Very Good Annelle, Spoken like a true...

Warning.... 3 letter cuss word ahead. Have the littles close their ears, I mean eyes!

I am a smart ass.  A bona fide, true smart ass. And as my Deddy would say after pointing out said characteristic, being a smart ass is whole mess better than being a dumb ass. My mother would prefer I use the Southern saying because it does not include a cuss word- I am a Sass Mouth. A bona fide, true sass mouth. I am not disrespectful Sass Mouth (I am too scared of my Mama) but one who will call it like I see it. If it doesn't make sense, well let's just say I don't just sit back and nod and smile.  That has earned me a teeny, tiny, itty, bit of a reputation, one that causes my Mama to say on a pretty regular occasion, "Jody Lynn- I cannot believe you said that!" To which I respond "What?"

Pre-Sass Mouth

I was born and raised in the eastern part of the State and that state would be North Carolina. For a long time, it was something I distanced myself from... It made me a little to country and a whole lot not cool enough. I know that was immaturity and lack of appreciation because I now realize how amazing it was to be from a big family that took food, family, tradition and Jesus very seriously. I find myself holding so tightly to those things from my childhood, you would think someone was trying to steal the tv during the State/Carolina game.

My goal is to take those Southern favorites and improve upon them just a tad. I want to offer recipes that are good for your budget and your belly. I remember how wonderful it was to sit at my grandmother's table and eat good food that nourished your body and spend time with family that nourished your soul. And considering our unadulterated love of condensed soup, I am hoping to make things a touch healthier. Well, not everything, I mean come on- Who wants a healthier biscuit? Or coconut cake? Or Cupcakes, Cobblers and Pies! Oh My! Okay, so I am going 50/50 on the healthier thing. Moderation folks, moderation.

And speaking of biscuits... What better way to kick of the inaugural post than my biscuit recipe? Well, not solely mine. Okay- I pilfered this recipe from my grandma, mother-in-law and bits and pieces from the internet but it works!

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. You want your oven at temperature before putting the biscuits into the oven. This results in a light, fluffy, flaky biscuit.

There is a lot of conflicting advice about biscuits. Some people use room temperature ingredients and others use cold. I am a proponent of cold. I have tried both and found I am more successful with cold. I measure my lard and throw it in the freezer for 20 minutes prior to mixing. I also mix my dry ingredients and throw them in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes prior to mixing. This helps create steam when the biscuits hit the heat of the oven. And the steam is where the magic happens. 

Buttermilk Biscuits

This picture is not finished product from the pics below. The pics below were from Christmas morning. Those biscuits never stood a chance of me getting a photo. I am not even sure they stood a chance at getting out of the oven good.

Ingredients:
2       cups cake flour (I prefer cake flour. It helps with fluffy and flaky.) 
4       tsp baking powder
1//2   tsp baking soda
1/2    tsp salt
2       tbsp cold butter cut into cubes (I use salted because I like the flavor better but unsalted is fine.)
2       oz lard
1       cup of *buttermilk

I put all of my dry ingredients in my measuring cup. Then, I pour them in my sifter and sift out all of the lumps.

It's a messy job but someone's got to do it.

Add butter and lard and cut until pea sized.

Make a well into the flour mixture and pour in buttermilk. Mix until a ball is formed.

I use my silpat to keep the mess at a minimum. I also keep a small bowl of extra flour for dusting my rolling pin and dough. Flour the silpat, take your ball of dough and roll into a rectangle.

Dust and fold in half. Fold again until it looks like the picture below. 

Roll until one inch thick. Cut using a 1/2 pint mason jar sprayed around the mouth with cooking spray. That is what I use out a cookie cutter will work nicely. Try not to twist as you cut the biscuits. This help them have flaky layers. 

There is always going to be an ugly one. It is the biscuit that you roll into a ball by hand from the scraps. It is my favorite.

Cut and arrange on a baking sheet. Bake at 450 for 12-15 minutes. Keep an eye out them because ovens vary. Once you begin to smell them keep a close eye on them, they are almost done.

*Buttermilk gives biscuits an extra element of flavor. I recommend having it around for not only biscuits but chowders, marinating fried chicken and catfish, buttermilk pie, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes... I will stop now as to not run the risk of sounding like Forest Gump. You can freeze it if you do not have an immediate use for the remainder. You can also use milk or canned evaporated milk if you prefer to not use buttermilk.

Here is the best part, these were Christmas morning biscuits. I made them the day before, wrapped them in saran wrap and put them in the refrigerator until I was ready for them to go into the oven Christmas morning. They came out as good as if I had mixed them that morning. But make sure you wrap them. You want them to remain soft and not dry out.

Eat immediately. Stuffed with ham or cheese or both. Smothered in gravy. With jam or honey or molasses, oh my!

Enjoy!
j