One of Our Favorites!!

Does this or does this not make your salivary glands go into over-drive? I can't help but to look at this spread and want more! This has become one of our favorite things to do on a Sunday night. Not many restaurants are open on Sunday so this is a great reason to get creative with our "last moments together before the next work week begins" meal.

We have taken to riding our bikes on Sunday afternoons to get some exercise and discover more about Dusseldorf. There are some local bakeries open and usually a meat & cheese shop here or there. I love trying new meats and cheeses (as long as they don't smell funny!) and this particular showcase of meat and cheese was dazzling my taste buds. We got the Tomato Feta Salad from a local restaurant that makes mostly Greek foods. The pickles, meats and cheeses were from the street fair down on the Rhine River. Add to that the Ciabatta and Cheese Rolls with some locally made mustard and you have the "fixins" for a delicious German meal.

I can't even explain what a pleasure this meal is...no cooking, easy clean up, formed to our liking and leftovers area snap! Hope you'll give this a try...OH! And here's a link to a company that will deliver frozen European Rolls and Bread (still in dough form) to your door. You simply freeze them until you're ready to bake and then pop them in your oven after thawing. You really need to experience German Rolls to appreciate the tastiness of these sandwiches!! Enjoy

http://www.europebread.com/index.php?p=home

Be sure to leave a note and let us know what is one of your favorite meals and why!

With Love In The Mix,
Shannon

Hotel Cooking Part Zwei!

I posted on facebook the other day how much I was craving Fall Foods such as chili, stews, casseroles and so on because the weather here is already "I can see my breath" cold. I love it and Autumn is my favorite time of year. I absolutely love Sweater Weather and Football Weather!! Something we never had in Malaysia!! So I am quite comfortable temperatures in the 40's - 60's. Unlike my previous pasta sauce in the hotel room that I made to welcome my husband back from England and just to give him a nice little surprise, this recipe was all about me! (He doesn't like chili anyway). I was craving chili in some form and the only things keeping me from it was the beans and the weather. It's raining outside which inhibits my bike riding. And although I'm a fan of cold weather, I am not a fan of purposefully putting myself in the cold rain. There are a lot of things I'll do in the name of food but that is not one of them!!

Here is what I had on hand (I actually bought it the day before when the chili bug bit me)

This tiny chili pepper was flown in all the way from Ohio! It came from Pop's garden where Scott and his dad planted it this past spring. Pop sent the pepper to me here in Germany and my fingers have been itching to use it. So I dried them first and then minced it up for the chili. I added my pinky to give you some perspective.


Here are the vegetables... 1 Roma Tomato, chopped; 6 Baby Bellas, chopped; 2 Green Onions and the little, tiny, Thai Chili Pepper.
I placed the hamburger into my only cooking bowl/cereal bowl/pasta bowl. Then sprinkled it with Sea Salt and Black Pepper. Cooked it for 1 minute.
Added the chopped mushrooms, mix and cook for another 1 minute.
Added the green onion, mix and cook for another 1 minute.
The secret ingredient...Beer. Hey, I'm in Germany. They drink this stuff for water. Anyway, if you don't cook with beer, don't fret. Just use a beef or pork broth instead. About 1/2 cup. Usually, when I cook with beer, I use a dark beer because it makes the most amazing sauce and it tastes nothing like beer! This is good because I find beer to be repulsive. The taste of it makes me want to hurl. But somehow, it's just amazing to cook with!
Final addition of chopped tomato, the little Thai Chili and about 1/2 C water. Then I cooked the daylights out of it!! 3 minutes, then set, 3 minutes then set again. Repeated this for a couple of hours until the flavors got to know one another.
It's really amazing how many seeds came out of that little pepper! Again, the finger is there for perspective. And yes, all the seeds went in!

The finished product! Ta-daa! I also had this great cheese in the fridge. A mild white cheese with cumin seed in it. It had a delicious smoky flavor to it so I diced it up and chucked it in. Mmmm!

The only thing I didn't take a picture of was the spices. Because I don't have my spices here with me, I had to use a blend from the store from the Knorr company. It was Knorr Chili Con Carne. I used half an envelope for this but you could add whatever blend you prefer. If I was making this at home, I'd use a home made blend of chili powder, cumin, paprika, S&P and cayenne.

As I was waiting for the pictures up upload, I ate this beautiful concoction. My belly is very happy at the moment! The spice of that Thai chili was perfect. Not too hot but just a little tingle on my tongue. Give it a try! Cheers!!

Shannon

BTW - If you have a microwave recipe that you love...send it to me and I'll be sure to include it on this post!!

Hotel Cooking!

I have to give credit to where credit is due...Ah, those college days! Sunday evenings was a time when the dining hall shut down to any type of hot meal and brown bag sandwiches were past out. Always a choice between PB&J or some type of meat and cheese, chips, fruit and a snack cake. Sometimes those brown bag beauties were just too much, we needed to step aside from the norm and do something creative. So we began collecting butter pats and pieces of foil. Soon we were using our irons to make grilled ham and cheese sandwiches! Sometimes it was grilled PB&J but not often as the peanut butter was already thinned down with marshmallow cream and heating it just made it messier than we liked. But those grilled sandwiches were a wonderful break from the norm!!

Sitting in a hotel room day after day and going through the same rut of waiting for Scott to come home so that we could go to a restaurant and eat someone else's cooking just becomes sooooo mundane! A flicker of genius (or a stirred memory - however you choose to look at it...I prefer genius!) and my mind is turning with ideas of what I can make with the limited amount of equipment that I have.

I had seen packages of pre-chopped bacon in the grocery stores and thought "I could cook that in the microwave!" and the wheels continued to turn...I could buy a couple of different types of sauce, add some bacon, some grated Parmesan, fresh basil (I'm growing it in the window ledge) and have a delicious sauce! Add some pasta and grilled bread and VIOLA! So I went to work on a trial run while Scott was away in England. It was delicious!! So I went back to the store and bought more of the same items and also a small package of ground hamburger. Here's my list...and understand these are German products so if you want to create this, you'll have to wing it just like I did!

1 Jar Tomato Bolognese Sauce (about 12 oz.)
1 Jar Red Pesto Sauce (about 8 oz.)
1/2 lb (approximately) Ground Hamburger
1 Lg Green Onion, sliced
1 Bottle Merlot Wine (this was already in the room, just thought I'd put it to use since we wouldn't be drinking it!)
Grated Romano Cheese
1 Small Round of Rosemary Focaccia Bread
Garlic Butter
5-6 Leaves of Fresh Basil
1 Small pkg Cheese Tortellinis
Salt and Pepper

I cooked the meat (with the S&P), added the sauces, about 3 tbsp of the Merlot, green onions, & Romano cheese. I microwaved this concoction several times for 5 minutes each time, stirring, letting sit for a while, reheating and continue this throughout the day until early evening when I let it sit to room temp and then added it to the fridge. We have a tiny fridge and if I had put it in the fridge when it was hot, everything else would have spoiled. It doesn't have much cooling power. The next day I did the same thing...heating it up once an hour for 5 minutes each. (I did end up adding about 1 cup of water to the sauce as it thickened up during the cooking process).

When it was about 2 hours before Scott was due to be home. I heated a bowl of salted water to very hot and added the pasta. Cooked until al dente and then mixed the pasta in with the sauce. Heated it up a few times with the sauce so their flavors could get to know one another. I also added the basil at this time so that I didn't over-cook it!


The bread was easy. Fold foil into a make-shift rimmed pan. Butter the bread and place on foil pan and place on a very hot iron until browned. You must have a rim though or else your butter could run off and burn you or stain whatever it lands on.


Here are some pics of what I and the results!

Rosemary Focaccia in the "pan"


"pan" on the "grill"


Finished product complete with fresh garnish


Cheese Tortelloni with Tomato Basil Bolognese and Grilled Garlic Bread!

YUMMY! or as they say in Germany...Lecker Lecker!

Now for the disclaimer...

Do not try this at home or in any hotel room. I knew the risk of performing these tasks and did them anyway. If you choose to be as silly as me and cook using an iron or any various other non-cooking utensils, you do so at your own risk!!

Enjoy your day!

With Love in the Mix!

Shannon

For The Love of Smoothies!

I was first introduced to smoothies in South Carolina when I worked at a little organic foods grocery store/cafe. I am so glad to have discovered them there because I've never had smoothies that good since...at least my first experience was the best and I can make them the way I love them!

The key to a great smoothie - USE FROZEN FRUIT! and LEAVE THE ICE IN THE FREEZER!

For those of you who are trying to beat the heat, what better way than with an ice-cold fruit smoothie? (ok, water would be better but smoothies just taste so good!) Soda and Sugary Drinks aren't going to cut it and they don't carry the nutritional weight that a smoothie does.

In my quest to eat healthier by leaving the over-processed, chemical laden foods on the shelves, I have rediscovered my love for smoothies! Our bodies can process liquids easier and more effectively than solids (great reason for chewing up your food better) so liquefying fruit in a blender is going to aid your digestion process, helping you absorb more of those wonderful vitamins and nutrients.

For those of you with children...what an incredible way to get them to eat healthier! These smoothies taste like milk shakes and are a great summer treat...not to mention the kiddies can play outside after drinking one of these without having all that milk and sugar sitting on their guts!

Better yet, there is no exact recipe...you make it how you like it. Just follow some simple guidelines and you can make whatever flavor smoothie suits your taste buds!

#1. Purchase simple ingredients first...bananas, strawberries, peaches. These are great starters for beginner smoothie makers. You can spruce it up later with kiwi, pineapple, berries etc, but this is actually my favorite...just the basics.

#2. Purchase apple cider...it's a completely different flavor than apple juice when making a smoothie. You can usually find small 1 qt jugs or even 1 pt jugs in the grocery stores or at farmer's markets.

#3. Purchase a box of the snack size zip-locks.

#4. Chop your fruit into bite-size pieces. Bananas - about 1"-2" segments. Strawberries - halved or quartered (if they're big). Peaches - 1"-2" chunks.

#5. Place 4-5 pieces of fruit in each snack size baggie, squeeze out as much air as possible, place in freezer for several hours or overnight.


Those are the basics!

~ Now for the assembly ~

~ Pull fruit from the freezer and break up while it's still in the baggie until all or most of the individual pieces are separated. It's important that you use bananas in every smoothie...it's the base - the most important part of the smoothie.

~ Place fruit from each baggie into a blender (You're using the smallest snack size baggies so one baggie of bananas and one baggie of strawberries and one baggie of peaches makes a good size smoothie for one adult - after you make the first one, you'll have a better idea of how much or how little to add to make the right size for you or your children).

~ Pour in about 1/2 C of the apple cider and liquefy in the blender with the lid securely shut. If the mixture seems to thick (not breaking down and rolling through the blender blades smoothly) then shut off the blender, add another 1/4 C of cider and continue blending.


THAT'S IT!!! Pour into a glass and drink! Parents ~ got any of those old Popsicle molds or Dixie Cups and Popsicle sticks? Pour the blended mixture into these small containers and pop back into the freezer for a frozen sweet treat on a stick!! Did I mention they were healthy? Ssshhh!


Now, once you're a pro at this, start adding different fruits and even nuts (if you like little crunchy bits in your smoothie). There's also a variety of add-ins that you can...well...add in to your smoothie if you're into that sort of thing. I'm talking natural herbs and such that promote holistic lifestyles. But for me - the basic smoothie is my favorite and I hope it becomes yours too!


Please Note - Wash all fruits well before cutting and freezing! If possible, purchase fruits that are organic - pesticide free!

Enjoy!

Shannon

Do you have a favorite concoction or recipe for smoothies? Send it to me by email or through the comments button below and I'll be sure to post it here! Thanks!

Please Be Patient With Me! : )

More recipes are on the way...we are hotel living in Germany until we can find a home. My husband and I drove around Dorston all day today looking at homes and communities. Beautiful country! Just won't be able to post many recipes and pics until we get settled. I will, however, work on posting some of my past recipes and some recipes of German foods I have already tried (of course, the authenticity will be as close as I can get it). (wink and a smile)

Have a great week!

Shannon

I haven't Forgotten My Blog!

Honestly, I've got so much going on right now I haven't had time to experiment in the kitchen. Sad, I know. We're moving to Germany in two weeks (June 13th) and there is still so much to do! We've spent the entire week tearing apart and rebuilding the deck. What a job! Now it's time to box everything up and get it packed into crates.

I did have the opportunity to make this recipe the other day and it was really delicious! I want to find a way to thicken the brown butter sauce so it stays on the noodle. But it's an incredible flavor none-the-less!

Spaghetti with Chicken & Broccoli with a Brown Butter Sauce

Mizithra cheese is a yummy, hard Greek cheese but if you cannot find it, Freshly Shredded Romano is a great substitute! That's what I used!

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1 cup Mizithra cheese
pasta of choice (I used spaghetti)
2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
3 C Fresh Broccoli


Directions:

Dice chicken into small pieces and cook in a large skillet with some olive oil, salt and pepper until just done. Do not over-cook. Set aside. Meanwhile, cook the pasta and steam the broccoli. Combine the pasta, chicken and broccoli in a large pot and keep covered and warm.

Browned Butter Procedure: Cut 2 sticks of butter into 8 pieces and place in a 2-quart sauce pan. Place the pan of butter on a burner on medium heat. Bring butter to a slow boil (about 5 minutes). (This wasn't enough for 4-6 portions of the meal so I added 1 more stick and continued with the directions)

Once the butter begins to boil, stir constantly to prevent residue from sticking to the bottom of the pan. As the butter cooks, it will start to foam and rise. Continue stirring, otherwise the butter foam could overflow (about 5 minutes) and catch fire.

Once the butter stops foaming and rising, cook until amber in color (about 1 to 2 minutes). It will have a pleasant caramel aroma.

Turn off the heat and remove pan from burner. Let the sediment settle to the bottom of the pan for a few minutes.

Pour the brown butter through a strainer into a small bowl. Do not disturb the residue at the bottom of the pan. (When cooking this, the foam came back and I gently poured the butter into a separate container. The butter drizzled out from under the foam and over the residue on the bottom)

The brown butter can be stored in the refrigerator and reheated in a microwave as needed.


Pour the butter over the pasta mixture and toss gently with the shredded cheese. Using a spaghetti server, fill plates or bowls with desired amount of the meal. If there's extra sauce in the pan, drizzle evenly over the individual dishes. Serve immediately!

This is the way I want to go out of this world...

Eating one of these brownies! I've been on a search for the most perfect brownie recipe and I do believe I've found it. I was very disappointed at the beginning of my search and threw away a few batches because the brownies were dry and tough. I found out that the flour my father-in-law had in the canister was "better for bread" flour. OH MY! No wonder they were all wrong! I like mine...well, perfect. Not too cakey, not too fudgey, not too chewy. But somewhere right in the middle of those three.

I started on this journey for one reason...besides the obvious ( I wanted to eat lots of brownies) and that was to show my darling husband that the box mixes are not the best. Grrrr! The Foodie's husband likes boxed mixes better than homemade. I'll not have it! he hee! Now, while on this journey, I began realizing how much healthier homemade brownies are than boxed brownies...no chemical, no preservatives, nothing artificial! Yes, they're loaded with butter and sugar but everything in moderation is a good thing. Although, it's really difficult to be moderate when it comes to these babies!

Done talking...on to the brownies!

You must make this caramel sauce! It is absolutely divine! I reduced the amount of sea salt because the original recipe was way too salty. Phew! But make it ahead of time and give it time to cool a bit while you make the brownies!

Sea Salt Caramel Brownies

Sea Salt Caramel

* 1/2 cup heavy cream
* 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
* 1 cup sugar
* 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
* 1 teaspoon Vanilla
* 1/4 cup sour cream

In a small saucepan, combine the cream and the salt. Simmer over very low heat until the salt is dissolved. set aside.

In a medium saucepan combine the sugar and corn syrup carefully. They will not combine well until the sugar begins to melt. (It will seem ridiculous at first but keep at it, scraping the mixture off the spoon so that all the sugar cooks at the same time and temp.) Cook over high heat until an instant-read thermometer reads 350 degrees, 6 to 8 minutes. Without a thermometer, just pull the sugar off the heat when it is a medium goldish brown – it will continue to cook in the heat of the pan. Better to pull it too early than too late. Remove from the heat and let cool for one minute.

Add the cream mixture and the vanilla to the sugar mixture. Do this carefully! The mixture will steam and sputter while you drizzle it in. Use a large wooden spoon for this step. Keep stirring even if you get some clumps. It will be OK. Whisk in the sour cream. Let the caramel cool to room temp, then follow the brownie instructions. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate any leftover caramel. it makes a great ice cream topping or tastes great straight out of the jar. Yes, do this. Spoon it straight from the jar and indulge...after it's cooled of course.


Brownies

• 4 ounces Semi-sweet chocolate (Ghirradeli's is the best)
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3 eggs
1 C Cake flour
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• pinch salt
• 1/4 cup Chocolate Syrup
• half of the above caramel recipe

Preheat oven to 325F.


Melt Chocolate and butter in small saucepan over low heat until smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
In a bowl, mix together sugar, eggs, and vanilla, and mix until well combined

Add flour, salt, chocolate syrup and chocolate mixture and blend well.

In a greased 8×8 pan, pour a little over half of the brownie batter and bake for 18 minutes. Remove from oven and pour in the caramel. On top of the caramel, add the rest of your brownie batter. If it doesn’t pour smoothly, just plop it in a swirl it around a little bit. (I once added a bit of water (not much) to the leftover batter with good results). Return to oven and bake for another 18-22 minutes. Brownies will still appear a little shaky, due to the caramel, but they will firm up once cooled. Do not over-bake them.

I have found it a very good idea to bake these in a stoneware baking dish (I used Pampered Chef) but glass is not a good idea. It cooks the brownies too quickly on the outside and then the edges harden and dry out. Ick! It's also worth mentioning, if you use a cheap rubber spatula to stir the caramel, you will lose at least half of the end of the spatula before you realize that bits of it are swimming through your caramel. Yeh, learned that one on my own!! Use the good stuff! Stay with wooden or use Pampered Chef....they have one that withstands temps up to 500*F I believe.

Once the Brownies have cooled enough to eat, make sure you have a large glass of milk in the waiting (or coffee if you drink it without sugar) you will need something substantial to wash these down!! They're just that good!

Do you have a decadent brownie recipe you'd like to share? Send it to me and I'll post it on this page!!

Salsa ~ Let It Dance on Your Tongue!!

I wrote this blog while in Malaysia and saved it...

I recently took some polls to find out how everyone prefers their salsa. Most answers I received were typical. Hot and spicy; Extra Cilantro; Extra Garlic; Mild and Savory; Mild and Sweet. Watermelon Salsa and Peanut Salsa both threw me for a loop! I guess if there was a contest, those would be the winners...Peanut wins with a slight edge over Watermelon.

I have spent the last week or so playing with different flavors in salsa and I'm excited to say that I loved all of them! Some more than others but not one bowl saw the inside of the garbage bin. Good thing...I'm not crazy about wasting any ingredients. I think I managed to touch everyone's taste buds. Some of the recipes are very similar with just a few changes....enough to make a big difference in the final outcome. I had tons of ideas popping into my head..."Ooo, I need to try this!" or "Oh! I bet this would be great!". Alas, I am limited to the ingredients in this tiny little country. So the ideas are penned on a scratchy piece of paper that will remain attached to the inside of my one-and-only cookbook that I brought with me until I can get home to work out the details.

One of those details is which type of hot peppers to use. In this tropical location, jalapenos and chili peppers are the two staple peppers available. The chili peppers I used looked like these...

...in various sizes. The smaller the size, the hotter the pepper. Habeneros are not available and most Malaysians have never sampled an Habenero in their life. But the range of schofield units in their chili peppers could successfully compete with the U.S. habeneros.

Another factor was the cinnamon I added to the sweeter salsa's. The cinnamon I used was fresh ground from Indonesia when we took a trip to Bali. Most generic or even name brand cinnamon powders we use in the States have lost some of their potency. I added merely a pinch of cinnamon powder but you might need to add two. Add what the recipe calls for, taste it and add more if you feel it's what your tongue wants. It could also be the same with the other powdered spices as well. We can buy Mexican Chili Powder here but it's hotter than what we're used to in the U.S. Asian or Indian chili powder will scorch your tongue because it is used in their curry dishes and bumbu (sauces). So use the smallest amount listed in the recipe and give it a taste to see if you need more.

Can I say enough about Fresh Pineapple!? Pampered Chef makes this wonderful tool that cores and peels fresh pineapple, taking the task to a minimum. It takes some muscle but it yields perfect pineapple halves that are simple to cut since the core is removed as well. I did not used canned pineapple in any of the recipes. And the fresh pineapple was so sweet that there was no need to add sugar of any kind. If you substitute canned for fresh, you do so at your own risk of ruining the recipe...I'm sure it won't be the same. Most produce sections of grocery stores have pineapple already peeled and cored for you in clear plastic containers...I'm just unsure if these are available year around.

Hickory Smoked Salt is an ingredient that most people don't have in their spice racks but they should. It's delicious and can be used so many different ways...especially grilling! It just has this wonderful smokey flavor that can add so much to a dish! I buy mine from the Amish but I understand many people live nowhere near any Amish farms. Here are some websites if you are interested in ordering it.

Spice Barn

Spice Island

Spice World

OK, on to the Recipes!!

Salsa #1 (slightly sweet, not hot)

1 - 14.5 oz can Diced Tomatoes

1/4 C Chopped Green Pepper

1/3 C Chopped Onion

1 tsp Brown Sugar

2 tsp Cider Vinegar

2 Tbsp Tomato Paste

Pinch of Cinnamon

1 Whole Clove

1/16 tsp Cumin

1/8 tsp Paprika

Dump all ingredients into a sauce pan and bring to a boil on medium high heat. Turn down to low and simmer for 1 hour. Allow to cool. Remove the clove. Serve at room temperature or cold if you prefer.

Salsa #2 (Much like #1 with slight variations)

1 - 14.5 oz can Diced Tomatoes

2 tsp Olive Oil

1/4 C Chopped Green Pepper

1/3 C Chopped Onion

1 Clove Garlic, minced

1 1/2 tsp Honey

2 tsp Cider Vinegar

1 tsp fresh Lime Juice

2 Tbsp Tomato Paste

Pinch of Cinnamon

1/16 tsp Cumin

1/8 tsp Paprika

1 Tbsp Snipped Fresh Cilantro

In a sauce pan, saute peppers, onions and garlic in the olive oil for about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and the rest of the ingredients - EXCEPT THE CILANTRO - and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer 1 hour. Remove pan from burner and toss in cilantro. Stir. Allow to cool and serve at room temperature or cold if you prefer.

Salsa #3 (A little hotter and not sweet)

3/4 C Chopped Onion

1/3 C Chopped Green Bell Pepper

1 Tbsp Minced Hot Chili Pepper (seeds and membrane removed)

2 tsp Olive Oil

S&P to taste

1 Globe Roasted Garlic (recipe follows)

1/2 tsp Fresh Lime Juice

1 Tbsp Cider Vinegar

1/4 tsp Cumin

1/2 tsp Paprika

1 - 14.5 oz Can Diced Tomatoes

In a sauce pan, saute Onion, green pepper and chili pepper in the olive oil adding salt and pepper to taste. Saute 2 minutes. Squeeze in a whole globe of roasted garlic and mix in thoroughly on low heat. Add the rest of the ingredients, stirring well and turn up the heat to medium high in order to bring to a boil. Simmer on low for about 1 hour. Serve at room temp or cold if you prefer.

Please use caution when handling the hot peppers. Be careful not to touch your eyes while you cook.

Salsa #4 (like #3 only hotter and smokier)

3/4 C Chopped Onion

1/3 C Chopped Green Bell Pepper

2 Tbsp Minced Hot Chili Pepper (seeds optional. If you want the heat, put them in)

2 tsp Olive Oil

1/4 - 1/2 tsp Hickory Smoked Salt

1/4 tsp Black Pepper

1 Globe Roasted Garlic (recipe follows)

1/2 tsp Fresh Lime Juice

1 Tbsp Cider Vinegar

1/4 tsp Cumin

1/2 tsp Paprika (I used hot Hungarian Paprika for this one but use what you have)

1 - 14.5 oz Can Diced Tomatoes

1/4 C Enchilada Sauce (recipe follows)

In a sauce pan, saute Onion, green pepper and chili pepper in the olive oil adding hickory smoked salt and pepper. Saute 2 minutes. Squeeze in a whole globe of roasted garlic and mix in thoroughly on low heat. Add the rest of the ingredients, stirring well and turn up the heat to medium high in order to bring to a boil. Simmer on low for about 1 hour. Serve at room temp or cold if you prefer. Please use caution when handling the hot peppers. Be careful not to touch your eyes while you cook.

Salsa #5 (fruit salsa - fresh with a zip!)

1 C Fresh Chopped Strawberries

1 C Fresh Chopped White Peaches (yellow is fine)

1/2 C Chopped Red Bell Pepper

1 Kiwi, peeled and chopped

1 Tbsp snipped Fresh Cilantro

1 Jalapeno, seeded and minced

1 C Fresh chopped Pineapple

Zest and Juice from one lime

2 Tbsp Cider Vinegar

Sea Salt to taste

Prep - chop all fruits and vegetables to approximately the same size. I like it this way because it looks like confetti and it's easier to eat than big chunky pieces of fruit. Mix all the fruit and veggies together and toss with cilantro, lime juice & zest, vinegar and salt (to taste). This salsa does not last long. After 1 day it became very watery...still tasted great but the strawberries were beginning to lose their color and get mushy. This is a salsa that you want to make the "day of" and add the liquid and salt at the last minute. Sweet with a bit of heat but not too much! Also great with chopped up bananas.

Salsa #6 (Pineapple Salsa, my favorite...sweet and hot)

This is my version of Paul Newman's Pineapple Salsa. Mine isn't as sweet, which I like!

3/4 C Chopped Onion

1/3 C Chopped Green Bell Pepper

1 Tbsp Minced Hot Chili Pepper

1 Clove Garlic, minced

2 tsp fresh Lime Juice

1/2 tsp Paprika

1/4 tsp Cumin

1/16 tsp Cinnamon

1 Whole Clove

1/2 C Crushed Fresh Pineapple

1 - 14.5 oz Can Diced Tomatoes (I strained the tomatoes and chopped them very small)

In a sauce pan, saute peppers, onion and garlic for about 2 minutes. I added just a pinch of sea salt to this. Dump in the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce to a simmer and continue simmering for 30 minutes. Remove from heat. Remove and discard the whole clove. Serve at room temp or cold if you prefer.

Roasted Garlic

Preheat oven to 350*. Cut the top off of a globe of garlic so that all the individual cloves have the tips cut off. Place on a large sheet of tin foil. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and spinkle with sea salt. Enclose the garlic in the foil, wrapping it loosely. Place in oven and cook for 1 hour to 90 minutes. Garlic globe should be mushy feeling. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

Enchilada Sauce

(so much better than the sour store-bought canned version!)

1/8 C Olive Oil

1 Tbsp Self-Rising Flour

2 Tbsp Chili Powder (my CP is hot so I divide this in half with mild paprika or the Pampered Chef Sun-dried Tomato & Herb seasoning mix. The Pampered Chef mix is delicious in this whether your Chili Powder is hot or not)

1 - 14/5 oz Can Tomato Puree

1/4 tsp Cumin

1 Extra Finely Minced Garlic Clove

1 Tbsp Extra Finely Minced Sweet Onion

1/4 tsp Hickory Smoked Salt

Ahead of time, saute the onion and garlic in the hickory smoked salt with just a drizzle of olive oil for about 2 minutes. Set aside when finished. In a saute pan, heat olive oil and whisk in flour. Simmer for about 30 sec to one minute to remove the raw flour taste. Add the chili powder, cumin and onion/garlic mixture. Mix well. Add the tomato puree (or tomato sauce) last and allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. I store mine in a condiment squirt bottle in the fridge. Great on fries, southwestern omelettes, roasts, nachos etc.

A Pisa Pizza, A Pizza Pizza, No! HMPH! A Piece of Pizza Please!

I don't know if there is a meal on this earth that I enjoy more than pizza! Sure, there are plenty of foods that taste better but I really enjoy a great piece of pizza. How many millions of ways can you make a pizza? Chicago Style, NYC Style, Vegetarian, Meat Lovers Paradise, EXTRA CHEESE, Hawaiian, Dessert, Breakfast, Party Size, Personal Size, Fruit Pizza, Seafood Pizza, Spaghetti Pizza, Mexican Pizza, Grilled Pizza. The list could go on forever! For that I am thankful!

I've decided to take a huge dive into the world of Pizza and find some of the tastiest recipes out there. And in my experimenting world I've found that the biggest difference in the pizzas was the sauce! Changing the toppings makes different flavored pizzas but changing the sauce changes the pizza entirely! The toppings are up to you but I've found some sauce recipes that will make your pizzas taste fantastic! Use these! Go out there and be adventurous with your pizza dinner! Here's what I've come up with...

Garlic Lover's Pizza Sauce

3 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 Medium Onion, minced

1/2 Green Bell Pepper, minced

3 Large Cloves Garlic, minced

1 1/2 C Water

1 Whole Globe Garlic, roasted and squeezed out

1 - 6oz can Tomato Paste

1 tsp Fresh Snipped Basil

1 tsp Fresh Snipped Oregano

2 tsp Fresh Snipped Flat-leaf Parsley

S&P to taste

Over medium heat, saute the vegetables in oil for about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and saute for another 2-3 minutes being careful not to brown the garlic. Add the water, then the roasted garlic and the rest of the ingredients in order. Simmer on the stove top on medium heat for 30 minutes. Allow to cool completely before storing in the fridge. Sauce should be thick when finished.

White Pizza Sauce

1/3 cup flour

3/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1/8 tsp paprika

1/8 tsp onion powder

2 cups milk

1 Tbsp margarine or butter

Place flour, salt, pepper, paprika, and onion powder in a small saucepan. Stir to equally distribute. Slowly whisk in the milk until no lumps remain. Bring to a boil while stirring to prevent lumps. When mixture thickens, add margarine and stir until melted.

Southwest Oil Sauce

1/4 cup canola oil

2 cloves garlic

1/4 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. ground cumin seed

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

1. Puree ingredients in a blender and store in a small covered jar.

2. Brush oil sauces on pizza dough, sprinkle on desired cheese, and then toppings.

3. Cook just like sauced pizzas, however they may take just a 1-2 minutes less time until done.

West Coast Oil Sauce

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic

1/4 tsp. dried oregano

1/4 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. parsley flakes

1/4 tsp. marjoram

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp. ground black peppercorn

1. Puree ingredients in a blender and store in a small covered jar.

2. Brush oil sauces on dough, place desired cheese, and then top.

3. Cook just like sauced pizzas, however they may take just a little less time until done.

Garlic Oil Sauce

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

4 cloves garlic

1 whole globe garlic, roasted and squeezed out.

1. Puree ingredients in a blender and store in a small covered jar.

2. Brush oil sauces on pizza dough, sprinkle on desired cheese, and then toppings.

3. Cook just like sauced pizzas, however they may take just a 1-2 minutes less time until done.

Cooked Pizza Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 Cup chopped onions

1 tablespoon minced garlic

3 Italian plum tomatoes, peeled and minced

3 oz. canned tomato paste

2 1/2 tablespoons Italian seasoning

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1/4 Black Pepper

1/2 Stick Unsalted Butter, sliced

Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat.

1. Sauté the onions in oil for 1 minute.
2. Stir in garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasoning.
3. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Bring to a boil and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.
5. Reduce the heat to low and stir in butter pieces.
6. When the butter is half melted, remove the skillet from heat and continue stirring until thoroughly incorporated.

Uncooked Pizza Sauce

28 oz. of can crushed tomatoes

3 oz. of tomato paste

4 tbsps. Pecorino Romano

1 tsp Oregano

1 tbsp. minced fresh garlic

1 whole globe roasted garlic

1 tbsp. black pepper

3 tsps. of sugar

2 teaspoons of dried basil

1. Whisk all together.

2. Allow flavors to blend for one hour before using.

Quick and Easy Pizza Dough

1 cup of warm water (105F)

3 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 teaspoons of honey

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of yeast

1.		Put warm water (80 to 110°F) into a bowl. Add salt and honey and mix with a spoon. Add yeast, mix and let it sit for about 10 minutes.
2.		Gradually add flour and olive oil and start mixing.
3.		When the mixture gets too heavy to mix, start kneading the dough with your hands.
4.		Knead the dough until you have a smooth ball. If the dough cracks it is too dry. Add water bit by bit until if forms a nice coherent ball. If your doug feels more like batter, it is too wet and you need to add flour bit by bit. If you need to add water or flour, do it by small amounts.
5.		Coat the dough with olive oil, place it in a large bowl and cover it with kitchen wrap or a grocery bag. Let the doug rise for about an hour at room temperature, then push it down again so it deflates. Let it sit for about another hour. If you want to use it the next day, put it in a refrigerator.
6.		Put the dough on a lightly floured surface, put a bit of flour on top and make it into the shape of a pie by stretching it out from the center outwards. Use a rolling pin until the dough is about 1/4" thick. Punch some holes in the dough with a fork to let the air escape while the pizza is in the oven

Tip for reheating pizza without ruining it!

Step 1: Get a large skillet, and heat some olive oil until it is ready, over medium-high heat. You only need enough olive oil to coat the pan, don't turn it into a deep fryer.

Step 2: Reduce heat to medium/medium-low, and put pizza in the pan.

Step 3: Cover the pan (very important or the toppings won't get warm), and let it cook for about 5 minutes. Devour.

Essentially, you are just lightly pan-frying the pizza. This gives the crust a really amazing crunch and bite, and the toppings should be warmed and melty throughout. It sounds very simple, but sometimes the best solutions in life are really quite elementary.

Please feel free to leave a recipe in the "Comments" section for your favorite pizza! Extra Recipes are always welcome!

Cold Oil Infusion

There was a glitch in the previous post regarding cold oil infusions so I'm re-posting it here.

Cold Oil Infusion

1. Bruis the herbs and spices a bit to release their flavors.

2. Place them in a bottle

3. Add warm oil (not hot)

4. Cover and let stand for 2 weeks

5. Taste the oil. If the flavor isn't strong enough, add more flavorings.

Once the oil is infused, keep it in the refrigerator. It may get cloudy from teh cold but that should clear up when it reaches room temperature. The oil should last, refrigerated, for up to 2 months.

Oils, Sauces and Spreads ~ Oh My!!

I love dipping! I love to dip bread into Garlic Infused Olive Oil with Balsamic Vinegar; I love dipping veggies into a great Ranch Dip or Spinach Dip; I love dipping my pizza crust into that wonderful Garlic Butter; I love dipping fruit into that sweet pink cloud! So, in order to share my dipping frenzy, I'm giving you some of my best dips, oils and spreads. Enjoy!!


Fluffy Pink Cloud Fruit Dip

1 8oz Cream Cheese softened

1 Small Jar Maraschino Cherries, chopped (juice reserved)

1 Small Jar Marshmallow Cream

1 tsp. Almond Extract

1 8oz Cool Whip

Drain the cherries reserving the juice. Mince the cherries with a knife or in a food processor. Beat Cream Cheese until smooth. Blend in the cherries and about 1/2 of the juice (You don't want it to be drippy but the juice will thin the cream cheese out a bit). Beat in half of the jar of marshmallow cream and the almond extract. Fold in the Cool Whip until completely blended.



Infused Oils

• 1 cup of a spice like cardamom, cumin, star anise, cinnamon, cloves, or strong-scented herbs like rosemary, tarragon, chives, dill, mint, or oregano. You can use one herb or spice, or mix two of them.

• 4 or 4 1/2 cups canola, safflower, or other flavorless oil

• a bottle with an airtight seal

• a heavy-bottomed, nonreactive saucepan to heat spices

For a Hot Infusion

This method infuses the oil quickly, so you can use it soon after you've made it. By only heating half the oil initially, you won't waste the whole lot if you accidentally burn it.

1. Put about half the oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Heat it, stirring constantly, over medium heat, until the spices start to sizzle and the oil bubbles a bit. If you have a candy thermometer, heat the oil to 140° F.

2. Cook for about 5 minutes. The oil should be very aromatic at this point.

3. Remove the pan from heat, transfer the oil and flavorings to a bowl, and allow to cool.

4. Taste the oil to make sure that it hasn't burned, and that it tastes strongly of the spices and herbs. If it doesn't, add more flavorings, and heat again.

5. Add the remaining plain oil to the flavored oil, strain through a cheesecloth if necessary, put the oil in bottles and store them in the refrigerator. It will keep up to 2 months (if made with olive oil, 1 month)

Tip
Store spices in airtight containers away from light. Whole spices will keep for about a year; ground spices last only a
few months.



Cold Oil Infusion

1. Bruise the herbs and spices a bit to release their flavors.
2. Place them in the bottle.
3. Add warm oil.
4. Cover and let stand for 2 weeks.
5. Taste the oil. If the flavor isn't strong enough, add more flavorings. Once the oil is infused, keep it in the refrigerator. It may get cloudy from the cold, but should clear up when it reaches room temperature. The oil should last, refrigerated, for up to 2 months.

Creamy Garlic Dip
3/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 tablespoon dried parsley

1. In a medium bowl, mix together sour cream, mayonnaise, garlic powder, crushed red pepper and dried parsley. Serve immediately or refrigerate overnight for full flavor.

Herb Cream Cheese Spread

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sour cream
8 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 tablespoons fresh minced parsley
2 tablespoons snipped fresh chives or finely chopped green onion, with green
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp finely minced chili pepper or jalapeno (optional)

Combine cream cheese and sour cream; beat until well blended. Stir in shredded cheese,
parsley, chives, and Tabasco. Spoon into a serving bowl and chill thoroughly. Makes 2 cups of cheese


Fiesta Dip

1 8oz Cream Cheese, soft
1 8oz Sour Cream
1/2 tsp Cumin
1 15.5oz Jar of your favorite Salsa (if using restaurant style, use half a jar)
1-2 Chili Peppers, seeded and finely minced

Beat cream cheese until smooth then blend in the sour cream and cumin. Next add the salsa & chili pepper until all are thoroughly combined. Store in fridge until ready to serve. You can use this as a dip or spread it out on a platter and top it with taco toppings...lettuce, cheese, tomato, green onion etc.

Don't worry about the heat, even if you use a hot salsa, all the cream in this recipe will tone down the heat.

Pictures are Temporarily Unavailable

Please bear with me while I get photobucket working with me again. The pictures should be back in a couple of weeks but I'll keep blogging anyway!

Shannon

It's All About Biscuits, Baby!

I love a good biscuit! And I don't believe man has perfected a morning meal quite like Biscuits & Gravy! Over the years I've made breakfast gravy from sausage,bacon, ham and even hamburger and have enjoyed every one of them over steaming hot home made biscuits.

Now, if you eat biscuits from a can...Heaven help you! I know they're cheap and easy but there is just no substitute nor excuse for eating something like that when you could easily have one home made and without all the additives and preservatives...and without that weird canned flavor!I'm giving one teensy little "Shame on you" and then I'm done. On with the recipes.

My all time favorite biscuit recipe is for Kentucky Biscuits. It's a simple recipe...just as easy as any box of Bisquick and the results are buttery good! Since then I've miled a journey through biscuit world to find some of the most interesting recipes and I'm charting them here for you today.

If, by any chance, you have a fantastic biscuit recipe that doesn't include a mix, please send it my way in the comments box and I'll make sure it gets posted! I'll actually edit the blog so that your recipe appears on the front page with mine!


Kentucky Biscuits (my favorite)

* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 dash salt
* 1 tablespoon white sugar
* 1/2 cup butter
* 3/4 cup buttermilk


Preheat oven to 400*

Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Dump into a food processor. Slice butter into Tbsp sized pieces and drop them into the flour mixture. Close processor lid and pulse a few times until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Dump mixture into a mixing bowl and stir in buttermilk with a large spoon. Continue stirring while the batter becomes stiff and harder to stir. This takes about 4-5 minutes.

Turn dough out onto an ungreased cookie sheet and shape into a 8-10" square. Cut into 9 even sized pieces (like a tic-tac-toe board) but do not separate the biscuits. Brush with melted butter to cover the entire surface.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 15 minutes or until biscuits are golden. Separate and serve hot!



MASTER MIX FOR BISQUICK
Use this in place of Biscuit Mix or Bisquick in your recipes!

9 c. all purpose flour, sifted
1 tbsp. salt
2 c. shortening, that does not need refrigeration
1/3 c. double action baking powder
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1/4 c. sugar

Sift together all dry ingredients. Cut in shortening until it is the size of corn meal. Store at room temperature in tightly covered container. Will keep for 6 weeks. Measure mix lightly into container. Use as directed for Bisquick recipe.



Bubba's Beer Biscuits with Honey Butter
From Follow That Food
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 12 to 16 biscuits


4 cups biscuit mix (see Master Biscuit Mix above)
1/4-cup sugar
1 (12-ounce) can beer
1 tablespoon butter, melted


Honey Butter:
1/2 pound butter
2 tablespoons honey

Bring Honey to room temperature and beat with a mixer for until smooth and light. While beating, drizzle in honey and continue beating until completely blended and smooth.



Sprite Biscuits


4 c. biscuit/baking mix (see Master Biscuit Mix above)
1 c. (8 oz.) sour cream
1 c. Sprite (or 7up)

ORANGE HONEY BUTTER:
1/2 c. butter, softened
1/3 c. honey
2 t. grated orange peel.

Place the biscuit mix in a large bowl. Combine the sour cream and lemon-lime soda; stir into biscuit mix just until combined. Turn onto a floured surface, knead 4-5 times. Roll to 1/2” thickness; cut with a 2 1/2” biscuit cutter. Place on greased baking sheets. Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
In a small mixing bowl, beat the butter, honey and orange peel until fluffy. Serve with biscuits.
Yield: 1 1/2 dz. biscuits



Thyme and Cheese Biscuits


2 cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. fresh minced thyme
1/2 tsp. minced fresh parsley
1/2 tsp. minced fresh rosemary
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
5 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup milk


Preheat over to 400 degrees. Grease a cookie sheet and set aside. Mix flour, baking powder, herbs and cheese in a large mixing bowl, using a fork. Cut in the butter. Mixture will be crumbly. Add the milk and stir until dough holds together, you may add more milk if necessary. Drop by large spoonfuls on the cookie sheet an inch apart. Bake 10-12 minutes.



Pecan Biscuits


2 1/2 cups biscuit baking mix (see Master Biscuit Mix above)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine

Preheat over to 450 degrees. In a large bowl, combine baking mix and pecans. Add cream and stir until a soft dough forms. On a lightly floured surface, use a floured rolling pin to roll out dough to 1/2 inch thickness. Use a floured 2-inch biscuit cutter to cut out dough. Place on greased baking sheet and brush tops with butter. Bake 7-10 minutes or until light brown.



Almond Biscuits with Berry Butter


2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
3/4 cup
milk
1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds
2 tablespoons honey


Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Using a pastry blender cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Combine milk, almonds and honey. Add to butter mixture, mixing just until flour is moistened. Knead dough gently; shape into a ball. Roll out or pat down dough on a lightly floured surface to 3/4 inch thickness. Using a floured 3 inch heart shaped cutter, cut out the dough, rerolling as needed. Place about 1 inch apart on unbuttered baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden. Serve warm with Berry Butter.

To make butter:

Place 1 stick softened butter, cut into pieces, 1/3 cup strawberry preserves and 1/4 cup sliced fresh strawberries in work bowl of food processor; process until smooth. Or, you may stir together by hand. Transfer to covered container; refrigerate until ready to use.



Yogurt Herb Biscuits


2 cups baking mix (see Master Biscuit Mix above)
2/3 cup plain yogurt or sour cream
2 tablespoons snipped parsley
1 tablespoon snipped chives

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix all ingredients until soft dough forms; beat an extra 20 strokes. Smooth dough into a ball on a surface dusted with baking mix. Knead 5 times. Roll dough 1/2 inch thick. Cut with floured 2 inch cutter. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake until golden brown; 8-10 minutes. Makes 10-12 biscuits.



High-Rise Biscuits

1 cup cake flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick (4 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
3/4 cup half and half


In a medium bowl, sift together the cake flour, all-purpose flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles small peas. Add the half and half; stir just until ingredients are moistened and dough forms a soft ball. Knead the dough in the bowl 2 or 3 times, just until smooth.

Roll the dough to about 3/4-inch thickness on a floured surface. Cut out biscuits with a 3-inch round cutter. Gather up dough scraps, re-roll, and repeat the procedure until dough is used up. Place biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake biscuits in center of a 400° oven until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve biscuits hot, with butter.
Makes about 12 biscuits.



Special Recognition goes to the makers of
CHEESE BISCUITS!

HERE'S ONE FROM PAULA DEEN!

2 cups self-rising flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon sugar

1/3 cup shortening

3/4 cup grated sharp Cheddar

1 cup buttermilk

Salt

1/4 stick butter, melted



Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt, to taste, and sugar together using a fork; cut in shortening until it resembles cornmeal. Add cheese. Sir in buttermilk all at one time just until blended. Do not over stir.

Drop by tablespoonfuls, or use an ice cream scoop, onto a well-greased baking sheet. Brush dough with melted butter. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.


Mmmm Cheese Biscuits


2 cups all-purpose flour, sift before measuring
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
3 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
3/4 cup milk plus a little milk for brushing tops


Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and dry mustard; cut in butter. Stir in shredded cheese, 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, and milk. Mix together lightly with a fork, just until moistened. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead gently a few times, until smooth. Roll out about 3/4-inch thick and place on a greased and floured baking sheet. Brush tops with milk; bake at 450° 20 to 25 minutes, until browned.
Makes 1 dozen cheese biscuits.



Red Lobster Inspired Garlic Cheese Biscuits

Yields : 10 Biscuits

1 cup Milk
1/3 cup Mayonnaise
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cups Self-rising flour*
1/4 cup Cheddar or American Cheese
1/2 teaspoon Garlic POWDER -- not salt
3 tablespoons Melted butter or margarine
Muffin paper liners


You may use all-purpose (regular) flour, however biscuits will not rise much and have a denser texture; flavors should be about identical.

Original recipe does not say, but I would think you will want to shred the cheese.

In a 1 1/2 qt mixing bowl combine the milk, mayo, sugar, and flour. Beat on high speed with electric mixer for almost a minute, until smooth and completely combined. Using a rubber bowl scraper, streak the dough with the cheese. Batter should NOT be thin enough to pour; if necessary, add only enough additional flour so batter will "drop" from spoon.

Drop batter into 10 paper-lined muffin tins, or a greater number of tiny muffin cups. (Muffins tend to triple in size when baked; fill lightly.) Melt butter; mix in garlic, and brush tops of dough. You may shake 1 tsp additional cheese on each muffin if you wish.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden. Cool in pan on rack for 30 minutes.
These definitely should be served freshly baked and hot.


Here are some recipes that were requested by blog readers...

Whipping Cream Biscuits (gets rave reviews)

2 cups of self-rising flour
2 teaspoons of sugar
1 cup of whipping cream

Combine all of the ingredients into a stiff dough. Knead the dough and roll out to about 3/8” thick. Cut out the biscuits and bake in a greased pan for 10 – 12 minutes at 450 degrees.


BUTTERMILK YEAST BISCUITS

2 tablespoons warm water
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 stick melted butter
7/8 cup buttermilk
Place warm water in small bowl

Dissolve yeast in a small bowl of warm water with a pinch of sugar and flour. Set aside for 10 minutes until bubbles begin to form.

In a food processor or blender, add flour, baking soda and sugar. Process to distribute dry ingredients together well.

Add shortening and pulse until mixture is crumbly, like coarse cornmeal. Pour in buttermilk and yeast mixture.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead together 2-3 times. Pat out or roll to a thickness of 1 inch.

Using a biscuit cutter, cut dough into 2 1/2 inch rounds and place on a baking sheet. Allow to rise for 30 minutes in a warm place.

Bake in a preheated 400°F degree oven 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes about 18.


Biscuits (using egg - From The Joy of Baking tested recipes)

2 1/2 cups (325 grams) all-purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon (14 grams) granulated white sugar (optional)

1/2 cup (113 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

3/4 cup (180 ml) milk

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Topping:

1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon milk


Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs (use pastry blender, two knives, or fingertips). Add the milk and slightly beaten egg and stir until just combined. (The texture should be sticky, moist and lumpy.)

Place mixture on a lightly floured surface and knead the dough gently until it comes together and is a smooth dough.

Roll out dough to 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) thickness. Cut out biscuits with a lightly floured round cookie cutter. Place on prepared baking sheet and brush the tops with the beaten egg and milk mixture and bake for about 10 - 15 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the biscuit comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack. Serve warm with butter.

Makes about 12 3-inch (7.5 cm) biscuits.


Here's another Recipe from a dear friend! Thanks Kerri

Cook's Country (an america's test kitchen mag) has a recipe in the latest issue called Cat Head Biscuits! They are, well, as big a s a cats head!

Here is the recipe: makes 6 biscuits
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter cut into 1/2 inch pieces and softened
4 tablespoons shortening cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 1/4 cups buttermilk (sub 1 tablespoon lemon juice into 1 1/4 cups milk, let sit 10 minutes)

Preheat oven to 425. Grease 9 inch cake pan. Combine flours, bp,bs, and salt. Rub in butter and shortening,til mixture resembles coarse meal.
Using a 1/2 cup measure or spring loaded ice cream scoop, transfer 6 heaping portions of dough into prepared pan. Placing 5 around the pan and 1 in the center.
Bake until golden and puffed,20-25 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack. Serve.


Enjoy your biscuits! Can't you just taste them now?!

With love in the mix,
Shannon

MckLinky Post Below

Scroll through the MckLinky to find websites and blogs that might be of interest to you. There's all sorts of interests for cooks, moms, crafters etc. Check it out!

Shannon

Blog Hop

Thai One On!

I love Thai food. And while living in Malaysia, I was able to eat my fill of it. So happy was I! I wanted to share some recipes with you that I've managed to get from the locals. I hope you'll try them and enjoy!



Thai Chicken Fried Rice

6 oz Boneless chicken breast
2 Tbsp Canola Oil
2 Cloves Garlic, chopped
2 tsp Medium Curry Paste(use a Thai paste, not an Indian curry paste)
1 lb Cold Cooked Rice
1 Tbsp Light Soy Sauce
2 Tbsp Thai Fish Sauce
Large pinch of Sugar
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Using a sharp knife, trim the chicken, discarding any fat and cut into small cubes. Set aside.

2. Heat a wok or large frying pan, add the oil and , when hot (but not smoking hot), add the garlic and cook for 10-20 seconds or until just golden. Add the curry paste and stir-fry for a few seconds. Turn up the heat, add the chicken and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes or until tender.

3. Stir the cold cooked rice into the chicken mixture, then add the soy sauce, fish sauce and sugar, stirring well after each addition. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the rice is piping hot.

4. Check the seasoning and if necessary, add a little extra soy sauce. Turn the rice and chicken mixture into a warmed serving dish. Season lightly with black pepper and garnish with green onion. Serve immediately.


Grace Notes: I've been told that the best way to cook Asian food in a wok is to have the heat on very high and cook it fast. For this reason, you want your chicken pieces small and uniform in size so that some pieces are not over-done while others are still raw in the middle. Also, the pan should be hot enough that you can see the rice hopping around a bit. The heat makes the rice jump in the pan. This is not a slow cooking recipe...it should all come together very fast!




Szechuan Beef

1 lb Beef Fillet
3 Tbsp Hoisin Sauce
2 Tbsp Dry Sherry
1 Tbsp Brandy
2 Tbsp Peanut Oil
2 Red Chilies, seeded and sliced
8 Spring Onion, chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, chopped
1 inch piece Fresh Ginger, peeled and cut into match sticks
1 Carrot, peeled, sliced length-way and cut into shot lengths
2 Green Peppers, seeded and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 8oz can Water Chestnuts, drained and halved or sliced

1. Trim the beef, discarding any fat or grizzle, then cut into 1/4" strips. Place in a large bowl. In another bowl, stir the hoisin sauce, sherry and brandy together until well blended. Pour over the beef and turn until coated evenly. cover with plastic wrap and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

2. Heat a wok or large frying pan, add the oil and , when hot, add the chillies, spring onions, garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 2 minutes or until softened. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate and keep warm.

3. Add the carrot and peppers to the wok and stir-fry for 4 minutes or until slightly softened. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.

4. Drain the beef, reserving the marinade, add to the wok and stir-fry for 3-5 minutes or until browned. Return the chili mixture, the carrot and pepper mixture and the marinade to the wok. Add the water chestnuts and stir-fry for 2 minutes or until heated through. Garnish with sprigs of coriander and serve immediately with noodles or fried rice.


Grace Notes: All these sauces should be available in the Asian food aisle at the grocery store. Remember Asian cooking is fast so you'll want to have everything prepped ahead of time to be able to toss it into the wok. Happy Eating!



With Love in the Mix,
Shannon

Blog on Hold

Blogger is sick and won't be posting any blogs until it's safe to be around food again! LOL ;)

Shannon

Cupcakes!

We stopped in LA for a two day layover on our way home from Malaysia. On our list of things to do was find the Hollywood sign, walk the Avenue of the Stars and buy something on Rodeo Drive. Check, Check and Check! Then we ran out of things to do. We didn't have the time or the "want to" for a tour of any kind, the maps to the stars' homes are fake and we didn't have enough time to go to Disney Land or anything of the like. Food was our last option.

I hit the web running looking for things to do and, in LA, there are plenty of foody things to dive into. Most upscale restaurants have to have a reservation several weeks in advance so that was out. I would have loved to go to Craft restaurant or visit some of the places where celebrity chefs spend their time. But I happened upon cupcakes and the first place that really caught my attention was ridiculously over-priced. Even on the uppity scale, they were high. $60 for a pound cake is nuts unless you've provided solid gold edible sprinkles on the top. But I stumbled upon "Famous Cupcakes", the tongue-in-cheek name for the bakery owned by the beautiful Kardashian sisters. And since they're famous AND beautiful...the name Famous Cupcakes stuck!

The shop is located just a couple blocks away from the famous Rodeo Drive on a little corner across the street from a coffee shop. just like you would expect if you were going to Beverly Hills. Women in jeans with their high-heeled boots and dog in tow. Everyone was cute...but of course, I felt frumpy. Well, when you're feeling frumpy you might as well indulge. We walked into this adorable bakery and were quite please with the atmosphere and cleanliness. The employees were extremely friendly and helpful. Even let me know the coffee was imported from Italy so it wouldn't have that burnt bean flavor like some other popular coffee house establishments had. He was right. My iced latte was delicious and not so sweet that I couldn't enjoy it with my cupcakes.



We ordered the following flavors...Carrot Cake, Milk Chocolate, Red Velvet and Good Morning (or something like it). Special Note - all their cupcakes are made with totally organic ingredients and are just really THAT good. Extremely moist...better than I've ever had from a professional bakery. I don't know how much of a hand the Kardashian sisters have in this store (beyond their pretty faces and perfect bodies) but whatever they've dipped into here is truly a winner by any standards. If you ever get a chance to visit Beverly Hills, make sure you stop by Famous Cupcakes! You won't be sorry!


With Love In The Mix,
Shannon

Don't Ever Say "I'll Never Eat That!" - Because you will!

What is a Century Egg? Glad you asked! It's one of the most vile forms of egg you can imagine...it's the wrong color, the wrong taste, the wrong texture...it's just plain wrong! But they love them over here!






Here are some good pics of what century eggs looks like after it's been cut open. Before it's opened, it looks like an egg that you dipped in glue and rolled in hay. It is a Chinese cuisine ingredient made by preserving duck, chicken or quail eggs in a mixture of clay, ash, salt, lime, and rice hulls for several weeks to several months, depending on the method of processing. After the process is completed, the yolk becomes a dark green, cream-like substance with a strong odor of sulphur and ammonia, while the white becomes a dark brown, transparent jelly with little flavor or taste.

I said I'd never eat a Century Egg...but I did it! I was pressured into it in order to feed my blog. My darling husband "egged" me on until I agreed to do it.

Just before the first bite...this is the only pic I posed for. The egg sat on that spoon for quite a while before it entered my mouth!

It's in! It feels bad, it smells bad, it tastes bad... tears are forming and the gag reflex is setting in.


It's out! The texture was so repulsive I couldn't go any further. Remember the show "Fear Factor" where they bit into cow eyes and fish eyes and the contestants commented about how they popped? Well, that image was in my head and the egg was out of my mouth!!

This is the "Never Again" or "I've learned my lesson (this time)" expression. I say "this time" because those of you who know me, know that there will always be some weird food that I will try. Like this next one...


I asked the man at the dessert counter what this was BEFORE I tasted it. He said "chocolate". So, to make sure, I asked what was inside. He said, "chocolate". And just to double-check I said, "Oh, inside is chocolate too?" And he said, "Yes, chocolate". Could it possibly be that "chocolate" is the only English word he knows" Why YES! I believe it was! Inside this beautiful little truffle was a bean paste...bean, as in kidney bean or red bean or black bean. If it wasn't for the company we ate with that night, I would say the night was a total disaster. Thank God for friends to laugh with!

Thank you Adeline and Deno for such a fun evening!


With Love In The Mix!
Shannon