Monday - scalloped potatoes and ham
Tuesday - slow cooker balsamic pot roast recipe New!
Wednesday - chicken hard tacos
Thursday - Hut Dogs w/ oven roasted fries & salad
Friday - Pizza ( dough recipe ) More info Here
Saturday - pork roast with apples and onions New!
Monday, March 31, 2014
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Biscuits-N-Gravy
I discovered the joys of Biscuits n gravy when my now Hubby and I first moved in together. I had never had it nor even heard of it before then. He requested it one morning and I said "what's that?" so I did some research and started making canned biscuits and a gravy similar to what I make now with a purchased savory sausage. We enjoyed it but over the evolution of my scratch cooking I have discovered a better way (at least better for us).
I discovered this recipe on allrecipes.com a few years ago. I love it because it's pretty easy and my family loves it because they are YUMMY!
My Printable
Here is how I make them...
Ingredients:
2 cups of self rising flour (how to make your own below!)
1/2 cup of butter
2/3 cup of buttermilk (I'll talk about substitutions below)
1st preheat your oven to 450 degrees
Measure out your flour into a decent sized mixing bowl. Cutting in the flour can make a mess! I slice the butter while it's super cold into thin slices then roll it around to coat it with flour (a tip I learned from Alton Brown on one of his pie crust episodes)
When the mixture looks grainy and no piece of butter is larger than a pea you are ready to add your liquid.
You may need a bit more liquid than the recipe calls for, just add cold water a tablespoon at a time. You want to work the dough as little as possible but all the flour should be incorporated and the dough should be a bit sticky.
I then use my largest scoop (about a 1/4 cup size) to portion out my biscuits onto my large baking stone (pan must have sides as the butter will ooze when cooking!) If using a metal pan grease it or use Parchment paper!
After They are all portioned out I press them down a bit. I dip my fingertimp in water so they will not stick :)
Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden...
Putz factor... 3 because of cutting in the butter.
OK heres the scoop on Self Rising Flour... it is SUPER easy to make your own! No need to purchase and store yet another baking supply!
for 1 cup of self rising flour you need:
1 cup of all purpose flour with 2 teaspoons removed
1 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
whisk to blend... That's it!
Buttermilk Substitutions...
Here is my favorite substitution. I use it in pancakes, these biscuits and any recipe that calls for buttermilk. I also often transfer it to an airtight container as it is prone to absorbing moisture. When it gets lumpy it does not work as well.
Buttermilk powder
I measure this out and add it in with the dry ingredients then just add the amount of water that you would have used if you'd had buttermilk.
Another substitution is to add a bit of vinegar or lemon juice to milk. find some good tips here...
So, next time you need some biscuits give these a try!
Gravy /Sausage recipe coming soon!
FYI as of the date I posted this I do not get any compensation for posting links to products or other website links.
I discovered this recipe on allrecipes.com a few years ago. I love it because it's pretty easy and my family loves it because they are YUMMY!
 | |
| This is a double batch... |
Here is how I make them...
Ingredients:
2 cups of self rising flour (how to make your own below!)
1/2 cup of butter
2/3 cup of buttermilk (I'll talk about substitutions below)
1st preheat your oven to 450 degrees
Measure out your flour into a decent sized mixing bowl. Cutting in the flour can make a mess! I slice the butter while it's super cold into thin slices then roll it around to coat it with flour (a tip I learned from Alton Brown on one of his pie crust episodes)
Using your favorite pastry blender (or 2 butter knives) "cut in" the butter. You could also do this in a food processor and just pulse a few times being careful not to overwork the dough. (If my processor was full capacity I would definitely try it!)
When the mixture looks grainy and no piece of butter is larger than a pea you are ready to add your liquid.
You may need a bit more liquid than the recipe calls for, just add cold water a tablespoon at a time. You want to work the dough as little as possible but all the flour should be incorporated and the dough should be a bit sticky.
I then use my largest scoop (about a 1/4 cup size) to portion out my biscuits onto my large baking stone (pan must have sides as the butter will ooze when cooking!) If using a metal pan grease it or use Parchment paper!
 |
| This is a double batch |
Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden...
Putz factor... 3 because of cutting in the butter.
for 1 cup of self rising flour you need:
1 cup of all purpose flour with 2 teaspoons removed
1 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
whisk to blend... That's it!
Buttermilk Substitutions...
Here is my favorite substitution. I use it in pancakes, these biscuits and any recipe that calls for buttermilk. I also often transfer it to an airtight container as it is prone to absorbing moisture. When it gets lumpy it does not work as well.
Buttermilk powder
Another substitution is to add a bit of vinegar or lemon juice to milk. find some good tips here...
So, next time you need some biscuits give these a try!
Gravy /Sausage recipe coming soon!
FYI as of the date I posted this I do not get any compensation for posting links to products or other website links.
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Meal plan March 23rd - March 29th 2014
We will be trying a bunch of "new to us" recipes over the next few weeks. I have added links to the original sources so those awesome bloggers can get the credit!I probably will alter many of the recipes a bit to suit my family's taste
The end of the week will be busy with a band concert for the girl and I am out of town Friday evening - late Saturday afternoon so the family will be eating Freezer meals, Yay for them and no worries for me! :) Side note, I'm so happy to be spending some relax / scrapping time with 2 of my favorite gal pals! ;) Wahoo!
Sunday - Meatloaf See my post here for details
Monday - Cheesy Chicken and Rice casserole NEW! See recipe here
Tuesday - Baked Pork Chops NEW! see recipe here
Wednesday - Teriyaki Chicken (in the Crock Pot) NEW! See recipe here
Thursday - Quesadillas NEW! See recipe here
Friday - Ravioli & Garlic bread (leftover from the freezer) See recipe here
Saturday - Sheppard's pie (Made ahead from the freezer) See my recipe here and See my original post here :)
Breakfast this morning was a family favorite... Biscuits and gravy... (recipes coming soon)
The end of the week will be busy with a band concert for the girl and I am out of town Friday evening - late Saturday afternoon so the family will be eating Freezer meals, Yay for them and no worries for me! :) Side note, I'm so happy to be spending some relax / scrapping time with 2 of my favorite gal pals! ;) Wahoo!
Sunday - Meatloaf See my post here for details
Monday - Cheesy Chicken and Rice casserole NEW! See recipe here
Tuesday - Baked Pork Chops NEW! see recipe here
Wednesday - Teriyaki Chicken (in the Crock Pot) NEW! See recipe here
Thursday - Quesadillas NEW! See recipe here
Friday - Ravioli & Garlic bread (leftover from the freezer) See recipe here
Saturday - Sheppard's pie (Made ahead from the freezer) See my recipe here and See my original post here :)
Breakfast this morning was a family favorite... Biscuits and gravy... (recipes coming soon)
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
KIds can cook... Pizza!
I'm working on getting my family to share in some of the cooking duties. One of our favorite family meals is no surprise... Home made Pizza! While I was out of town recently my 12 year old took it upon herself to make dinner one night, she chose pizza. Since I was not here to experience that meal so she made it again for us about a week ago.
She did a great job and it was delicious!
here is the Pizza dough recipe
You can personalize this dough easily. You can substitute 1/2 cup whole wheat flour for the all purpose.
Add Italian seasoning or garlic powder to taste. Start with about a teaspoon.
Oh and she made this one stuffed crust! We just split Mozzarella cheese sticks (like for snacking) into 4 pieces lengthwise then place around the edge and wrap the crust around it. You can use the whole stick or just split in half if you like but we try to not go too crazy since they are a bit spendy.
Other helpful tips...
Cornmeal it great for between your dough and pan. Helps the pizza crisp and release easily.
Use a fork to poke your dough all over before putting the sauce on.It helps the dough to not bubble up like crazy during cooking.
If you like super saucy pizza bake the dough for a few minutes before adding your sauce otherwise it may be doughy.
When adding veggies add them on to of the cheese and the wettest veggies should go on top so prevent sogginess.
Regular pizza Putz factor 2.5 / Stuffed crust is about a 3-3.5
She did a great job and it was delicious!
here is the Pizza dough recipe
You can personalize this dough easily. You can substitute 1/2 cup whole wheat flour for the all purpose.
Add Italian seasoning or garlic powder to taste. Start with about a teaspoon.
Oh and she made this one stuffed crust! We just split Mozzarella cheese sticks (like for snacking) into 4 pieces lengthwise then place around the edge and wrap the crust around it. You can use the whole stick or just split in half if you like but we try to not go too crazy since they are a bit spendy.
Other helpful tips...
Cornmeal it great for between your dough and pan. Helps the pizza crisp and release easily.
Use a fork to poke your dough all over before putting the sauce on.It helps the dough to not bubble up like crazy during cooking.
If you like super saucy pizza bake the dough for a few minutes before adding your sauce otherwise it may be doughy.
When adding veggies add them on to of the cheese and the wettest veggies should go on top so prevent sogginess.
Regular pizza Putz factor 2.5 / Stuffed crust is about a 3-3.5
Sunday, January 26, 2014
No School... Ahhh winter in MN
So
school was called off last thursday because of cold . At my house it was -22
and that was before wind chill! Gotta love Minnesota! So what to do,
admittedly I'm not a very creative mom but we did have a couple treats.
Strawberry Kool-aid and strawberry Jello. I know what you are thinking ,
doesn't sound so special but those are things I just don't serve very
often. Lunch was Mac n cheese. Dinner was chicken pot pie and apple
crumble pie for desert. All home made:)
I
never make the Mac n cheese exactly the same but basically what I do is
cook some pasta noodles. while they are draining heat about 1/2 cup of
milk in the pot the pasta was cooked in. Add some cheese. Totally depends
on what I have on hand. Today I used 5 slices (like for sandwiches), a few
slices of Velveeta type cheese (aldi brand) and about 1/3 cup monetary
jack shredded cheese. For a bit of flavor (thanks to a
suggestion from my 12 year old daughter) I add a little garlic powder and
garlic salt, about 1/8th of a tsp of each.
When its melted and smooth add the noodles and stir it all up. Enjoy!
Just got the call that there is no school (again) tomorrow, due to cold temps (again) and wind chill (Again) predicted down to -50. What to do with the kids? Ahhhh I am so NOT a creative mom when it comes to keeping them occupied and away from screen time when we are cooped up in the house.
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