Buttermilk Biscuits

I love buttermilk biscuits, but I've never been very successful at making them myself...I've always resorted to buying the vacuum packed tubes at the store. Shameful, I know. :) So I finally decided that I had to conquer. I used a recipe from Fanny Farmer and the biscuits were barely ok...so I pulled out the heavy guns and used this recipe from Tyler Florence. I was very happy with the results. The minor differences from the Fanny Farmer recipe (Tyler recommended folding 3 or 4 times instead of kneading 14 times and using chilled shortening, among other things) made the difference. I give his recipe and instructions below. He suggests brushing them with butter before they go into the oven...I brushed half with butter and half with buttermilk and preferred those that were brushed with buttermilk (although not by much). I also used only 1/2 tsp of salt.

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup vegetable shortening, chilled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3/4 cup buttermilk

Instructions
In a mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients together with a fork. Cut in the shortening using a pastry blender (note from Dan: I used two butter knives to do this) until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center and add buttermilk. Quickly fold dry ingredients into buttermilk with your hands until a sticky dough forms.

Turn dough out onto floured surface. Gently fold the dough over itself 3 or 4 times to create layers. Roll dough out to 3/4-inch thick. Cut with a 3-inch biscuit cutter. Transfer dough rounds to a sheet pan. Gather scraps and repeat. Make a dimple in the center to help the top rise evenly. Brush with butter. Bake for 15 minutes in a preheated 400 degree oven until golden brown.

Bacon Cheddar Meatloaf with Balsamic Glaze

I found this recipe here on Foodtv.com. I was looking for something new to try and thought this looked great. We all thought that it tasted really good, and it left plenty of leftovers to eat the next day. I made a couple of changes to the recipe...the original calls for ground veal and I substituted ground turkey. It also asked for ground pork and I used plain pork sausage instead. I also used 3 pieces of bacon instead of two because I couldn't stop myself.

Ingredients
Loaf :
3 pieces bacon, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pound ground beef chuck
8 ounces pork sausage
8 ounces ground turkey
8 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded (2 1/3 cups)
1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Glaze:
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons water

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cook bacon over medium-low heat until crispy. Remove bacon, leaving grease in the pan. Cook the onions and garlic in the pan drippings until brown, about 15 minutes. Let cool.

In a large bowl whisk the eggs, mustard, hot sauce, Worcestershire, cream, salt, and pepper. Add the meat, cheese, parsley, and cooked onion. Chop and add the bacon. Mix with your hands (or a fork) until blended.

On a foil-lined cookie sheet, pat mixture into a loaf shape. Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf registers 155 degrees F, about 1 hour. While the meatloaf is baking, whisk the glaze ingredients together in a bowl. Spread the glaze onto the meatloaf after about 50 minutes. Let loaf rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

I really love making (and eating!) mashed potatoes...they are my favorite Thanksgiving food. I only list general ingredients below, because everything depends on how many potatoes are used. I have used many kinds of potatoes, but for this particular recipe I like straight up russets the best. Ming Tsai said that he prefers to add cold butter to his mashed potatoes, and that is how I almost always do it.

Ingredients
Potatoes
Cream
Garlic cloves
Butter
Salt

Instructions
Peel and then rinse potatoes. Roughly chop. Boil potatoes until no longer translucent. Meanwhile, heat cream and minced garlic in a separate pan. Once potatoes are done, drain and then put back into pan. Strain cream and garlic mixture (to remove garlic) into pan with potatoes. Cut butter into pieces and add to pan along with salt. Mash to desired consistency.

Poblano Chicken Chowder

Stephanie and I both like to cook, so we decided to cook some soup together as a date...tres romantique, n'est-ce pas? The reason we chose this soup was because I really, really wanted to make a chowder, and Stephanie really, really didn't want a chowder that had either corn or seafood in it. So we stumbled on this one. The recipe and the description are from Paula Deen and were taken from here on Foodtv.com. We both thought it was awesome...the only thing we added when it was done was a bit of salt. This recipe makes a lot of soup...we froze the extra in individual plastic bags to use for lunches.

Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
3 large carrots, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 large onions, cut into 1/2-inch dice
5 stalks celery, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/8 cup minced garlic
2 to 3 small poblano peppers, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin, or more to taste
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, or more to taste
1 tablespoon chicken bouillon granules
3 quarts chicken broth
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro leaves, minced
3 cups diced (large pieces) grilled chicken
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce, or more to taste
1 cup heavy cream

Instructions
Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the carrots, onions, celery, garlic, poblano peppers, salt, white pepper, cumin, and thyme. Saute for 7 to 8 minutes, or until the vegetables begin to soften. Stir in the chicken bouillon. Add the chicken broth and cilantro, and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the carrots are tender. Stir in the chicken and cook, stirring frequently, until the chowder is thick and the chicken is heated through. Shortly before the chowder is done, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the flour and stir to combine. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 4 minutes to cook the flour. Do not allow the mixture to brown! Ladle 1 cup of the hot liquid from the stockpot into the skillet, whisking constantly.

When the first cup of liquid is incorporated, add another 2 cups of liquid, 1 at a time. Pour the mixture in the skillet into the stockpot, whisking to blend. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 5 minutes longer, or until the mixture begins to thicken. Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in the hot sauce, then the cream, and serve.

Radiatore with Sausage Marinara and Mozzarella

I got this recipe is from "The Ladies Home Journal: 100 Great Pasta Recipes". It has, of course, been altered. :) The main changes that I've made were to double the amount of sausage to 1 pound, change the spaghetti sauce to tomato sauce (and use more of it), and to add some garlic. Although the recipe doesn't reflect this, I also use plain sausage rather than italian sausage, and also add 1 1/2 tsp of italian seasoning. I do this because most of the italian sausage that I find at stores has fennel seed in it, and I really don't like that flavor when it comes to sausage.


Ingredients
1 pound sweet Italian sausage
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 large can tomato sauce (29 oz.)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound radiatore (fusili is great too)
8 oz mozarella cheese, diced

Instructions
Prepare pasta per directions on package. Meanwhile, cook the sausage in a large skillet, stirring occasionally and breaking it up. Continue until meat is browned, about 7 minutes. Then add the onions and garlic and cook for 5 minutes more. Add sauce and wait until just starts to bubble. Remove from heat and add the mozarella. Add the pasta to the skillet and stir to combine. Warning: I use a large skillet so there is room to do this. If your pan is too small to hold it all...well, you'll figure it out. :)

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Pine nuts, Feta, and Citrus Dressing

I’ve made this salad several times…most of the time it has come out very well. I made it for the family reunion, and it didn’t come out well because I used frozen strawberries (I couldn’t find fresh ones). Lesson learned. PJ and Alex aren’t big salad eaters, so I usually only mix 1/3 of the dressing with 1 ½ cups of the spinach (and ½ the amount of the strawberries, pine nuts, and cheese) since this is enough for Stephanie and me (the boys each have a portion so small it is almost hard to see). We then have the rest of the salad the next night. A note about the feta: we like the Treasure Cave brand but don’t like Aethos at all. And, just for fun, tonight I’m going to try blue cheese crumbles instead of feta.

Ingredients

3T lemon juice
3T sugar
1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tbsp grated lemon rind (can be omitted)
1/8 cup light olive oil or canola

3 cups fresh spinach
1 cup fresh strawberries, sliced
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
Feta cheese to taste

Instructions

In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, sugar, mustard, lemon zest, and olive oil.

In a large bowl, toss spinach with enough dressing to coat. Add strawberries, nuts and feta and toss lightly again.

Agave Lime Chicken Enchiladas

A friend at work let me try some of the enchiladas that his wife had made for him...and I knew that Stephanie would love them (ok, I liked them too). I asked him for the recipe, and he told me that he would email me the link to his wife's cooking blog. I couldn't wait, though, and did an internet search on my own. I found a recipe on The Sister's Cafe blog. The recipe listed here has been modified to match our taste. Most of the recipes I found (including that of my friend's wife) use honey instead of agave, and it works well too. Some recipes call for adding cream to the enchilada sauce that is poured over the top...neither Stephanie or I liked this addition since it made the enchiladas a bit soggy.

Ingredients
5 Tb agave nectar (or honey)
4 Tb lime juice
1 Tb chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 lb cooked chicken, shredded
flour tortillas
pepper jack or monterey jack cheese, shredded
14 oz. can green enchilada sauce

Instructions
Poach the chicken, then shred while it is still warm. Mix first 4 ingredients with shredded chicken. I like to do this in a zip top bag. Marinate for at least a half hour, you can also make this ahead of time and leave it in the fridge overnight. Pour some of the enchilada sauce into the bottom of a 9X13 pan, just enough to coat the bottom. Fill the tortillas with the chicken mix and some cheese. Roll them up and then place them in the pan. Don't be afraid to squish them in...you've got to get 10 of these in there. Pour the rest of the sauce over the top. A note about the sauce...the original recipe called for 10 ounces, I thought it was too dry and so switched to a larger can, which I thought led to a better result. Add more cheese to the top. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. For the last few minutes, turn on the broiler to crisp up the top.