Cinnamon Fan (or Accordion) Biscuits for Father's Day

Mother's Day is usually the time you see great breakfast recipes, you know, for mom's breakfast in bed.  Honestly, as a mom AKA "The One Who Cleans" (joking, honey),  I'm not wild about eating anything in bed.  Breakfast or otherwise.  I mean, I have enough crap to do...I surely don't need to wash the sheets today too.

But I get the idea of starting the day off in celebration and showing mom you care...

first thing in the morning before she is fully awake
before she is ready to verbally communicate
before she has been safely lulled into humanity by a cuppa coffee
before she has had a chance to wipe her goopy eyes, brush away the morning breath, and tame the Flock of Seagulls hair...

Oh.  Ummm.  Uhhh...I'm speaking in general terms, ya know.

I try to spread this kind of love on Father's Day.  The Husband puts up with a lot.  He does a lot.  He gets pummeled by The Boy...pointy little elbows and knees digging into sacred places.  He always has some home improvement project going on--either at our house or his mother's.  He crawls under the house where it's dusty and dirty and all out creepy to fix things.  He climbs up on the roof to remove the dead squirrel--or at least he thinks about doing it.  That counts for something.  And how'd it get there anyway?  He takes care of the wasp nests.  He installs the smoke detectors to keep us safe.  He installs insulation in the hotter-than-hell attic.  He runs to Wal Mart to pick up something I've forgotten when I can't possibly stand to go there again this week.  He washes the dishes when I cook.  He does the laundry because that's my least favorite chore.   

So, yeah, we should start the day off celebrating him. 

I saw these cute little biscuits in a cookbook my mom gave me: Family Circle Healthy Homestyle Cooking.  I don't know what's so healthy about these biscuits, but I can tell you The Boy and I have fun making them.  I first made these Cinnamon Fan Biscuits (I changed the name a bit) last year for Father's Day.  I thought they would be fun and festive.  Plus The Husband plays accordion and the bellows looks like a paper fan.  When I brought these to the table the responses were "Whoa!  What are those?"  "That's cool."  These won't blow your dress up--which, depending on the type of person you are, may be a good thing.  I don't know what type of person you really are, now do I?  But they're great just for the fun factor.

Mise en place: Cinnamon, sugar, flour, baking powder, cream of tartar, salt,
shortening, milk.
If you'd like icing (I recommend): powdered sugar, vanilla, milk.

Make your cinnamon-sugar and have it ready.
Next, mix all the dry ingredients together.
Cut in the shortening either with a pastry cutter, fork, or hands. 

Hands are the most fun.

Make a well, then pour in the milk. 

Mix until combined--don't go crazy or your biscuits will be tough.
Knead, then divide the dough in half.

Roll out each half into 10 x 12 rectangles. 

I either failed geometry or have something against sharp, defined edges.

Sprinkle each half with the cinnamon sugar.
Cut each half into 5 strips of equal width--2" more or less.
Stack each set of 5 strips.

Tip: hide the ugly, ratty-looking strips in the middle of the stack.

Now, cut each stack into 6 pieces--2" wide.

Got all that?

Take a cute lil square stack and give it a good pinch along one edge.

Maybe I really do have something against edges.

Place pinched side down in a greased muffin tin.

 
Now get all artsy and arrange the layers.  Don't get too carried away spreading them out.  otherwise you won't end up with fans.

Repeat with remaining squares.

Bake at 450 for 10-12 min.
While they bake, how 'bout some icing?

Yes?  Yes.
Mix 1/2 c powdered sugar with a few drops of vanilla and 1-1 1/2 Tbsp milk.

Biscuits are ready!
Drizzle on the icing and serve.

I had to make a paper fan because The Boy didn't get the connection.  Guess kids these days don't know about such old fashioned things.

Linking with:
Food on Friday: Recipes for Kids to Make @ Carole's Chatter

 By the way, did you notice my new dishes?  The Husband gave them to me for our 17th Anniversary which is coming up.
They are so me!

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Cinnamon Fan (or Accordion) Biscuits

from Ms. enPlace, adapted from Family Circle Healthy Homestyle Cooking

2 T sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 c all-purpose flour

4 tsp baking powder

½ tsp cream of tartar

¼ tsp salt

¼ c shortening

¾ c milk

Preheat oven to 450. Grease twelve muffin cups and set aside.

Combine the cinnamon and sugar and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cream of tartar, and salt. Using a pastry blender, two forks, or your fingers cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk. Mix with a fork just until moistened; do not over mix or the biscuits will be tough.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead dough by folding and gently pressing it 10 to 12 times, or until dough is almost smooth. Divide dough in half.

Roll each dough half into a 12 x 10 inch rectangle. Sprinkle each rectangle with the cinnamon-sugar.

Cut the first dough half into strips that are 12 inches long and 2 inches wide—a total of 5 strips per rectangle. Stack the strips on top of each other. Cut the stack into six 2 inch squares. Repeat with the second stack of dough strips.

Now take each square stack and pinch along one edge. Place pinched edge down in prepared muffin cups. Repeat with remaining squares. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden. Serve right away.

I like icing on mine.

While the biscuits bake mix together until smooth:

½ c powdered sugar

a few drops of vanilla

1-1 ½ Tbsp milk

Drizzle over biscuits.