How NOT to make Sweet Potato Biscuits for one's grandchildren!

Miriam, Noe, Micah, Liliana, and Eli (front)

"Are you going to make Sweet Potato Biscuits, Abuelita?"  Hopeful looks accompany this question every year when our family gets together to celebrate Christmas and the New Year. My grandchildren love them...and we adults make good inroads into the hot, golden stack. With honey and butter, they are delicious!  (Recipe below😉.)
           **************************

This last year, though, I messed up!  The first day I made them in Dan and KC's new house, everything was great.  Later I decided I'd make them once more before we all dispersed for our homes.  But in getting all the dry ingredients together ahead of time, so I could go take a rest, I grabbed the bottle of what I thought was baking powder.  (Having just used it in something else, I didn't bother to look at the label.)  Later, as I finished the dough, I pinched a tiny bit off and thought it tasted a bit bitter.  Oh well...I went ahead and finished.

When we dug into them at supper...oh dear!...they were quite bitter!  They weren't exactly totally inedible.  The butter and honey helped some.  But they definitely were NOT Abuelita's always-looked-forward-to biscuits!  What I thought was baking powder was actually baking soda, and quite a lot went into the dough!  Bitter biscuits...all because I didn't take the time to confirm the label.  It was not a wise thing to do in someone else's kitchen!
                                         ***************************

Carelessness can make us mess up in other things, too, not just in the kitchen, right?  Oh, yes! Hopefully, when we make mistakes due to carelessness, we resolve to be more careful next time.  Unfortunately, being human means that it probably won't be long before we mess up again...from carelessness.  God knows this!

In our walk with Him,  He urges us to put effort into watching how we do things, into being careful.  He tells us, for example:

"Study and do your best to present yourself to God approved, a workman who has no reason to be ashamed, accurately handling and skillfully teaching the Word of Truth."  (II Timothy 2:15)

"Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life."  (Proverbs 4:23)

"Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming."  (I Peter 1:)

"But test all things carefully...Hold firmly to that which is good."  (I Thessalonians 5:21)
                                                ********************

                            So let's make the psalmist's prayer our own:
       
   "Teach me good judgement (discernment) and knowledge."  (Psalm 119:66)
                                         *******************

Here's the recipe (along with tweaks for gluten-free).

              Sweet Potato Biscuits

Mix: 2 cups flour;  4 t. baking powder;  1/2 t. salt;  1 T. sugar
Cut in (til resembles crumbs):  4 T. butter
Add: 1 cup cooked, mashed sweet potato;  1 cup milk
       Mix together well, knead on floured surface just until manageable (not sticky).  Roll out, cut, and place on oiled baking sheet and bake in 450-degree oven till very-lightly golden.

(For gluten-free, use same amount of G-F flour, add 1 t. xanthan gum and use 5 t. baking powder.)

Gluten-free Orange Pikelets...(Aussie cousins of American pancakes)...so tasty!

I've been "under the weather" for quite a while...and I think it shows in the photo!  But it's been so long since I've written a post, and I wanted to say "hello" and share a new recipe.

Also, there's something in the Old Testament regarding bread that I've always wondered about. (How in the world...?)  Have any of you been curious about it, too?
       ****************
Now, the recipe. If you don't have a friendly Australian to explain: pikelets are similar to pancakes, but with a sturdier, denser  texture. Pancakes tend to be light and fluffy (-ish), to be savored with maple syrup, etc.  Pikelets, on the other hand, are perfect for spreading with things like whipped cream and jam...or chocolate with thin fruit slices...or savory toppings.  They tend to be a little sweeter than pancakes, and are basically a finger-food, while pancakes tend to be eaten with a fork.

Although plain pikelets work as a base for things like individual strawberry shortcakes (yum!), these  have a lovely orange flavor that make them delicious on their own...but use your imagination!  (I'll tell you how to make orange pancakes with a couple easy changes to the recipe.)  I use rice flour, but feel free to experiment with other gluten-free flours to see what happens!😊)
                                  ************************************

Gluten-Free Orange Pikelets

1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened (it's better for beating when it's really soft)
1/3 - 1/2 cup sugar or to taste (or equivalent in other sweeteners)
2 eggs
3/4 cup strained pure orange juice
1 1/2 cups rice flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
finely grated orange peel (if fresh, about 1/2 an orange; if dried, 1 - 2 teaspoons)
3/4 - 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
(depending on the flours used, you may need a bit more liquid to make the batter manageable; you can use a couple tablespoons of milk or plain yogurt)

Beat the first two well with a wire whisk, til creamy-ish. Add the rest, alternating dry and liquid ingredients, to make it easier to beat.

Bake them on a lightly-greased griddle over a low-to-medium flame (depends on your particular stove). Watch carefully. I've had them get a little too dark more quickly than I expected.  Cook as for regular pancakes.  They work best (for me) dropping only small amounts of batter on the griddle, with space between them, so they can rise and spread a bit.

To make gluten-free orange pancakes:  use only about 4 tablespoons sugar or equivalent  sweetener, only 1/4 c. softened butter, and add either another egg or several tablespoons extra liquid (milk, yogurt, orange juice, etc.), to thin the batter down.  Cook as usual.
              ********************************

NOW...here are two Bible verses that set the context for my "how in the world?" intrigue:

"Gideon went inside, prepared a young goat, and from an ephah of flour he made bread without yeast...he brought them out to him under the oak."  (Judges 6:19)

"So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah.  "Quick," he said, "get three seahs of the finest flour and knead it and bake some bread."  (Genesis 18:6)

Why did they use so much flour?  I found out that an ephah was about 93 cups in today's measurements. Imagine working with about 23 pounds of flour!* (Professional bakers aside!)  It would take ages just to measure it, not to mention to mix the other ingredients in. Gideon used 23 pounds of flour to make bread for one single guest! (And the guest didn't even eat it...after all that work!)

The seah was about 7.3-7.7 liters. Abraham asked his wife to make bread, measuring out around six gallons of flour!  It must have taken hours. And for only three guests!
             ***************************************

Thankfully, there are much more important things in life than bread, right? As Jesus our Savior said:

                                 "Man shall not live on bread alone,
                    but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."   (Matthew 4:4)
                                         *******************
                                          


(*Actually, a bit more.  White flour has 4 cups to a pound, but theirs would have been a little heavier, with a slightly lower cups/pound ratio.)