I may not be able to put a decent plate of crispy, moist, southern fried chicken on your plate but just ask me to bring biscuits and you won't be disappointed! (Aunt Karen - I know I can't bring biscuits to the picnic, but what about if I brought "Darn good biscuits," then could I come? LOL - old joke...)
I told you about the Farm Bureau magazine I found that had all the good beef stew recipes? Well, that's where the biscuit recipe comes from. They are made with country ham, swiss cheese and sour cream along with flour, Crisco and a little bit of buttermilk. THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!! Wally said the meatloaf was wonderful (thank you very much Lizzard) but he could have had just the biscuits and been fine.
I knew they were going to be good when I started mixing the batter. It was so soft and fluffy even with the Crisco cut into it. There was nothing sticky or gooey about it. After the flour and Crisco were mixed together, all the other ingredients go in at once. You mix them together to get them well blended. I used my hands, I don't know what else would have worked because the ham and cheese really has to be well incorporated so that you get a lot of both in every bite.
Once everything is combined, turn the dough out on a well floured surface and roll into a 1/2" disc. My thanks go to Jessica Gutierrez today as she is the one who bought me the rolling pin. It's the old fashioned wooden one with the handles and it was perfectly suited to this purpose. I love using it, I feel like my great-grandmother, Doozie, is watching over me. Hey, maybe that's why they came out so well?
I don't have a biscuit cutter (it's on my list, don't worry) so I used a glass. I would have preferred they be a little bit smaller but Wally liked them just the way they were. I had both flour and dough on my hands, on the counter and in the sink but it was a hugely satisfying sight to see when the floury mess turned into the perfectly rounded biscuits on the baking sheet. Yeah, it's a little messy but get over it - you have to clean the kitchen anyway so why not have warm, soft, buttery, hammy & cheesey biscuits as the payoff? Didn't bother me one bit.
All together it took about 20 minutes to get all the ingredients measured out, mixed together and into the oven. Another 10 minutes and they were done. Brushed with melted butter on top there was just nothing better to be had. The meatloaf was wonderful. It was juicy, tender and flavorful just like always and if I hadn't forgotten it, I would have had a meatloaf sandwhich for lunch today. Instead it's my usual salad but with pepperoncini peppers included today - yummy peppers give crunch and a tanginess to the flavor and texture of the lettuce and cucumbers. No tomatoes - I just can't see paying $2.99 lb for squishy, flavorless, hothouse tomatoes. Soon I'll have my own and they'll be worth the wait. I'm changing it up a little with Italian dressing instead of the mayo and Spike mixture. woo hoo - going out on a limb... ha ha ha
So that was the biscuit part of the posting...
The Back-hoe part is because that is what Wally was doing when I got home. This isn't technically mowing this is more cutting down of the weeds. The blade is higher so as not to cut the grass. The grass is still fresh and tender for the horses to eat so we didn't want to cut that down. It started out he was going to do just the driveway but since the tractor was running well and the weather was cool and sunny, he decided to just keep on going. There are 20 acres cleared around the cabin so he went ahead and got it all including up the sides of the driveway. Of course this meant the daisy-looking wild flowers were cut down but he says more will take their place. Looking out the front door you can see patches of them all around the yard. I picked some and put them in a vase on the kitchen table. They are white with yellow centers and very bright and perky looking. I hope to be able to keep them on the table throughout the season. Maybe they'll still be growing when you come to visit.
So in the time it took Wally to do all that mowing, I got the meatloaf, biscuits, carrots and spinach ready for dinner. Literally, he came in and took a shower as I was making our plates. He found a dinner bell down at the trailer and brought it up to the cabin - that will surely come in handy when he's out working in the barn and dinner is ready. It's not on the wall yet but I plan to have it hung in the next couple days. If I knew where the nails were, I'd hang it myself. LOL The timing worked out well this time so I didn't have to have the dinner bell... it will be fun ringing it though :)
Lastly, I have a broken phone. It has completely lost its mind and nothing I do seems to help. Not that I'm the most knowledgeable person when it comes to wireless devices - ha! probably the least knowledgeable but I know when one gives up. One minute it was working and the next minute the screen was doubling and tripling everything on it. Each menu level takes forever to load and text messaging is completely out of the question. Get this, wait - take a seat first... drum roll please (pretend you hear it)... I figured out how to order a new phone on-line all by myself!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah - that's right first a blog and now ordering a wireless device on-line. Tennessee just suits me I guess. ha ha ha ha ha
I think it will come in sometime in the next couple days. If you don't hear from me or if I don't answer your call it's probably because I'll be trying to figure out how...I have no doubt this will prove to be a challenge for me. Every phone I've ever gotten has been a challenge. You have to forget everything you knew about your old one and start anew learning the menu and keys for the new one. Ugh! It drives me crazy.
It's Wednesday and that means it's Jackalynn's funeral service. Our thoughts go out to everyone and our thanks go to Beverly who has been a tremendous help in putting things together for the gathering at Kelly's house to follow. She helped Kelly and Kaylee find outfits to wear, she coordinated the food donations and she volunteered to stay at the house and get everything set up so it will be ready when everyone arrives. It's a terrible sadness to lose a child, no matter the age, so keep the whole family in your thoughts as they work through their grief.
Mom called last night to tell me thanks for the Mother's Day card and gift (she has the card on display with one that Neccy got her if you would care to stop in and see) I sent. She said that she was unable to access the blog but couldn't figure out why. I don't know if anyone else had issues but I hope you're able to get caught up today. Either way, it'll be here when you are able to return.
As I stood at the counter making my biscuits last evening and watching Wally drive around on the tractor, I remembered that the outside world does still go round... It's so easy to forget that when you are fortunate enough to have the view that I do now. There weren't any turkeys, deer, horses or dogs in my view this time but they are really just a plus. The view itself is enough. Come see for yourself if you don't believe me...
Enjoy your Wednesday :)
"I had rather be on my farm than be emperor of the world." ~George Washington
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About the "Grease and Beans," that was Neccy. We called it, "Rice and Beans" but she was little and thought we were saying, "Grease" instead of "Rice." She hated it and I think maybe she still does! I cooked it sometimes with red beans and sometimes with black eyed peas. Both were good (except to Neccy)!
ReplyDeleteAs for the fried chicken, it sounds as if you didn't put enough chicken in the skillet, but better luck next time. The biscuits sound great. When and if I ever get better and come up, you'll have to make them for me.
I couldn't see the mystery plant very well because the picture was kind of blurry. It's not dandelion is it? Doosie used to pick dandelion and make a sweet and sour dressing for on it. She poured it on hot so the dandelion wilted a little. (It was supposed to wilt.) It was good, even then when I didn't like stuff like that.