Let’s Do Biscuits!

Hey guys!

As you know, down South we kinda’ like a biscuit or two with our meals. Back in the day, these were on the table at every meal.

Breakfast, we’d wrap up a piece of pork something or other, whether it be bacon, ham, or sausage. We might have another with jam, syrup, or honey.

Lunch and supper, they’d be right there on the table too. They were economical, they were good, they go with just about anything, and during the tough times…they were fillers. Shoot, I know many a time when I was little, if I wanted a snack, I’d just grab an old, cold biscuit.

I remember when I was just a little feller, yes, I did used to be a little feller, I’d go and work in my Uncle Odell’s orange groves with my Granddaddy. He kept up with the grove caretaking for my Uncle, and did most himself.

Since I was three, I’d go off with him, spend a night or two at the camp, then Mom and Dad would drive down and pick me up. By the time I was 5, I was staying a week or two at a time with him, off at the camp.

The camp was actually a one room shack, but to Granddaddy and I, it didn’t get any better than that! Windows you ask? There weren’t any. Just 2×6’s framed out. You needed a breeze, you propped the framed out boards open, and there you were. The downside to this in the summertime…no screens!

We’d fog that ole camp house down and night with bug spray, then pile up! If you got to sleep quick enough, then the skeeters didn’t bother you.

The type of sprayer we used was the ole pump kind. It had a small container for the spray dope(Granddaddy’s terminology for bug spray) in the front, then it had a long cylindrical tube that had a pump handle in it. You’d walk around the room pulling that handle out, then pushing it back in, repeating this until you’d sprayed the room down good enough.

You knew you had her fogged up good when your eyes started watering, and you felt a little nauseated. Once it got to the point you were getting a little queasy, shoot, you knew them skeeters weren’t far from hollerin’ Uncle then, by golly!
Well, Granddaddy and I would work the groves while we were down there. I mean after all, that was our job. It was after we’d got all our huntin’ and fishin’ caught up, anyway.

But, one of my favorite memories was Granny’s stew. This she’d send us when Granddaddy and I went off to work for the week. I’ll never forget she always packed us 4 or 5 quart jars of stew out when we’d leave, in old Maxwell House coffee jars.

Her stew was awesome, and when we’d get to the grove we’d unpack, and go to work. We’d take a jar for lunch, sit it on the hood of his truck, the sun would then heat it up for us, nice and warm. As good as her stew was, there was one thing that set it off…her biscuits! My goodness, that woman could make some dern biscuits.

We’d eat that stew like we’d never eaten before in our lives, but never, ever, without a biscuit. We’d sop those things in the juice off that stew, and life was good! They set the meal off. I can’t imagine one without the other.

That ole camp, the orange grove, and my Granddaddy furnished me with many, many fantastic memories. Memories just as clear, just as fresh, and they bring me just as much joy today reliving them, as they did 45 or 50 years ago.

Where did the time go?

Well, in a tip of the hat to yesteryear and Granny’s biscuits, let’s check out some biscuit recipes. These first 3 come from a church cookbook from where we moved to when I was in 7th grade, and my parents still live today…Apopka, Fla.

Cheddar Cheese Biscuits:

• 2 cups flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• ¼ cup margarine or butter
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ¾ cup milk

Mix flour, baking powder, salt, cheese and margarine until it looks like coarse crumbs. Make a well and add milk; stir until blended.

Roll or pat out, and cut with a biscuit cutter. Bake on 450 for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Virginia Jensen

Pauline’s Southern Biscuits:

• 2 cups sifted flour
• 4 to 6 tablespoons shortening
• 2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¾ cup buttermilk
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar

Stir dry ingredients together. Cut in shortening until mixture looks like coarse meal. Add milk and stir until blended. Turn onto lightly floured board and knead gently. Roll to ½ inch or as thick as you like them. Cut with biscuit cutter.

Bake on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake 10 to 15 minutes on 425.

**These biscuits can be made up ahead of time.

Bake for 10 minutes and take out of oven…let cool. They then can be frozen in zip-lock freezer bags, taken out when needed, and then baked as “brown and serve” for about 5 minutes, or until hot throughout.

Abby Jo Land

Divine Biscuits:

• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1-1/4 cups SELF RISING flour

Whip cream until it peaks. Add the flour, mixing lightly. Pinch off pieces of dough with fingers and form into biscuits.

Place on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven on 400 for about 10 minutes.

Betty Hill Hogshead

Sweet Tater Biscuits:

• 2 cups self-rising flour
• ¼ cup of sugar
• 3 tablespoons of shortening
• 2 tablespoons of butter or margarine
• 1 cup cooked and mashed sweet potato. (About 1 large sweet potato)
• 1/3 cup milk, or half and half

Combine flour and sugar in a medium bowl; cut in shortening and butter with a mixer, until mixture is crumbly. Add mashed sweet potato and milk, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead 4 to 5 times.

Roll dough to ½ inch thickness; cut with a 2 inch biscuit cutter. Place on lightly greased baking sheets. Bake on 400 for about 15 minutes, or until lightly brown.
Southern Living Cookbook

Daisy Biscuits (jam-filled):

• 1 (3 oz.) package of cream cheese
• 1/3 cup butter or margarine
• 2-1/2 cups self-rising flour
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons orange marmalade
• 2 tablespoons raspberry jam

** You can use any jam you like. Me personally…I’m thinking strawberry, blackberry, blueberry, peach, apple, fig, etc… I don’t like orange marmalade or raspberry jam??? I have no idea why, I just don’t, anyway…

Cut cream cheese and butter into flour with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. Add milk, stirring until dry ingredients are moistened. Turn dough out onto a floured surface, and knead 3 to 4 times.

Roll dough into ½ inch thickness; cut with a 2 inch biscuit cutter. Place on ungreased baking sheets. Make 6 slits through dough around edges of each biscuit to ¼ inch from center.

Press thumb in center of each biscuit, leaving an indentation. Spoon ½ teaspoon of marmalade or jam into each biscuit indentation. Bake on 450 for about 9 to 10 minutes, or until golden.

Southern Living Cookbook
I was thinking back putting this last recipe up, and I remember my Dad when I was still living at home, and his favorite way to eat a biscuit. He’d take a couple biscuits, and halve them.

He’d then take out a small bowl and put a big wad of peanut butter in it. He’d then drench the peanut butter with maple syrup and whip it up good together.

Now he’d take that peanut butter and syrup mess, and just rake it out over those 4 biscuit halves. It was on then. He loves those dern things. You could attempt to talk to him while he was eating this, but it wouldn’t take you long to figure out that he just “wasn’t home” until he’d finish. You’d get no response.

Being honest with you, I can’t fathom someone not liking a biscuit. I grew up with them a big part of our life, and Deb did too. But let me say this.

In today’s economy, flour is still cheap. Corn meal is too, and even grits if you like them. These are very good fillers as I stated very early on, and the time may soon come that these are once again used heavily simply because of this…being fillers.

Corn bread, hoe cake, biscuits, all are good, and they store easily. You might want to take a look at this more closely. As I said, we love grits too, and you can boil them, and if you have leftover grits you can beat a couple eggs up in them, patty em out, then fry them. Pretty good eating there my friends. Think about it.

We hope you find a recipe you’d like to try out, and if you have a favorite biscuit recipe, please send them so we can share it with others.

Let’s go out today with a laugh, a song, an advertisement, and a little food for thought, how bout it?

First the laugh…
On their way to get married, a young Catholic couple were involved in a fatal car accident. The couple found themselves sitting outside the Pearly Gates waiting for St. Peter to process them into Heaven. While waiting they began to wonder; could they possibly get married in Heaven?



When St. Peter arrived they asked him if they could get married in Heaven. St. Peter said, “I don’t know. This is the first time anyone has asked. “Let me go find out,” and he left.

The couple sat and waited for an answer…. For a couple of months. While they waited, they discussed the pros and cons. If they were allowed to get married in Heaven, should they get married, what of the
eternal aspect of it all?

“What if it doesn’t work? Are we stuck in Heaven together forever?”

Another month passed. St. Peter finally returned, looking somewhat bedraggled. “Yes,” he informed the couple, “You can get married in Heaven.”

”Great!” said the couple. “But we were just wondering; what if things don’t work out? Could we also get a divorce in Heaven?”

St. Peter, red-faced with anger, slammed his clipboard on the ground.

”What’s wrong?” asked the frightened couple.

”OH, COME ON!!!” St. Peter shouted. “It took me 3 months to find a Priest up here!

Do you have any idea how long it’ll take to find a lawyer?”

Now the song…

Now the advertisement…

And now, the food for thought…

You guys have a great day and God Bless you and yours! Deb says for you to keep a smile on your face, and one in your heart!

Dub and Deb