cookiesinheaven

Greetings to Australia and New Zealand



And a recipe for the traditional Anzac Biscuit?
Click HERE.

Labels: Australia, Biscuits, Cookies, New Zealand

The old White Lily flour mill, a downtown landmark for 125 years, will be closing this spring.

...White Lily flour and Three Rivers cornmeal have been produced on Depot Avenue for generations under eight owners over 125 years. It is a downtown manufacturing landmark and employer of about 112 workers, including plant staff and a sales force in the field. - Knoxnews.com

Ingredients:

2 cups self-rising flour, preferably White Lily
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons shortening
2/3 cup cream
1 cup buttermilk, or more
1 cup plain flour, for shaping
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and arrange a shelf slightly below the center of the oven. Spray an 8-inch cake pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar and salt. Work the shortening in with your fingers or a pastry blender until there are no large lumps.

Gently stir in the cream. Stir in the buttermilk until the dough resembles cottage cheese. It should be a wet mess. If you are not using a low-protein Southern flour, this may require considerably more than a cup.

Spread the plain flour (not self-rising) out on a plate or pie pan. With a medium(about 2-inches) ice cream scoop or spoon place scoops of dough well apart in the flour. Sprinkle flour over each. Flour your hands.

Turn a dough ball in the flour to coat, pick it up, gently shape it into a round, shaking off the excess flour as you work. Place the biscuit in the prepared pan. Coat each dough ball in the same manner, and place the shaped biscuit "smuched" up against its neighbor. Continue scooping and shaping until the dough is used.

Bake biscuits until lightly browned, about 20 to 25 minutes. Brush with melted butter. Invert biscuits out onto one plate, then back onto another. With a knife or spatula, cut quickly between biscuits to make them easy to remove. Serve immediately. "Butter 'em while they're hot."

Cookiemadness even made a delish Red Velvet Cake using White Lilly. How can you get more "Southern" than that!

Labels: Biscuits, Flour, Recipes, White Lilly

Among his many interests, the third president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), took a great interest in food and tested many varieties of seeds and fruit varieties. For over 57 years in his 1,000-foot long kitchen garden he tried 70 different species, 250 varieties of vegetables and also over 150 varieties of 31 different types of fruits, keeping copious notes on all.

He experimented with different imported seeds plus varieties of peas, beans, cabbage, asparagus, and tomatoes, just to name a few. The Lewis and Clark Expedition also sent bean and salsify seeds to him. Every two weeks during the growing season, lettuces and radishes were planted to provide the leafy salads he especially liked. Cabbage was also a popular vegetable. As a minister to France, he enjoyed French cuisine and had French trained chefs in his kitchen. He also imported different foods such as Italian olive oil, and French mustard. Macaroni and vanilla were also introduced. If we check some of the food labels today, we are still purchasing imported items such as these.

A wine connoisseur, Jefferson was also a wine advisor to presidents Washington, Adams, Madison and Monroe.

...In 1809 he began planting and serving a new variety of fruit, the “Tomatas.” His daughter, granddaughter and chef developed many recipes using tomatoes. By 1824 tomatoes became a popular addition to the table because it was thought they kept one’s blood pure throughout the summer’s heat.

Jefferson was a strong advocate of testing new crops and incorporating crop rotations that we still practice today. - The Prairie Star

Thomas Jefferson acquired a taste for continental cooking while serving as American minister to France in the 1780s. When he returned to the United States in 1790 he brought with him a French cook and many recipes for French, Italian, and other au courant cookery. Jefferson not only served his guests the best European wines, but he liked to dazzle them with delights such as ice cream, peach flambe, macaroni, and macaroons. This drawing of a macaroni machine, with the sectional view showing holes from which dough could be extruded, reflects Jefferson's curious mind and his interest and aptitude in mechanical matters.

Thomas Jefferson also designed an improved version of the dumbwaiter. - About.com Inventors

Labels: Biscuits, Foodies, President, Thomas Jefferson, Vegetables