Hubby and I are at a newspaper convention in San Antonio, Texas. We were looking so forward to a break in the wet, cool weather at home to the warm, sunny weather in San Antonio. However, that didn’t happen. So far, we have had one foggy, wet day after another. Hopefully, it will clear up tomorrow, which has been the forecast since we arrived.

We did get out yesterday and explore a bit. Actually, we set out on a quest to find some Mexican tiles for a project I am doing at home. After scouting around to several different places and feeling defeated, we decided to make our way back to the hotel before the 5 o’clock traffic made us late for the conference reception and our dinner reservation.

While Don was driving back, I decided to open my iPad and search for a few more places to check out the next day. I mentioned one to him, and he said it was on our way back to the hotel, so we would go check it out first. I love my husband!

We could see from the décor on the storefront that it was a “eureka” moment. The old house converted to tile store was trimmed with colorful Mexican tiles, and once we walked in we were in tile paradise.

We immediately started searching for just the right tiles and, within 30 minutes, we had laid out the design with a little help from one of the store managers. Don figured the amount of each tile that I needed, and before I even had time to change my mind, we were on our way home. I can’t wait to get started on that project!

We made it back in plenty of time to meet our other obligations, which is where the recipe comes into play.

We had reservations at one of the restaurants on the premises with the executive director of the Arkansas Press Association, Tom Larimer, and his wonderful wife, Pam. We have been to many events with them in the past years, but usually our dinners are with a group, so there is not much one-on-one time with them.

The dinner was very enjoyable, and we were able to visit with each other outside of the conference material. We learned many different things about each other, one of them being Tom and I were both raised in the country. Well, I don’t know if Tom was actually raised in the country, but his grandfather lived in the country.

We both know how to prepare a fresh chicken for dinner (and that is all I’m going to say about that), and how to skin squirrels and rabbits – and all that other stuff that hunters and country folks do with raising their own food.

But Tom was one up on me. He started talking about eating squirrel gravy and cat head biscuits. That’s where I had to say “excuse me”? Why had my grandmother never taught me about these? My interest was aroused!

As soon as I got back to the room, I started researching the two. I found that to make squirrel gravy, you soak a squirrel overnight in salt water. The next day, you put the squirrel in a large kettle, cover it with cold water, salt and pepper it, and then cook it until it is tender. With about two cups of the broth, make gravy as normal with a small amount of shortening, flour and milk. I’m not sure how this tastes, and I don’t remember ever having it, although I probably have at some point.

As far as the cat head biscuits, I just am so glad to learn that their name is because of the size of the biscuit and not the ingredients! Cat head biscuits are basically a regular biscuit recipe, but instead of making small or medium size ones with a biscuit cutter, you need to scoop up dough about the size of your fist and plop it down on the baking pan. No particular shape is needed. However, I think it would be cute to make peaks on each biscuit for ears.

Anyway, it was an interesting dinner conversation and, as I always say, you are never too old to learn!

Now here is one of my favorite recipes for gravy and biscuits! Meow.

Chocolate Gravy and Biscuits

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cocoa

Dash of salt

2 tablespoons flour

1 1/2 cups milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon butter

Freshly baked biscuits

Mix sugar, cocoa, salt, flour and milk in a skillet over medium low heat until mixture begins to bubble, stirring constantly. Turn down heat and keep stirring until gravy thickens to desired consistency. Stir in vanilla and butter. Split the biscuits in half and ladle chocolate gravy over biscuits.