Monday, December 28, 2015

Family News, Christmas, Fall.

Whoopee, Matt is going to be a great-grandfather in August. Making me a step-great-grandmother.

Christmas went very well all round. We went to Bingeman's for our Christmas meal. It was good but not as good as the Waterloo Inn which has now closed down I think. One thing I was disappointed about, they said Christmas Pudding on the menu, not a Christmas pudding in sight. They did have bread pudding which was pretty good with an excellent caramel sauce. Another thing which was available, a stir fry. I got one, you can choose what you want included then they add noodles, I chose rice noodles it was good. Boxing Day we cooked a large lump of pork together with English style roast potatoes, a dish of sprouts (disappointing sauce) and a carrot/parsnip dish I posted recently.   I was pleased with it although it was quite sweet, as carrots and parsnips can be. That is why I never understand people adding some kind of sweetening to such dishes, of course I also made gravy.   For desserts we had Mississippi Mud Pie which I bought a while back and a Mince Meat tart I made the other day with thick cream. It all went down very well. For a starter I decided to do the Convent Eggs posted a few days ago.

Unfortunately, I have not been doing so well. It all started on Wednesday morning (4 am) when a chair in the bedroom jumped out in front of me causing me to fall. When I returned to bed I eventually managed to get back to sleep, however, the next morning I had quite a violent reaction. Later in the day I was better and on Christmas Eve I was able to bowl. Bruised and sore in many places, I was basically OK. Boxing Day morning my outer hip started to ache and has done so since although today, Sunday, I have been resting it most of the day and the pain has eased somewhat. Bowling on Monday? I don't know, we will have to see. I have been in the wars lately haven't I?

I have never made biscuits although I have made scones which are very similar. These looked good to me today.

Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits
10 to 12 biscuits

To make theses biscuits into shortcakes, just split the biscuits, spoon on your favorite fruit (either sugared or plain), and dollop with whipped cream. Or just eat the biscuits for breakfast with butter. Classic and quick to bake; you can’t go wrong.

INGREDIENTS

230 grams (about 2 cups) all-purpose flour
50 grams (about 1/2 cup) cake flour
15 grams (about 1 tablespoon)baking powder
8 grams (about 2 teaspoons) sugar
6 grams (about 1 1/4 teaspoon)fine sea salt
9 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
1 cup buttermilk, chilled

PREPARATION

Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment.
In a bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, sugar and salt. Using a pastry cutter or fork, quickly cut in 8 tablespoons butter until it forms pea-size crumbs and is uniformly mixed it (for flaky biscuits you want the butter to remain cold). Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in buttermilk. Stir together until it just forms a moist, slightly tacky dough.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead 2 or 3 times, then pat out into a 3/4-inch-thick round. Using a 2-inch round cutter, cut the biscuits. Twisting the cutter prevents proper rising; to prevent sticking, dip the cutter lightly in flour between biscuits. Do not re-roll the scraps, but pat them together and cut into rounds. Transfer biscuits to the baking sheet.
Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Brush butter lightly over the tops of biscuits. Bake until puffed and golden, about 15 to 20 minutes. Cool 5 minutes before serving

Have a great day

23 comments:

  1. Hi Jo - glad you're up and about - sore, but safe. The food sounds good - but could have been better I think ... still at least someone else prepared it. Good luck in your recovery in the next couple of days. And congratulations to the newly expecting ones - and you too with your expectations of the littlie ... cheers Hilary

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    1. As you say Hilary, at least someone else prepared it. Things seem to be getting better health wise. Thanks.

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  2. I'm sorry to hear you fell! I hope that you are getting rest and feel better soon. Several years ago I ordered a Christmas pudding from a British catalog. I guess it's something you had to have been raised eating to really enjoy.

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    1. I am beginning to thanks JoJo. Christmas pudding is only really worth eating if you make it yourself and serve it with the right sauces.

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  3. Damn rogue chair! Sorry it attacked you.
    I had salmon and shrimp for my Christmas dinner. Awesome.

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    1. Me too. I leave the light on in the middle of the night now so I can see 'em coming.

      I am green with envy about the shrimp Alex. Salmon is fine up here but the lovely fresh shrimp we used to get in NC, oh I grieve.

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  4. Sorry about you not feeling up to par; hope you are all bettter very soon! Congrats on the new addition to the family!

    betty

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    1. Thanks Betty, things are getting better. The news was somewhat unexpected I must say.

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  5. Jo, You need to pamper yourself and just let your body rest. Take it from someone who has pushed too far in the past only to wind up unconscious in the ER. I basically did nothing Saturday and Sunday other than eat leftovers and I'm just a tad younger than you are. Take care.

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    1. Things are much better today Denise, I didn't do anything on Sunday and slept a lot. Going to the alley today but not sure if I can bowl. Probably not yet.

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  6. Very sorry to hear that you are having a bad way with the pain. Hope you get all the way healed up soon.

    PS: For the honey on carrots of yams, it's all a matter of different palates. For me, I'll have raw unfiltered honey on a sweet potato but I'll eat straight cacao with NO sugar of any sort. Just a matter of what one likes to taste.

    But that's also what makes foods interesting. Blagh, it would be if we only had one set way of doing things. BORING!

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    1. Forgot to add, very cool on the mince pie. I was reading yesterday about them and how they were first made with meat.

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    2. Thanks Ivy. I managed to bowl this aft. Not too bad pain wise, lousy bowling though. I guess you are right about palates. Mince Pie was good.

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    3. I wish I had made the pies last year before I was sick. Maybe next year, fingers crossed.

      Okay, I have a list of chores and a want to do none of them. So I best get my butt offline and get crackin.'

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    4. I hope you can make them next year Ivy. Hope doing the chores works out.

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    5. I could have them now, but I'm doing so much better that I don't want to introduce sugary stuff. I don't do much honey or maple these days either.

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    6. Yup, not worth taking the risk Ivy.

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  7. Congrats on being great grandparents! What a nice Christmas present to hear. Have you thought of visiting the Dr? Just asking.... You took quite a fall and aside from bruises you may have pulled something which takes longer to heal. I have pulled many a tendon and muscles and dislocated things (my disease I have..OK It's called a disease but I find that funny to write). Does heat work? Cold better? Maybe a combo of both. Anyway I hope you heal fast so you can bowl!

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    1. Thanks Birgit. Not til August, but.... No, not visited the doctor. Pretty sure I didn't pull anything, just rattled everything pretty badly. I bowled today, not too bad although my actual bowling was terrible.

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  8. Congratulations on the lovely news although you look too young to be a great anything. That's awful news about your fall. Rest and heat up the painful area Jo. Or get it checked by a Dr. Listen to me telling you what to do. With your exercise class and bowling you're probably fitter than I am. The mince meat tart with thick cream sounds like it was delicious.

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    1. Thanks Pinky, however, if you saw me in the flesh, you would notice a few more wrinkles than appear in pix. I rested all day Sunday and was able to bowl Monday which made me happy. It was delicious, especially with the cream.

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  9. Hi Jo,

    That's awesome news in regards to become great grandparents! Not so great news about all the trials and tribulations you've been experiencing, Jo. You can never be too careful with rogue chairs. Hope you just take it easy and that way, bowling on Monday may be more of a possibility.

    Now to make biscuits into shortcakes. All the best.

    Gary

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    1. It is good news especially as it was such a long time coming. All the grandkids have been in relationships for a while now. Was sort of attacked by a chair in the bowling alley, but I defeated it. I did bowl. Biscuits into shortcakes??? All the best to you Gary.

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