Biscuits

This recipe comes from my favorite cook right now Ina Garten, and "They are divine!" as dear Ina would say.  I've added a couple of variations that I've done a few times which produced fantastic results and wonderful accolades.

Biscuits

2 c.flour
1 T. baking powder
1 t. kosher salt
1 t. sugar
1 stick cold butter, diced
3/4 c. half-and-half

Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is the size of peas.  Add the half-and-half and combine on low speed. (Add any additions at this time and combine.)  Dump the dough out on a well-floured board and, with a rolling pin, roll out to 3/8-inch thick.  Cut out twelve circles with a 2 1/2-inch round cutter.

For Parsley Biscuits:
Add 1/2 c. chopped fresh parsley.  Make egg wash with 1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water.  Brush tops of biscuits before baking.

For Orange Biscuits:
Add 2 T. orange zest.  While baking biscuits, combine 1 c. powdered sugar, 2 T. fresh orange juice and 1 T. orange zest in a ziploc bag.  When biscuits are done, cut one corner off back and drizzle glaze over biscuits.

For Cheddar-Chive Biscuits:
Add 1 c. grated sharp cheddar cheese and 1/4 c. chopped fresh chives.

Chocolate Pound Cake

I can't begin to tell you how many of these cakes that I have made over the years.  Tyler loves this best for his birthday with peppermint ice cream.

Chocolate Pound Cake

1 c. butter
1/2 c. shortening
3 c. sugar
5 eggs
3 c. flour
1/2 t. salt
4 T. cocoa
1 c. milk
1 T. vanilla

Cream together butter, shortening and sugar.  Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each.  Add dry ingredients alternately with milk and vanilla.  Pour into a greased and floured tube or bundt pan.  Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour, 20 minutes or until it tests done with toothpick.

The first time you cook this set your timer for 60 minutes, adding 5 minutes as needed until it tests done.  You can also cook this in two loaf pans, setting your time originally for 40 minutes and again adding 5 minutes as needed until cake tests done.

More Lemon Recipes . . .

This recipe for Lemon Bars comes from Paula Deen.  They are delicious!

Lemon Bars

Crust:
2 c. flour
1 c. powdered sugar
Pinch salt
2 sticks butter, room temperature (Remember it's Paula Deen!)

Filling:
 4 eggs
2 c. sugar
6 T. flour
6 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice
(I also added the zest of one lemon.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9- x 13-inch pan with non-sticking cooking spray.

Make the crust by combining the flour, powdered sugar, and salt in a large bowl.  Cut in the butter to make a crumbly mixture.  Press the mixture into the pan.  Bake for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix the eggs, sugar, flour, and lemon juice.  Pour this over the bake crust and bake for 25 minutes longer.  Chill. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.  Make 16 bars.

I had one as I was typing this, and Oh my Goodness!  It was so good!

 

Lemon Tea Bread

Oh, so good!  Don't skip the last step; it's what makes the bread unforgettable!  

Lemon Tea Bread

1/2 c. butter, softened

1 c. sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 c. flour

1 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

1/2 c. milk

2 T. lemon zest, divided

1 c. powdered sugar

2 T. fresh lemon juice

1 T. sugar

Beat softened butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.  Gradually add 1 cup sugar, beating until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.

Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt; add to butter mixture alternately with milk, beating at low speed just until blended, beginning and ending with flour mixture.  Stir in 1 tablespoon lemon zest.  Spoon batter into greased and floured 8-x4-inch loaf pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center of bread comes out clean.  Let cool in pan 10 minutes.  Remove bread from pan, and cool completely on a wire rack.

Stir together powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth; spoon evenly over top of bread, letting excess drip down sides.  Stir together remaining 1 tablespoon lemon zest and 1 tablespoon sugar; sprinkle on top of bread.  Makes 1 loaf.

Sticky Buns

My mother made these for breakfast when I was a little girl.  I've come to find that these aren't what everyone recognizes as "Sticky Buns", but as far as our family goes they are the original.

They are delicious, sticky and sweet.  Best of all they are a snap to make.

Sticky Buns

1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. light corn syrup
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 t. cinnamon
1/4 c. maraschino cherry halves
1/4 c. raisins
1/4 c. walnuts or pecans
1 recipe of biscuits (approximately 8-10 two and one-half inch biscuits) OR 1 can of refrigerated biscuits

Set oven to 425 degrees.  Put butter into 9" cake pan and place in oven to melt. (Watch carefully!)  When melted, remove from oven and add syrup, sugar and cinnamon; stir until well combined.  Sprinkle with nuts, cherries and raisins.  Place biscuits on top, then bake for 12-14 minutes.  Check center biscuits to make certain they are not doughy.  Invert onto large plate and enjoy while still warm.

I quadruple this recipe for our family.

More Beans

Sometimes it takes years to finely tune a recipe and sometimes you knock it out of the park with your first try.  This recipe was the first one I ever tried for baked beans; it's delicious, easy, and can be mixed in the pan you're going to cook it in.  Doesn't get much better than that!

Baked Beans

3 cans pork and beans
3/4 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. ketchup
3 T. maple syrup
1/2 T. mustard
1 onion, chopped
Bacon, raw and cut into 1-inch pieces

Mix together first six ingredients in a greased, 9-x13-inch.  Top with bacon pieces.  Bake for 2 hours.  This recipe can easily be cut in thirds if desired.

Chicken Enchilada Soup

This soup is sooo good!

Chicken Enchilada Soup

1 T. vegetable oil
1 pound chicken, chopped
1/2. c. diced onion
1 clove minced garlic
4 c. chicken broth
1 c. masa harina
3 c. water
1 can red enchilada sauce
1 pound processed American cheese
1 t. salt
1 t. chili powder
1/2 t. cumin

Add oil to large pot over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for 2 minutes, or until translucent. Add chicken broth. Combine masa harina with 2 cups of water in medium bowl and
whisk until blended. Add masa mixture to pot with onions, garlic and broth. Add remaining water, enchilada sauce, cheese and spices to pot. Bring to boil. Add chicken and reduce heat. Simmer for 30-40 minutes or until thick.

Garnish with grated cheese, corn tortilla strips and pico de gallo.

Beans, beans, the magical . . . um, nevermind

I don't even bother to make beans if I'm not going to make a lot of beans - I'm talking A LOT of beans here! I do this so that I can put a lot of effort into cooking at one time, and gain the reward of beans throughout the month with little effort.

Here's what you'll need:

10 pounds dry pinto beans
ham bone (if possible)
4 large onions, large chop
20 garlic cloves, cut in half, or 2/3 cup garlic paste (more on garlic paste in a future post)
6 cans of diced tomatoes with green chilies
4-6 jalapenos, thickly sliced
chili powder
cumin
paprika
kosher salt
ground black pepper

Sort and wash your beans then pour into a large pot (mine has a 30-quart capacity). Cover with water; make sure that the water covers the top of the beans by several (8-10) inches. Bring to a rolling boil. Turn heat off and cover pot; soak for 1 hour. Drain beans (you'll definitely need another strong back to help you with this), return beans to pot. Tie ham bone in cheese cloth and add to pot with beans. This is done to keep all the cartilage and other yucky stuffy from becoming part of the beans; you can chop any ham later to add back to the beans. Add onions, garlic or garlic paste, tomatoes and jalapenos. Cover completely with water, again by a few inches. Now, for the seasonings my measuring amount is a handful, NOT a palmful, a handful, where it starts to overflow. To your pot add 4 handfuls of chili powder, 2 handfuls of cumin, 1 handful paprika, 1 handful black pepper and 2 handfuls of kosher salt. Stir to combine and bring to boil. After it comes to a boil, lower heat to medium-low and cook for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally.

Date and label gallon freezer bags for beans. Line large drinking glasses or a 4-cup measuring cup with freezer bag and ladle beans into bag. Remove as much air as possible, lay flat in freezer, and stack to store compactly.

Uses: of course, beans and cornbread for supper the evening I cook, but also, burritos, quesadillas, chalupas (layered on chalupa shell and topped with cheese, salsa, lettuce, tomato, sour cream, onions and cilantro) - one of my family's absolute favorite meals! Also, breakfast tostadas (again layered on a chalupa shell with cheese, an over-medium egg and homemade salsa (another favorite - and a great Saturday morning breakfast!)

So, where to start?

How about a little history. This is a short story I wrote a few months ago that might give some insight into where I'm coming from . . .

Hello, my name is Stephanie, and I am a Food Snob.

I'll try to be as honest as possible in divulging my secret, but, let's face it, hidden secrets like to stay hidden. In coming to the realization that I am indeed a food snob, I had my very own Damascus Road revelation. My snobbery itself, however, was actually slow in its development.

I remember well my early beginnings...my own foolishness in buying cooking wine to use in a recipe; of not knowing a legume from a leek; and of believing the only lettuce was iceberg lettuce. Only yesterday I would have laughed at my fumbling start into the culinary world. I did not have a "natural" talent, but I had a desire! I wanted to succeed! I studied cookbooks and recipes. I mastered the techniques of the greats: Julia, Emeril, Bobby and Wolfgang. Ah, yes, I can recall the first time I felt disdain for another. The purposeful perusal of a fellow shopper's cart and my haughtily raised brow at her "hamburger helper" boxes and frozen corn dog containers. Did she recognize, as I did, her lowly estate and my obvious superior love of family in serving only fresh fruits and vegetables, organic eggs, and whole grain pasta? Mark well my estate, my friends, notice that slippery spot on which I stood. I would have done well at this point to beat my breast and cry, "God, be merciful to me a food snob!" But, sadly, I did not.

Month after month and year after year, I gloried in my ascension up the hierarchy of home cookery. I reveled in my family's praise - surely, this is what was meant in Proverbs 31: "Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: 'Many daughters have cooked well, but you surpass them all.'"

I could continue to tell my story as I digressed in this way, but I must bring my tale to today. The day I saw what I had become.

It started as any other day with projects to finish and meals to cook. I drove to my favorite local market and began to feel the flush in my cheek and the excitement in my breast as I sauntered through the artfully arranged vegetables and the enticing meats and fishes. "What," I asked myself, "could I prepare today that would bring the adoration I have come to expect from my family? Roasted Shrimp with homemade cocktail sauce? Chicken Piccata with a Lemon Vinaigrette Dressed Salad? Oh, the possibilities! But, wait! Why not call my dearly beloved children and allow them to request a family favorite?" So, I did just that. I wondered what they would choose out of all the many wonderful meals I had made. Ham, Apple, and Gruyerre Paninis? Homemade macaroni and cheese begun with a creamy bechamel sauce and three cheeses? Perhaps a Roasted tomato soup with homemade croutons? I smugly smiled to myself as I waited for them to answer.

My firstborn son picked up the phone and I made my proposal. I could hear the excited, muffled discussion between him and his siblings as they made their decision. (Has any woman had more precious children?) Little did I know that his answer would pierce this mother's heart.

I wonder now if the happy shoppers around me knew what they were witnessing? Did they recognize the destruction that was happening before them? Honestly, I just don't know. I can only tell you of the sorrow that swept through me as I finally recognized what I had become. Have eleven little words ever had such an impact in all the time since creation? -- "Mom, we want the macaroni and cheese in the blue box." At first, I stood with a look of shock on my face. Then I began to slowly wander through the store questioning my own failure in raising these children of my husband's loins. "What more could I have done?!?" I wondered. Well, sure, I loved the stuff as a child, but didn't they understand the sacrifice I was making for them? The grating, the chopping, the julienne-ing, the basting, the braising, the damned sautee-ing?!?

I numbly made my way aisle by aisle searching for the accursed blue box. I mumbled a hasty "no" when the grocer asked if I needed help finding anything. I just wasn't ready to share my shame with the world. Sure, things like that are ok for some people, but not me, no, no, no, not me! I turned the corner and there it was. I hastily grabbed the four boxes that would be necessary to feed the obviously immature palates of my large family and returned to my cart.

Now, what I did next I am not proud of, but I must declare the truth if there is ever to be freedom. I HID those boxes under the green leaf lettuce I had previously placed in my basket. Like an addict I covered my shame from the reproachful eyes of others like me.

I continued to the front of the store as I questioned the sense of my last action. Who was this woman I had become?!? I mechanically went through the steps of checking out as the realization hit me. I had become a food snob! Me, who had loved vienna sausages and saltines as a child! Me, whose former favorite chef was famous for ravioli and spaghettios!

I made it home and proceeded to prepare my children's request. As I poured that little packet of orange powder onto those bleached noodles, I inhaled the fragrance of simpler times and simpler ways. Of childhood and laughter! I smiled to myself as I served those I hold dearest. Then I returned to the kitchen, raised my head high and devoured the rest of the mac and cheese straight from the pot.

My name is Stephanie and I am a recovering food snob.


Be sure to check in next time when Stephanie asks, "Are those fishsticks in your freezer?!?"

Hope to see you again soon!