Reese Witherspoon's Cheddar Biscuits

I got this from Reese Witherspoon's book that I posted about previously in the blog.

I did not make a whole batch because we did not need 10 large or 15 small biscuits that the full recipe makes.

They taste wonderful.

What is better than a warm, homemade biscuit? One with cheddar in it is the best.


Ingredients:

2 c. all purpose flour + more for rolling
2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small cubes
¾ c. sharp cheddar, shredded
1 c. buttermilk
¼ c. melted butter

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425.

2. Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Cut the butter into the flour using a pastry cutter. Fold in the cheddar cheese, and pour in the buttermilk, mixing with your hands.

3. Knead the dough until comes together and roll it out with a floured rolling pin. Roll it to ½ thick and then fold it in half. Then roll it ½ thick again. Then fold the dough in half and then into quarters before cutting out your biscuits. She says this will create flaky layers.

4. With a biscuit cutter cut and place the biscuits close together to avoid spreading. Use scraps to roll out a snake of dough and line the perimeter of the biscuits, also to prevent spreading.

5. Bake for 15-20 minutes, rotating the pan 80 degrees halfway through, until golden. Brush with melted butter.

Book Review: Young China

This book was recommended by my friend Mandy. We both teach Chinese kids online. (If you are interested in doing this, message me. I can get you started.)

It was like a bookend to my reading of Little Soldiers.

Young China was all about the people born after 1990 and the intense competition they are up against with the test culture they grew up in and the large population.

Culture was discussed, which is one of my favorite subjects.

Since the one child policy had not been overturned in their childhood, they grew up as only children with as many as 6 adults solely focused on making them the most successful they can be.  There are so many expectations, so much pressure, and not much of what we (Americans) consider a childhood.

One person in this book studied 80+ hours a week in a library the year after getting her bachelors degree to try to get into a graduate program.

An interesting concept discussed was a "leftover woman," which is a woman 27 years or older that is not married. Apparently there is pressure to marry young in China, too.

Things are changing in China. People are traveling more. Now people are encouraged (and allowed to) have two children.

It was a great glimpse into Chinese life and culture, focusing more on an older age range than my previous reading.

What is your favorite book about Chinese life and culture?

Frozen Fruit Salad

This delightful treat will get some fruit in your diet. It is one of Reese Witherspoon's recipes. I made a smaller batch when I made it. Jared's complaint was that I put them in mason jars instead of finding something smaller.

Still, this is refreshing and good.

Ingredients:
1 pint fresh strawberries, diced
3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 medium can pineapple tidbits
2 bananas, chopped
2 cups whipped topping, plus extra for serving
sprig of fresh mint

Instructions:
1. Combine strawberries and milk in a blender and puree until smooth.

2. Remove the pitcher from the blender and stir in the pineapples, bananas, and whipped topping. Do not blend.

3. Pour the mixture into ten 4 oz. jars and freeze overnight. To serve, top with a dollop of whipped topping and a mint leaf.

Enjoy!

Baked Apples

I like getting the vegetable plate at Cracker Barrel, and it is really cool that the fried apples count as a "vegetable." It is like a built in dessert.

I am not saying these are as good as those, but they are worth trying. This recipe was my attempt at getting something close to those Cracker Barrel apples. And they kept some apples from going bad.

Ingredients:

1 tsp. butter

2 tbsp. brown sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

3 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground nutmeg

6 large apples (peeled, cored, and sliced)

3 1/2 tbsp. water

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a large baking dish with the butter.

2. Mix brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small bowl. 

3. Layer about 1/3 of the apples in prepared baking dish; sprinkle with 1/3 of the sugar mixture. Repeat layers twice more.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Pour water over apples and continue baking until tender, about 15 minutes more.

Mongolian Beef

Mongolian beef is not my favorite Chinese dish, but I do love Chinese food so much. Jared does like Mongolian beef and often orders it, so I made this for him.

It is the best Mongolian beef I have ever had. It is not chewy like all the other ones I have tried.

Frying them made them a bit crunchy, which I liked.

This is delicious!

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1-2 teaspoons minced ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds flank steak
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 bunch green onions, cut on diagonal into 2-inch pieces

Instructions:

1. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add ginger and garlic and stir for 30 seconds.

2. Add soy sauce, water, and brown sugar. Bring to a boil and simmer until thickened some, 10 to 15 minutes.

3. Slice flank steak against the grain into 1/4-inch slices with the knife held at a 45 degree angle. 

4. Toss flank steak with cornstarch and let sit 10 to 15 minutes.

5. Heat 1 cup vegetable oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.

6. Add beef and cook 2-3 minutes, until brown and crispy, flipping pieces over to cook both sides.

7. Remove meat with a slotted spoon and discard cooking oil. 

8. Place meat back in pan along with sauce and cook over medium heat for 1 minute, stirring to coat meat.

9. Add red pepper flakes and green onions and remove from heat.

Serve over rice.

Farm Style Strawberry Muffins

Sometimes I make random things because I do not want produce to go bad. I do these at least once a week. Tonight I made these muffins to use up some strawberries. I also needed to use up some buttermilk.

I made mine oversized. They are so fluffy.

The strawberry slices are great, and it is just a less common muffin, unless lots of people are eating strawberry muffins out there. At least with this muffin you use fresh fruit, so you can feel better about eating it.

You can make these ahead of time and grab and go with them the next morning.

This recipe makes 9 oversized muffins or 12 regular sized muffins

.
Ingredients:
2 1/2 c. flour
2 c. fresh strawberries, quartered and sliced
1 c. sugar
6 tbsp. butter, at room temperature
1/2 c. buttermilk
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda

for strawberries:
3 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp. cinnamon

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter muffin tin.

2. Quarter and slice strawberries and place in a medium bowl. Cover with 3 tbsp. sugar, 1 tsp. lemon juice, 1/2 tsp. vanilla, and 1/8 tsp cinnamon. Toss and set aside.

3. Using a mixer, cream butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla. Mix on low just until incorporated.

4. In a medium mixing bowl, mix together flour and all dry ingredients.

5. With mixer on low, alternately add a little flour mixture and then buttermilk to creamed butter and sugar until all ingredients are incorporated. Batter will be thick like a dough.

6. Strain strawberries. In muffin tin, spoon 1 tbsp. of muffin dough into bottom of tin. Add one spoon of strawberries (4-5 slices).  Press gently into dough. Add enough dough to cover top of strawberries without overfilling cup. Top with 4-5 more strawberry slices. Press gently into dough again.

7. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Tops should bloom out and slightly spread. Let muffins cool in tin for 5 minutes before removing.

Pecan Crusted Chicken

What is the most Southern meal that you have made? This is a very Southern meal. This post is about the entree, but stay tuned to see the other items featured - (first up) pecan crusted chicken, cheddar biscuits, and fried okra.

Make sure you allow for the 1 hour in step 3.

Reese Witherspoon says she uses these for a snack on summer nights on skewers, but I skipped the skewers and just ate them for dinner.

They are delicious.

Ingredients:
8 chicken tenders
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons grainy Dijon mustard (I use Creole.)
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions:
1. Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper. Place on a baking rack on a baking sheet and set aside.

2. Stir together the mayonnaise and mustard in a wide, shallow bowl. Combine the pecans, bread crumbs, and Parmesan in a separate wide, shallow bowl.

3. Coat the chicken in the mayo mixture and then roll in the crumb mixture to thoroughly coat. When all the tenders are breaded, place them on the rack and put the whole pan in the refrigerator for one hour.

4. Preheat the oven to 400. Bake the chicken on the rack over the pan in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Reese Witherspoon's Mama's Biscuits

Brace yourselves. In an effort to catch up on posts before Thanksgiving, there will be multiple biscuit posts today. Let me know which one is your favorite.

You probably really like your Mama's biscuits? I like the ones my Mom made, too. I may even post how she makes them one day. Check out how Reese Witherspoon's Mama makes hers.

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening
2/3 or 3/4 cup buttermilk

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 450.

2. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; mix well. Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

3. Add the buttermilk, just stirring until the dry ingredients are moistened. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface; knead 3 or 4 times.

4. Roll the dough out to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut with a 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter. Place the biscuits on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until the tops are golden.

Thai Beef Salad

This is a tasty salad that you can make into a meal. (I just do more beef than what is in the recipe.)

The recipe calls for raw cabbage. I cooked mine with a bit of garlic and the onion (I used yellow instead of red). I would probably substitute romaine lettuce instead of cabbage if I was going to eat something uncooked. I also did not cut my cucumbers into sticks. I used roasted red peppers, and that added extra flavor. You can find the fish sauce on the international aisle.

It is also a quick meal. Just a little chopping and there you have it!

Ingredients:
2 red peppers, thinly sliced
3 bok choy or 1 cabbage shredded (about 3 cups)
2 cucumbers, cut into sticks
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 flank steak (about 8 ounces), cooked to your preferred doneness and thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped

Dressing:
juice of 4 limes
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 jalapeno or red chile pepper, thinly chopped

Instructions:
Mix the dressing in a jelly jar. Combine the vegetables and toss with half the salad dressing.

Arrange on a large platter (or bowl).

Cook the steak, allow to rest for 10 minutes. Then slice thinly and place on top of vegetables.

Pour remaining dressing over the top, and scatter herbs over the whole platter.

Squash Casserole

This side dish is a perfect addition to your Thanksgiving. It is a Reese Witherspoon recipe from her book. 

It is really good. I did not slice my squash and zucchini very thing for this one because I had already cut my hand twice that week. You can cut yours thinner if you would like.

I also did 1/3 of this recipe for just the two of us.

If you make this for Thanksgiving, let me know what you think!


Ingredients:
3 tbsp. of olive oil
1 white onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1.5 lbs. yellow squash, sliced
1.5 lbs. zucchini, sliced
2 tsp. of salt
3 tbsp. of butter
24 Ritz crackers (or any similar cracker that you like)
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 large eggs beaten with 1/2 cup of heavy cream
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp. finely grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Instructions:
Pre-heat the oven to 375’F.

Lightly grease a 2 quart baking dish.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté for 3 minutes. 

Add the garlic to the onions and sauté 1 minute more. Add the yellow squash and zucchini to the pan with the salt; sauté for 8 to 10 minutes, or until just tender. 

Transfer the squash to a colander to drain away excess moisture; you can even push down on them to remove more liquid. 

Add the butter to the hot pan to melt and remove the pan from the heat.

Place the crackers in a large zippered bag, seal, and roll over them with a rolling pin, or a juice glass on its side, to create coarse crumbs. Transfer half the crumbs, along with the drained squash, to a large mixing bowl.

Combine 3/4 cup of the cheddar cheese, the egg-cream mixture, and the sugar, salt, and pepper and gently fold the mixture into the squash crumbs. Transfer the squash mixture to the prepared baking dish. 

Combine the remaining cracker crumbs with the melted butter, the remaining 1/4 cup cheddar, and the Parmesan. Sprinkle the mixture over the top of the casserole. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with parsley.

Enjoy!

Chicken & White Bean Soup

This is the second soup posting of the day, but we have had this soup a few times a while back. I work backwards with my posts and am trying to catch up with all of them so that I only have very recent content moving forward. I got behind when I would do three recipes in a meal and was running Tay Tay's Summer Camp 2019.

This soup only has a few ingredients. You may have everything on hand for it. I did.

It is versatile and you can throw various toppings on top of it to spruce it up.

Shauna Niequist calls this a chili, and I love her as an author, but this is not a chili around these parts.

You can serve this soup with cilantro, wedges of lime, sliced avocado, shredded cheese, and chips.

Ingredients:
1-1 1/2 pounds chicken - breasts, tenders, or boneless skinless thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 16 oz. container of salsa, preferably fresh (or green salsa)
4 cans white beans
4 cups chicken broth

Instructions: 
In a dutch oven or stockpot, cook over medium heat until chicken is almost cooked through (about 5 minutes).

Add salsa and beans, including bean liquid, and broth.

Bring to a rolling boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, stirring occasionally.

Simmer for at least 30 minutes (but the longer, the better).

serves 6

Carrot & Celery soup

Welcome to soup season. We have been having a lot of soups around the house and often to use up produce before it goes bad. I had some carrots and celery that I needed to use, so voila!

It is a tasty soup that is easy to make and vegetarian as well.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp. oil
2 tbsp. butter
1 onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp. cumin powder
1 tsp. coriander powder
26 oz. carrots, chopped
4 cups vegetable stock
salt & pepper to taste
1 tbsp. parsley
1 tsp. black ground pepper

Instructions:
1. Heat the oil and butter in a large pan and gently cook the onion and celery until soft but not brown.

2. Add the garlic, cumin, and coriander and cook for 2 minutes. Then add the carrots and stir well.

3.Pour over the stock, bring to a boil, then season with salt and pepper and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes or until the carrots are very tender.

4.Blend with a hand blender until smooth. Then serve garnished with chopped parsley and pepper.

Book Review: Year of Yes

This book was suggested as a good read on something I was reading a while back. The local library had it on CD, which is my medium of choice for books these days. I was able to listen to this book in less than a week of cooking prep time.

It was delightful.

This book was read by the author, which is always nice to hear an author's words in her own voice. 

I have times in my life when I said," Yes," way too much. I am currently coming off from a period in which I said, "No" a lot and not necessarily all verbally but with life changes that changed every facet of my life. I went through several of the most influential life changes all at once. 

In 2020, I am ready to start saying, "Yes," more. 

One thing I think about a lot when I think about answering requests is Matthew 5:37 - "Let your 'yes' be yes and your 'no' be no..."

Keep your word. Be trustworthy. 

And let's be honest. There are some things you should say, "No," to. Some things and people are just plain bad for you. Be careful about what you say, "Yes," to.

I have not seen the top shows that Shonda writes for and she referenced them often during the book, and I was a bit lost during those parts, but for everything this book was deficit in for me, it made up for with what it had. She had parts of speeches she presented. There's good life advice in here.

What really spoke to me in this book is how Shonda wrote about being a FOD - first, only, different. Often in my life I have been an FOD. I do think it is important to experience being a FOD at least once to get out of your comfort zone so you know how it feels. It makes you a better, more empathetic person. But it does wear on you when you are often or always the FOD; Shonda talked about the loneliness of it all. However, she does talk about how you will find your tribe. 

It may take until your twenties, but they are out there. Maybe you will be in high school when you find your first true friend, but it does get better. 

What will you say, "YES," to in 2020?

Reese Witherspoon's Grandma's Fried Chicken & Gravy

Grandmas are the best. I do not know about yours, but mine was an excellent cook.  I crave all the things she cooked, and I think about her every time I pop open a can of Coke.

These two recipes are from this book, and they came from Reese Witherspoon's grandma. If you have not read it yet, spoiler: she loves her grandma.

As I write this, I am listening to the Indie Christmas 2018 - A Festive Folk/Pop Playlist on youtube. There is this song, Merry Day by Sheffield, in the playlist with these lyrics:

And the candy button gumdrops

Fill the counters of our homes

While the children unwrap presents

Grandma calls out names 

Every memory we’ve made

She’s the glue holding together

Well, isn't that the truth? Grandma is the glue holding together all the memories. I really miss mine. I hope you have had a wonderful grandma, too. Grandparents can make the world a whole lot sweeter. And I am not just talking about the candy and soda they might give you.

This is Grandma Dorothea's fried chicken. It serves 4-6 people. I fried mine a little too long, but they still tasted delicious. This was also my first time making fried chicken.

Ingredients:
1 1/2  - 2 pounds chicken, cut into 8 pieces
1 pint buttermilk mixed with 1/4 cup hot sauce

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp. kosher salt

1 tbsp. onion powder

1 tbsp. garlic powder

1 tbsp. hot paprika
1 tbsp. freshly ground black pepper

2 cups whole milk

2 large eggs, beaten

peanut or vegetable oil, for frying


Instructions:

1. Pour the buttermilk/hot sauce mixture into a large Ziploc bag, add the chicken pieces, seal, and put in the fridge for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours before frying. Set the bag aside for 30 minutes at room temperature before frying. Drain in a colander. Discard the brine.

2. Combine the flour, salt, onion and garlic powders, paprika, and pepper in a heavy-duty paper bag (or a plastic bowl with a lid). Whisk the milk and eggs together in a shallow dish. Drop several pieces of the chicken into the bag or bowl of seasoned flour, seal, and shake to coat the pieces thoroughly. Open the bag and dip the floured pieces in the egg wash. Return them to the bag/bowl of flour and shake to coat again. Set them aside on a wire rack while you repeat the process with the remaining pieces - flour, egg wash, flour.

3. Heat at least 3" of oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until it reaches 325, using a frying or candy thermometer. Carefully slip the chicken pieces, skin side down, into the hot oil. The oil temperature will drop. Regulate the heat to maintain a temperature of 325. Cook the chicken for about 7 minutes without moving them. Turn and cook for 7 to 8 minutes more without disturbing them. The chicken is cooked when it reaches 160 on an instant-read thermometer. 

4. Remove the fried chicken to a clean rack set over a paper-towel lined sheet pan to soak up excess grease. Season with salt and pepper while hot, if desired. If making the gravy, reserve 2 tablespoons of grease from the frying pan. Serve the chicken warm or at room temperature.

For the gravy:

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of grease from frying the chicken

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 all purpose flour

1 cup chicken stock

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

Place 2 tablespoons hot grease from frying the chicken in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butter and, when the foam subsides, sprinkle the flour over the hot fat, whisking constantly, to make a roux. Cook until the roux is golden brown, about 1 minute. Whisk in the chicken stock and cream. Stir until smooth and thickened, about 5 minutes more. Add salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a warm gravy boat for serving.

Ground Turkey Asian Rice Bowl

We like Asian food. I like ground turkey better than ground beef (and turkey bacon over pork bacon). This was a win-win. It is a quick meal. It uses fresh vegetables, and it tastes very good! The fish sauce and chili paste were the hardest ingredients to find, but I found them both on the international aisle at the grocery story. Otherwise, I all the ingredients except the fresh vegetables on hand.

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1.25 lbs. lean ground turkey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce (or Tamari if gluten free)
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon chili paste (gochujang)

For serving:

2 cups rice (I used brown.)

Asian pickled vegetables or you could just use raw vegetables (carrots, cucumbers, jalapenos)
cilantro, about a handful, chopped for topping

Optional: sauce to serve over the finished dish:
1/4 cup soy sauce (or Tamari if gluten free), 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 teaspoon chili paste



Instructions:

In a large, non-stick pan over high heat, cook sesame oil and garlic cloves for 30 seconds. 

Then add in the ground turkey and sprinkle with salt. 

Break up the turkey as it cooks for 5 minutes. 

Then, when there is only a little bit of pink showing, add in the fresh ginger, brown sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and chili paste and continue cooking, stirring and breaking up the turkey as it cooks, for another 4-5 minutes. Then, turn off the heat.

Cook rice according to package instructions and set aside.

Chop cilantro and get your vegetables ready. (Drain the liquid from the pickled vegetables or chop the raw vegetables.)

If making the sauce to go over the finished dish, stir the ingredients together and set aside.

To assemble: divide rice between 4 bowls, top each bowl with 1/4 of the turkey, add pickled vegetables and top with a pinch of cilantro.

Enjoy!

Applesauce Cake

This cake can make you feel a little better about eating it because it has applesauce and nuts in it. And a homemake frosting will always taste better than the icing in those plastic containers.

This is one of Reese Weatherspoon's recipes from her book that I reviewed here.

I was able to try this one out at a brunch. Other people seemed to like it.

It goes great with coffee, even for breakfast.

It still tastes good, even a few days old.

I made half the recipe so the two of us did not have to eat it forever.

Ingredients:

For the cake:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 cups applesauce - You can get this no sugar added, if you are wanting less sugar in this cake.
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the brown sugar icing:
2 cups packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sifted confectioner's sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions:


To make the cake:

Grease and flour a 9 inch bundt or tube pan (I just used a pie pan because that is what I had on hand). 

In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. 

Mix in the applesauce on low speed. The butter mixture will separate a little from the applesauce, so do not worry that they do not mix together completely. 

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Remove 1/4 cup of the flour mixture and dredge the raisins and pecans in it. Fold the remaining flour mixture slowly into the applesauce mixture until just combined. Add the raisin and pecan mixture along with the vanilla extract and stir together by hand.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 90 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center part of the cake comes out clean. Let cool slightly and remove the cake from the pan, allowing it to cool completely.

To make the brown sugar icing:

In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, cream, and butter. Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract, powdered sugar, and salt until smooth. Very quickly, pour the icing over the cake, allowing it to spread and drip down the sides to set. The icing sets up very quickly, so it looks best when it is allowed to flow naturally.

Reese suggests making this a day or two before you want to eat it because the cake gets moister with each day. 

Enjoy!

Egg & Sausage Strata

You may be wondering what a strata is. Around these parts, we call them breakfast casseroles, which I LOVE when we have breakfast potlucks.

This one is so simple and a keeper. If you do not have time to allow for overnight refrigeration, it still comes out great.

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground sausage - I use HOT sausage.
6 eggs
2 cups milk
1 tablespoon mustard - I use Creole Dijon.
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
6 slices bread, cut into cubes - I use wheat.
2 cups shredded cheese - I use sharp cheddar.

Instructions:
Cook sausage in a pan over medium-high heat until browned, breaking up large chunks as much as possible. Remove from heat and drain well.

Beat eggs, milk, mustard, salt, and pepper in a large bowl with a whisk or hand mixer on medium speed until mixture is smooth.

Add bread, cheese, and sausage to the egg mixture and stir/fold until solids are coated with the egg mixture and the cheese is mixed in. Spray the bottom and sides of a 13 X 9 inch baking dish with cooking spray and pour in the mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

Magical White Bean Soup

With a name with the word magical in it, you have to try it, right?  Okay, so the picture may look weird, and the recipe might seem odd. It is from Shauna Niequist's book Savor. (Stay tuned for that book review.)

It was so different from other soups that I just wanted to try it. I could not find one ingredient and my grocery story only had prosciutto wrapped around mozzarella. The more cheese, the merrier (I say).

And not everybody puts a vinaigrette on top of their soup, but the author does, I wanted to try it out.  Or you could have it without the vinaigrette, like Jared did.

As I have said before, I like the mixing of flavor.

Jared liked the soup too. I tried to convince him to go on a soup only diet with me. He declined. I have been making a lot of soups lately, and this was a good one.


Ingredients:

For the soup:
2 shallots, sliced
1/2 pound carrots, thinly sliced
1 bulb fennel, sliced - My grocery store did not have any.
4 celery ribs, sliced
2 tablespoons rosemary, rough chopped
6 cans white beans in liquid (cannellini or great Northern beans)
salt and pepper to taste

For the vinaigrette:
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard - I used Creole mustard.
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

For serving:
Prosciutto, torn into ribbons - or just throw it in wrapped around mozzarella like I did.
Parmesan, curled into strips with a vegetable peeler

Instructions:

For the soup:

In a stockpot or dutch oven, soften two sliced shallots in olive oil over medium heat.

Add carrots, fennel, and celery, and allow to soften, 10 to 15 minutes.

Add beans in their liquid and chopped rosemary.

Cover and cook for 20 minutes at a gentle boil.

Taste, add salt and pepper, and taste again.

Cook for an additional 20 minutes, or longer if you have time.

Off heat, mash with a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon for a rustic, chunky texture. If you'd like a smoother texture, run it through the food processor or blender. (I skipped this step.)

For the vinaigrette:
Spoon Dijon into an old jelly jar or mason jar, then add vinegar and salt and pepper.

Close lid and shake vigorously.

When all ingredients are combined, add in the olive oil and shake again.

For serving:
Drizzle vinaigrette and top with Parmesan and prosciutto.

Enjoy!

Korean Meatloaf

I admit that meatloaf was not always my favorite thing to eat probably because it was usually served in the school cafeteria, and although I usually really liked eating cafeteria food in school, theirs was bland. It was like eating a hunk of flavorless meat. Flavor is everything around here.

Once I started making my own meatloaf with a good glaze, I liked meatloaf a lot more.

I saw Rachel Ray making Korean meatloaf recently. Well, I caught the end of the episode when she was putting into the oven and missed the preparing of it. So I set out to make my own.

This is what I made, and truly, I never want to eat meatloaf another way. It is delicious. It will be put on meal rotation.

Let me know if you try it! :)

Ingredients:

Meatloaf:
2 lbs. ground pork
1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
1 large onion, finely diced
8 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp. of the hot oil I wrote about a while back.

5 green onions, minced
2 tsp. kosher salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten to combine
2 tsp, vegetable oil

Glaze:
3 tbsp. apricot jam
2 tbsp. hot oil
1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp. honey
2 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil
1/2 tsp. granulated garlic powder or 2 cloves garlic, minced

Instructions:

Pre-heat your oven to 350F.

Film a pan with the vegetable oil. Add the minced onions and cook slowly until translucent. (This takes about 10 minutes. )

Add the garlic to the onions and cook another 2 minutes. Remove the onion mixture from the heat, transfer to a bowl, and place in the refrigerator to cool.

Combine the cooled onion mixture with the minced green onion, hot oil, eggs and kosher salt. Stir to combine thoroughly.

Put the ground pork and breadcrumbs in a large bowl. Add the onion/hot oil mixture and mix gently. You want it evenly red. You do not want it packed into a brick. 

Transfer the meatloaf mix to a 9.5 inch by 5 inch loaf pan (or free form it on a cookie sheet ).

Place the meatloaf in the oven. Cook until you get to an internal temperature of 140F, about 40 minutes. 

While the meatloaf cooks, make the glaze. Combine all the ingredients and stir thoroughly.

When the meatloaf reaches 140F, remove it from the oven and spoon the glaze over the meatloaf evenly. 

Return the glazed meatloaf to the oven and cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 160F. (This takes about 10-15 minutes.) 

Enjoy!

Poppy Seed Cake

This is a light, small and delicious cake. I liked using orange juice in the glaze, which gave me an excuse to have it in the fridge. I did not have enough little mini loaf pans to make them into smaller loafs, which is a great gift idea, but also, this cake was not big enough that I felt like two people would be eating it forever. I just used a round pan.

It is worth noting that if you work at a place that does drug testing, ingesting poppy seeds 12-48 hours before your drug test can give you a false positive for opiates. Some screening tests beforehand now ask you if you have eaten poppy seeds recently, but eating this beforehand could cause you to have further testing.

This is another one of my favorite author's recipes, and the person she originally got this from (Emily) has been using this in her family for over 25 years for Easters and showers.


Cake Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 eggs
3⁄4 cup melted butter
1 1⁄2 cups sugar
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat all ingredients for 2 minutes. Pour the batter into four small loaf pans or a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. Bake for one hour. The top will crack.

Orange Glaze Ingredients:
1⁄4 cup orange juice
3⁄4 cup sugar
1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1⁄2 teaspoon almond extract

Cook orange juice and sugar together until sugar melts. Do not boil. Remove from heat. Stir in extracts. While cake is hot, spoon glaze over the top of the cake and let it set for at least 20 minutes before removing it from the pan.

Book Review: Code Name Verity

I enjoy reading books about the World War II period from the perspective of people that are not soldiers, especially women. This book had two female protagonists, and half the of the book is told from the perspective of each of them.

At the heart of this book is truly just a story about two young friends and how much they care for each other.

Their paths diverge when the plane they are both on crashes. One is picked up by the Gestapo, and we all know that probably will not end well.

There is intellect, love, and intrigue woven into this story.

I have not read another book quite like it.

This books is almost like a puzzle to read, with new pieces being thrown to you here and there to discover the whole picture.

Despite one of the main characters being in prison, it was not as gory as it could be (thankfully).

There was a glimpse into the French Resistance, which was neat.

Although it was not my favorite World War II era book ever, it was still good and definitely unique.

One thing that I always think about when I read a book from this time is how ordinary citizens were thrust into hard times with tough decisions. What is just doing your job and what is participating in evil? I have been pondering that one since I read Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil by Hannah Arendt in college.

At one point one of the protagonists asks one of the officers keeping her prisoner, "What do you tell your daughter? When she asks you about your work, what truth does the lovely Isolde get out of you?"

And what was the truth? Did these people truly believe in the cause that involved them torturing and killing others? Did they feel trapped?

There are multiple perspectives in a story, and everyone has their own story. Hardly any story is told the same way twice.

If this sounds interesting to you, check out Maddie and Julie's stories.

"Truth is the daughter of time, not authority." 

"This above all, to thine own self be true.'"

"I am the soul of verity," I repeated. "Je suis l'ésprit de vérité."

Blueberry Yogurt Morning Cake

This is a favorite recipe of one of my favorite authors, Shauna Niequist. She writes about finding the perfect blueberries and all the fond memories she has with this cake growing up. Her mom made it a lot.

It is delightful.

Despite the name, you do not have to reserve this for breakfast.

You can feel better about eating it because one of the main ingredients is yogurt.

We got a last minute dinner invite, and I was already planning on making this as part of our dinner, so I made it.

Everybody seemed to like it. There was lemon on hand, and a few people squirted some lemon juice on top of it and enjoyed it that way.

I try a lot of recipes. Most of them I do not use again. That is my saving grace; we try a lot of things, but we only have to eat it once if it is not good.

This one is a keeper, though.

It serves 10-12.


Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter softened, plus more for the pan
1 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons for the berries
3 eggs
1 1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 tsp. almond extract
2 cups all purpose flour - Or you can nix the next two ingredient and just use self-rising flour.
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups of fresh blueberries washed and drained

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-inch springform pan, and line it with parchment paper. (I did not use this type of pan because I do not have one. I just used a regular baking pan.)

In a large mixing bowl, combine butter, sugar, eggs, yogurt, and almond extract. Mix well.

Add flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and with a wooden spoon, mix by hand until combined. Be careful to not over mix.

Pour the batter into the springform. Toss the berries with the two tablespoons sugar, and then spread them over the batter.

Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until a fork comes out clean when inserted in the center.

Let the cake cool for 10 minutes and then transfer to a cake plate or stand.

If not serving the cake that day, after cooling, cover the springform pan (to not dry out). Do not remove from the pan until right before serving. 

Moroccan Spiced Carrots

A dish like this will always remind me of the time a spent in North Africa, and what an adventure that was!

I am always looking for a good way to cook vegetables to give them a new twist. This recipe fits the bill, and it kept a pack of celery from going bad. Using a lot of produce is always a race against time to keep it all good.

The mixing of flavors is nice in this dish.

If you do not like a variety of spices in one dish, this is not the way to do your carrots. There is sweet, salty, and spicy all in one, which is a win-win-win for me.

One cool thing about this recipe is that you do not have to peel the carrots. Just wash them and trim the bottoms.

Ingredients:
12 ounces trimmed small carrots with tops (My grocery store does not have these. I had topless ones.)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons light sour cream
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 cup chopped toasted unsalted pistachios
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425°F. Toss together trimmed small carrots with tops, olive oil, ground cumin, paprika, ground cinnamon, and kosher salt in a bowl. Place carrots on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake until tender, about 15 minutes.

Combine light sour cream and fresh lime juice in a bowl. Place carrots on a platter; top with sour cream mixture, 1/4 cup chopped toasted unsalted pistachios, and 1 tbsp. chopped, fresh cilantro.

Mexican Potatoes

I am not entirely sure why these are called Mexican potatoes. The Mexican stuffed onions I posted earlier - yeah, I can see those being labeled this way because of the Mexican cheese, salsa, and jalapenos. There are cilantro and chili powder in these.

These are good.

I needed to use up some small potatoes, and this took care of most of them. The crusty looking stuff in the pan is Parmesan cheese. It is all good.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds petite red potatoes, washed and quartered
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ancho chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
4 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with non stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, add the olive oil, salt, chili powder, oregano, coriander, garlic powder, black pepper and cayenne. Toss together until potatoes are fully coated with spices. 

Transfer to baking sheet.

Be careful not to overcrowd the potatoes. They should have plenty of room to breathe. If they do not, divide them onto two baking sheets.

Sprinkle potatoes with Parmesan cheese and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, flip over the potatoes and bake for another 20 minutes, until crispy.

Sprinkle potatoes with cilantro and more salt (if you want) and serve.

Stuffed Jalapenos (4 Ingredients Only)

I like jalepenos. I put them on a lot of food. Stuffed jalapenos are some of my favorite things. I think I could have them once a week and never tire of them.

I will keep sharing recipes of different ways to make them.

I like this one because it has minimal ingredients and still tastes delicious.

The recipe is so simple you can do it from memory.

Make sure you use gloves when seeding the jalepenos and do not touch your face because the oils can really give you an unpleasant time.

Ingredients:
6 jalapenos, sliced length wise & seeded
4 ounces cream cheese (I used Neufchatel, a low fat cream cheese.)
1/2 pound sausage (I used hot Tennessee Pride pork sausage.)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Instructions:
Cook the sausage over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain.

In a small bowl, combine cream cheese and Parmesan cheese. Fold in sausage.

Spoon about a tablespoon into each jalapeno half.

Place in an ungreased pan. Bake at 425 degrees, uncovered, until filling is brown and bubbly (about 15-20 minutes).

Mexican Stuffed Onions

Maybe you have some extra onions lying around that you want to use up? Maybe you want a new onion dish? Maybe you are just intrigued by this one?

We use a lot of onions around here. I did have some extra onions that I wanted to use. I did not quite have the 8 large onions, and I had some extra couscous, so I just put it in the middle of the pan to cook solo. I also made this one without chicken because 1) I knew my onions were not that large and 2) chicken is not my favorite meat. I also did not discard the onion centers and just cooked those up with the extra couscous.

Ingredients:

8 large purple onions
1 cup water
2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil, divided
3/4 cup dry plain couscous
3/4 pound chicken tenders (Breast or boneless thigh will work too.)
salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 jalapeno, minced
1/4 cup salsa
1 chipotle chili in adobo sauce, chopped (*optional for added heat)
3/4 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend + more for topping
1/2 cup chopped cilantro


Instructions:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

In the mean time, cut a small piece off the bottoms of the onions so that they sit flat. Cut about 1/4-1/2 inch off the tops.

Once boiling, add the onions to the water and boil for 12 minutes. Remove the onions from the water, set aside, and let cool.

Combine the water, 1 teaspoon of the olive oil and a pinch of salt in a small sauce pot. Bring to a boil. 

Once boiling, add the couscous, stir, cover and set aside, off of the heat for 5 minutes. Fluff the couscous with a fork and transfer to a large bowl, set aside.

Season the chicken with salt, pepper, cumin and smoked paprika.

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the chicken and cook for about 3-4 minutes per side until cooked through. Chop the chicken into small pieces and add to the bowl with the couscous.

Carefully remove the centers of the onion with either a knife or sharp spoon so that just 3-4 outer rings of onion are left and you have a nice hollow center for stuffing.

Chop some of the discarded onion centers so that you have 1/2 cup of chopped onions.

Add the chopped onions to the skillet the chicken cooked in and saute with the jalapeno for about 3-5 minutes until softened. Transfer to the bowl with the couscous and chicken.

Add the salsa, chipotle chili if using, cheese, and cilantro to the bowl. Mix everything together and set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a baking dish and place the onions in the dish.

Fill each onion with the mixture. Cover loosely with foil and bake for 25 minutes.

Remove the onions from the oven, uncover, top with additional cheese, and bake for another 5 minutes until melted.

Remove from oven, let cool slightly, and serve.