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GRANDMA'S (HANDMADE) HOMEMADE BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

I used to really enjoy hot fresh homemade buttermilk biscuits. Split one open and spread some fresh butter (actually, we always used margarine), or slip in a fresh sausage patty. There's nothing better!

After I learned to make them I also enjoyed just getting my hand dirty as I kneaded the dough. Kids have fun in the strangest way. Anyway, here is how my grandma used to make them. I don't think the store-bought, canned biscuits will ever even begin to compare.

• 3 cups all purpose flour

• 3 teaspoons baking powder

• 3/4 cups buttermilk

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 3/4 cup Crisco shortening

Sift the flour to make sure there are no lumps. Add in the baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Add the Crisco slowly, working it into the dry ingredients. You can use a large spatula or spoon, but I preferred using my hands.

Next add the buttermilk, working it into the mixture too. After everything is thoroughly mixed, plop it down on a floured counter top or cutting board.

Turn you oven to 450 to allow it to preheat. While it's heating up knead your dough until it is about the consistency of clay that kids play with in grade school. You can make it a little dryer if need be by sprinkling more flour on your counter or cutting board. As you knead your dough it will pick up more of the flour.

After you have it the right consistency you can shape your biscuits by hand or using a cookie cutter. I preferred pinching off a chunk, rolling it into a ball, and then patting it a little flat. It takes a little practice to get you biscuits all about the same size. If you want them more perfect, you can roll out your dough using a rolling pin and then cut them with a round cookie cutter. That would look neater when you have company over.

Anyway, place you biscuits on a cookie sheet that is either lightly greased or lightly sprinkled with flour. If you use the flour option, be sure not to put too much.

Bake these biscuits for roughly 18 minutes on the middle rack in your oven (depends upon how hot your oven is and how far this rack is from the top). If the rack is too low you can move the biscuits to the top rack the last minute of so to get them browned just the way you want. Leave them on the middle rack and thy should turn out lightly browned.

Pop them out of the over and eat them while still piping hot. That's the only way to get the butter to melt just right.

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