When I was a kid, my Mom had several ladies in her life who were also family friends. One of those was a lady named Evalyn Taylor. She had these precocious daughters, younger than I, and was married to this jolly guy named Goldie.
Evalyn seemed to follow me through my growing-up years. First, she was the school nurse at my Elementary school. Then she was the school nurse at my Junior high. And just when I thought I was done with Mom's "spy" (well, that's what I thought at the time- little did I know that she divided her time between schools), she showed up at my high school.
But she also visited our home. Sometimes Mom would watch her daughters, Nancy and Kathleen, aka "toughy" as we called her. She wasn't all that tough.
Sometimes I would stay over at her home in Great Falls, VA. They had a kind of small farm, with horses, peacocks, and other birds, and I loved it to be honest. One year, I went over after Thanksgiving and was treated to Mrs. T's homemade giblet gravy. It was a lot like my Dad's but not quite as good ;)
giblets from the turkey (this means the small internal organs that come all wrapped up)
- 4 cups cold water
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups pan drippings (you could sub with premade broth but it won't be as good)
- 1/2 cup milk (or half-and-half)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 large hard-boiled eggs, chopped
- Place the giblets in a pan of cold water and cook over low heat, adding water as needed, until fork-tender (this may take several hours).
- Drain the giblets and reserve the broth, straining if needed.
- Mash the giblets with a fork, cutting any that aren't tender into small bits, and discard any grey skin or white suet.
- Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan, then stir in the flour to make a roux, cooking over low heat until the flour is slightly browned.
- Whisk in the drippings or broth until smooth
- Add in the half-and-half or milk.
- Add in the spices and test for flavor.
- Add the giblets and the boiled egg, and heat over low heat until ready to serve.