Family recipes are treasures passed down from one generation to the next. They bring comfort and familiarity to our tables today, just as they did to our parents’ tables, and their parents before them. Here, locals share enduring family recipes and tell us what makes them so special after all these years.
By Anna Hill | Photos by Rich Smith
Stephanie Blackiston
with her husband, Tim, and their children|East Chattanooga
“One of the happiest memories in my life was spending the night with my grandparents. After a full day of playing outside, I would drift off to sleep surrounded by my grandmother’s love. The next morning, the aroma of sausage gravy would wake me up. I could hear gospel music and her pulling biscuits out of the oven. These smells and tastes left an imprint on me.
Years later after I was married, I told my husband how much her gravy meant to me. He watched her make it and discovered that the secret ingredient was coffee! Now, my husband makes sausage gravy for me and our eight children. My grandmother left me with much more than a gravy recipe; she left me the recipe of loving my family well.”– Stephanie Blackiston
Sausage Gravy
Stephanie Blackiston
Stephanie Blackiston's family recipe for Sausage Gravy with coffee
32ozuncooked pork or turkey sausage2 (16 oz.) tubes
1stickbutter
1cupflour
6ozcoffee
6cupswhole milk
salt and pepperto taste
Instructions
Brown sausage in a large skillet, breaking into small pieces with a spatula. Leave the heat on. (If using turkey sausage, you may need to add a couple Tbsp. of butter from the stick to help it get crispy.)
While the sausage is browning, in a separate skillet slowly melt the remaining butter; mix flour with melted butter and remove from heat.
Add coffee to the sausage pan and let it boil down for 10-15 seconds; add milk.
Add the flour mixture to the coffee mixture and whisk until smooth. Bring to a boil, stirring slowly as the gravy thickens.
Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve over biscuits with a sliced home-grown tomato for garnish.
Notes
“One of the happiest memories in my life was spending the night with my grandparents. After a full day of playing outside, I would drift off to sleep surrounded by my grandmother’s love. The next morning, the aroma of sausage gravy would wake me up. I could hear gospel music and her pulling biscuits out of the oven. These smells and tastes left an imprint on me.Years later after I was married, I told my husband how much her gravy meant to me. He watched her make it and discovered that the secret ingredient was coffee! Now, my husband makes sausage gravy for me and our eight children. My grandmother left me with much more than a gravy recipe; she left me the recipe of loving my family well.”- Stephanie Blackiston
Stephanie Blackiston
