biscuits do have a way about them |
BISCUITS "Everyone else could cook, but Me!" Today was my day; smiling inside, to think, just think, "I am going to learn how to make biscuits!" "Wow!" "I am excited!" Clapping my hands and dancing around. Let's see, first the flour. I have to get a chair, so I can reach the salt and baking powder. I'll wait for Mom before I get the milk out of the refrigerator. "Finally!" Mom comes into the kitchen and we hug. Smiling with me, she says, "Well young lady let's get started." "Oh, Mom this is going to be the best biscuits I have ever made," laughing, because it is the first ones I have ever made! "Get me that big yellow bowl under the cupboard, that should be big enough to use," Mom directed me. We needed measuring spoons and measuring cups. We needed big spoons and a small fork. Why the fork, you may ask, as I was wondering the same thing. Maybe it is like a special wand you wave over the biscuit! A fork is to make a few dotted little design, some say to let out the air. It did not do that with my biscuits! Your guess is as good as mine, Mom told me you just do it. Smiling. "One more very important thing we need," Mom said. "What is that?" I questioned. With a flourish, my mother whipped out from behind her back, the prettiest apron I ever saw. It had a lovely big rainbow splashed across the skirt of the apron, with a shamrock on the bib, with pink shoulder straps and ties to hold my special apron around me. I shall always remember this beautiful apron. "Now, getting down to making biscuits!" I measured the flour, salt, and baking powder. Then I measured the butter. There was a neat instrument to blend the butter with the flour. This is called a pastry blender, held in your hand. Mash, mash, mix, mix. Until it was just as Mom said it should be. The flour and the butter looked like tiny little balls. Mom told me this is what makes the biscuit soft and a little flaky. "Yummy!" "Very important!" Mom was saying. Then someone knocked on the door. This was not the right time for a visitor. "But we got one, oh did we get one!" Mrs. Plastard came walking in just like she owned the place. Head held high, like a strutting turkey. Smiling to myself, "Shame on you." Wrinkling my nose and pursing my mouth a little to the side; rolling my eyes heavenward. Thinking, "Well, there goes my biscuits." Making a big self-righteous sigh, "Woe is me." Mom stuck her head around the corner of the cupboard, telling me to measure out the milk. Stir it in being sure all the flour was wet. Mom went back to the setting room and showed Mrs. Plastard a chair to set in. Mrs. Plastard then proceeded to unload this black case she had carried into the house. Books and more books she was laying on top of the coffee table. She then started talking, and talking, and talking! "Whew, when is she going to take a breath?" I did what Mom had told me. But something was happening. The dough was getting bigger. I looked around the corner to get Mom's attention, but she was busy still, listening to Mrs. Plastard. You know, look directly into the eyes of the person that is talking to you, so they have your full attention. "He he he!" And while your doing that, your mind can be in a dozen places, but who is to know. Smiling, so benignly. "Naughty, naughty!" "Shame on you." You will be caught one day when all of a sudden the person talking, will stop and ask you a question. "Ha ha ha!" "Then where will you be?" "He he he!" I came over and looked at the dough again. "Good grief! Now it was up to the top of the bowl!" "I knew Mom didn't put yeast in the flour." "So why was the dough rising?" murmuring to myself. Putting both hands to my cheeks, wondering what to do; my mouth in a turn down position, as much as it were ever going to get! That corner of the cupboard was going to get worn out. "But, I had to get Mom's attention!" Finally Mrs. Plastard took her leave. Thank you, thank you! Mom came into the kitchen, took one look, "Oh my gosh!" she exclaimed. "The dough was now hanging down over the edge of the bowl!" "We looked at each other and started to laugh so very much! We could not believe it. But them were the best biscuits I ever made!" "Laughing and smiling from ear to ear!" |