Rainy Days

When I was in the first grade it always seemed an impossible task to get up and get ready for school when it was raining outside. Harder still I think was what my mother had to go through knowing she had three rain sleepy children in the house she had to get washed and dressed and out the door that would whine and cry when she woke them.

A trick she learned somewhere down the road was that if she baked cinnamon raisin biscuits in the morning half the work would be done before she came to our rooms and knocked on the door. The warm, heavenly aroma wafted through the morning air and called us to the breakfast table with their siren song. Socks were put on, teeth were brushed and before we knew it we were out the door to school. Magic right?

Lately rainy days aren't so hard to deal with, my life is such that I  never have to get up early during any of them. Now that it's March and showers bring along with them warmer days and springtime flowers I'm not too bent out of shape when they inevitably come around either. I do sometimes still like to reward myself for getting out of bed on time, whether it's easy to do or not.

Cinnamon Raisin Biscuits

At the age of eight these were usually served with a purple Pocahontas cup of orange or grape juice and  maybe some eggs, but they also go well with a side of coffee and a good book.

•      2 cups all-purpose flour
•     1 tablespoon baking powder
•     2 tablespoons sugar
•      1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
•      1/2 teaspoon salt
•      4 tbsp shortening
•      4 tbsp butter
•      2/3 cup whole milk
•      1/3 cup raisins

                 Icing 

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons milk
•  1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions: 

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees

   1. Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl, whisking to combine. With either your fingers or a pastry cutter cut in butter/shortening until mixture's sort of like coarse crumbs. Add the raisins, then the milk; stir only until it starts to come together. Turn dough onto a floured surface. Knead just until smooth (this won't take long). Roll the dough out to 1/2-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 2-1/2-in. round cutter; (or whatever you have lying around, I always use cookie cutters) place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden.

   2. While your biscuits are baking up warm and fluffy, mix up the icing ingredients ( they will be runny). When the biscuits are done, drizzle the icing over the top. Serve warm.