Today was a sunny 65 degrees, and just perfect for outdoor cooking. As you can see, I'm playing SMOKE OUT while trying to get the fire started. We had some drizzle this week and even some ice, so all the wood is a little damp.
I sent the girls to fetch some water so we could have hot tea, water for the recipe, and also for clean-up.
I selected a nice cast iron pot to hang from the hook.
I love how I can adjust my temperature by raising or lowering the pot over the fire.
Pamela made us a batch of country biscuits. Nothing fancy.COUNTRY BISCUITS
- 4 cups of flour
- 5 tsp butter
- 1 tsp baking soda
Mix in just enough warm water to dampen and shape dough
We're using the dutch oven for our baking.
Biscuits are placed in the iron pot.
Shoveling the embers, we placed the dutch oven on top of ashes, and covered the lid. The red hot embers heats the inside of the pot just like an oven. We can raise or lower our temperature by adding or taking away embers from the bottom and top of the pot.
The biscuits were good slathered with creamy butter and honey.
Cooking biscuits pioneer style sure placed things into perspective. By the time we got the fire good and ready (with enough hot ashes) and cooked the biscuits, it took over two hours.
Like they say, food tastes better cooked outdoors, but I sure do appreciate my INDOOR kitchen! Imagine all you had was this outdoor kitchen, like some of our ancestors. Rain or shine, snow or sleet, food needed cooked!
Imagine laundry day back then... that's another story.
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Oh yes, laundry day WAS another story.. we might not have been pioneer women but laundry day was a scrub board, tin tub and water heated outdoors. Freezing weather didn't make any difference either.. mom use to say we freeze dried the clothes.. they'd be so stiff they could stand by themselves.
ReplyDeleteYUM, I can smell the food all the way here. I love it!
ReplyDeleteI want to make a cooking area like that for my dutch oven, in my backyard.
ReplyDeleteDid you know there is a Lone Star Dutch oven society: www.LSDOS.com
You are such an encouragement to me. Bisquits are my weakness especially with butter and honey.
I understand the laundry thing- it really hurts our time when the machines break. I don't take them for granted.
wow..that is very cool..well to do here and there..not all the time, I cannot imagine having to cook like that all the time...and laundry...that would never get done...lol...
ReplyDelete