Homemade Biscuits

If you are looking for a classic fluffy biscuit recipe, this is the best. These golden brown biscuits are slightly crunchy on the outside and fluffy and tender on the inside. I like the garnish them with salt and rosemary. They taste great for breakfast or even as a side for dinner.

Homemade Baking Powder Biscuits 
Makes 24

Ingredients:
2 cups sifted flour
2 tsp baking powder
4 tbsp cold butter or shortening
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk
1 egg-lightly beaten
Rosemary and sea salt to garnish

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Sift again.

2. Cut in shortening or butter with a pastry blender, two knives or by hand. Add milk gradually, stirring until a soft dough has formed.

3. Turn out dough on a floured surface and lightly knead for 30 seconds, enough to shape.

4. Roll  dough 1/2" thick and cut with a  2" round floured biscuit cutter.

5. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Mix the beaten egg with a little bit of water to create an egg wash. Brush the biscuits with egg wash and sprinkle with sea salt and rosemary.

6. Bake at 400 degrees F  for 12-15 minutes.

Salad with Mushroom, Potato and Leek Croquettes

A quick post today. Here is a great salad for lunch or a light dinner. These croquettes are filled with nutritious vegetables and keep you feeling satisfied. There are only 266 calories per serving (serving size-2 patties) Try this recipe when you are looking to reinvent your everyday salad.


Salad with Mushroom, Potato and Leek Croquettes (Adapted from Cooking Light)
Makes 8-10 patties






















Ingredients:
8 oz yukon gold potatoes (peeled and chopped)
4 oz cremini mushrooms
4 oz button mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped leek (1 leek)
1 tsp fresh thyme
Cooking spray
1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
1/4 cup grates Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese-divided
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 large egg yolk
1/3 cup flour
1 large egg white
2 tsp water
1/2 panko breadcrumbs
1 tbsp olive oil
8 oz mixed greens

1. In a pot of boiling water; add in potatoes and simmer for 10 minutes until tender. Drain and press through a ricer or food mill into a bowl.

2. Place mushrooms, leeks and thyme in a food processors and pulse until finely chopped. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Coat the pan with cooking spray and add mushroom mixture; cook 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Add mushroom mixture to potato. Add in Gruyere cheese, 2 tbsp Parmigiano-Reggiano, salt, pepper and egg yolk; stir until combined. Shape mixture into 8-10 round patties.

4. Place flour in a shallow dish. Combine egg white and 2 tbsp water into a separate shallow dish; stirring to combine. Combine the remaining 2 tbsp of Parmigiano-Reggiano and panko bread crumbs into a shallow dish.

5. Working with one patty at a time, dredge in flour; dip in egg mixture; and dredge in breadcrumbs. Heat a non-stick skillet over med-high heat. Add in olive oil to coat the bottom. Add in patties and cook 4 minutes on each side until golden brown.

6. Serve with a salad of mixed greens.

Spicy Pepper Jelly-Marinated Pork Tenderloin

On a recent trip down to Charleston, South Carolina, my parents brought me back my favorite kind of souvenir, a cookbook. The book is Sara Foster's Southern Kitchen, filled with recipes from the south. The book contains beautiful pictures to go along with the delicious sounding recipes. I always love when a cookbook has great photography.

This recipe calls for pepper jelly. I was not sure exactly what that was when I first read the recipe, but I found out that it is exactly what the name suggests. It is peppers made into jelly, sweet and spicy. I found a jar at a local farm stand, but you can find it at some grocery stores. Brands, such as, Stonewall Kitchen carry pepper jelly.

The recipe calls for grilling the tenderloin. I was planning on grilling, but the weather turned and I had to cook it in the oven. It still came out very tasty but I will try it on the grill next time. I think the jelly will caramelize better on the grill. I am including the original recipe, with the grilling instructions. Tis the season for grilling.

Spicy Pepper Jelly-Marinated Pork Tenderloin 
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
Two 1 pound pork tenderloins
1/2 cup pepper jelly, plus more for serving
1/2 cup red wine
Zest and juice of 1 orange
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp fresh rosemary-chopped
1 tsp red pepper flakes
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Rinse the pork, pat dry, remove the silver skin if necessary. Place in a shallow container or large plastic resealable bag.

2. Whisk together the pepper jelly, wine, orange zest, orange juice, vinegar, rosemary, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste. Pour the marinade over the pork and turn to coat the meat. Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight. Turn the pork several times to distribute marinade evenly.

3. When you are ready to cook, prepare a hot fire in a charcoal or gas grill and let the coals burn to gray ash with a slight red glow. Keep the coals on one side of the grill to create direct and indirect heat. If using a gas grill, heat just one side on medium.

4. Remove the pork for the marinade, reserving the marinade, and season with salt and pepper. Place the pork on the hot side of the grill, directly over the coals for 12-15 minutes, turning 3 times and basting with remaining marinade.

5. Move pork away from coals, close the grill cover or cover with foil, and cook another 3-5 minutes, until an internal thermometer reads 145 degrees F for medium, or 160 degrees F for med-well.

6. Remove pork from grill and let rest on a cutting board covering the meat with foil for 5-10 minutes. Slice in 1/4" slices and serve warm with additional pepper jelly on the side.

Cappuccino Chocolate Swirl Muffins

I adapted this recipe from the original recipe for orange chocolate swirl muffins. You can find that recipe on a previous post under the recipe page.

These muffins come out very moist. They have a chocolate espresso batter mixed with a cinnamon batter with chocolate chips. Together they create the flavors of a cappuccino. I hope you enjoy!


Cappuccino Chocolate Swirl Muffins
Makes 12 regular muffins or 6 large muffins

Ingredients:
1/8 cup boiling water
1 tbsp instant espresso powder

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup canola, vegetable oil or melted butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup chocolate chips
2 tbsp cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line muffin tins with paper liners or spray with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, combine 1/8 cup boiling water with 1 tbsp instant espresso powder. Set aside.

In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients:  flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

In a medium bowl whisk together the wet ingredients: egg, oil or butter, buttermilk, vanilla yogurt and
vanilla.

Pour the wet mixture into the dry and mix together just until moistened. Do not over mix.

Into two separate bowls, divide the batter in half. Add the espresso/water mixture and the cocoa powder into one of the bowls. Fold the chocolate chips and cinnamon into the other bowl of batter. You now have a chocolate espresso batter and a cinnamon batter with chocolate chips.

Drop spoonfuls of each batter into prepared muffin tins, alternating the two different batters.
Fill the cups 2/3 full. Bake for 15-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Bake 20-25 mins for larger muffin tins.

Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

Broccoli and Corn Chowder with Bacon

One cool and rainy day will put almost anyone in the mood for a comforting bowl of creamy soup. This past Sunday was the perfect soup day, not only a day of rain much needed for our plants but a day to try a recipe I have had aside for a while now.

This soup is not only healthy but so delicious, it really hit the spot. This is a recipe I know I will be making over and over again. It's really easy and fast to put together and was enjoyed by everyone in my family, even 8 month old Layla!

I gave Layla mostly broth with small pieces of corn, broccoli and potato. This is the first soup of mine that she really loved. I couldn't feed her fast enough! There was growling, screaming and banging of her hands between each bite.

Broccoli and Corn Chowder with Bacon (Recipe adapted from Everyday Food Light by Martha Stewart) 
Serves 4

Ingredients:
4 stripes of bacon, cut into 1" pieces
1 onion-finely diced
1/4 cup flour
1 russet potato-diced
4 cups of chicken broth
1 head of broccoli-cut into bite sized pieces (large stalks removed)
2 cups (about 3 ears) of fresh or frozen corn (do not thaw)
1/2 tsp dried or fresh thyme
1 cup milk (any kind will do, I used skim milk)
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese-optional*

1. In a dutch oven or other large heavy pot, cook bacon over med-low heat, stirring occasionally until crispy; 8-10 mins. Using a slotted spoon, remove bacon from pan and transfer to paper towels. Set aside for later.

2. Add onion to bacon drippings and cook until soft; 6-8 mins.

3. Add in flour, stirring constantly; 30 seconds (do not let brown). Add in broth and potato; bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until potato is tender; about 10 mins.

4. Add in broccoli, corn, thyme and milk; cook 10 mins more. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top each serving with bacon and a little shredded cheddar cheese.