Feast logo

Food for the Soul

Love through my grandmother's cooking.

By NaTyshca PickettPublished 4 years ago 3 min read
2

Growing up I’ve always felt like an orphan. I knew who my parents were, however, they were not around to raise me. I was fortunate to have my grandmother, Madea (short for Mother Dear). Madea carried a silent strength. She never raised her voice, but you knew when she meant business and when she cooked, he was about her business.

My grandmother and her food brought me the comfort that I needed as a child who did not have the love of her parents. My grandmother made sure that I did not go without and tried her best to make up for the void I felt growing up without my parents.

She was born 1929 and a granddaughter to slaves. She’d always say that we come from a family of resiliency and food was the one thing that brought her community during those times when others were feeling hopeless. Although temporary, food was a small relief to that trials of what many were going through in the southern states of the U.S.

Having huge family gatherings on a Sunday was a tradition. It was customary to attend church and then go to the matriarch’s house to have a feast. It wasn’t uncommon for the pastor to be in attendance either.

My grandmother could make anything from scratch, so asking her to write a recipe was not going to happen. I had to learn to watch her and either write the recipes myself or commit them to memory.

When she cooked, you felt the love in her food and she’d always cooked enough to feed the neighbors. She would even make plates to give to the local homeless men and women.

My grandmother was also a storyteller. She told the best stories when we were cooking on Saturday night for our big family Sunday dinner.

Many raved about the flavors of her food. One of the recipes, that I had the liberty of remembering was her famous homemade biscuits with sausage and gravy. This recipe is the ultimate comfort food. It's simple to make and satisfying to the soul. It also takes me back to the time I was in the kitchen with my grandmother helping her roll out the dough and listen to gospel music on an early Saturday morning. My grandmother died almost three years ago, but I will never forget the love she shown to others by sharing her joy of food with them.

Homemade Biscuits Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 cups pastry flour

• 1 tablespoon baking powder

• pinch of salt

• 3/4 cup whole milk

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. In a small mixing bowl, mix pastry flour, baking powder, and salt. Next pour in some milk and vegetable oil and stir until dough forms.

3. Roll the dough out on a cutting board to about 3/4 inches thick. Cut dough into biscuits using a cookie cutter.

4. Light grease a cookie sheet with cooking spray then place your biscuits on the cookie sheet. Spread the biscuits out on the sheet so that they do not touch.

5. Bake biscuits on the center oven rack at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown.

Sausage and Gravy

1 (16 ounce) can refrigerated jumbo buttermilk biscuits

1 (9.6 ounce) package Jimmy Dean® Original Hearty Pork Sausage Crumbles

1/4 cup flour

2 1/2 cups milk

Salt and ground black pepper to taste

1. Bake biscuits according to package directions.

2. Meanwhile, cook sausage in large skillet over medium heat 5-6 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently. Stir in flour. Gradually add milk; cook until mixture comes to a boil and thickens, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Split biscuits in half. Place 2 halves on each of 8 plates; top with about 1/3 cup gravy.

humanity
2

About the Creator

NaTyshca Pickett

My love for writing and storytelling has allowed me to publish my first children's book, My Happy Ears. I am also the Editor-in-Chief of Arizona Coffea Magazine, a magazine that highlights the Black community in Arizona.

azcoffea.com

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.