The Best Biscuits I Ever Made

[srhcb]

With due deference to anybody's grandma, I had the best biscuits I ever made last night, and it was amazingly easy!

I hade a five pound bag of commercial baking mix, (think of the industrial equivalent of Bisquik), my friend Big Lou gave me which he had obtained from relatives through the USDA's distribution program to Indian Reservations.

The only trick was downsizing the instructions, which called for using the entire five pound bag to make one batch. Since I didn't plan on 30-50 guest for dinner, (at 2-3 biscuits each), I decided one pound/4 cups of the baking mix would be about right.

I weighed that out into my food processor, and instead of adding the calculated 9.6 ounces of milk I substituted 1/2 cup of dried milk powder, (also courtesy of USDA via Big Lou), and 1 cup of water.

I mixed it in the processor for about 45 seconds, patted out and folded the dough 5 times, rolled it to about 1/2" thick, and cut out 20 2" biscuits which I brushed with butter and baked for 11 minutes, until they were starting to brown.

The resulting buscuits were light but not crumbly, and very tastey!

SB (I saved four biscuits for Big Lou, thus fulfilling, at least in spirit, the USDA program's mission)

[Badiane]

This disturbs me in a way I can't even articulate.

The FDPIR is a Federal program that provides commodity foods to low-income households, including the elderly, living on Indian reservations, and to Native American families residing in designated areas near reservations. The misappropriate of this resource is criminal.

Next time "Big Lou" shows up with a bag of bakery mix, he should get a kick in the ass, and a lesson on what it's like to be hungry and finding all of the aid exhausted by people like him. I'm not even going to start on the ethics of accepting this food from him.

Disgusting.

[K8memphis]

Hmmm, I don't think it's always like that, Badiane. For example, my little Mom lived in government subsidized housing--she got free meals. However there came a time when she could not eat that type of diet--if she had received a 5# bag of biscuit mix instead of the prepared meals it would go to waste because she could not eat white flour. If she gave it away so it did not go to waste no one would deserve a kick in the ass. At best she should not receive future supplies.

Same thing. Big Lou's relatives gave it to him. Big Lou did not take aid--the relatives did for whatever reason.

I'm not saying hunger doesn't exist and isn't a problem. Hunger sucks.

I delivered a church care package to some 'needy people' one day but they did not want the milk powder and rice and oats and mac & cheese etc. etc. They wanted to give me a grocery list of what they wanted for free--yeah I don't think so--that's why God created paychecks--not food programs.

Did you know you can buy fast food like pizza and Subway's with food stamps now??? Food stamps now look like credit cards--ebt it's called--there are two 'sides' to some states' ebt cards(electronic benefit transaction). There's the food side and the cash side. You can buy beer, liquor, cigarettes with the cash side of food stamps.

The government does indeed have really good food--I promise hands down by far thee best cheese popcorn I ever had was made from the government 5# blocks of yellow cheese--sprinkle it on a pan full of popped corn and melt in the oven--to die for good. Supper-time!!

[Patrick S]

The misappropriate of this resource is criminal. Next time "Big Lou" shows up with a bag of bakery mix, he should get a kick in the ass . . .

←

Last time I checked, that was assault, a criminal offense.

As long as Big Lou was given this stuff by someone who recieved it rightfully, I'm not bothered. If Big Lou got the mix from someone who, say, stole it from a warehouse, then I'd be bothered.

[sugarbuzz]

K8 ..I had a similar experience trying to deliver some products to a shelter. It's amazing how "picky" most can be. I had been given some dry milk powder,mac & cheese & some canned fruit from a friend who had gotten them from a church. It was all extras they could not give away because nobody wanted it.

She knew that the place I worked at regularly gave leftover breads & breakfast goods to shelters & thought they could use it. They took only the fruit but they didn't want the milk or mac & cheese. They said they would appreciate it if we could give fresh milk and if we had the Kraft brand mac & cheese..you know the one with the cheese in a pouch. I was stunned. How could a shelter refuse food? I doubt that the homeless mom & her 2 kids would refuse milk because it was once in powdered form.

So..maybe Big Lou had gotten his mix from his relatives beacuse they just couldn't use it all. It's theirs to do with as they please. Maybe next time they won't take it because they know they won't use it.

Edited June 9, 2005 by sugarbuzz (log)

[srhcb]

This disturbs me in a way I can't even articulate. 

The FDPIR is a Federal program that provides commodity foods to low-income households, including the elderly, living on Indian reservations, and to Native American families residing in designated areas near reservations.  The misappropriate of this resource is criminal.

Next time "Big Lou" shows up with a bag of bakery mix, he should get a kick in the ass, and a lesson on what it's like to be hungry and finding all of the aid exhausted by people like him.  I'm not even going to start on the ethics of accepting this food from him.

Disgusting.

←

My friend Big Lou qualifys for many rights as a band member although he doesn't live on the Reservation. Whenever he visits relatives they always insist he take USDA commodities because they get so much they can't use it all.

They have white and whole wheat flour, the baking mix, corn meal, oats, dried milk, dried eggs (which work real well in baked goods), potato flakes, canned fruit, raisins and prunes, and who knows what else. Lou also has Rez hunting and fishing rights, and can harvest wild rice.

Lots (most?) of the food gets illegally sold or traded away to restaurants and retail grocery stores for other food, and too often for liquor and cigarettes. As such, I feel that by sharing anything I make using the food with him entails the spirit, if not the letter, of the law.

We have talked about putting together some recipes using the USDA commodities, and I've developed and adapted several recipes utilizing as many ingredients as possible, mostly yeast and quick breads. We'll submit these to the Rez's newspaper.

The residents of the reservations certainly don't need anyone else taking advantage of them. Between the federal beauracracies and their own home-grown organized criminals they have a bleak enough existence as it is.

SB (some of Lou's friends and relatives are on the Red Lake Reservation, which was in the news recently concerning a school shooting)

[srhcb]

Here's one recipe I developed for using surplus commodities based on a quick bread named "Vi's Brown Bread", (after her MIL), from Betsy Oppeneer's "The Bread Book":

RESERVATION BREAD * indicates USDA Commodity

1 Cup Raisins *

2 1/4 Cups Hot Coffee

1 1/2 Cups Sugar

3 Tbl Butter (room temp)

4 Tbl Egg Powder *

2 Tbl Molasses

1/4 Cup Dried Milk Powder*

2/3 Cup + 6 Tbl Water

1 1/2 tsp Vanilla

2 1/2 Cups AP Flour*

3/4 Cup Whole Wheat Flour*

1/2 Cup Corn Meal*

1 1/2 tsp Salt

1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder

2 Cups USDA Trail Mix (or any dried fruit and nut mixture)*

In a Large Bowl, Soak Raisins in Hot Coffee about 30 min, until lukewarm

Preheat Oven to 350, Grease two 8.5 x 4.25 Pans

Add Sugar, Butter, Molasses, Water and Vanilla with Raisin/Coffee mixture. Mix Well.

In Medium Bowl Whisk together Flours, Corn Meal, Egg and Milk Powder, Salt, Baking Soda and Trail Mix.

Add Flour mixture to Raisin Mixture all at once and Stir until just combined.

Spoon Batter into Prepared Pans.

Bake for 1 - 1 hr 15 min. (toothpick test or 190 degrees)

Cool in Pans for 10 min.

Remove from Pans and wrap in Foil, let steam for 2 hours until cool.

SB (a VERY hearty bread)