The Coffee House

[Jeff1561 61]

Have not been in Ikea for about 25 years........

 

[smoke665]

41 years DW and I have been married. Bar none she is one great cook but alas the art of making biscuits has always alluded her. Now we live in the south, where a good biscuit is a staple, one of the major food groups. It goes with anything!!! Her Mother made good biscuits, her Father made good biscuits, but my poor DW just never caught on.

For years I've had to go to Jacks if I wanted a good biscuit till this week. Happened to catch a video of a dear old southern lady, that showed how to make biscuits in a manner I could understand. Headed to the store determined to try my hand at making biscuits. When we arrived DW asks how much flour do you need. "Enough to fill a large bowl", I replied, she rolled her eyes, we moved on. How much Crisco do you need she asked? "A good size wad in my hand", I replied, again the eye roll and we moved on. How much buttermilk do you need, she asked? "I'm supposed to keep pouring until it looks right, GEEZ why you want to make it so complicated?" As she walked away I heard mumbling under her breath, some of which didn't sound very nice.

In any case with supplies in hand I set out to "make biscuits" this afternoon, despite her overwhelming negativity in my potential for success. They might not be up to Jack's standards yet, but for a first time effort they turned out pretty good. I noticed DW not only ate them, but went back for more at supper, and suggested that I make them again. Finally after 41 yrs I guess it's true if you want it done right.............do it yourself. A few left overs for breakfast.

 

[Dean_Gretsch]

@smoke665 My dear old mother has been making biscuits for over 80 years now. She measures nothing also and I have yet to taste a biscuit better than hers. She grew up on a farm and started making them when she had to stand in a chair because she was so young!

 

[smoke665]

@Dean_Gretsch regrettably most of my side of the family didn't have a clue what a real biscuit was. The kind they made/served where those little hard things that made better weapons then a food choice. Wasn't till I moved south that I learned the difference.

 

[limr42 12]

@Dean_Gretsch regrettably most of my side of the family didn't have a clue what a real biscuit was. The kind they made/served where those little hard things that made better weapons then a food choice. Wasn't till I moved south that I learned the difference.

A big difference is the flour. Soft winter wheat in the South vs....some other kind of wheat - red winter wheat? Hard wheat? Something like that. And it's generally not available in the North. Last time I was south of the Mason-Dixon, I bought a bag of White Lily. Tried a batch with the White Lily and another batch - exactly the same everything except the flour - and the difference was very clear. The White Lily biscuits were so light and fluffy and the others were hockey pucks. The flavor was good, and imo, actually a bit richer and more interesting. They were just not particularly fluffy.

 

[charlie76]

Bar none she is one great cook but alas the art of making biscuits has always alluded her.

Ha!! Yessir I could say the same about my dear sweet wife

 

[smoke665]

@Dean_Gretsch regrettably most of my side of the family didn't have a clue what a real biscuit was. The kind they made/served where those little hard things that made better weapons then a food choice. Wasn't till I moved south that I learned the difference.

A big difference is the flour. Soft winter wheat in the South vs....some other kind of wheat - red winter wheat? Hard wheat? Something like that. And it's generally not available in the North. Last time I was south of the Mason-Dixon, I bought a bag of White Lily. Tried a batch with the White Lily and another batch - exactly the same everything except the flour - and the difference was very clear. The White Lily biscuits were so light and fluffy and the others were hockey pucks. The flavor was good, and imo, actually a bit richer and more interesting. They were just not particularly fluffy.

You may be right on the difference between those made with hard vs soft wheat. White Lily is without a doubt good, though I'd be hard pressed to tell the difference between Pillsbury or Martha White. One thing I found out, is that part of the secret, is getting it mixed without over mixing as that makes for a less flaky or fluffy texture.

 

[limr42 12]

@Dean_Gretsch regrettably most of my side of the family didn't have a clue what a real biscuit was. The kind they made/served where those little hard things that made better weapons then a food choice. Wasn't till I moved south that I learned the difference.

A big difference is the flour. Soft winter wheat in the South vs....some other kind of wheat - red winter wheat? Hard wheat? Something like that. And it's generally not available in the North. Last time I was south of the Mason-Dixon, I bought a bag of White Lily. Tried a batch with the White Lily and another batch - exactly the same everything except the flour - and the difference was very clear. The White Lily biscuits were so light and fluffy and the others were hockey pucks. The flavor was good, and imo, actually a bit richer and more interesting. They were just not particularly fluffy.

You may be right on the difference between those made with hard vs soft wheat. White Lily is without a doubt good, though I'd be hard pressed to tell the difference between Pillsbury or Martha White. One thing I found out, is that part of the secret, is getting it mixed without over mixing as that makes for a less flaky or fluffy texture.

Yup - whatever fat you use needs to stay cold, and the more it's mixed, the warmer it gets, which makes it less fluffy. Something about air pockets forming when they're cooking if there are still bigger chunks of the fat. And overmixing also creates all kinds of chemistry with the gluten, and higher gluten=tougher biscuit. The soft wheat is generally a lower-gluten flour to begin with.

 

[limr42 12]

Damn, now I want biscuits. Gonna have to wait until I have the kitchen properly set up.

Slowly getting the house together, hosers. Painting is done - well, at least the painting that needed to get done before floors could go in. I still need to do the bathroom, but I can do that after I move in since I'm not doing anything with the bathroom floors. I am also not painting the kitchen just yet. The color is fine and probably in a couple of months, I'll match the color but get it in a semi-gloss instead of the matte finish they put up. It's nice color, but dear lord, does that matte finish suck up all the light! It just looks dull.

We also have the carpets ripped up in the three bedrooms and hallway. The boxes of flooring are in the living room, so we'll do the floors in the bedrooms, then move the rest of the boxes so we can rip up the carpets in the living and dining room and put the floors down.

Even though it's a small house, it's just Buzz and me doing the work, so we probably won't be able to finish it all in one weekend. So it seems I am looking at two more weekends, and then a trip to Ikea and then moving day!

 

[Tropicalmemories]

Damn, now I want biscuits. Gonna have to wait until I have the kitchen properly set up.

Slowly getting the house together, hosers. Painting is done - well, at least the painting that needed to get done before floors could go in. I still need to do the bathroom, but I can do that after I move in since I'm not doing anything with the bathroom floors. I am also not painting the kitchen just yet. The color is fine and probably in a couple of months, I'll match the color but get it in a semi-gloss instead of the matte finish they put up. It's nice color, but dear lord, does that matte finish suck up all the light! It just looks dull.

We also have the carpets ripped up in the three bedrooms and hallway. The boxes of flooring are in the living room, so we'll do the floors in the bedrooms, then move the rest of the boxes so we can rip up the carpets in the living and dining room and put the floors down.

Even though it's a small house, it's just Buzz and me doing the work, so we probably won't be able to finish it all in one weekend. So it seems I am looking at two more weekends, and then a trip to Ikea and then moving day!

Sounds like a major restoration project - hope all goes well.

We're currently building a house, but it's a long term project as we do a bit each month as funds allow. Yesterday was choosing bathroom tiles and fittings.

After hearing from a friend how choosing tiles led to a huge argument in the same bathroom superstore, I suspect she dressed in a way that would ensure I agreed with everything she said.

 

[Original katomi]

Hi all, How is everyone

 

[CherylL4]

@limr, sounds like a lot of work. The upside is you get what you finishes you want.

@Tropicalmemories, building a house is a million little decisions. When we built our house, we had a heated discussion picking out sidelights to the front door. Finally the sales guy told us to drive around and look at houses front doors to see actually doors and not just a brochure.

 

[CherylL4]

Since March with so many people out of work, I've been donating weekly to a blessing box. Where you leave what you can and take what you need. Since I don't shop I add items to my Instacart. The delivery people are probably wondering why I need 4 jars of peanut butter or tuna or how much spaghetti can 2 people eat. Each week the items are different in the box so there is a definite need in the community. Last night when I dropped off my items the box was almost empty. I donate to the local pantry too. It is really a hard time for some and guess it is the invisible hunger in the community.

 

[Tropicalmemories]

@limr, sounds like a lot of work. The upside is you get what you finishes you want.

@Tropicalmemories, building a house is a million little decisions. When we built our house, we had a heated discussion picking out sidelights to the front door. Finally the sales guy told us to drive around and look at houses front doors to see actually doors and not just a brochure.

Yes - so many things to decide. We've not got to windows, lighting or built in furniture yet.

 

[limr42 12]

@limr, sounds like a lot of work. The upside is you get what you finishes you want.

@Tropicalmemories, building a house is a million little decisions. When we built our house, we had a heated discussion picking out sidelights to the front door. Finally the sales guy told us to drive around and look at houses front doors to see actually doors and not just a brochure.

Yes - so many things to decide. We've not got to windows, lighting or built in furniture yet.

How does that work with the new job that has you relocating?