Fall Leaves
Fall has always been my favorite time of year with its warm colors which glowed from the trees' dying leaves that seemed to promise life in them would return. Where I grew up I did not experience this wonderment, as in those days in the outlying area of San Francisco the only trees that South San Francisco planted were flowering plumbs. The strong winds blew and bent these little trees so they never really had a chance to stretch out strong limbs. They always looked weather bent. Nonetheless, the few lots that had planted such displays of crimson red or golden yellow were always a wonderment to me. Thus when I moved to Southern Oregon experiencing the real splendor of the fall leaves, the child within me awoken and I remembered the real warmth in my childhood....mother's cooking. She was a single mother met with the challenge of feeding 3 children. Every fall brought all the colors in soups and the baking of the pies and cookies. Mother was not a connoisseur of the art of cooking and neither am I, but we shared the love of cooking and baking together. As a mother and wife, I always wanted to share a bit of those wonderful things with my 3 little chickens: Beautiful little mamma Alissa, Miss Sunshine Kelsey, and our Wonder Boy Miles. We are a blended family. My husband Jason brought with him two wonderful little girls and I with my little boy into this splendid family. With limited funds to feed our little ones we enjoyed many cold nights slurping up chicken soup and fresh warm biscuits. Beans and fish were also on the menu many times and yes you can say that our 3 little chickens were full of wiggles and beans (energy). With that, I want to share what I have learned in the basics of cooking beans and biscuits. These are the foundations of making many good things. Enjoy!
Cooking Beans
2-pound bag of pinto beans.
1 whole yellow onion (finely chopped).
1-pound ground meat of your choice (precooked).
1 teaspoon of black pepper.
1 teaspoon of garlic granules or 2 fresh ground cloves.
1 to 2 teaspoons of hot sauce.
2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce.
1/4 cup loose packed brown sugar.
Salt to taste (only add salt when beans are almost done). I use about 2 teaspoons of kosher salt.
To start: Place beans in large pot of water and rinse them thoroughly. Remove any floaters. Drain off all rinse water and now add clean water to cover beans 2 inches. Boil beans in water for only 2 minutes and then cover and turn off burner. Let beans rest for 2 hours or overnight. Now the beans are ready for cooking. While leaving the beans in the soak water, add 2 more cups of water, onion, meat, pepper, garlic, and hot and Worcestershire sauces. Cook on simmer for 1-1/2 hours and then add the brown sugar and as the beans become more tender you can add the salt. You will need to add 2 cups of fresh water every 20 or so minutes of boil cook time as you must keep the beans covered in water. Stir occasionally and let beans cook until they are able to be mashed with your finger in a spoon. That's the basic.
Note: You can substitute ground meat for ham hocks, thick bacon, or diced ham, and skip the sauces and brown sugar--and that would be called beans and ham hocks. Serve this up with corn bread. That was what I grew up on. Kelsey likes the BBQ addition, which is skip the brown sugar and add in 1/4 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce.
BAKING POWDER BISCUITS
2 cups sifted all-purpose unbleached flour.
1 tablespoon baking powder.
1 teaspoon salt.
1/4 cup vegetable shortening. (I use Crisco Butter Flavor.)
1 cup of milk.
Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together in bowl. Cut in shortening until mixture becomes crumbly. Now add in milk while stirring lightly with a fork. Don't over mix. Using a greased soup spoon, portion out about 2-inch rounds and drop into a slightly buttered pie dish. Bake in hot oven at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes until lightly golden brown. Use fork to separate to test for doneness.
