Old Southern Biscuits

We enjoyed these for a special Saturday breakfast. The girls loved rolling them out and cutting them.

Old Southern Biscuits
Yield: 1 dozen
Ingredients:
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
2 cups self-rising flour
1 cup buttermilk
Melted butter (optional)
Preparation:
Cut shortening into flour with a pastry blender or fork until crumbly. Add buttermilk, stirring the mixture just until moistened.
Pat dough to 1/2-inch thickness; cut with a 2-inch round cutter. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet.
Bake at 425° for 14 minutes or until golden. Brush the hot biscuits with melted butter, if desired.
Southern Living, OCTOBER 2002

I'm Still Wild About Art!

Quick Dinner Idea #1

Here is an old favorite recipe of ours: Beef and Rice Casserole from Cooking Light magazine. It uses only 1/2 lb. of ground beef for 4 servings, and it is a kid-pleaser in our house. We like to use brown rice, and skip the green chiles for more selective eaters.



Yield
4 servings (serving size: 1 1/4 cups)
Ingredients
1/2 pound ground round
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
3 cups cooked long-grain rice
1 cup fat-free sour cream
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1/4 cup skim milk
3/4 cup (3 ounces) reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
Preparation
Preheat oven to 375°.
Cook first 3 ingredients in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until meat is browned, stirring to crumble. Add water and next 6 ingredients (water through chiles); bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Uncover and simmer an additional 2 minutes. Remove from heat; set aside.
Combine the rice, sour cream, sliced green onions, and milk in a bowl. Spoon rice mixture into a 9-inch baking dish. Top with beef mixture; sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 375° for 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Note: The beef mixture could also be used as a filling for burritos.
Nutritional Information
Calories: 442 (26% from fat)
Fat: 13g (sat 6.8g,mono 3.9g,poly 0.8g)
Protein: 25.1g
Carbohydrate: 56.7g
Fiber: 3.9g
Cholesterol: 64mg
Iron: 5mg
Sodium: 394mg
Calcium: 290mg
Cooking Light, APRIL 1997

Granny's Pumpkin Pie

We'll be having my granny's pumpkin pie again this year. She got this recipe from Southern Living sometime in the 1940s. She always says to make two because you can make two as easily as one. Give one away if you don't need it!

1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin
1/4 cup white corn syrup
2 eggs
1/2 cup evaporated milk
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup hot milk
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 cups cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
Combine pumpkin, corn syrup, eggs, and evaporated milk. Stir butter into hot milk. Combine brown sugar, spices, and salt. Mix until well blended. Combine all three mixtures.
Line a 9-inch pie plate with pastry. (For crisp crust, brush egg white or melted butter on pastry.) Place pie plate on oven rack and pour in filling. Bake in hot (425 degree) oven 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 35 minutes longer, or until knife insert comes out clean. Garnish with whipped cream topped with slivers of candied ginger.
For 2 pies, bake an additional 20-25 minutes.
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What I'm Thankful For

1. My two beautiful daughters, who are growing into marvelous young women
2. My handsome and talented husband
3. Our comfortable home and neighborhood
4. All the neighbors we've gotten to know this year
5. Facebook--so I can keep up with old friends
6. Living in Central Texas--it's hard to beat!
7. My daughter's insulin pump!

The Daily Hailey Premiere Edition

After a about year of reading my sister-in-law's very articulate and entertaining blog at Mommytown, I've decided to join the blogosphere as well.
So, add me to your Google Reader, and I'll see you around the blogosphere.

This Ain't No Candyland

We spent a relaxing afternoon drinking hot tea and playing Monopoly. Trey was the cut-throat developer, and Elise was our "slum lord". Grace and I were just trying to keep our shirts.

Look out. It may get ugly when we get a game of Risk.