Cornmeal Buttermilk Biscuits

Since we now attend church in the afternoons, we have time to lounge about in the mornings.  This leads to more complicated, generally tastier breakfasts than the normal oatmeal or toast.  In other words, a great time to test out some breakfast recipes.

This recipe comes from the Food Network Kitchen.

 

Cornmeal Buttermilk Biscuits

Yield: 8 biscuits

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, plus as needed
2/3 cup polenta-style yellow cornmeal
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 heaping teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon fine salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced
3/4 cup buttermilk


Directions

Set a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with two layers of parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt. Rub 2 tablespoons of the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips, until it is completely incorporated. Work the remaining butter into the flour until it's in even, pea-sizes pieces. Gently stir in the buttermilk to make a loose dough.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Pat the dough into a 1/2-inch-thick rectangle. Fold the dough in thirds like a business letter. Pat the dough into a 5 by 8-inch rectangle about 3/4 inch thick. Use a 2- to 3-inch round cutter to make 6 biscuits, and put biscuits on the prepared baking sheet. Press together the scraps of dough, cut 2 more biscuits, and place them on the baking sheet.

Bake until the tops are lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Cool slightly on a rack before serving.

We really liked these.  Folding it over made the nice, flaky layers that I enjoy in my biscuits.  I made them a little bit thinner than they were supposed to be and wished I hadn't.  I think next time I make them I will make them thicker than suggested, so they can be even flakier.  I will definitely make these again.

P.S. These would be great with biscuits and gravy, if you're into that type of thing.

Slow Cooker Beef Barley Soup

This is from Allrecipes.

Slow Cooker Beef Barley Soup

Original recipe makes 10 to 12 servings

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds boneless lean beef, cubed
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
3 (10.5 ounce) cans beef broth
6 cups water
4 stalks celery, chopped
6 carrots, chopped
6 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 cup barley
1 teaspoon dried thyme

PREP 10 mins


COOK 8 hrs


READY IN 8 hrs 10 mins

Directions

In a skillet over medium heat, saute the beef in the oil for 5 minutes, or until browned. Stir in the salt, pepper and garlic powder and place seasoned meat in a slow cooker. Add a little water to the skillet and stir to pick up the browned bits. Add to the slow cooker.
Add the broth, water, celery, carrots, green onions, parsley and barley. Cover and cook on low setting for 6 to 8 hours, or until the vegetables and barley are tender. Add the thyme just before serving.

I made it for Sunday dinner. Despite the fact that Brian doesn't like soup much, especially stew types, he liked this. I thought it was good, but nothing special. I didn't let it cook for 8 hours, and I used a yellow onion I sauteed a little instead of green onions. I don't know if I'll make this particular recipe again, but I will use barley more. We both enjoyed that part.

Edited 10/1/14: I had the leftovers for lunch today, three days later. It was gooood. I guess the extra time did help the flavor. If you make this, try and give it the full 6-8 hours to cook for the flavors to meld. 

Pumpkin Bread

This recipe was on a page ripped out of a recipe book. It was starred, so Mom must have made it.

Pumpkin Bread
Yield: 2 small loaves

1 1/2 c sugar
1 t soda
1/4 t baking powder
3/4 t salt
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1/2 t cloves
1 2/3 c flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 c pumpkin
1/2 c vegetable oil
1/2 c water
1/2 c chopped nuts (and raisins (edited by Mom))

Sift dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Add eggs, water, pumpkin and vegetable oil and stir well. Stir in chopped nuts. Put in greased loaf pans and bake at 325 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.

Well, they weren't kidding when they said it makes two small loaves. One was only about and inch and a half tall; the other was in a smaller pan, and ended up about 2 1/2 or 3 inches tall. Since it just looked like a basic pumpkin bread recipe, I took some liberties with it. I put in about 1/4 c chocolate chips instead of nuts and raisins, I used some whole wheat flour, and I used applesauce instead of oil.
 The end result is good, but very, very moist and heavy. I probably should have done half oil, half applesauce. Also, I will probably add a little more leavening in the future. The cook time was way too much. Mine were done in under an hour. I should also stop using my phone to take bad pictures.

Sausage Casserole II

This dinner was... a huge disappointment.  It has pretty good reviews, but while I was putting it together I knew Jacob would need a sauce to go with it.  When it came time to eat, even I needed a sauce to go with it.  The flavors were good, but it was like different foods stirred together, plus the potatoes were dry.  Bleh.  The next day, I made a cheese sauce to mix into it and we both liked that much much better.

Sausage Casserole II

Image from allrecipes

 

 

 

Ingredients:

5 potatoes, sliced 1 onion, sliced 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, undrained

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes 1 pound pork sausage, sliced salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.	Place potato slices in the bottom of a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Add onion slices, corn with liquids and tomatoes with liquids. Top with sausage slices and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour or until pork is cooked through.

Key Lime Cake

I have always enjoyed a good Key Lime Pie and serving my mission only increased  my love for them. While looking through some of the recipes in the cupboard I took this one hoping it would satisfy my Key lime craving without too much work.

Key Lime Cake II

Rated: Submitted By: Kaye Frickhoeffer Photo By: Celeste Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 50 Minutes Ready In: 1 Hour 10 Minutes Servings: 24

"Lemon cake with a tropical taste."

INGREDIENTS:

1 (18.25 ounce) package lemon cake mix 1 (3 ounce) package instant lemon pudding mix 3/4 cup water 1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs 5 tablespoons key lime juice 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar 3 tablespoons key lime juice

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease one 9x13 inch cake pan or one 10 inch bundt pan.
2.	In a large bowl stir together; lemon cake mix, lemon instant pudding, water, oil, eggs, and 5 tablespoons key lime juice, mixing well. Pour batter into prepared pan.
3.	Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 minutes. Pour key lime glaze over cake while still warm.
4.	To Make Glaze: Mix together the confectioner's sugar and 3 tablespoons of the key lime juice (or more if necessary), spoon glaze over warm cake.

I feel like the cooking time was really long. My cake was pretty brown and a little bit dry, but a boxed cake mix with a box of pudding added can't really get 'dry'. Maybe if I had used my bundt pan the cooking time would have been more accurate.

It was good (clearly because two of us ate the whole thing in 2 days), but I don't think it was four and a half stars good. The glaze totally made the cake, but that was really the only key lime flavor. The rest was just citrusy. So, if you are looking for a real Key lime cake, don't try this one. If you want a nice (easy) citrusy cake, make this one.

And, thank goodness I got all these allrecipe recipes! Sure does make it easy to type them up :)

Broccoli Quiche with Mashed Potato Crust

There is a lovely little spot on our drive to Wausau that has 50 pound bags for sale at the end of the summer and into fall. Last time we drove by I bought some and brought this recipe home to use them up :)

Broccoli Quiche with Mashed Potato Crust

INGREDIENTS:

2 large potatoes, peeled 2 cups chopped fresh broccoli 1/4 cup milk 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/2 onion, chopped

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese 3 eggs 1 cup milk 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.	Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes; drain. Meanwhile, place broccoli in a steamer over 1 inch of boiling water, and cover. Cook until tender but still firm, about 2 to 6 minutes. Drain and set aside.
3.	Mash the potatoes with milk and salt. Brush a deep 9 inch pie dish with olive oil and press the potatoes in. Brush with remaining olive oil. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes or until lightly browned.
4.	Arrange onions, broccoli and cheese in the potato crust. Whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Pour over broccoli and cheese.
5.	Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until slightly puffed and cooked throughout. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

We liked it alright. There are a few changes I would make that would maybe make it even better, mainly using different onions or cooking them a little before putting them in the quiche. We both also would have  liked to have a little more quiche.  And, when it says to use a deep 9" pie pan they really mean it. A regular one was just a touch too small.

Crab Stuff

That is seriously the name of this recipe. On the sheet I have printed off it says, "A yummy, healthy delight. Multiply ingredients for number of servings desired." I multiplied it by 4 so we could all have it for dinner. Since there is no picture (I am finding it more difficult to take pictures of my food now that I have a yelling 2 year old and a crying 2 month old while I prepare, and serve my meals) I will paint a picture for you. Imagine a thick milky sauce infused with butter and spotted with chunks of crab and peppers served over a warm fluffy bed of rice and peas. Does that make it sound more palatable?

Crab Stuff

Submitted By: Mary Jay Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 20 Minutes Ready In: 30 Minutes Servings: 1

"A mixture of crab, onions, and green peppers in a cream-style sauce. Substitutions could be, shrimp, scallops, and corn."

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup uncooked white rice 2 cups water 1/2 cup frozen green peas 1 tablespoon butter 2 tablespoons onion, diced

1/8 pound crabmeat 2 ounces green bell pepper, diced 1/8 cup chicken broth 1/8 cup 1% milk 1/8 cup grated fat-free Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1.	In a saucepan bring water to a boil. Add rice and frozen peas then stir. Bring the water back to a boil then reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
2.	In a medium skillet, melt butter and add the diced onion and minced garlic. Saute until onions are transparent. Add crab to mixture and saute briefly. Stir in bell peppers chicken broth, milk, and parmesan.
3.	Bring to a boil then turn off the heat Serve over rice when done Well, it was not the yummiest delight we have ever had. Little Chubb refused to eat it. I didn't have very high expectations for it to begin with so I wasn't too disappointed when I ate it. Big Chubb was just happy to eat some crab, and yes, I used imitation. We can't afford real crabmeat. I am pretty sure Mom would have used imitation crab, too.

Honey Chocolate Cake

This is from a booklet called "My Favorite Honey Recipes" compiled by Mrs. Walter T. (Ida) Kelly.

2 c sifted cake flour
1 1/2 t soda
1/2 t salt
1/2 c shortening
1 1/4 c honey
2 eggs
3 squares unsweetened chocolate, melted
2/3  c water
1 t vanilla

Sift flour and measure, add soda and salt, and sift together three times. Cream shortening; gradually add honey, beating well after each addition to keep mixture thick. Add 1/4 of flour mixture and beat nutil smooth and well blended. Add eggs, one at a time beating well after each. Stir in chocolate and blend. Add remaining flour alternately with water, beating very well after each addition. Add vanilla. Bake in two greased, 9'' layer pans at 350 degrees F. for 30 minutes or until done.

Making the cake was interesting. Looking at the batter, I didn't think the cake was going to come out, but it did. I don't own a strainer, much less a sifter, so I just beat things well with the whisk attachment. I did the cornstarch thing with all-purpose flour to make cake flour, but again didn't sift it. I also made it in a 9x13 pan since that is Brian's preference so there is better frosting distribution. It tastes good. Eaten unfrosted, you can definitely taste the honey. It isn't very chocolate-y. The frosting both masks the honey flavor and helps the chocolate taste. What I found most interesting is that the texture is like a boxed cake mix.

Tomato Juice Bread

This is from the Fargo cookbook.  Mom starred it, which she told me meant she made it, but she couldn't remember how it was.  So I made it.  Yes, it sounds weird, which is one reason I made it.

Tomato Juice Bread

Yield: 2 loaves
1 package yeast
1/2 c warm water
3 T sugar
2 t salt
2 c tomato juice, scalded
2 T butter
7 1/2 c sifted flour

Temperature: 350 degrees

Scald tomato juice, add butter and cool to lukewarm.  Dissolve yeast in warm water in a 2 quart mixing bowl.  Add sugar, salt and cooled tomato juice mixture.  Add half of flour and beat well.  Continue adding flour until mixture forms a ball and leaves the sides of the bowl.  Turn out on floured surface and knead ten minutes.  Put in greased bowl Cover and let rise until double.  Punch down and let rise a second time.  Shape into loaves.  Place in well-greased loaf pans.  Let rise until not quite double in bulk.  Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

This was a bread we definitely had to get used to.  We kept eating little pieces trying to figure out if we liked it or not.  We decided we do.  It has a faint tomato taste to it and also a faint tomato-y appearance.  You can tell from the picture that the bread is a little dense, but I'm sure that's my fault. That seems to happen to every bread I make.  Oh well.

We will for sure make this again, but I can't guarantee that if you make it, you will like it.  But if you want to try something new, try this.

Farmhouse Monster Cookies

This recipe is written on the back of a picture of a grill.  I don't really get that one, but that's okay. 

Farmhouse Monster Cookies

Image from bakeorbreak.com

3 eggs
1 1/4 c brown sugar, packed
1 c sugar
1/2 t salt
1/2 t vanilla
12 oz jar peanut butter
1/2 c butter
1/2 c M&Ms
1/4 c raisins (I omitted)
1$ c pb chips
2 t baking soda
4 1/2 c old fashioned oats

Blend eggs and sugar until creamy.  Add salt, vanilla, peanut butter and butter; blend well.  Stir in baking soda and oats.  Add goodies-mix well.  Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls on no stick baking sheet, 2 inches apart.  Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

We were both disappointed by this cookie.  It was flat as can be and we both like chewy cookies.  It also had way too much going on for me.  The peanut butter was very strong; add in all the "goodies" and it was very overpowering to me. 

We won't make these again, but go ahead and try and let me know what you think.

Mom's Coffee Cake (not our Mom)

I made this the morning Janet, Jacob, and Brooke stayed with us before Jacob's brother's wedding. The recipe is written on a note card and glued on a sheet of notebook paper with other old recipes. It is from Cindy Lam, Provo, Utah. I suppose it's really from Cindy Lam's mom. I'm guessing that Cindy Lam was in the ward in Casselton since there have been a few other recipes from Casseltonians.

1 c butter
1 c sugar
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
2 c flour
1 t soda
1 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
2 c flour
1 c sour cream

Cream sugar and butter, add eggs, add vanilla - (Mix flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda) Add sour cream and flour mixture - beat well. Grease 9x13 pan well. Put 1/2 cake mixture on bottom of pan, sprinkle 1/2 of topping on batter - repeat.

Topping
1 c pecans
1/2 c sugar
t cinnamon

This was a good basic coffee cake. We all liked it. I liked it especially because it took all normal pantry items that I had, except the pecans which I omitted. I'm sure it would be good with pecans, though. I'll probably make it again someday. And no, it doesn't have coffee in it.

Something

I have no idea what this recipe is called. It is kind of like Maque Choux.

2 Tbsp. Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing
2 cups fresh corn kernels
1 zucchini, chopped
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 cup Kraft Mexican Style Shredded Four Cheese with a Touch of Philadelphia
1/2 cup Breakstone's or Knudsen sour cream
3 slices Oscar Meyer bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

MAKE IT

Heat dressing in large skillet on medium-high  heat. Add vegetables; cook and stir 8-10 minutes or until crisp tender. Remove from heat.

Stir in cheese and sour cream; cook on medium heat 3 to 5 min. or until cheese is melted and mixture is heated through, stirring frequently.

Top with bacon and cilantro.

Well, let me admit I did not use any name brand ingredients in this dish and left of the cilantro. I don't think it would have made any real difference to the dish anyway. We all liked it, except Little Chubb doesn't like to eat zucchini if he is aware that it is in the dish.

To Die For Blueberry Muffins

I made these for Jacob when I was to be gone last week.  He doesn't ever seem to have time for breakfast when I'm not around, so I wanted something he could grab and eat quickly.  These were a good choice, as he told me two days after I left that they were all gone.

To Die For Blueberry Muffins
Recipe from Allrecipes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 cup white sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/3 cup vegetable oil 1 egg

1/3 cup milk 1 cup fresh blueberries 1/2 cup white sugar 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 cup butter, cubed 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.
2.	Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.
3.	To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.
4.	Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.

Jacob really liked these.  They are by no means health muffins, but the streusel on top makes for one tasty blueberry muffin.  A 4.7 star rating by 2000 reviews is pretty good, I'd say.

One Skillet Corned Beef Hash

Who here likes corned beef? 
I do.  I never thought Jacob would, but apparently he does.  He really does. So I dug around and found five corned beef recipes in my cupboard pile.

Here's the first.

One Skillet Corned Beef Hash, from Allrecipes

Does corned beef ever photograph well?

2 T vegetable oil
2 onions, chopped
4 potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 (12 oz) cans corned beef
1 T ground black pepper
5 T cider vinegar

Directions:
Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat.  Saute onions and potatoes until slightly browned, then stir in corned beef.  Season with pepper and add vinegar 1 T at a time, cooking for 3-5 minutes in between each addition.  Partially cover skillet, reduce heat to medium low and cook, stirring occassionally, for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

We really liked it!  It was very simple and easy to whip up.  I left the peels on the potatoes, because Jacob has been touting the health benefits of potato peels for weeks now.  I also only added one can of corned beef because a) I didn't read that it needed two, and b) corned beef is expensive!  I didn't miss the extra can, but Jacob said he would have liked it.
It has enough flavor, which I wondered about, and it was definitely filling.  We will make this again, especially if corned beef gets cheaper.

Mandarin Orange Muffins

Interesting--muffins with orange chunks in them.  I thought I'd make them for breakfast for the Joslin crew and Brooke and myself. 

Mandarin Orange Muffins

Muffins
11 ounces fresh mandarin segments
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 3/4 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/4 t nutmeg
1/4 t allspice
1/2 c sugar
1/3 c shortening
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 c milk

Topping
1/4 c melted butter
1/4 c sugar mixed with 1/2 t cinnamon

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Drain oranges well and pat dry while mixing batter.  Mix flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and allspice (I added sugar here.  It never said where to add it).  Cut in shortening.  Add drained orange segments and mix lightly.  Combine egg and milk. Add all at once to flour mixture, and mix until flour is moistened.  Spoon into greased muffin pan about 3/4 depth.  Bake 20-25 minutes.  Remove from pan.  While hot, dip in melted butter, then roll in cinnamon sugar mixture.  Yield: 12 large muffins.


These were basically Baked Apple Donuts with orange instead of apple.  Joanna said they were a little drier than she liked, probably because I didn't mix the orange chunks in well enough to spread throughout.  I liked them, especially when there were a lot of orange in a bite.  If I want Baked Apple Donuts, but have oranges instead of apples, I would make these.  Otherwise I would still make the Baked Apple Donuts.