantly.
22. Add the Chicken broth and stir well.
23. Add the milk, stir  well and taste.
24. Add salt, black pepper or more chicken granules to reach desired taste.
25. Let simmer until mixture thickens. Test by dragging your finger across the bottom of your stirring spoon. If the gravy leaves a trail where your finger wiped gravy away, it's ready to serve. If it's runny, let simmer for another minute or so and test again.