Today my brother and sister-in-law are driving the tremendously scenic route from Chicago to Cullman, Alabama – to surprise my 96 year old grandmother. No one has seen her in over a year and a half due to this damn pandemic and she has no idea they are coming. My heart is overfilled with joy – I wish I could be there to hug her…but I’m stifled still.
It seems my own busting seams are growing weary. Tired of fatigue and illness and trepidation. Tired of treating thousands of the tethered and the tormented.
Today I’m 7 months pregnant. As I sit here in solitude, growing my own family, it dawns on me; My once overwhelming desire for “the more” – as in “the merrier” – has become a distant memory. Mindfulness beckons and a motherly sense becomes me. Patience too. Silence is streamlined. Solidarity is sobering.
A sigh. A kick. A thought, with promise of the future.
Making, serving, eating, drinking, socializing is the language I’m most familiar with when it comes to love. Yet, it seems I’ve been abandoned today. Pity on the pour, in the most pronounced of ways. In the least profound of ways. Pity on the poor, poor pour.
The pestilence is external. It will pass.
A call bursts my solemn lull with the jolliest of laughs. A monsoon fills my ears. She is thrilled. She can’t stop talking. The sound is nearly the happiest I’ve ever known. Her solitude stagnancy is broken. Isolation is now porous. Today the more the merrier is in those red dirt hills.
I’m crying. A monsoon fills my eyes. I’m alone, but she, finally, is not.
So now, a meal brought to you by the likes of southern hospitality. Like I’m right there with them.
Papa’s home is in heaven, but I’m guessing he’s paying them a visit too; scarfing down these Black Pepper Biscuits and Gravy, and soaking up that Alabama monsoon.
Feeds 4; Takes 40 min
Ingredients and Method for Black Pepper Biscuits
- 2 cups AP flour
- 1/2 cup salted butter, cold and cubed
- 1/3 cup full fat Greek yogurt
- 2/3 cup + extra buttermilk
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp granulated white sugar
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
In a KitchenAid mixer combine flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, pepper and cold butter. Mix on medium low speed with a dough hook attachment to break up the butter cubes ~ 2-3 min.
Add yogurt and slowly pour in 2/3 cup buttermilk. The batter should be very sticky, but hold together. Add extra buttermilk if needed.
Pour dough out onto floured surface. Mix by hand until just incorporated.
Roll out dough with floured rolling pin to approx 1 in. thickness. Cut with biscuit molds or the open end of a drinking glass.
Place rounds on parchment lined sheet tray.
Bake for 20 min.
Ingredients and Method for Gravy
- 1 package Italian sweet sausage removed from casings (I used Trader Joes), or you can use my delicious homemade sausage recipe here!
- 1 cup full fat milk
- 4 tbsp heavy whipping cream
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme, minced
- 3 dashes cayenne pepper
- 1 tbsp salted butter
- 1 tbsp ap flour
- Salt and black pepper
While biscuits are cooking, fry your sausage until very crispy ~ 10-12 min stirring occasionally. Once the edges are crusty, remove from heat with a slotted spoon and place on a plate. Reserve the grease.
Add butter and flour to the grease in the pan to create your roux. Whisk until combined over med/low heat.
Add milk and bring to a soft simmer while whisking. Add a generous amount of salt (about a tbsp), pepper and thyme.
Turn heat down and add heavy whipping cream and sausage. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add cayenne if desired.
Continue cooking until the mixture becomes thick (or to your desired consistency). Keep on low heat and pour over biscuits when piping hot out of the oven.
Hug your grandparents for me.
What else are we having for breakfast? How about this super healthy and delicious Golden Kiwi Açaí Bowl? Or Corned Beef Migas with Gochujang and Goat Cheese – Drool.
