Although high in cholesterol, country biscuits and gravy is an  irresistable southern delicacy that is worth breaking over for occassionally.  It is economical and quickly made in less than half an hour.  You probably already have most of the ingredients in your kitchen.  For the biscuits you will need:

• 2 cups bisquick
• 2/3 cup of milk

For the gravy you will need:

• 4 pieces of bacon or sausage patties
• 1/2 cup of cooking oil or bacon drippings
• 1/2 cup of all purpose white flour
• 4 cups of milk
• salt and pepper

Have all ingredients close at hand by the skillet, once this gets going it moves pretty fast.

Preheat oven to 350.

Place bacon or sausage in to a heavy skillet and fry on medium heat.

While the meat is frying, stir up the biscuits:

Pour bisquick into a medium sized bowl and stir in milk until dough is moist and leaves the sides of the bowl.   Then turn out onto a floured board and sprinkle top of the dough with flour.  Now knead, or fold the dough, onto itself, 5 or 6 times.

Using a rolling pin, or even a plain drinking glass, roll out the dough to 1/2 inch thickness and cut out biscuits with a biscuit cutter or the glass that you rolled them out with.  You will have 5 or 6 six biscuits depending on how big you cut them. Place them on a lightly greased baking sheet and on the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 8-12 minutes, or until golden brown.

By now, the meat should be done - put it aside on a warm plate. Do not remove skillet from heat.  You should have about 1/2 cup of grease in the skillet.  If you need to add more its best to use bacon drippings or lard, but cooking oil will do.  Now, quickly stir  about 2 tablespoons of flour into grease until it is smooth.  At this point, you have to decide how thick you want your gravy to be - the flour and grease mixture will be approximately the consistency of the finished gravy.  Keep adding flour and stirring until it is smooth and creamy.  At this point you can also add some salt and pepper. 

Let this mixture come to a simmer while you check your biscuits.

You have to let the grease and flour mix  get really, really, brown - almost burned.  Keep stirring with a wooden spoon until it has taken on a nice rich color, then stir in 2 cups of milk and return to a simmer.  From here you can gauge your consistency again - if it looks like it is going to be too thick, add more milk, up to 2 cups.  The secret to good gravy is stirring constantly during this end stage.  Within three minutes your gravy should be done, but don't hurry it if it takes a little longer.  You can still rescue too thick gravy by adding a little water now.

By now your biscuits will be done.

Arrange two biscuits on a plate and ladle the hot gravy over them.  It should be thick enough to pool up nicely around the biscuits without running all over the plate.  Add your meat and a cold glass of milk and you have got a hearty country breakfast.