The Biscuit Lifestyle

These last 13 years I have said that the name of my autobiography would be, "I'll never get used to the biscuit lifestyle." This title was as much literal as figurative in that I never much cared for biscuits.

Mom would make them when we had beef stew, but that's about the only time I can ever remember eating them. I remember sharing this with Roy and he looked at me with utter confusion as he exclaimed, "What did you EAT!?"

Just as novel was the time my brother called to tell us about this amazing new breakfast food he just discovered called Biscuits and Gravy. Roy had a pretty good laugh over that one.

There's no denying it - I'm a northerner. I grew up on 'weird northern food' (again, compliments of my husband, which I gather to mean anything not fried, cooked in butter, with bacon, or covered in gravy or cheese), I like my winters cold, my heat dry, and I still own a very industrious pair of snow boots. I laugh when I watch an entire city freak out about a threat of winter weather and watch in awe as milk and bread disappear from the grocery stores.

But now everything is different.

Now, I like biscuits.

They're warm and soft, with a great crispy bottom. Delicious with salted butter and homemade strawberry jam or local honey. They're quick to whip up after work or in the morning for breakfast. I always have everything on hand and they take little planning. Not to mention that my family loves them.

So now I embrace the biscuit lifestyle. I still like my winters cold, but I am grateful that in Kentucky they're only a few months long. I still have my winter boots, but pull them out infrequently - and often just because I can. There's something to be said for a humid day, a dip in the pool, and a cold mint julep. And on Wednesday when Chris Bailey told us a winter storm was headed our way, I was relieved to find 3/4 gallon milk in the fridge... and wished I had more eggs - just in case.

And then there are these two, my favorite Kentucky Proud products ever.

Yup, the biscuit lifestyle is pretty darn sweet.

My Biscuits

1 3/4 c. all purpose flour
1 t salt (table, not kosher)
2 1/2 t baking powder
cut in 3 1/2 T cold, unsalted butter

Using your hands, mix in 3/4 c cold milk until JUST MIXED.

Dump onto lightly floured surface. Pat to about 1/2 inch. Fold in half. Pat. Fold. Pat. Fold. I do it 3-4 times. Finally pat to about 3/4 inch thick, then cut as many biscuits as possible. I use a 2" cutter because I get more first batch biscuits that way and I love the size.

Preheat oven to 450. When oven is hot, bake for 12-15 minutes.*

They do not keep well, so eat all of them. I'm serious.

*This may make no difference, but for some reason my biscuits turn out better when I let them rest for a little bit.