After many months, my daughters started asking me for recipes again. One for a favorite soup, and the other for craisin scones. The scones are actually buttermilk biscuits, but were renamed by my husband. The girls were in elementary school when we married, and one of the biggest adjustments was the language barrier. He's South African, they are Texan. Is it a living room or a lounge? A duvet or a bed spread? Perhaps the most infamous... is it a flashlight or a torch?
Despite the arguments the three of them would have over terminology, they never seemed to mind when James exclaimed with glee "scones!" at a plate of fresh from the oven buttermilk biscuits studded with craisins. They devoured the yummy treats. We never had leftovers.
Alas, now the girls are out of the house, and a pan of fresh biscuits (or scones) doesn't quite disappear so quickly. One of us ends up taking them to the office, where they are welcomed by hungry cubicle dwellers. When Celia asked for the recipe, I decided that maybe it was time to cut the recipe in half. That way there's just enough for the two at this house, and just enough for the two at her house. That recipe is below.
What isn't below is her second request - my chili recipe. It's chilly outside (ha ha lame word play joke) and she had a craving for my chili this weekend. She made a recipe she found online but reported that it was good, but definitely NOT Mommy's chili. I told her that I would NOT be putting that recipe on the blog. You see, it's a recipe from 1963 that my mother cut out of a newspaper. Over the years, I've modified it and have used in in a couple chili cook-offs. I haven't won a dang thing - but that's what you get when you put beans in chili in a cook-off in Texas. You get derision instead of an award. I have been known to slip in chile pequins - whole. Precious little babies. Bright red, map pin sized surprises of unimaginable heat. A friend told me I was nuts, but I told her it was just to fulfill the name of my ha-ha-I'm-a-pastor-get-this-scripture-reference chili. Nebuchadnezzar's Revenge!
Okay, so it's fairly lame. But it makes me laugh, and laughter is the best part of chili cook offs. Plus, if those mega-hot babies are whole, I can pick them out of my bowl. Because I'm a wimp. I don't eat chili peppers of any kind, not even jalapenos. There's a story there, but that's for another post, another day.
Tips for buttermilk biscuits/scones recipe: use fresh baking powder, it makes all the difference. Try the recipe a few times to see how your oven does. I've had to reduce the temperature because the oven I'm using now seems to brown the bottoms too quickly. Try the dough lightly and quickly - too much kneading/handling can make them come out tough. When I have time, I will chill the shortening before adding, but that's not essential in my view. Last tip for my daughter: use the handy-dandy pastry blender you got last Christmas! :-)
Craisin Scones for two
1 1/2 cups flour
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup shortening (I use store brand all-vegetable shortening)
1/2 cup buttermilk
About 1/2 cup craisins (dried sweetened cranberries)
Preheat oven to 450. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. With a pastry blender, cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add in craisins, mixing with a fork. Add buttermilk, quickly stirring until mixture forms a soft dough and leaves side of the bowl.
On a lightly floured surface with floured hands, knead dough 10 times. Pat dough into a square and cut into six squares. Place on cookie sheet, no more than 1 inch apart. Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
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