When I moved to Northern California ten years ago, I noticed the biscuits here were different than what I'd grown up with in the midwest (which were southern style biscuits). Here in NorCal, they make what I think of as "lumberjack" biscuits - they're dense and heavy, a little crumbly like cake. Biscuits and gravy used to be one of my favourite things to order for breakfast, but I had to quit ordering it out here because I just couldn't dig on the cakey biscuits.
So... like everything else I'm dissatisfied with, I decided to make my own. It took a couple of tries... but these are the perfect biscuit! Better than most I've had in the midwest or south (someone's southern grandma is going to skin my hide for saying that). Fluffy, flaky, buttery layers. They're awesome. Justin's been making them on a pretty regular basis... they're not difficult and they don't take much time at all. The last couple of nights, we've been eating them as maple-sausage egg sandwiches, topped with our neighbour's homemade apple-jalepeño jelly. (The neighbour guy gave us a bunch of canned jellies and jams when I took him and his dad some coconut-banana marshmallow squares! Awesome neighbour bartering!)
I asked Justin what song we should use for this recipe... he said some Op Ivy sounded good to him. I love "Unity", but I can't hear it without thinking of Dave Chappelle and the Charlie Murphy's True Hollywood Stories with Rick James.... "UNITYYY!" -jen
SOUTHERN STYLE BUTTERMILK BISCUITS
Time: about 30 minutes Difficulty: Medium Makes: 9 large biscuits
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper (optional - we like them a little peppery)
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and black pepper. Cut butter into flour until pea-size (you can use a dough cutter or just work it in with your fingers, but you don't want to handle the butter too much so that it softens). Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and add milk. Stir or mix with your hands just until the dough comes together. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Dust the top of the dough. Fold dough over onto itself 3-5 times - this is what creates flaky layers. Press out into 3/4"-1" square. Cut evenly into 9 pieces. Place biscuits onto an ungreased baking sheet. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and brush over the tops. Bake at 450 degrees F for 12-17 minutes, until biscuits are golden brown and done in the center.
I have another similar recipe on the blog, the Cheesy Cauliflower Bake. In that one I steamed the cauliflower in large chunks on the stove. Lately, I've been enjoying "riced" cauliflower with the food processor, then cooked in the microwave, so that's what I did this time. And broccoli, of course. Just a few little differences. We both really liked this recipe though. Had it tonight with pork medallions and I did up a pan gravy with the drippings. Delicious!
Have had Hot Water Music's "Wayfarer" in my head. -jen
3 tablespoons green onions, diced (about 3 medium)
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
2 dashes Sriracha sauce (or other hot sauce)
salt and pepper to taste (I used my KFCseasoning, a little Mrs. Dash and some white pepper)
1 egg, lightly whisked
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Preheat oven to 400 degrees, F. Prepare a 2-quart 8"x8" baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
Add cauliflower and broccoli to food processor. Pulse until vegetables are about the size of rice. Place in a microwave safe glass bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Microwave on high for 10 minutes (bowl will be hot!!) Let sit for 5 minutes with plastic wrap on.
Return cooked vegetables to the food processor and add butter, cream cheese, and yogurt/sour cream. Process on high until smooth and creamy. Return to glass bowl and stir in shredded cheese, green onions, Worcestershire, and Sriracha. Now is the time to add your salt and pepper while you can still taste it and adjust. Then stir in the egg.
Transfer to the prepared baking dish, making sure mixture is level. Sprinkle Parmesan over the top and bake at 400 degrees F for 25-30 minutes. Top should be golden brown. Serve immediately.
Cheesy Cauliflower and Broccoli Casserole with pork medallions and gravy
I went with some of my favourite folk punk - Defiance, Ohio doing "Condition 11:11". When I see the clock say that time, all I can sing in my head is, "At 11:11 every night I make wishes..." And I see the clock say 11:11 a lot. -jen
CRANBERRY PECAN MARSHMALLOW TREATS Time: 10 minutes Difficulty: Super Easy Makes: 9-16, depending on how big you cut 'em
3 tablespoons butter, plus a little extra
6 cups plain corn flakes*
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup pecans, chopped
4 cups mini marshmallows
Lightly butter a 2-quart (8"x8") baking dish with the extra butter.
In a large bowl, combine corn flakes, cranberries and pecans. Set aside.
In a medium sauce pan over low heat, melt 3 tablespoons of butter. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted and combined.
Pour over corn flake mix and mix well. (Do this part quickly!)
Pour mixture into prepared baking dish and using a spatula or your hand, press mixture firmly into pan.
Let cool. Cut and serve. You can place them in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to help speed up the cooling process.
For storage, I like to wrap them individually in plastic wrap and then put them all in a ziplock. Keeps the from getting stale.
*I used a name brand that comes with little honey and oat granola clusters, the kind you love "bunches"... but being pre-sweetened, it made the squares a little on the uber sweet side.
When we go grocery shopping, we always go with a budget and a list which means we generally have the week's meals planned out. Sometimes, things that weren't on the list sneak into the cart. This time I grabbed a cauliflower with no ideas for it... if nothing else, I knew it'd get thrown into the roasted veggie mixes (we eat baked chicken and roasted veggies once or twice a week for dinner).
I don't know why, but I decided I wanted cream soup, and I've never actually made a cauliflower soup, so it seemed like the thing to do. The cheese was a last minute idea since I remembered we had them in the fridge, and I'm glad I did! This soup came out great... I really liked it.
I can't even tell you why, but I've had Billy Joel running through my brain... which then, instantly makes me think of the Gimmes. So Me First and the Gimme Gimmes doing "Only The Good Die Young" (because they didn't eat their cauliflower). -jen
6 tablespoons butter + 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, separated
1 large onion, diced (about 2 cups)
3 medium carrots, diced (about 1.5 cups)
2 celery stalks, diced (about 1 cup)
1 poblano or green pepper, seeded and diced (about 1 cup)
1 medium head cauliflower, roughly chopped
3-4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
6 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup flour
2 cups heavy cream
1.5 cups shredded Asiago cheese
1 cup shredded Cheddar or Cojack cheese
2 teaspoons sherry
several dashes Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
a few dashes of cayenne pepper or Sriracha sauce (optional)
In a large stockpot, saute onion, carrots, celery and pepper in 6 tablespoons of butter over a medium-high heat until vegetables are softened, 5-7 minutes. Stir in cauliflower, garlic, thyme, marjoram and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook an additional 2-3 minutes. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil, then simmer until cauliflower is tender, about 10 minutes. (At this point, I like to use a stick blender or regular blender to blend about 2/3 of the soup, smoothing it out a little but I like to leave a few chunks. You can leave everything whole, or blend the whole thing, whatever you prefer!)
Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan, melt remaining 1 stick of butter. Stir in flour and cook over a medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, to make a roux. Remove from heat. When the cauliflower in the broth is tender (and blended, if you're blending any), add the roux and the heavy cream. Bring back to a boil, then simmer, stirring frequently until thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the cheese, one handful at a time, stir until completely melted before adding next handful. Add sherry, Worcestershire, salt and pepper to taste, and cayenne or Sriracha, if desired.
I garnished mine with some of the shredded cojack and some diced scallions I had in the fridge.
Cake isn't made very often in our house, but I'd been craving cake the last few days. It came to a head while we were both being lazy at home and I decided I only had the energy to make one recipe - it was either cake or focaccia. Cake won out.
I didn't know what kind of cake I wanted to make though. I was in pajamas and didn't feel like getting dressed to go to the store for any ingredients. I knew we had the basics for cake, but wasn't sure what else we had to do something "different". Browsing through our 11th Edition Better Homes and Gardens cookbook (the one cook book everyone should have), I found a recipe for an oatmeal cake. Never heard of an oatmeal cake before!
I made a few personal preference adjustments to the recipe and it came out great! I initially wasn't going to make a frosting or a glaze for the cake - Justin and I generally don't care for either. But I decided this needed just a little something, looked in the fridge, had some Martinelli's Sparkling Apple Cider and thought that would work just fine with cinnamon, raisin and oatmeal. Admittedly, I didn't use all of the glaze... but I think most people seem to like their sweets, sweet.
Cake was real moist. Tastes like oatmeal! Reminds me a little of a coffee cake. This recipe is definitely a keeper for us.
I got a little ska action for this recipe. Reel Big Fish, "Everyone Else Is An Asshole". -jen
In a small bowl, pour boiling water over oats and let sit for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt.
In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer or stand mixer on high for 30 seconds. Add sugars and vanilla and beat until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each.
Alternately add dry mixture and oatmeal, beating on low after each addition, just until combined. Stir in raisins and pour into prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool cake in pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Remove sides from pan and cool an additional hour. Drizzle with Apple Cider Glaze (see recipe below) and serve. (Glaze will harden as it cools.)
SPARKLING CIDER GLAZE
1-1/2 cups confectioners sugar
3 tablespoons sparkling apple cider
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
zest of 1/2 a lemon
Whisk together all ingredients and drizzle over cooled cake.
I've been having a serious craving for good Chinese food and unfortunately, there's no Chinese food
restaurants in our little town that we like. We had our wedding catered in '08 by a friend who owned the best Chinese restaurant in town, but the building burned down a few years later and she never reopened it. We've been without good Chinese food in town and the solution to that - make it ourselves.
While these are mildly time consuming, they're actually fairly easy to make. If two people can get together and make them, it makes it much faster. One person can be chopping vegetables while the other is adding them to the pork with the wet ingredients. Then during assembly time, one person can be scooping the mix onto the wraps while the other pinches and seals the dumplings. Team work!
We always have a ton of vegetables in our house, so we actually had a lot of the ingredients already and it didn't cost us much at all. If you have to buy all the vegetables and end up with leftovers, just chop it all up for a salad - we eat cabbage and vegetable salads all the time. Or soup would be another good option for the leftover cabbage, pepper, onion, carrot... man, you could make a killer soup!
I went old school for tunes with this recipe and pulled out X's "Nausea". I got to see them a few times in Chicago. I always think of John Doe (bass player) in the movie "Great Balls of Fire" as Winona Ryder's dad. I love that movie. It's so terrible and cheesy and awesome. -jen
PORK POT STICKERS (CHINESE DUMPLINGS) Prep Time: about 45 minutes Rest Time: 30 minutes Cook Time: 6 minutes Difficulty: Medium Makes: about 80
1 pound ground pork
1 cup cabbage (Napa or green), finely chopped
1/2 cup carrots, shredded
We've been buying poblano peppers instead of bell peppers because
they're significantly cheaper and similar in flavour!
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients (except the wonton wrappers, oil and water) until well mixed. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (but you can refrigerate longer).
Sprinkle a baking sheet lightly with corn starch and set aside. Have a small bowl of water for your assembly. I worked with 9 at a time on a cutting board, keeping the unused ones covered with plastic wrap so they don't dry out. Place 1 teaspoon of filling into center of wrapper. Wet edge of wrapper and fold over, crimping/pinching edges together to seal. Place pot sticker on the corn starched baking sheet.
(If you don't want to cook all 80 pot stickers, you can freeze them uncooked on the baking sheet for about an hour, then put in a freezer bag and freeze for later.)
In a large skillet (that has a fitted lid), heat 2-3 tablespoons of oil over a medium high heat. Add pot stickers to pan, one at a time, in a single layer. (In our 11" skillet, we could fit 18-20 at once.) Do not over-crowd. Fry for 2 minutes until light golden-brown. Add 1/3 cup of water, cover and steam for 2 minutes. Remove lid and continue to fry for another 2 minutes. If you do a second batch, just add more oil to the pan and let it get hot before adding your second batch and repeat.
Serve hot with dipping sauce (see recipe below).
I like to put the veggies in,
then pour the wet ingredients over them
In a small bowl, add all ingredients. You can use immediately, but if you make it before you start assembling your pot stickers and stick it in the fridge to let the flavours marry, it tastes way better!
Last year, I made Macaroons for the first time, and they were delicious. However, after making Cocadas, which are very similar, I decided I prefer the Cocadas. I love a one-bowl baking recipe! These are so fast to whip up, and they're cheap to make!
Cocadas are a traditional Latin American coconut confection. It does seem that every area has it's own version and they can come in all different flavours and styles. I didn't get too crazy, but I made some plain ones, some with pecans, some with cocoa powder in them to make a chocolate version, and some drizzled with dark chocolate. Next batch we make, Justin wants to put some diced up dried apricot in them - you can really get creative with whatever flavours you like.
Music - some O Pioneers!!! doing "Loose Lips Are The Key To A Good Foundation". -jen
COCADAS
Chocolate on the left, Pecan on the right
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes Difficulty: Super Easy Makes: About 22
3.5 cups sweetened shredded coconut
13oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
Optional Ingredients:
2/3 pecans, chopped small (optional)
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (optional for chocolate flavoured Cocadas)
4oz dark chocolate chips, melted (optional for drizzling over the tops of Cocadas)
Pecan Cocadas
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine coconut, sweetened condensed milk, egg, almond extract and salt (if using pecans and/or cocoa, add now) until well mixed. Using two spoons, drop 1.5 tablespoons of coconut mix onto parchment paper. You can leave in a rounded heap for a softer cookie, or smash the heap into a 1/2" thick disc for a crispier cookie.
Bake at 325 degrees F for 24-26 minutes. Cocadas will be slightly golden brown on top. (Careful not to burn the bottoms!) With a spatula, carefully remove from parchment and cool on a wire cooling rack for 5-10 minutes. Cookies will crisp up as they cool. (If drizzling with melted dark chocolate, drizzle over cooled cookies and allow 30-60 minutes for chocolate to cool and harden.)
