My Experience with the Muskogee Little Theatre

My grandfather believed in me.

 As in, he believed I could do ANYTHING I set my mind to.

At least he made me think he did...

I told him I wanted to be a famous singer, and he signed me up with a group called "Oklahoma Kids."

Grandpa ambitiously ordered one of my first karaoke tracks: Climb Every Mountain (from the Sound of Music).

We quickly realized that all the encouragement in the world would not help little Chelsi hit those high notes.

Instead, I started with a little gospel song called, "If I Were a Butterfly."

My costume was hand painted by my dad's mother, my Grandma Frances. Blue eyeliner and bangs courtesy of my big sister. 

My performing career with Oklahoma Kids continued until Carrie Underwood joined and beat the pants off me at every competition.

That girl could can sing.

After a few boring years off-stage, I got involved with the Muskogee Little Theatre.

(My husband jokingly refers to this as "the greatest time of my life." I guess I talked about it a lot when we were dating or something...)

We have been back in Muskogee for the past few months, and I've been lucky enough to be cast in another production!

Guess what it is?!?

The Sound of Music!

While I still can't sing "Climb Every Mountain" nor will I ever be famous for my voice, I'm very thankful for the path my grandfather set me on over 20 years ago.

I've made friends with some incredibly talented people. Theatre peeps are better than raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens.

I've flown as Wendy with Peter Pan, danced in the chorus in Big, painted sets, and now I get to wear an obscene amount of pearls and prance around as Elsa, the wealthy Baroness after Captain Von Trapp's heart. 

If you're in the area, I'd love it if you came to see the show. If you're not, I hope you're supporting your local theatre. 

Why not show up for an audition or two while you're at it? 

How to Make Angel Biscuits

Biscuits.

Biscuits with jelly.

Biscuits with honey.

Biscuits with gravy.

Biscuits with chocolate gravy.

Every so often our family is treated to angel biscuits, made by my sister-in-law, Kelly.  

She learned how to make them from her mother, Linda.

Angel biscuits are different from traditional southern buttermilk biscuits because they are made with yeast. This results in a biscuit/roll hybrid that Paula Dean says is "so good it'll make your tongue smack your brain."

One day as I was blabbering on about how much I love them, Kelly suggested that I ask her mom for a lesson. 

I cornered Linda at her house (she's a busy woman), and she graciously agreed to teach me. 

If the quantities in the pictures look bigger than the recipe, its because they are. We made a double batch. 

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Linda said that yeast likes sugar and had me add a pinch. 

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.

Make a well in the center and add sugar.

I'm about to blow your mind... Are you ready? The fat in Linda's biscuits comes not from butter, not from shortening, but from vegetable oil. They are still light and airy, I promise. 

Pull yourself together and keep reading. 

When the yeast is dissolved, it will look like this.

Pour it in and think about how incredibly awesome you are for making biscuits...

People will love you. Your neighbors will line up at your door when they smell them in the oven. They'll rename your street Biscuit Boulevard.

As a matter of fact, USPS is coming out with a series of stamps featuring biscuit makers. 

Er, well, they should. 

Next comes the buttermilk.

Stir it up!

When it looks like this, you're almost done.

Turn the dough out onto lightly floured surface and knead about 5 times.

Pat dough into a disc.

This might be my favorite picture I've ever taken.

Then roll dough to 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch thickness.

We used a biscuit cutter that was about 3 inches in diameter.

Pour a little oil into your baking dish. 

Linda said this was too much. Two tablespoons would be plenty.

Linda dipped the biscuits into the oil as she put them in the baking dish. 

Cover and let them rest for about an hour.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Before

After 

I managed to save a few to eat the next day. Still delicious.

Linda's Angel Biscuits

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil or chilled shortening

1/4 cup warm water

1 package dry yeast

pinch of sugar

1 cup buttermilk

Dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside. (Sprinkle in a bit of sugar if you wish.)  Mix first 3 ingredients and sift into a large bowl. Make a well and add the sugar. Add vegetable oil or cut in shortening. Stir in buttermilk and water with yeast. Stir until combined. Dough may be refrigerated in covered bowl or cut into biscuits. When making biscuits, turn dough out onto floured surface and knead. Let biscuits rise for 30 minutes to an hour (not necessary if they have been refrigerated). Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.