what are the best an easiest

[grizzardmommy]

Things like cream of soups and such to make yourself. Im trying to reduce my prepackaged stuff and need some help. Also how do you store them?

[myclanof6]

When I make gravy, I try to use any bits that are left over from whatever meat I'm cooking, but not always. Add a few tbs of butter or oil to pan, I like to s&p the butter, then add about same amount of flour and stir til it starts to get a little color. Add chicken/beef/veg stock depending on what you are making, add about 2 cups maybe, then add as needed to thin out. I always add some milk to mine (we drink 1%) to give a little richness to it. I always make a huge pot of gravy, we are gravy people, so I end up using about a 1/4 of butter and flour. You can always add brown rice baby cereal to thicken it or a little cornstarch if you thin it out too much.
ETA: You can use this when you are making anything that needs a soup because the soup is basically a gravy. You can add any type of seasoning to it as well and it tastes great. I've used it with shepard's pie and chicken pot pie before.