Tea Biscuits

My wife has a blue recipe book. In it are all her family recipes – well, not all of them, but a bunch of them, including several of her mom’s family recipes.

Many are written out by hand. Some in my wife’s hand; some in my sister-in-law’s hand; some in my mother-in-law’s lovely writing. The binding is shot. There is a large oil stain that starts at Whiskey Chicken and goes clear through to Pumpkin Chiffon Pie. Just in case you’re wondering, the recipes aren’t in alphabetical order.

I see a sticker from an Australian Navel orange; a little illustration on the Ginger Cake recipe… Some of my mom’s recipes… Heck, my Cranberry Sauce is in there. Hadn’t seen that before.

And then there is the Tea Biscuits recipe. Right above Plain or Fruit Muffins and right across the page from a piece of paper with a fresh pasta recipe on it a note about Cornmeal Muffins and 9 Grain Bread.

The tea biscuits are epic. Super easy to make – without question the most used recipe in this book.

There is more to the book, though. The recipes in here represent a big part of my wife’s childhood… And now that I think about it, a bunch of me growing up, too – with her and enjoying a bunch of these meals together.

Funny how meals can imprint themselves like that on us. I remember some fantastic meals I have had like they were yesterday. But I also remember meals that were as pedestrian as they come. Usually the memory is because of something other than the meal, but that cornmeal muffin recipe I referenced above is from my mom. I haven’t thought about it for probably 30 or more years. But I remember how they taste like it was yesterday. Sometimes the mind is a strange place.

• 2 cups flour
• 3 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/3 cup shortening or butter
• 2/3 cup grated cheese.
• 1 cup milk

Oven to 450 degrees. Mix everything together. Add the milk until it makes a sticky dough – don’t over-mix. Dump on to a floured countertop, roll to about 3/4 inch thick. Cut out rounds with a drinking glass. Assemble on a greased baking sheet. 12-15 minutes.