For Lisa: Biscuits Supreme

This is my favorite biscuit recipe (although I'm sure there are other greats), and Lisa asked me for it ages ago. It's from the Better Homes & Gardens cookbook, and you can also find it on their website. But for your convenience I'm putting it right here, along with a few additional tips not found in the recipe.

Ingredients:
3 c. all-purpose flour
4 t. baking powder
1 T. sugar
1 t. salt
3/4 t. cream of tartar
3/4 c. butter or margarine, or 1/2 c. butter and 1/4 c. shortening
1 1/4 c. buttermilk or 1 c. milk (1 c. milk + 1 T. vinegar = 1 c. buttermilk. Mix them several minutes before you add to the recipe so it has time to do what it's supposed to do. Don't try it with powdered milk. Actually, try it. It's kind of interesting what happens. Just make sure you have some regular milk handy so you can actually make the recipe.)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. In a large bowl stir together the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and cream of tartar. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. (I suppose you could use 2 knives instead of the pastry blender, but they're so much harder to work with. I recommend the pastry blender.) Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add buttermilk all at once. Using a fork, stir just until moistened.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead dough by folding and gently pressing dough for 4 to 6 strokes or just until dough holds together. Pat or lightly roll dough until 3/4 inch thick. Cut the dough with a floured 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter. (Tip: Don't twist the cutter. It breaks the dough and lets out all the nice air bubbles that make your biscuits light and fluffy. Just press down firmly. Also, cut out as many biscuits as you can from a single rolling of dough because the dough gets tougher with each rolling.)

Place biscuits 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake in a 450 degree F. oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden. Remove biscuits from baking sheet and serve immediately.