Rising to the Occasion:
Tips for Seasoning Your Meals with Soul
with Karen Mitchell-Wilcher

Tricks for Creating Wonderful Baked Treats

When you wake up to the aroma of baking bread you know your day is off to a stellar start.  The tough part of this hot bread fantasy is that at our house I'm the chief bottle washer and bread baker;  when I wake up to those scents wafting up from the kitchen the "I can't wait to pop it in my mouth still dripping with butter," thought is fleeting.  It is quickly followed up by the alarming thought that only a Mom knows---who is in the kitchen and how big is the mess?

The last time I was faced with the plus and minus of this scenario I vowed to come up with a few tricks to help ensure that when I was on the receiving end of such loving consideration, I'd be ready to savor the treats, by pre-planning my stress-free strategy.

Recipes:

Aunt Nannie's Buttermilk Biscuits

Sunday Morning Scones

Ten Tricks for Making Tasty Biscuits and Scones

1. Make up your own baking mix and store it in an airtight container.
2. Print the
3. "how-to" info on blending the mix into biscuits in large letters, laminate the magic recipe and make sure the child (or adult) with the kitchen savvy and reading skills knows exactly where the directions are.

Now if you're the chef in charge making these treats and you've opted to nix the baking mix the following will help you whip up a batch of irresistible goodies.

1.  Preheat the oven 10 minutes ahead.
2. For the best results make sure the ingredients are fresh.  Check the dates on the baking powder, flour, and shortening.
3. Measure ingredients carefully with standard dry measures to make sure your biscuits rise properly and don't have a coarse texture.
4. Cut shortening into the flour using a pastry blender, two table knives, or a wire whisk. Look for pieces that are the size of small peas.
5. When making scones do not over-mix the dough.
6. Try using buttermilk, half and half or heavy cream as the liquid in your biscuits.
7. Want light, flaky biscuits of the same thickness? Place dough between 2 dowel rods, 1/2 inch thick and 14 inches long. Roll or pat dough evenly and gently between the rods.
8. Push biscuit cutter dipped in flour straight into the prepared dough.  Try not to twist as you cut so that the biscuits are the same size.  Cut them as close together as possible.

Now that I have a plan, the next thing on the list is to drop a few hints thereby tricking my family into it was their idea to bake up some of these mouthwatering treats!!!