Thursday, September 29, 2011

Ahh....The Bread Group

When I was growing up, biscuits were the thing. Living in the deep South, pretty much every meal had homemade biscuits. I remember watching my Mom's and Grandmother's hands working like whips across a kitchen counter covered in flour and within a few minutes, a well-worn greased pan would be popped into the oven and soon removed to deliver hot and heavenly biscuits.

Strangely enough, even though I lingered in the kitchen like a lost haint when I was growing up, I never learned the biscuit making skills. I've always been more of an exact measurements kind of gal and well, the women in my family have always tended to speak in terms like "just a smidge" and "until it looks right". Recently when I was back home, my Mom was making cornbread and I made her give me every single one of her "smidges" and "until it looks right" before she added them to the bowl so that I could measure them exactly and bring the specifics home and duplicate the magic. Of course, much like trying to capture lightning in a jar, the magic has yet to come even close.

The Mister, being from the Mid-West gets tickled at me sometimes. No matter what meal we are making, I'll say, "Okay, now what for the bread group?" He often argues, "I don't think that we need bread with this." Of course, I bounce a "what in the hee-haw hell?" look off of him and say, "WHERE are you FROM??"

He'll then remind me that his family hardly ever had bread with meals and that they had crescent rolls occasionally on only the most special occasions. (Crescent rolls! Occasionally!) Every time that he tells me, I feel weepy for him. Such a sad upbringing! Why, how on Earth did they get the kids to stop playing outside and come in for meals if not with promises of hot bread? Don't even get me started on how they steam their vegetables out there. Hardly even cooked, I tell ya. Someone could get sick from practices like that.

So that brings us to this fantastic song by The Coon Creek Girls. I think that more songs should end with "wow..wow..wow! wow! wow!" And seriously, any tune that challenges me to eat as many biscuits as possible is a-okay in my book:



I once worked with a realtor who had on his business card "Too Much Jelly For Just One Biscuit". I never really know how that applied to real estate but it seems to fit well here.

Learn the fascinating story behind The Coon Creek Girls here including how they performed for President Roosevelt and the First Lady as well as a high-falootin' King and Queen.

Until next time (if biscuits are wrong, I don't wanna be right)
x's and o's,
Eartha

14 comments:

Unknown said...

Makes me think of "Driving Miss Daisy"

"I can fix her biscuits.
We both can make her fried chicken.
But nobody can make Idella's coffee."

I can make a mean cornbread, but can't make biscuits to save my life, so I purchase "Mary B's Frozen Buttermilk Biscuits" at Publix. Very good.

Eartha Kitsch said...

Ha! Totally with that quote!

And I buy those SAME biscuits! They taste pretty darned authentic too.

Lisa said...

I'm a two years Atkins cult-member but every once and awhile I have to treat myself with a straight up biscuit or a piece of cornbread. You are soooo right about the Southern principle of "There is no meal, that there is also not bread involved in SOME WAY". I can remember my dad resorting to two slices of plain sandwich bread if grocery-day was nigh and we were out of dinner rolls. Long live the biscuit! Totally enjoyed this post. :)

Lakota [Faith Hope and Charity Shopping] said...

See, when I hear 'biscuit with jelly' to me that means 'cookie with jello'. That's not the same - right?

Eartha Kitsch said...

Lisa: Ahh! I've done a lot of time on Atkins too! But wow...not two years. I admire your determination. wow!

I still do your Dad's loaf bread (does anyone say that anymore? loaf?)if there are no proper biscuits or rolls around. And thanks! :)

Lakota: Oh wow, I didn't even think about that! Yes, totally different thing. How about jam? That's just like jelly. A biscuit is just like a hunk of bread that rises but is more lard-y. For lack of a better term. :) This page shows a perfect yummy example: http://www.eatingoutloud.com/2010/09/coronation-grape-jelly-recipe.html

Rae - Say It Aint So said...

i have been trying to get away from having bread with every single meal but it is hard! my grandma makes the best homemade rolls every christmas and no matter how hard i try i can't replicater their awesomeness. how sad for you husband to have grown up with just the occasional crescent.

Georgie Horn said...

We loved the coon girls and biscuits! yummy

Sara In AZ said...

I totally grew up in the south, but my Mom grew up in the north. Sadly, I grew up in a biscuit-less house. :(

Chel said...

I struggled or years trying to figure out how to make homemade biscuits. I found this clip of a Kentucky Granny making biscuits and I can now make great biscuits.
http://youtu.be/KTfZo4itlbA
Now how about another southern thing...what you do with your biscuits. Like "Soakie Doodle" which is when my g-grandpa soaked his biscuit in coffee. Or brown sugar and biscuits. Or peanut butter and syrup and biscuits. Yumm!!

RetroRuth said...

I must be a Southern Gal at heart, because I can make a mean biscuit! They are so good that they make my mom cry (true story) AND Tom seriously cannot stop eating them. If it were up to me, and if butter were fat-free, I would serve them with everything!!!

MsMVNJ said...

Eartha, I love you - I may be a northeastern gal, but you talk my language

Betty Crafter said...

mmm...biscuits...
I'm the maker of my grandma's rolls in the family, but like your hubs, only on holidays. My brothers make the biscuits though, and with gravy of course!

shopatmoxie said...

biscuits are so right! and hee haw hell.... I think I'm gonna break that one out soon...love it!

Amber Von Felts said...

A couple of weekends ago, I wanted to make biscuits for breakfast and called my mom up for her recipe. When I started looking through the fridge, my California ingredients didn't come up to snuff with her North Carolina recipe. I had soy milk, natural whole wheat flour and *gasp* organic shortening! I tried to make the biscuits anyway. They turned out more like hockey pucks. I found out you can't mess with a good thing, get some whole milk, butter and white-ass flour and you will have the right tools for the best biscuits!