Recipe(tried): Turkey, chicken, beef, and pork gravy

Gravy seems to be the one part of the meal that
few people do well. Here's an easy and delicious solution for that.

When roasting a turkey, chicken, pork, or beef roast, cook it in a pan with a rack. This is to hold the meat above the pan and allow the drippings to collect in the bottom and flavor the gravy.

For a turkey, or chicken:
First pour water about 3in. deep into the bottom of the roasting pan. Add one yellow onion, peeled and quartered.
Place the turkey or chicken on the rack and then into the pan over the water, and cook as directed.
During cooking, continuously check for water evaporation and add more as necessary.
When the meat is done, remove the meat and rack from the pan, and set aside.
With a slotted spoon, remove the onions from the liquid and discard.
Pour the liquid, that has now been flavored with the meat drippings and onions, into a sauce pan and heat to a simmer. Add approx. three tblsp.(more or less) of chicken or turkey base (these two are interchangeable when necessary) and stir in one tblsp. at a time until it suits your taste. This base is very salty so add it carefully and taste as you go.
Into one half cup of cold water, stir in enough corn starch until thick, but still very pourable.
Slowly add the cornstarch and water mixture to pan liquid, stirring constantly over the heat, until it is the consistensy you want. Discard any leftover cornstarch mixture.
Pepper to taste.

For roast beef or roast pork gravy, it's pretty much the same thing, except that in addition to the onion in the bottom of the pan, add six cloves of sliced fresh garlic and three or four bay leaves to the water in the pan. Of course, instead of turkey or chicken base, add beef or pork base depending on what meat you're cooking. Add the cornstarch mixture and pepper as above.

**For those of you who aren't familiar with turkey, chicken, beef, and pork base, you will find them in small jars in the grocery store next to the boullion. Base is far superior to boullion for flavoring, and just the greatest for gravies, or making stock.

*A tip for making delicious fried chicken gravy: Add a tablespoon of sugar just before it's finished cooking.