snow day + a little recipe love

there is something about a snow day that brings magic to the everyday life.

luke & i woke up slowly, cuddled under our warm blankets.
light filled our home & flakes danced along our window panes.

luke made a special breakfast of buttermilk pancakes & eggs. we spread plum syrup over our warm cakes, a gift from a dear friend.

as soon as the temperature rose above the teens, we stepped outside wide-eyed & amazed by all of the snow. fifteen inches, actually.

we walked around the neighborhood in absolute delight.

all of the light. blue skies. deep green pine. birds chattering.

after a long walk & a visit to our neighbor's home, we hurried inside with wet socks & hungry bellies. time to dig through the pantry, make a hearty soup & some homemade biscuits.

now let me just remind you that our home isn't always perfect or heck! even clean. but what makes a snow day actually magical is the clarity to know that it isn't time to do the dishes, the pile of clothes can wait & the floor doesn't need sweeping. it is time to make biscuits.

now, a little side story {but absolutely necessary}- when one of my {close friends} lived here, she would always comment on her quick & easy biscuits that she would make for her family on the weekends. as soon as she left, i set out to find my own biscuit recipe in honor of her & also my craving to find a weekend biscuit of my own.

my go-to cookbooks are always from the mennonite community. i appreciate their views on holistic eating & the enjoyment of eating together. their cookbooks, {simply in season} & {more-with-less} are used for dinners most nights around here. so naturally, when i set out for the perfect recipe, i looked at these two cookbooks & of course, i found what i was looking for.

i hope you enjoy this recipe. it was inspired by the "basic biscuits" recipe from the {more-with-less} cookbook & adapted to fit our family preferences.

natalie's buttermilk biscuits, inspired by her good friend jess & more-with-less

{makes 10-12 large biscuits}

preheat oven to 425 degrees

sift together in bowl-
2 c. flour {part wheat & other part white}
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp salt

cut in-
1/4 cup vegetable shortening

add-
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup whole milk
{you can use all whole milk if you do not have any buttermilk on hand}
stir until soft ball is formed

turn dough onto floured surface & kneed lightly approx 20 times

roll dough out onto surface

cut with floured biscuit cutter
{i have used a heart cookie cutter before & it worked really well. perfect for valentine's day!}

place on ungreased baking sheet & bake for 10-12 minutes

take out of the oven when golden brown & serve warm

enjoy with soup.

love,
natalie