thanks mama ... i will try the butter milk .. what is lard anyway?

It's pig fat. It makes wonderfully flaky pie crust and tender biscuits IMHO. A lot of folks don't like to use lard because they think that shortening is healthier but natural lard is actually the healthier alternative to hydrogenated fats like Crisco or even butter. It is lower in saturated fat than either of them. Unfortunately, natural lard is hard to find. Most of the commercial stuff you buy in the grocery store is a mixture of lard and hydrogenated lard. Even with that though it's not as bad for you as Shortening since it just contains some hydrogenated fat unlike shortening which is all hydrogenated.

Here's an interesting article in Food and Wine about lard: http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/lar ... ealth-food

I know I've learned a lot from this thread.

Good article on lard - I see lard in all the Mexican sections in the grocery stores.