I post recipes here the way that I make them, so of course you should feel free to adapt these to what your family likes! To make this blog user-friendly, I put tags for each major ingredient of each recipe, as well as for type of dish, and ethnicity, so you can go to the list on the side here (scroll down) and search for specific things. If you like a recipe, please comment! If you have a yummy adaptation, please leave that in the comments as well!
This started as a basic biscuit recipe, but what isn't better with cheese?! We were shooting for something similar Red Lobster's "Cheddar Bay Biscuits." (I have looked at several knockoff recipes, and it's the after-cooking butter mix that seems to be the secret ingredient.) I have tried grating the cheese and also cutting it into cubes. As the photo shows, the cubes will melt and make little holes in the biscuits... I usually prefer grated cheese, but the bigger cubes do make a stronger cheese flavor, so experiment and see what you like. This recipe is good for plain biscuits too.
3 c white flour (with the cheese this recipe is not very wheat flour friendly)
4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp cream of tartar (you can technically skip this, but if you have it do use it, it helps with fluffiness)
1 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 c lard or room temperature butter (or you can substitute in part bacon grease, but if you do that be sure to add it with the liquid part)
1 1/2 c milk or buttermilk (or milk with 1Tbs of lemon juice in it)
1 egg (optional)
1 - 1 1/2 c cheddar cheese, grated or chopped into little cubes
OPTIONAL
For that really Red Lobster touch, melt 2 Tbs butter and put in 1-3 tsp garlic powder and 3/4-1 tsp dried oregano. (I like lots of garlic and not much oregano, adjust for your tastes.) Use a pastry brush to put it on the biscuits as soon as they come out of the oven, OR take them out a couple of minutes before they are done cooking and brush it on and then put them back in for the last few min.
Preheat oven to 450.
Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl.
Cut in the solid fat (lard or butter) until all is consistently crumbly.
Add liquid ingredients all at once, and stir with a fork just until moistened.
Stir in cheese.
Put in blobs on a baking sheet (just like cookies). If you have parchment paper that is really nice because otherwise the cheese will often melt out and stick to the pan.
Bake at 450 for 10ish minutes.
There is a cheese biscuit version of this recipe as well...this is the plain versionYou can make them with plain white flour of course, but I like putting in a little wheat because it makes them heartier.
3 c flour (I usually do 2 white 1 wheat)
4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp cream of tartar (you can technically skip this, but if you have it do use it, it helps with fluffiness)
1 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 c lard or room temperature butter (or you can substitute in part bacon grease, but if you do that be sure to add it with the liquid part)
*1 1/2 c milk or buttermilk (or milk with 1Tbs of lemon juice in it)
1 egg (optional)
Preheat oven to 450.
Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl.
Cut in the solid fat (lard or butter) until all is consistently crumbly.
Add liquid ingredients all at once, and stir with a fork just until moistened.
*Put in blobs on a baking sheet (just like cookies). If you have parchment paper that is really nice because the cheese can melt out and stick to the pan.
Bake at 450 for 10ish minutes.
*If you prefer to do rolled and cut out biscuits instead of drop biscuits, reduce the milk to 1c, roll out the dough 3/4 inch thick and cut out in rounds, and bake for 12-15 minutes...otherwise the recipe is the same.
I encountered this idea at a local cafe. It's very simple, and really good! They served the rolls plain, or you could get it sliced in half and get it as a sandwich filled with ham, melted cheese, peppers, onions, and other veggies. It's a nice food for taking on picnics and sack lunches, because the whole sandwich is rolled into the bun before it's baked--nothing slides apart en route!
Use your favorite roll recipe (not a sweet roll, just a regular dinner roll)
Roll out the dough as though you were going to make cinnamon rolls, but instead of putting in butter and cinnamon and sugar, put in cheese, sour cream, cream cheese, spinach, bits of ham or bacon, or whatever other savory thing strikes your fancy.
I did ham, spinach, and mozzarella in these ones.
Try turkey with cranberry, beef with swiss, or all kinds of veggie combinations!
I stumbled across a Lebanese cookbook on the "new arrivals" shelf at our library, and as I started flipping through it I realized that all my life I'd been craving Lebanese food, and I'd never even known it! Most of this recipe is just copied straight from that cookbook, however I have added a couple of notes of my own as well. These are a bit labor-intensive, but they are fun, and they are yummy. If you're not into spinach, try stuffing them with cheese, sausage or other spiced meat, or a combination.
Preparation time: Dough--5 min, plus 1 hr 15 min rising Filling--10 min (do it while the dough is rising) Putting it together--an hour Bake time--18-20 min They are time and labor-intensive, however they keep well in the fridge or freezer, are good cool or cold, and reheat well too.
BASIC DOUGH
1 cup + 1 Tbs lukewarm water
1 1/2 tsp yeast
1/4 tsp sugar
3 cups flour
3/4 tsp salt
3 Tbs olive oil
In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and sugar in the water. Mix well. Set aside for several minutes, allowing the yeast to proof (foam). Combine the flour and salt in a separate bowl.
Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Pour the yeast mixture into the well, followed by the olive oil. Using one hand, quickly mix and knead the ingredients to form the dough. (If the dough seems sticky, which it probably will, sprinkle in a little more flour.)
Use both hands to lift the dough out of the bowl and tuck and shape it into a ball. Sprinkle flour around the sides and bottom of the bowl, then set the ball back in. Sprinkle the top of the dough with some more flour. Cover the bowl with a dish and set it aside in a warm place to rise for 1 hour 15 min.
FILLING
2 lbs frozen chopped spinach (thawed, drained, and squeezed dry) (I use 3 10oz boxes, but you can also fill it out with some shredded zucchini or other mild vegetable)
1-1 1/2 cups chopped onion (chopped little)
1 Tbs salt (yes that's a tablespoon)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/3-1/2 c olive oil
1/3-3/4 c lemon juice
1 Tbs lemon zest if available
Squeeze the thawed spinach over a colander with small perforations. It is very important to make sure that all the moisture has been hand-squeezed out of the spinach, otherwise the filling will be wet and the pastries may open while baking.
In a bowl, combine the spinach and onion. Just before you are ready to fill the pastries, add the salt, pepper, olive oil, lemon juice and lemon zest, and mix well. (Mixing the salt with the onions at the last minute prevents the onions from producing additional moisture in the filling.) [The original recipe calls for 1/3 c olive oil and 3/4 c lemon juice, however I find that is a little tangier than I like. So I prefer to make it closer to 1/2c of each. It's still tangy.]
Once the dough has risen, roll out half the dough on a lightly floured surface to a 1/8" thickness. [It will be around 16" across. If you make it thinner/bigger, it still works, however you will end up with more dough than filling...when that happens to me I grab a little cheese or whatever to fill up the leftovers. Also, use as little flour as you can to do the job. If you get too much flour, the dough will not stick closed very well.] Gently hold the rolled-out dough by the edges and lift it about 2 inches off the counter (this will allow any contraction in the dough to occur before cutting). Cut the dough into 3 inch rounds with a cookie cutter; make one cut directly next to another to maximize the number of rounds.
Preheat the oven to 450*F. Foil-line a baking sheet, lightly brush it with olive oil, set it within reach.
Pick up one dough circle at a time and hold it stickier-side up in your hand. Put about 2 Tbs of filling into the middle of the round (this will probably seem like too much filling, but you want it stuffed so they will be plump once they are baked). Use a fork [or one of your fingers] to push the filling inside as you close up the dough. Be sure to keep all the edges free of filling, or they will not stick together. Form a triangle by raising three sides of the dough up and over the filling until they meet in the center. Press them closed.
[this video is made by the guy who wrote the cookbook, showing how he stuffs and closes the puffs]
Pinch each seam closed, securing the filling inside the triangle. Remember to keep the seams free of filling. Repinch the seams so that the pastry will not open while baking. Reshape the pastry into a triangle as needed, and place it on the greased foil-lined baking sheet. Fill and close the remaining dough rounds in the same manner, and place them on the baking sheet about 1/4 inch apart. Repeat with the second half of the dough.
Dip a pastry brush in a few tablespoons of olive oil and generously dab the tops and sides of each triangle puff. Place the tray in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes.
Traditionally, spinach puffs are served at room temperature. Our family likes them a little warmer than that, but as I said before, they are also pretty good straight from the fridge.
* To prepare ahead, you can keep them in the fridge for a few days, or in the freezer for a few weeks. Freeze uncovered on a baking sheet, then transfer to an air-tight bag or container. Reheat thawed puffs at 350* for 5-7 minutes.
I invented these as a good snack for my son to take to school. He loves muffins, but isn't so much into veggies...so I decided to put his veggies into muffins so that he would have something healthy and conveniently portable (and yummy!) all in one. I usually make them as mini-muffins, and a batch rarely lasts 24 hours. He has taken them as a class snack as well and said that everybody liked them. There are two ways to make these muffins--one is with grated veggies (carrots or zucchini), and the other is with pureed veggies, such as squash or even baby food. There are a couple of other changes to make up for the textural differences between those two options, so read the recipe carefully! (Using the pureed veggies makes it an egg-free recipe.) The veggie taste is masked by the stronger gingerbread flavor, so you can use pretty much whatever veggies you want. I have done it with carrots, mixed veggies, and squash, but I'd love to hear about your experiences with other veggies! As a note--this is a pretty potent gingerbread. We like it that way. However if you like a milder flavor, just use half the amount of cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.
mix 1 1/2-2 c grated carrots or other veggie 2 eggs OR 7-8oz pureed veggies (carrots, pumpkin, squash, etc) 2 tsp vinegar
add 1/2 c oil 1/3 c molasses 2/3 c white sugar 1 tsp vanilla
mix well add 2 c flour (I use whole wheat, as you can't tell in the gingerbread flavor) 1 tsp baking powder 2 tsp baking soda 2 tsp cinnamon 2 tsp ginger 1/2 tsp cloves 1/2 tsp salt (optional)
Bake at 350 for about 20-25 min for regular size muffins (10 min for mini-muffins)
I realized recently that one of my favorite things at a Mexican restaurant is the rice and beans that they serve on the side--especially when they have melted cheese and that little bit of lettuce and tomato and sour cream. So I played around a bit and came up with this. I like the contrast of hot and cold, as well as different textures. Rice + beans makes a complete protein so it is filling as well as delicious. Think of it as being like a taco salad...only without the taco bowl! We have been on an extra-tight budget since being laid off, so one thing I have done is figured out ways to use my WIC vouchers more effectively, to make entire meals rather than just compliment them. This salad is one of those meals. (I know there is some variance between states, but ingredients marked with * can be purchased with WIC vouchers in Alaska.)
serves 2
*2-3 cups cooked white and/or brown rice (1ish cups dry) *1 can beans (I like black beans) (alternately use about 1 1/2-2 cups cooked beans which is about 3/4c dry) *1 can diced tomatoes OR 1 largeish fresh tomato *2/3 cup grated cheese *1- 1 1/2 cups chopped lettuce Sour cream, ranch, or other creamy dressing
a note on lettuce--I like the crunch and texture of iceburg lettuce, but you could use a leaf lettuce as well, or some other kind of greens if you prefer.
This can be prepared two different ways--one is to prepare all the parts and then let people put them together at the table. The other is to put the plates together as you prepare them. For a la carte serving: Cook rice. Heat beans, then drain. Chop up tomato, or drain/rinse canned diced tomato (if using canned, heat tomatoes, if using fresh, keep them cold). Grate cheese and chop lettuce. Serve everything in little bowls. For prepared plates: Cook rice then divide and portion onto plates or wide bowls. Drain and rinse beans, then layer over rice. Sprinkle on grated cheese. If using canned tomatoes, drain and rinse, then layer over rice/beans/cheese, then put the whole thing in the oven or microwave until heated through. If using fresh tomato, then heat plates before adding tomato. Then top warm mixture with cold lettuce (fresh tomato if applicable), and dressing.
If you want to use this as a packed lunch, it does reheat really well. Just use two containers--one for the hot parts and one for the cold parts. Heat the hot parts, then add on the cold parts...voila, easy meal on the go!
Recently I had some leftover pizza sauce and toppings from family pizza night. I wanted to use them up, but didn't feel like going to the full effort of making pizza, so I did this instead. (Conveniently I had a leftover loaf of french bread as well!) serves about 4
1 loaf leftover french bread, cut into slices pizza sauce (tomato sauce with garlic powder, basil and oregano) shredded mozzarella cheese pizza toppings--cut into little pieces
Spread the slices of french bread on a cookie sheet. Put a generous amount of sauce on each (the bread slices are thicker than a typical pizza crust, so you'll want the extra moisture). Then put a generous amount of cheese and whatever toppings you like best. Bake at 400 for about 8-10 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
from Best of Country Breads cookbook--many thanks to Maria for giving me this recipe, we use it constantly! I love how fast they are to make--they really are just 40 minutes. My husband says he thinks he likes it better than my grandma's rolls (which might be blasphemy). These buns are nice and hearty, so I do a wheat/white blend for plain eating, but most (or all) white when we use them for burgers. I don't think I'll ever want to eat a purchased burger bun again though. I am going to start experimenting with making these oblong for hot dogs and hoagies. Makes 10-12 buns (the recipe says it makes 12, but I usually do 10, and they are still on the smaller side (I like smaller burgers so that works fine). If you want big 'quarter pounder' size buns, expect this recipe to make 8-9 buns.
2 Tbs active dry yeast 1 cup + 2Tbs warm water (that's 1 1/8 cups) 1/3 c oil (vegetable or olive) 1/4 c sugar 1 egg 1 tsp salt 3-4 cups flour (can be done whole wheat, although tastes best at about 50/50 white/wheat. You will need more flour for higher white content, less for higher wheat content)
In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add oil and sugar, let stand for 5 minutes. Add the eggs, salt, and enough flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 3-5 minutes. Do not let rise! Divide into 12 (or fewer) pieces; shape each into a ball. Place 2-3" apart on a greased baking sheet and flatten slightly. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes (they will rise). Bake at 425* for 8-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool.
I adapted this recipe to make it a little healthier (reducing sugar and fat), and also adjusted some proportions so that it can be made with one (small) can of pumpkin (the size to make one pie).
Makes 24-30 muffins
4 eggs
1 1/2 c pumpkin (one small can)
1 1/2 c sugar
1 1/4 oil (I use olive oil, as the pumpkin flavor is strong enough to mask it)
2 3/4 c flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
about 1 c chocolate chips (the original recipe called for 2 c, but that is really overkill if you want to consider this anything but a dessert!)
In a large bowl, beat eggs, sugar, pumpkin, and oil together until smooth. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Fold in chocolate chips. Fill greased muffin cups about 2/3 full. Bake at 400* for 16-20 min. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing.
