Sunday, November 6, 2011

How we spell B-R-E-A-K-F-A-S-T

In this house breakfast is easily defined. There's rules you have to follow. Breakfast cereal, granola bars, fruit, and toast all fall into the definition of appetizers. In a pinch a combination of those things will buy some time if we have a day where we need a first and second breakfast because mama isn't functioning yet.


But breakfast around here requires tools and space and lots of flour and butter flavored shortening. Yes I still cook biscuits with shortening. I do opt for the healthier varieties which have half as much saturated fat as butter. Somehow they always know if I attempt to make biscuits with oil. My favorite tools include the yellow handled pastry cutter above which was my maternal grandmothers, my biscuit cutter from pampered chef, large measuring bowl also from pampered chef and the cool oven/dishwasher safe rubberized mat I picked up at Aldi last week. Nothing better than a clean workspace you can roll up and carry to the trash, dust off, wipe down and put back in the cabinet.


These are Fi's favorite biscuits. I cut them a little thick, keep the dough moist and pull them out before they get too brown. Then they cool on the stone for a while which lets the bottoms keep baking. Perfect.


Two eggs, two or three slices of bacon, a biscuit (with shortening in them we don't eat many each) and grits. This was my plate this morning although I usually skip all the carbs and only do eggs and bacon. 

I'm still curious what Wisconsin natives eat for breakfast but since I can't find grits here. When we get fancy we do country ham which is also not local fare. And red eye gravy. And I'm simply not brave enough to start a conversation with "so what do folks around here eat for breakfast when they're starving and want a good traditional meal" but I'm sure it's a variation on the same theme. Carbs carbs protein sugar.

Now for the quiet that comes after a full breakfast. G is already snuggled under a blanket on the love seat and Fi is off somewhere doing her thing. This is the only way standing in a kitchen making all this mess is worth it. Instead of the quiet before the storm it's the quiet after the storm and it's just as delicious as a warm fluffy biscuit. 

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