I've been reading
Prairie Song by Mona Hodgson - a story about a brave young woman who believes that the best way to help her grieving family is for them to pack up everything and join the Boones Lick Wagon Train, heading west.
The book is filled with likeable characters. One of my favorites is Boney. He's the trail cook on the wagon train. I can just imagine Boney pulling the chuck wagon into camp, then jumping down to unload his dutch ovens and tin coffee pot. I can see him opening a big sack of flour to start mixing up biscuits to serve with a big pot of beans. I can practically smell the beans boiling and see the butter melting on the hot biscuits. It just makes my mouth water!
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| My Dad making biscuits. |
I guess this strikes a resonant chord with me because my dad used to love to make biscuits. He also worked on a ranch in Prescott, Arizona, spent several seasons fur trapping around Williams, Arizona and worked a gold mine in Bumblebee, Arizona.
Is it any wonder that I love western fiction? Dad would have loved to join up with a wagon train and I'll just bet he would have volunteered to be the camp cook!
I was excited to see that Prairie Song author, Mona Hodgson posted a recipe for Boney's Trail Biscuits the other day, so I just had to try it. My hubby (Mr. Lee) gave me a hand because biscuits are just not as good unless a man has a hand in makin' them (IMO).
We didn't have a dutch oven, so we improvised and baked them inside, but they turned out really great. Here's how we did it...
Measure & mix dry ingredients
Cut in the butter, then add in the buttermilk
Turn out, knead and...
...then roll out.
Cut and place on your best old blackened cookie sheet. (Do you have one of those?) I think I will roll them out less to make the biscuits a little thicker next time.
Bake, basting with butter just before done.
Hubby thought they needed more butter basting right after they came out.
Mr. Lee wanted the leftover scraps to fry
Because his dad used to fry bread dough.
It does look yummy, but I can't eat all that fat
Then, he drizzled it with honey
So, we got Boney's Trail Biscuits - two ways
I ate mine with sugar-free blackberry jelly.
We had a lot of fun baking together, talking about our Dads (who are both gone, now) and talking about what life would have been like on the trail west. I offered to let him read Prairie Song. He asked if it was a girly romance book. I admitted that there was romance, but lots more that he would like. I doubt he'll read it, which leaves me wondering why he has such an aversion to romance!
Boney's Trail Biscuits tasted great!
You can find the recipe here. (There's also a great recipe for Boney's Campfire Beans (haven't made that yet). Scroll down the page for the biscuit recipe.
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Isn't this a beautiful display celebrating Mona Hodgson's new book release - Prairie Song? I love the homespun dress hanging above the display. Karen P., one of Crossroad's super-friendly staff members set up this up. The dress was made by Karen's mother.
