Biscuits and a Brilliant Idea

I had this brilliant idea this morning...  well, let me backtrack a bit.

On Sunday, I made some Ginger-Molasses Cookies with Orange Essence.  I thought they were very good, in fact, I'm going to do a blog post about them in a few days, but this morning I had this brilliant idea that the photo would be so pretty if I took it of the cookies  outside in the snow.  On a plate, of course, but I thought it would be a really cool, frosty, wintery  photograph.

Well my friends....look at this:

....and I just went out onto the patio with my work clothes on.  No coat or mittens.  I thought I would be quick.
Guess what?  When it's negative anything,  there is no quick when you go outside.  2 seconds is too much.
Needless to say, the couple of photos I managed to snap, are not  what I wanted them to be.  But it's the thought that counts,  right?
You'll see in a couple of days.

For today tho, I thought I'd share these biscuits. 
I've never made biscuits before.  Really.  Rolls,  yes.  Hamburger buns,  yes.  French bread, yes.  But no biscuits.
Biscuits are EASY.  And Yummy.  And remind me of my grandma. Why  have I never done this before?

Speaking of grandmas and biscuits, I had one grandmother who made sour dough biscuits and one who did baking powder biscuits.  They lived in the same town, a block from each other.  When I was little, I preferred the baking powder biscuits, now, as an adult, I'm not so sure.  You?

These are a 'baking powder biscuit' and very good.  I made these with green onions and sharp cheddar cheese, as instructed in the Better Homes and Garden Spring 2013 special publication "30 Minutes Dinners."

Quick Biscuits

3 cups all -purpose flour
1 T. baking powder
1 T. sugar
1 t. salt
3/4 t. cream of tarter
3/4 cup butter or half cup butter and 1/4 cup shortening 
1 cup milk
desired stir-ins  (in which I stirred in green onions and sharp white cheddar)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
In a large bowl stir together flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and cream of tarter. 
Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add milk all at once. Using a fort, stir just until moistened.  Very gently blend in desired stir-ins.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.  Knead dough by folding and gently pressing dough for four to six strokes or until dough just holds together. Pat or lightly roll dough until 3/4 inch thick.  Cut dough with a floured 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter, re-rolling scraps as necessary.

Place biscuits 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake for 10-14 minutes or until golden.  Remove biscuits from cookie sheet and serve warm.
(with butter)


** other stir-ins suggested**
roasted garlic and fresh thyme
bacon and blue cheese
cracked black pepper and parmesan cheese
chopped chipolte chili pepper and cheddar cheese
kalamata olives and sun dried tomatoes and feta cheese