Caregivers in Garden Oaks, TX – The 2nd Week of September is Biscuit and Gravy Week

During the second week of September your elderly loved one can enjoy some biscuits and gravy. This is a comfort food that they will probably recognize and love. Biscuits have been around for thousands of years, even though die-hard biscuit lovers in the South might beg to disagree, claiming they are a creation of Southern cooking. Early biscuits were much different than today’s tender, soft biscuit with slightly crunchy tops. In fact back then, they were hard, dry and were not sweetened. Biscuits were a cheap food source for the poor.

During the seventh century AD, Persian Empire cooks had learned to enrich their bread recipes with eggs, butter and cream. Early spiced biscuits and gingerbread were born. The modern biscuits of today can be traced back to hardtack used on ships, or creative art made by bakers, or a combination of both.

Biscuits with Milk Gravy

• ¼ cup bacon grease
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ cups warm milk
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons melted butter

1. Heat bacon grease in a cast iron skillet. Add flour and whisk until smooth and bubbly, about 1 minute.
2. Add warm milk slowly and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a low simmer and stir, until thickened, about 5 minutes.
3. Add milk as necessary to control thickness.
4. Season the gravy with salt and pepper. Serve hot over biscuits.

As a caregiver there are lots of resources that can be helpful to you. See below for a few ideas that may help you out:

• Local senior activities or community events
• Crafts or hobbies that can be done with other family members or friends
• Regular trips to exercise classes
• Reading books from public library

Help with daily activities

For the senior who lives alone and wants to stay in their own home, gather together all the family members or friends who have agreed to lend a helping hand. Put them all on a schedule which shows which days they can help and what service they are willing or able to do. Look at the weekly schedule. Are all the days and nights (if necessary) covered? If not, contact an agency providing home care and arrange for a professional caregiver to come in and fill up the times on the schedule your elderly loved one needs some help. Some of the personal assistance they can provide includes bathing and showering, personal hygiene, assistance to get dressed, personal appearance care, transfer assistance and more. Other services often provided include meal planning, feeding assistance, meal preparation and grocery shopping.