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Kendra
Taylor arrives in Toms Brook, Virginia, after a terrifying
encounter with a carjacker near her home in Washington
DC. Injured and recovering, Kendra leaves a good job
as an investigative reporter with the Washington Post
and her husband, Isaac, to live in a dogtrot cabin on
isolated acres near the Shenandoah River. The cabin
was a bequest to Isaac from a grandmother he never knew,
and Kendra is determined to discover its secrets.
When she arrives Kendra also discovers the warmth and
friendship of her neighbors, as well as their fabulous
country cooking, guaranteed to put back the pounds she
lost in the hospital.
Cissy Claiborne is young but already an accomplished
cook and famous for her biscuits, which she brings for
Kendra to enjoy.
| CISSY'S BUTTERMILK
BISCUITS |
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2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 to 3 tsps. white sugar (If you add more, these
are good for shortcake)
1 stick unsalted butter
3/4 cup buttermilk (shake well before pouring)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Fahrenheit (200 C).
In a medium sized bowl, mix
the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and
sugar. With two knives or a pastry cutter chop
butter until crumbly. Add buttermilk and stir
gently just until mixed. Turn out onto a lightly
floured surface, and knead just until it holds
together. Handle the dough as lightly and briefly
as you can to keep it flaky and tender.
Cut into 12 round biscuits with
a floured drinking glass or biscuit cutter and
place on an ungreased baking sheet. (Cissy uses
an insulated pans to guarantee these won't brown
too much on the bottom). An easier alternative
is to transfer the dough to the baking sheet,
roll into a 6"x6" square, and make two cuts in
one direction, three in the other, dividing the
dough into twelve pieces. Don't separate.
Bake 15 minutes in the preheated
oven, until lightly browned. Separate into biscuits
if necessary, and serve hot.
Cissy serves hers with honey.
Or if you slice and add good quality country or
smoked ham, you have Virginia ham biscuits, a
staple in the Old Dominion state. Emilie likes
honey mustard with her ham biscuits.
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Helen Henry, an elderly
neighbor and master quilter, doesn't cook much anymore.
Now that Cissy and her family live with her, Helen
eats well without turning on the stove herself. But
Helen's macaroni and cheese is well known at church
potlucks, and when Kendra moves into the cabin Helen
brings a pan for her to enjoy.
There's some speculation
that macaroni and cheese was first created by Virginia's
own Thomas Jefferson, who served it in the White House
in 1802. Was there anything this Virginian couldn't
do?
HELEN'S OLD FASHIONED MACARONI
AND CHEESE
(serves 4 as a main dish) |
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8 Ounces elbow macaroni-try
one of the whole grain macaronis for extra flavor
1 ½ cups grated cheese. (Helen uses American,
Emilie uses sharp cheddar)
3 Tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper
½ cup milk
1 egg
1-2 slices of buttered bread, crumbled. (Try
day-old whole grain.)
Boil macaroni in salted water
according to package directions. Drain and rinse
with cold water.
Beginning with macaroni, make several layers
in a greased 2 quart baking dish: Macaroni, cheese,
bits of butter, sprinkles of salt and pepper.
Whisk egg and milk together and pour over the
top, sprinkle with buttered bread crumbs
Bake at 350 for 25-35 minutes, or until cooked
through
As extras, add layers of chopped ham, tomatoes,
sauteed peppers, or bacon. Imagination is a wonderful
thing.
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If
you have country recipes you'd like to share, please
email Emilie, who will try to use them here.
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