Saturday, July 31, 2010

Better with Biscuits Indeed


If you follow me on twitter you may have caught wind that my oven is broken. It broke on the kind of terrible day that ends all other terrible days. Let me briefly explain the epic awfulness of that day. As I pulled into my driveway after running numerous errands in 80+ degree heat (hot here in the Northwest), my car window broke as I innocently attempted to roll it up. *Pop* it went, like a gunshot. Then slowly fell all the way down into the crevice of the door, all the while making awful shattering/grinding glass noises, until it could be seen no more. Bad news, I knew it. Frustrated, I gathered my groceries and approached the front door. *Beep*beep*beep*beep* - an incessant alarm was pouring out from behind the door. 'What's going on? Is the house on fire??!?' my brain wondered. Quickly, (and perhaps stupidly if indeed the house was aflame) I jammed my key into the lock, swung the door open, and rushed into the kitchen. There sat the oven, beeping as if it were screaming. A noise so loud it was inescapable anywhere else in the house. I set down my bags and attempted to quiet the thing by pressing every button, only to find the buttons were completely unresponsive. So, there I stood. Frustrated by the expensive electronic world that seemed to crumbling around me, and started crying. Lightly at first, soon followed by a babbling bawl. I felt trapped. Trapped with a newly broken car. Trapped in a house that was not quiet. Head pounding, tears rolling away.

I struggled to pull it together. After a good cry I picked up the phone and called our old roomie, who coincidentally enough lives right down the street and works at a store in town that restores and sells used appliances. I knew he would be the only one that could help my ears and my sanity at that moment. He was on the doorstep in a matter of minutes. Despite his appliance skills he was unable to figure out what was going on. Like myself, he became increasingly irritated by the loud blaring beeping and decided to trip the oven breaker. That is how it's remained. For about a week now. Luckily it's summer, meaning I've got my gas stove top, and the barbecue. So we're still able to cook. We will make do for another couple of weeks until we find an oven replacement. 

I wasn't sure that in the heat of summer I would miss baking much. But oh have I ever. First, I was bitten by the brownie bug, then the biscuit bug. I shook the brownie bug (for now), but, after finding an incredible jar full of honeycomb and tupelo honey I knew it would be nearly impossible for me to shake the biscuit bug because I absolutely adore warm biscuits, soft butter, and a good golden honey. And if there were ever a baked good that begs to be eaten in the summer, it's a good biscuit. 



Despite my love for biscuits I hope you can believe what I'm about to confess to you, I've never baked a batch. Correction, I've never baked a savory biscuit. I suppose my shortcake ingredient list is nearly identical, except for the addition of extra sugar and a bit of vanilla.



I don't know what initially inspired my biscuit craving. But I knew where to turn in order to visually stimulate my hunger for biscuits, Homesick Texan, a blog I enjoy reading and feeds my comfort food weakness. Her biscuits look absolutely perfect, don't they? Buttery, flakey, and warm (doesn't that picture look warm to you?) Once I read her post I knew I had to figure out a way to make my own batch. So, I mixed, kneaded, thwacked, rolled, folded, and cut. Then I set out, tray of biscuits in hand, to find an oven. Which I did, down the street at the boyfriends mothers house. Not the greatest of ovens, but it did the trick. And while I don't think my biscuits baked up looking as irresistibly edible as miss Homesick Texan's, they quelled my craving (and, as promised in the original recipe, were gone in a matter of hours). 

6 comments:

RachelleLouise said...

I love this post. The photos, the storytelling. Aaahh...

文王廷 said...
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Rambling Tart said...

Oh, you poor thing! No wonder you had a good weep! I hope everything gets sorted soon. :-) Your biscuits are fabulous!! Now I'm craving them too. :-)

Mallory Elise said...

Hello Miss Mallory! i saw your comment at Meeta's and i thought ahk! you're the first other Mallory food blogger i have seen who's family also randomly immigrated from Norway :P I am from Poulsbo, do you know where that is? you should...it's WA's "Little Norway" right next to Bainbridge Island from the ferry from Seattle. My aunt and uncle live in Bellingham...Ferndale actually. Nice to meet you! im adding you to my blog list simply for principle :)

miss mallory opel said...

Mallory! Thank you for dropping by and leaving an amazing comment. Oddly enough, my grandmother was born in Poulsbo, but soon after her birth my great grandmother moved the children back to Norway. My grandmothers father lived in Poulsbo for many years while my grandmother the rest of the family were living in Norway. He worked there and sent money home to the farm. He built a farmhouse and a barn in the area that are still standing, and are now part of a large nursery. My mother actually lives in Ferndale! So crazy, that we share the same name, of norwegian descent, family from the same areas, both food bloggers! Who knew?!

Thank you again! Your blog is absolutely beautiful!

xx

Mallory Elise said...

wow, well you're family is more Norwegian than mine, my mom's grandma is the one who came from Norway, and when they all moved to WA i don't think it was a coincidence that they moved to Poulsbo.

Wow, what farm? I know the nurseries in poulsbo (not that it's hard to...) i love poulsbo pumpkin patches :) so you go to viking fest every year in May right? hehe. i haven't been in soooo long! i went to school in Spokane (gonzaga) you must be a Western eh? my sister graduated from western a few years ago.

i love your blog too, no clutter! i hate clutter blogs.

so i live in brazil now (will visit US next June) and Mallory seems to be impossible to pronounce (even though there is an electronics brand that makes toasters and juicers called mallory) so instead it's mal--which sounds like mah. ma? mom? erm.

:)