Y'know...
it's funny, but neither Donna nor I ever got a bread or a biscuit recipe from Mom. Don't know why that
was... maybe we assumed we'd always be able to make them - when, in truth, we never
could make 'em as good as she did - since when did she *have* a recipe, anyway?
Then Mom's passing and the advent of
Pioneer Biscuit Mix and Pillsbury Grand's meant the knowledge was pretty much
lost.
Thank
goodness Marty (Eska) Robbins, Gary's wife, took the time to sit down at the
table with Mom and watch her make biscuits, stopping her at every stage to
measure the ingredients and write them all down. When she heard that Donna and
I were putting together this cookbook, she asked if we'd be interested in Mom's
Biscuit Recipe.
As
Dad would say, "Does a bear poop in the woods?"
Here's
the recipe for approximately 15 biscuits:
3
cups sifted flour
1
cup milk
1/2
cup shortening
2
tbsp baking powder
1
tsp salt
Cut
shortening into dry ingredients with a fork and mix well. Add milk and mix
until lumpy.
Turn
on floured board and finish mixing by kneading, turning into center.
Roll
out to ½" to ¾" thick and cut out with a tomato sauce can. Generously
grease pan and turn each biscuit in oil. (Mom also used melted bacon grease for
this step.)
Bake
at 450 degrees - 15 to 20 minutes.
These
are especially good with fried chicken and chicken gravy. They're also good
with strawberry preserves and butter. I wouldn't turn down one with a sausage
patty nestled in the middle, either.
Oh,
hell... what are they NOT good with?
This
family survived on beans and stew during the 'Hard Times'... trouble was, we didn't
necessarily know it was 'Hard Times' 'cause the stuff's so damn GOOD.
Here's
Mama's stew recipe (as close as possible, since you know she never wrote
anything down, don't you?). You simply *must* serve it with cornbread and lots
of butter. And sliced, fresh onion, of course!
Start
with a big pot... the biggest one you have. A big stock pot is perfect, 'cause if you start with a small one, you're
just going to end up washing more dishes as you move into a bigger one when you
begin to overflow.
Put
a few tablespoons of vegetable oil in the pot and cut some nice beef - round
steak, roast, etc. - into bite-size pieces. Don't spare the fat. You can also
use ground beef - but Donna says it's not as good - I like it. When the oil is
hot, put in the meat and brown it. When
meat is browned, add:
1
large, chopped onion
3-6
cloves chopped garlic
1
#303 can beef stock or chicken stock (or equivalent in water plus 2-3
beef/chicken bullion cubes... liquid should cover all the vegetables.) Donna
lets it simmer a while before putting in the veggies... I throw 'em right in.
All comes out in the wash.
3-4
medium potatoes, washed and cut into 1" cubes
2
#303 can tomatoes, peels and stems removed, crushed
3-4
stalks of celery, de-veined and cut into bite-sized pieces
1
#303 can corn (optional)
1
#303 can sliced carrots or 1 lb. Baby carrots, fresh
1
8oz can tomato sauce
½
medium head of cabbage, chopped or ½ bag of frozen Brussels sprouts
(optional)
1
small can sliced mushrooms
½ C
Barley
1
beer (optional - mother didn't add this, but Jenny does)
Salt
and Pepper to taste
You
should start this in the morning and let it simmer on 'low' all day. Daddy
always said it was *much* better as leftovers, after the flavors had had time
to mingle.