Sausage and biscuits

We were watching the Waltons today when it suddenly started to rain. In the episode, Olivia said something about hot biscuits. That got me thinking I wanted biscuits for dinner. My first stop was my Betty Crocker cookbook, but it called for shortening and I don't have any so I did a quick internet search to find an alternative or to verify that I could substitute another fat.

Butter works just fine, it seems.

Among several other recipes I found this one, which is just what I had in mind, an old-fashioned biscuit recipe from 1933.

http://oldfashionedliving.com/biscuits.html
Brenda Hyde's Homemade Biscuits
Ingredients:

2 cups sifted flour

2 tsp. baking powder

4 tablespoons butter or shortening

1/2 tsp. salt

about 3/4 cup milk

Sift Flour once, measure, add baking powder and salt, and sift again. Cut in shortening or butter. (this is where I use my hands by rubbing the butter into the flour). Add milk gradually, stirring until soft dough is formed. Turn out on slightly floured board and lightly "knead" for 30 seconds, enough to shape. Roll 1/2 inch thick and cut with 2 inch floured biscuit cutter. Bake on ungreased sheet in a 400 degree oven for 12-15 minutes. Makes 12 biscuits. You can also make tiny tea biscuits that are only 1 1/2 inches wide with a small cutter or glass bottom. These are great served with tea, jam or honey. Makes 24.

My daughter and I tried the recipe. It proved quick and easy. We even used a gingerbread cookie cutter for some of them. I didn't have any milk so I mixed powdered milk in with the flour and used water as the liquid.

Believe it or not, other than that I didn't deviate from the recipe.

I'm going to serve with Morningstar vegetarian sausages, the only remotely meat-like substance in the house right now. And I keep thinking maybe green beans, but I don't know if I have any.

But now, I have to go taste the biscuits while they're hot, with a touch of raspberry jam.

And the verdict is: yum! and with a touch of raspberry jam: FABULOUS!

The final meal is pictured: Homebrewed unsweetened iced tea, Mott's unsweetened blueberry applesauce, vegetarian sausage on a biscuit with no salt added ketchup and a gingerbread man shaped biscuit with organic raspberry fruit spread.