Popovers

I went to a wonderful place for a Christmas luncheon with my mom and a few of her friends from work. The place was decorate so beautifully for the holidays. One of the first things they brought out was these wonderful popovers. My mom has told me many times that one of her grandmother's favorite holiday recipe that she made was popovers. She would put chicken salad in them or Lobster Newberg. Here is her recipe for just the popovers that my Mom has handed down to me. Miss you great Granny!



                                                                    Popovers


3 Tbls of butter
2 large eggs
1 cup of milk which should be lukewarm
1 cup of all purpose flour
1 tsp of kosher salt

Heat your oven to 400 degrees. Brush some of the melted butter over a muffin tin. Put the tin in the oven for 5 mins. Meanwhile mix the eggs in until they are a light yellow. add the milk until blended then the salt and flour. Pour the batter in the muffin tinsand return to the oven to bake for 30 mins or till golden brown. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DURING THIS TIME! Serve with just butter. These are so good you can't just eat one.

Homemade Biscuit mix

Whenever we had biscuits in our family they were usually made out of a box. You know the kind. We even had chicken and dumplings with these biscuits on top. Then when I came down here to Florida I learned to make southern buttermilk biscuits. I thought my goodness these are the best. I even learned to made my own buttermilk. Now money has gotten tight and I have become very frugal. I make my own boxed biscuit recipe and it easily gets stored in the frig. I not only can make biscuits when I want but also by just adding some milk I can also make pancakes. Also my other half has had terrible digestive problems so much so he had to go the a doctor and I really don't think they know what's wrong. After many different medications I decided to try a different diet. Making as many processed foods from scratch including these biscuits and even my own rice mixes. I have stopped buying margarine and regular veggie oil and went back to old school with shortenings and butter. So far so good. We have found foods like hotdogs and certain processed meats are a no-no. Poor thing is sick for days not able to keep anything down. The heartburn is mostly gone and he isnt running to the bathroom all the time. Over eating also makes him sick like during the holidays he had a little bit of everything and was sick for the next 3 days after that. So now back to the biscuits. Sorry got a little sidetracked there but here is the recipe I go by. And I store it in a huge empty family size jar of mayo.

 Biscuit Mix
 6 Cups of all purpose flour
3 Tablespoons of baking powder
 1 Tablespoon of salt
1 Cup of shortening ( I don't use the creamed or pre-creamed )

 Add the first 3 ingredients to a mixing bowl. Then whisk together till combined. Then with a pastry cutter add your shortening and put it in till the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Put in an air tight container and store in your frig up to 4 months. Use this whenever you need to use "Bisquick" mix. If I have time before the holidays I will post some recipes you can use.

Easy Pizza Crust

We have been eating alot of pizza lately. I have been making several different doughs and I hate to wait for dough to rise. Especially when you are really hungry for pizza. I came up with a really quick and really easy dough recipe. No knead for rising or even kneading except to combine the ingredients. This is more a rustic pizza crust and you can do alot of things with it. Last night I made pizza rolls..which looked more like big burritos. You can stuff these with anything. You can even use some salad dressing. I made a chicken ranch with bacon pizza..yummy.

Easy Pizza Crust

    * 1 cup Very Warm Water
    * 1 Tablespoon Dry Yeast
    * 1 teaspoon Each, Sugar And Salt
    * 2-¼ cups All-purpose Flour
    * 2 Tablespoons Oil
    * ¼ teaspoons Garlic Powder
    * 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning

Preparation Instructions

In a bowl, mix water, yeast, and sugar together. Once the yeast has dissolved, add flour, salt, oil, garlic powder and Italian seasoning. Mix together well, then form into a ball. Add about 1 tablespoon or more of oil and make sure the dough is coated then cover with a towel and  let rest for 5 minutes. Sprinkle some cornmeal flour on your pan. This prevents sticking. Divide in half and pat onto your pans. Top with your favorite pizza toppings or breadstick toppings and bake at 425F for 20-25 minutes.

I ran out of Italian seasonings so I used Badia Complete Seasonings. You can use any seasonings you want.

No Knead Bread

I believe I have gotten over much of my fear of baking with yeast. Although no where near a pro I can make some rolls, pizza dough and this wonderful bread...yes it does take some time..2 days to be exact but its well worth the wait and there is no kneading involved. For a better view here is where I got the recipe from. Very easy.

 

I do have a tip that helps me with the rising. Whenever you need to put this in a warm place just open your oven door a slight bit with the light on. I use a butter knife to keep the door ajar slightly.

Cheeseburger Pizza

I am trying my hand at making homemade pizza. Especially after ordering two specialty pizzas from Dominos and spending about $40 for them and a 2 liter of Pepsi. We are NOT doing that again. So I bought some pizza dough from Foodlion and made my own.
  I cooked some ground meat which is seasoned with italian seasonings and added just a splash of cooking wine..I only used enough beef to put on 2 medium pizzas...then i cut up some bacon and cooked those till almost cripsy. I did about 1/3 of a pound. When that was done I rooled out the dough and placed it on my pan which was sprinkled with cornmeal flour. This helps the pizza not to stick and not burn before the rest of the pizza cooks. I then poked some holes in the dough with a fork and then just spooned some crushed tomatoes over the dough for the sauce.I sprinkled the sauce with italian seasonings and black pepper. next i added the ground meat and then the bacon. To the meat I had soem deli ham i shredded up add added that too. For cheese I topped it with cheddar, provolone and parmesan. Baked it at 400 till the crust was golden and the cheese was bubbly. This was really good. I may try other combinations and maybe bread sticks next time.

Cheesy Corn Bread

Corn bread is another staple of down south. When made up north its more like a cake and a little dry. Down here its all about being moist. This is a wonderful twist to what northerners would call "corn bread" I know I love it and this is the only way I make it now.

Ingredients

2 pkg	corn muffin mix
1/2 c	sour cream
1/2 c	milk
2	egg, slightly beaten
1 can(s)	creamed corn
1/2 c	cheddar cheese, shredded

preheat oven 350

Directions

Mix all ingrediants and pour or spoon into a greased 9X13 baking pan. Bake 30 mins and then cool for about 10 minutes before serving. 

****IF YOU WANT IS MEXICAN STYLE ADD A SMALL CAN OF GREEN CHILIES AND MEXICAN SHREDDED CHEESE.

Pesto and Parmesan Bread

I will be posting the No Kneed bread recipe with in a few days. Very easy recipe. With that recipe you can make this very yummy bread spread to put on it.

Ingredients: 1 - 16 oz. loaf of ciabatta or Italian bread 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 1/2 basil pesto 4 oz. Parmigiano Reggiano, grated (about 1 cup) Directions: Slice bread in half, horizontally. Drizzle or brush exposed center with extra virgin olive oil. Use an extra teaspoon of olive oil to thin basil pesto for best spreading. Spread pesto on one half, then sprinkle with cheese. Close halves and wrap with aluminum foil. Bake at 425˚ for 12 minutes, or until cheese has melted. Serves 10-12

Easy Yeast Rolls

Years ago I tried making bread for the first time and yeast and me were not friends. My dough wouldn't rise so I kinda gave up baking with yeast. I decided to try it again a few months ago and I'm glad I did. It's really not hard and this is a fool proof recipe to make the best tasting homemade yeast rolls I have ever had! My hunny said they tasted like Quincy's big fat yeast roll. I got the recipe from Yes Divas Can Cook You can find some great tasting recipes there and she has a youtube channel. Here's her recipe:



Ingredients

3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 packet of dry active yeast (rapid rise) (please see bottom note if you are using the highly active yeast)
1 1/4 cups milk
1/4- 1/2 cup sugar 
1/4 cup of butter flavored shortening (Butter flavored shortening makes these rolls taste sooo good. If you use regular shortening the flavor will be really basic and taste like...well...bread.)
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Step 1.) In a large bowl, add 1 1/4 cup flour & yeast. Mix with whisk until combined. Set Aside

Step 2.) In a saucepan, over medium heat, add milk, sugar and shortening.  Stir constantly until shortening has melted. Do not boil.  (check on the back of your yeast package to see how hot this liquid needs to be. It's usually between 115-130 degrees F. USE A COOKING THERMOMETER IF NEEDED )

Step 3.) Pour milk mixture into flour mixture. 

Step 4.) Add in the egg

Step 5.) Beat on low speed for 1 minute and then on high speed for three minutes. (this will help get them light and fluffy)

Step 6.) Next, add in the salt and the rest of the flour (2 cups)

Step 7.) Use your hands or a rubber spatula to mix in the flour until a soft ball of dough forms.

Step 8.) Grease a bowl with vegetable oil and place the ball of dough into it. Cover and refrigerate for atleast  2 hours. 

Step 9.) Remove from refrigerator & punch down the dough with your fist to release the air.

Step 10.) Spread a thin layer of melted butter in the bottom of a 9 X 13 pan. 

Step 11.) Take a chuck of dough and form it into your desired shape. (Dip the dough in butter or brush on the butter. ) and place it into the pan.

Step 12.) Next cover the pan with a thin kitchen towel and let sit in a warm place for atleast 1-1 1/2 hours. (wait to bake them until you are ready to serve your meal so they will be piping hot! They don't mind hanging out)

Step 13.)  Bake for 10-14 minutes or until golden. Keep an eye on them after 10 minutes. When they come out of the oven brush them with butter. I like to use a light mixture of honey & butter. Yummy!

NOTE* If you using Rapid Rise "Highly active" yeast  skip the refrigeration step and let the dough rise in a covered bowl for 10 -15 minutes in a warm place. Proceed with the rest of the recipe. Highly active yeast replaces the first rise.

Red Lobster Biscuits

When I was little my grandmother took us out for dinner for our birthdays. A few places she would take us were Cookies, Sizzler and Red Lobster. As I grew older Red Lobster was still good but there are now only a few things I will eat from there now adays. Their coconut shrimp, cesaer salad and their biscuits. Alot of their stuff is greasy and fried or cooked in globs of butter and cream. I am sure i am not the only one that loves their biscuits though. And now you can make them at home.

Red Lobster Biscuits

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups Bisquick baking mix
¾ cup cold whole milk
4 tablespoons cold butter (1/2 stick)
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1 heaping cup grated cheddar cheese

Brush on Top:

2 tablespoons butter, melted
¼ teaspoon dried parsley flakes
½ teaspoon garlic powder
pinch salt

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. Combine Bisquick with cold butter in a medium bowl using a pastry cutter or a large fork. You don't want to mix too thoroughly. There should be small chunks of butter in there that are about the size of peas. Add cheddar cheese, milk, and ¼ teaspoon garlic. Mix by hand until combined, but don't over mix.
3. Drop approximately ¼-cup portions of the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet using an ice cream scoop.
4. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until the tops of the biscuits begin to turn light brown.
5. When you take the biscuits out of the oven, melt 2 tablespoons butter is a small bowl in your microwave. Stir in ½ teaspoon garlic powder and the dried parsley flakes. Use a brush to spread this garlic butter over the tops of all the biscuits. Use up all of the butter. Makes one dozen biscuits.

Easy Biscuits

The thought of warm biscuits with butter just makes me feel just so happy. Or smothered in sausage gravy. Here is an easy recipe that I make for biscuits.Make sure you fold over the dough over a few times to get that flakiness to them.

Easy Biscuits


Ingredients
2 c     all-purpose flour
4 tsp     baking powder
1/4 tsp     baking soda
3/4 tsp     salt
2 Tbsp     butter, unsalted
2 Tbsp     butter flavored shortening
1 c     buttermilk, chilled

Directions

Preheat oven to 450*
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using your fingertips, rub butter and shortening into dry ingredients until mixture looks like crumbs. (the faster the better, you don’t want the fats to melt.) Make a well in the center and pour in the chilled buttermilk. Stir just until the dough comes together. The dough will be very sticky.

Turn dough onto floured surface, dust top with flour and gently fold dough over onto itself 5 or 6 times. Press into a 1-inch thick round. Cut out biscuits with a 2-inch cutter, being sure to push straight down through the dough. Place biscuits on baking sheet so that they just touch. Reform scrap dough, working it as little as possible and continue cutting.This single recipe makes about 6 biscuits if they are cut 1“ thick. Its ok if you use about a 12 cup of flour for dusting. Just make sure you do not over knead this dough. The secret is the cold butter and cold buttermilk.

**Tips: If you don't have buttermilk handy just use 1 cup of whole milk and 2 T of white vinegar. Mix together and let sit for 5 mins till it gets thick. Instant buttermilk! I hate buying the quart of buttermilk because I don't end up using all of it and it goes bad.So I have been making it this way.
The shortening I use Butter Flavored Crisco. I use it for all my shortening recipes. Just please do not substitute butter flavored shortening for real butter. If a recipe calls for real butter than use real butter!

Cheese Toast

This recipe is so easy and only 2 ingredients. Cheese and sliced bread. That's it. But with this recipe comes with alot of memories of childhood for alot of people. My mom made these with many dinners we had. My dad actually never had this before as growing up and when my Mom first made it he about fell out of his chair! He couldn't believe something so simple could be so good. Other people have had this with tomato soup growing up. While others have started making these for their own children.

1. ) Use your favorite bread. Usually white bread. I would say about 2 slices per person. I know you could make a grilled cheese sandwich but this is more of a feel good recipe with those feel good memories.
2. ) Sliced American Cheese. Place a slice of cheese on a slice of bread. Place the slices on a cookie sheet or low profile baking pan. And just broil these in your oven.Please keep an eye on these for they will burn fast. They are done when the sides of the bread get brown and the cheese gets little brown flecks on it...

You can add things to it like tomato or bacon but then its not cheese toast anymore really. Like I said just the two ingredients is all you need. When you bite into this just close your eyes and think back to when you first had this. Enjoy!