Beyond the Book

Hello, my name is Liesel Wolf, and I was Elaine's heroine in Never Trust a Pretty Wolf.  Read the excerpt from the book, and then I'll tell you how to make those biscuits.

If only he didn’t look like a rugged cowboy come to life.

She’d always had a weakness for those rugged, outdoor-looking

types, not that you’d realize it if you knew William. William looked

sophisticated and city-born from the top of his stylishly cut hair to

the sole of his elegant Italian shoes.

 

She did not want to go there. William was her past. Daily

she prayed that it would stay that way.

 

She slipped into her jeans and twisted her damp hair into a

knot on top of her head. No use bothering with makeup because

impressing Andy Bryce wasn’t on her ‘to do’ list. Haphazardly, she

tossed her things into her bag and ran to her car. To her surprise

Andy was waiting for her with a big cup of coffee and a white

paper bag.

 

“Coffee and a ham biscuit?”he asked.

 

“I guess. Thank you.”Liesel hated to take anything from

him, even a cheap breakfast, but hunger compelled her to eat it.

Even though she hadn’ expected to like heavy food in this hot

weather, the biscuit tasted great. One thing about Southern

cooking; everything she’d eaten had been good.


Most people buy there biscuits frozen today, but even though they're good, they can't beat the fresh, homemade variety. It's easy to make them too. Biscuit making isn't hard at all, not when you have the proper porportion of ingredients. Here's my recipe for biscuits. It was passed down to me by my mother who got it from her mother before her. If you try it, let me know if you like it.

Biscuits:

2 cups self-rising flour
1 cup Crisco
1 cup buttermilk.

Mix the Crisco and flour until well blended. Add buttermilk and stir. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface. For pretty biscuits, use a rolling pin to get a uniform height. Cut the biscuits with a cutter and bake at 350-425 until nice and brown. (I've given a range for the temperature because I've seen ovens vary so much.)

Beyond the Book: Family Traditions

Hi, I'm Kara Cochrane, Elaine's heroine in Her Kind of Man. 

When I was a little girl, we always went to my grandmother’s house for Sunday dinner.  My grandmother and grandfather had eight children, so when everyone got together we had a houseful. Nobody was ever in a hurry to leave.  After we ate, the adults sat around and talked for hours while the children ran around outside exploring or playing in the creek that ran through my grandfather’s property. 

Unfortunately, after my grandmother’s death, we discontinued those Sunday dinners.  Looking back on it, I think we made a mistake. Getting together each week helped us feel connected to our family, our heritage. It kept us grounded.

My husband’s family still has a big dinner on Sunday.  They always gather at the farmhouse where Ross and I live. Ross added a dining room to the house not long ago which gives us a lot more space.  My mother-in-law cooks most of the food. All of us have offered to help, but she won’t let us. I think it makes her feel useful and happy to cook for her boys and their families.  The picture below shows our new dining room.  The chandelier and most of the furniture are antiques.  Ross and I love them.  All of the furniture we bought for the other rooms is new, but we saw this table, chairs, and chandelier and loved them so much we bought them on the spot.  Don't you love the arched doorway?  Ross is the one who thought of that.

 

 

My mother-in-law is a great cook, so let me share the recipe for her macaroni and cheese. That’s one of the things we had for lunch last Sunday.  Do try it.  It’s totally delicious.

Macaroni and Cheese

 

3 cups macaroni

1 egg

12 ozs. Sharp cheddar cheese, grated

3 cups milk.

Ritz crackers (optional)

Cook the macaroni until done, about 7 minutes. Don’t overcook it. Drain and place into a baking dish sprayed with Pam. Add the grated cheese and mix. Beat the egg and milk and pour over the noodles and cheddar. Mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste, but don’t skimp on the pepper. If you like, crumble some Ritz crackers on the top. Bake at 350 until golden brown on the top. Don’t overcook it.

This recipe calls for butter, but my mother-in-law doesn’t put it in. She says it makes the food too greasy.

Picture credit: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:New_Orleans_June_07_-_English_Turn_Dining_Room.jpg

You'll Like This

It's raining in SC today.  It's raining so hard I can't imagine anyone besides a fish wanting to go outside.  Weather like this makes me want to cook something warm to take the chill off.  What do you think about this chicken pie?  Come by my house around 6:30, and I'll have it ready.

Chicken Pot Pie 

1 chicken stewed, debone, and chopped

1 can mixed vegetables drained

sage to taste

1 can cream of celery soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 stick butter

1 cup self rising flour

1 cup buttermilk

Place chicken in the bottom of a casserole dish.  Layer mixed vegetables on top.  Sprinkle sage over vegetables.  Mix soup and broth.  Heat until smooth on low heat.  Pour on top of vegetables.  Mix melted butter, flour, and buttermilk until smooth and pour on top of casserole.  Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes until brown.