Homemade Biscuit Recipe & A January Reflection
January postcard | reading wrap up, nostalgia, and slow upcoming projects.
The trees have started to frost. Icicles dangle from the branches and leaves. December ended with homemade chocolate pies and cinnamon rolls. January started with sandwich bread and biscuits.
Biscuit Recipe
Ingredients:
2 cups of flour
Pinch of salt
3 tbsps of sugar
1 tbsp of baking powder
1/2 stick of butter
1/2 cup of oat milk
1/4 cup of butter milk
Instructions:
In a cast iron skillet, put a half of stick of butter. Put it into your oven then preheat your oven to 425 degrees. This is preheating your skillet. Do NOT skip this step. I’m begging.
In a bowl whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder. Then add your 1/2 stick of butter. You are going to crush the butter into the flower. You want the butter to get down to almond-sized pieces within the flour (similarly to how you would make pie crush)
Add milk to the mixture and stir until a rough dough starts to form. Using a scoop and knead motion, fold the mixture over and over onto itself to form layers.
Cut out your biscuits, place into preheated skillet, and bake until golden brown. Enjoy!
I would recommend pairing the biscuits with a mug of English Breakfast tea. My preferred way of making it is a half a teaspoon of honey and a splash of oat milk- it’s delicious!
The most noteable of the novels I read this month consisted of Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen (a reread and my favorite novel at the moment— my book notes will be posted very soon), Mixed Signals by BK Borrison, and my current reads: Soil by Camille T Dungy and M Train by Patti Smith.
My morning routine consists of bare feet sinking into soil, weeds being pulled from the ground, and drinking mugs of tea within my garden. An addition I’m hoping to make to my morning routine is early morning reading on a rocking chair. But… I have no rocking chair.
Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen follows a magical family called the Waverleys. Specifically two sisters, most notably: Claire Waverley. A woman that lives in a generations old Queen-Anne cottage and takes care of her family’s magical garden and enchanted apple tree. She is living a quiet and quite predictable life, which is what she set for herself because within her childhood she never had roots. Her sister, Sydney returns back to the cottage when she is escaping her abusive boyfriend.
Because of the way I deeply related to the main character, this novel ended up being my favorite read on 2023. Claire’s lifestyle, friendships, internal monologue, personality, and fears were extremely relatable. I found much solace in this story and it will have a special place in my heart for a long time.
This book consisted of prose on prose about the mundane: gardening, making coffee / breakfast, eating lunch, taking showers, etc. but within that you’re learning about the character’s internal struggles, you see people in the neighborhood falling in love, and it’s a beautiful depiction of life. I absolutely adored it. This book also explored broken sibling dynamics and exploring what repairing a sisterhood looks like.
Mixed Signals is the third installment of BK Borison’s Lovelight Farms series. Borison has perfected the skill of writing sweet intimate romance books. This novel follows Caleb and Layla. After her latest bad date, Layla runs into Caleb, a guy who has been mooning over her for five years. They end up starting this fake-dating shenanigan to learn “how to date”. Their arrangement is set to only last for a month but things happen and feelings develop…
I absolutely adore romance novels that are casual and pragmatic. This book felt so realistic and beautiful and it just filled me with so much hope (as BK Borison’s novels typically do). I adore Borison’s writing style and the way she writes both the two characters living their lives and chasing their dreams separately and them coming together and becoming parts in each other’s lives.
With nature, I’ve been resting more and savoring even the smallest amounts of warmth. Next month, I want to plant seeds before our last frost. This year (along with vegetable gardening), I’m getting into herb and flower gardening. Speaking of, I’v also found a farm to volunteer at. So hopefully February’s reflection will consist of cows and baby goats. I also want to fix my sewing machine and start my sewing learning journey.
The novels that I have my eye on for the month of February consist of Pachinko by Min Jim Lee, The Street by Ann Petry, Ophie’s Ghost by Justina Ireland, A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams, Classic Krackaur by Jon Krackaur, and White Teeth by Zadie Smith.