Grandma's Grease Gravy

This is my childhood.  These are my memories of my Grandma Neva.  Summers and holidays spent deep in southwestern Missouri, high up in the Ozarks doing food the right way.  Waking up every morning to the heavenly aroma of breakfast meat and grease gravy.  And if it was over biscuits- that was special.  Frist day was always on biscuits, leftovers the next morning was always on ripped up white toast (my personal favorite way).  Until about the age of 12, I thought that everyone else in the world was mistaken on what "Biscuits and Gravy" was.  I can remember asking myself, "Why were making that thick white "flavorless" gravy?  Didn't they know that it's supposed to be brown?"  I had no idea that  Grandma was on to something with that gravy.  That other people did not even know about Brown Grease Gravy.  So, for my family, here is Grandma's recipe for her amazing Grease Gravy that is a part of all of our memories and childhoods.  Her secrets were using pancake mix instead of flour and water instead of milk.  These were just accidents in the beginning.  No milk-ok try using water.  No flour- ok I got some pancake mix.  Stretching a meal for a family of 7 and then for an extended family of many is no easy task.  But Grandma always made due with what she had.  And nobody ever went hungry.

1 lb. roll of sage breakfast sausage (sliced into patties)
4 T. of pancake mix (I use Bisquick)
2 1/4 cups of water (divided)
1 pkg. roll of biscuit dough (I used Grand's Flaky Layers)

-Preheat oven to 350*.  In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown both sides of sausage patties.  Once the sausage is fully cooked (no longer pink inside), remove to a paper towel covered plate to absorb grease; set aside.  Add pancake mix into the hot grease and stir well to create your rue.  Pour in 2 cups of water and whisk continuously while still cooking over medium-high heat (don't leave your gravy unattended-it will get lumpy or even burn).  Your gravy will begin to thicken after you reach the boiling point.  Once it does and becomes nice and frothy, reduce your heat to low and still keep stirring it well.  Meanwhile, bake your biscuits for 16-18 minutes or until the tops are a deep golden color.  Once you are ready to start plating it up, if your gravy is too thick- you can stir in that last 1/4 cup of water.  Serve biscuits and sausage with some scrambled eggs and a healthy pour of gravy covering it all.  That's how Grandma made it, so that's how I'm making it. Serves 4-6.  Enjoy!