Garlic and Cheese "Butter Bath" Biscuits

The big thing with biscuits right now is the "butter swim" or "butter bath" methods. No matter what they are called, the method is to bake the dough in butter and let it cool in the butter to soak it all up.

Garlic and Cheese "Butter Bath" Biscuits

1 stick Butter, room temperature (1/2 cup)

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley, optional

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

4 tsp baking powder

2 tsp kosher salt

2 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Grease an 8x8 baking dish. Place pan on a baking sheet. (In case the butter bubbles over)

Place butter in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat for 2 minutes or until melted. Turn off heat and stir in garlic and parsley. Pour butter mixture into the prepared dish.

Add flour, baking powder, and salt to a medium bowl. Use a whisk to sift ingredients. Add cheese. Pour in the buttermilk and stir until mostly combined, being careful not to overwork the batter. Batter will be very loose.  Spread the dough even into the corners. The butter mixture will pool over onto the top of the dough. 

Use a pizza cutter to cut dough into 9 squares. Bake for 28 minutes or until risen and golden. Set aside in the pan for 5 minutes to allow the butter to be absorbed into the biscuits before cutting and serving.

Christmas Tree Monkey Bread (Pull Apart Bread)

I saw this idea in a video online and decided to give it a try. I didn't like their choice in spices so I changed things to our taste. It is very easy and you probably have all the ingredients on hand. You can change the spices or the type of cheese. I want to add pepperoni or sausage next time! My best advice with this recipe is preheat your oven and start at the lowest time range and keep your eye on them. If you walk away and let it go to long, you'll have a tray of hollow bites and melted cheese all over the place! You can see that mine already started to melt and hollow.

1-2 packages refrigerated canned biscuits (depending on how big you want your tree)*
1 block mozzarella cheese, cut into small chunks
Egg wash (1 egg whisked with 1 tbsp water)
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 Parmesan cheese
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t basil
1/2 t oregano
Salt and Pepper, to taste


Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
Cut mozzarella into 1” pieces. Cut each biscuit in half. Wrap biscuit halves around each piece of mozzarella, forming a tightly sealed ball. Place biscuits seam-side down on the baking sheet in the shape of (any style or size) Christmas tree you would like (biscuits should be touching). Brush brush egg wash on biscuits and bake until golden 12-18 minutes. Watch to make sure the cheese doesn't begin to melt out of the biscuits!
Whisk together melted butter, Parmesan and herbs. Brush on baked biscuits. Serve warm with marinara for dipping.

*This tree took 15 biscuits cut in half.

Winter Comfort Food... Soups, Stews, Bread and Cornbread

With the threat of winter weather (ice, freezing rain and snow) this weekend, I think we could all use some comfort food! Check out these recipe links to my favorites soups, stews, breads and cornbread! The links are under each picture! Thanks and Enjoy!

 Loaded Baked Potato Soup

15 Bean Soup with Ham

 Beef Stew

Mama's Catfish Stew 

Deluxe Cheeseburger Soup 

Simple Old Fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup 

Greek Lemon Chicken Soup 

Tuscan Soup 

Hushpuppies 

Cornbread Recipes 

Upside Down Vidalia Cornbread

Pizza Monkey Bread 

Italian Herb and Cheddar Loaf 

 Stuffed French Loaf

Stuffed Biscuits 

Cheddar Bay Biscuits

Ham & Cheese Biscuit Pie

This pie is wonderful to use up leftover biscuits and ham. You can substitute your favorite biscuits, meats and cheeses! The combinations are endless! You can even change the savory flavors to sweet ones! The choice is yours!

1 package Bisquick Garlic Cheese Biscuits,
   (prepared following package directions)

10 slices Ham, chopped

1 cup Cheddar Cheese
¼ cup Parmesan Cheese

1 cup milk

2 eggs, beaten

2 T butter, melted

¼ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp Worcestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a 9inch pie pan with cooking spray. Cut biscuits in half and line the pan with the bottom slices. Fill in gaps with pieces of the tops. Sprinkle hams pieces over the top, then sprinkle with cheddar and parmesan cheeses. Mix milk and eggs and pour over the pie. Crumble the tops of the biscuits and spread over the pie. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the egg mixture is set. (or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean) Mix butter, garlic and Worcestershire sauce. Drizzle butter mixture over the biscuit crumbles and bake another 2-3 minutes. Serve warm.

Country Sausage Biscuit and Gravy Breakfast Casserole

I found a recipe for a biscuit and gravy breakfast casserole. It looked so good, but when I got into the recipe it was obvious that the recipe did NOT match the picture. That is the problem with some food sites. They take a picture from someone and just find a recipe with the same ingredients! That is why so many people get frustrated when their dishes look nothing like the pictures online! As I have said, "My food might not be pretty, but it usually tastes pretty good!" LOL

  

2 cups Sausage Gravy, recipe below
1 lb. pork breakfast sausage

1 cup Cheddar Cheese

6 eggs

½ cup milk

Salt and Pepper

1 can Pillsbury Grands Biscuits

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a 13X9 pan with non stick cooking spray.

Cut the biscuits into 1" pieces and line bottom of pan.

Brown the sausage and scatter over biscuits, reserving the grease for the gravy below. Sprinkle with Cheddar Cheese. Ladle in the sausage gravy.

Whisk eggs and milk with salt and pepper, and pour it over the pan.

Bake in the oven for about 30-45 minutes or until golden brown and set.

Sausage Gravy

1 lb. pork breakfast sausage* 
3 T grease rendered from the sausage 
1/3 cup all-purpose flour 
3 cups milk 
2 T black coffee OR 1 beef bouillon cube 
1 T Worcestershire sauce 
1/2 tsp salt 
1/4 tsp black pepper


Brown sausage in a skillet over medium-high heat. Remove the sausage from the pan with a slotted spoon leaving the drippings in the pan. Stir the flour into pan with 3 T of sausage drippings and cook, stirring constantly, until golden brown. Gradually whisk milk into pan.

Cook until mixture begins to simmer, then add sausage*, coffee/bouillon, 
Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper to pan. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until thickened.

*When Making the Casserole, do not add the sausage to the gravy. Top the biscuits in the 13X9 pan with the sausage.

Bacon Cheddar Biscuits

I have made the Cheddar Bay Biscuits, and I've made Bacon Puffs! I've tried a lot of combinations including biscuits with bacon, but I've never been satisfied with the bacon flavor in the biscuit itself. Well, last night the light bulb went off! Take out the oil and substitute the grease/oil rendered from cooking the bacon! No one can yell at me about this one, because you are only subbing one oil for another! Nothing wrong with bacon "oil"! :-)

2 cups All-purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
3/4 teaspoons Salt
1/4 cup Crisco Shortening
2/3 cup Milk
1/4 cup Bacon Grease*
1 Egg
1 pound Bacon, fried and crumbled**
1/2 cup Onion, diced small
1 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Using a fork or your hands, cut in shortening until all combined. Add the bacon, onions, and cheddar cheese to the flour mixture and stir to coat with flour.
Combine milk, bacon grease, and egg in a separate bowl. Whisk together.
Combine flour mixture and milk mixture in a large bowl. Stir gently until all combined.
Spoon batter into greased mini muffin tins. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes on 375 degrees until golden brown. Remove from pan onto a wire rack. Cover with a towel and serve warm.

* Reserve the grease after cooking the bacon and cool.

 ** I only use one cup of crumbles bacon, but the guys eat some every time. So, I cook the entire package!

Christmas 2014 with the kids and a Heritage Turkey for Supper!

Presents! :-)

My Plate!

We have a tradition of celebrating Christmas with all the kids and grandkids on the Saturday after Christmas. Everyone is welcome to come over on Christmas day if possible, but my stepkids and their children have in-laws and other parents to visit. So, I decided to take the pressure off them and insure that I get a good day with them, without them having to rush off! It's worked out well. This year, Kayleigh, Joe and Jack had to stay home with baby Benjamin, since he's so young and susceptible to the flu and respiratory illness that's out there!

I received an early Christmas present from my foodie friend Mary over at All Things Food - Cooking with Mary and Friends. She brought me one of the turkeys that she received from Paradise Acre Farm. Tom and Denise offer awesome pastured poultry, eggs and gluten free baked goods that they sell at the Rosewood Market in Columbia, SC.

Roast Garlic Teriyaki Turkey

This is a very easy way to make a Thanksgiving turkey using an oven bag. The bird will be perfectly moist when done, plus, cleanup is a snap!

12 pound turkey
Teriyaki Marinade (Or 1 bottle of good quality)

1 head of roasted garlic, mashed
2 turkey size oven bags

The night before... place the turkey in one of the oven bags, pour in teriyaki marinade and roasted garlic. Massage the marinade over the turkey and make sure some of it goes into the cavity. Close the bag with the tie and sit it in a bowl to insure safety from contamination. Place it in the frig overnight.

The day of... Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Sprinkle the second oven bag with flour, and shake to coat. Remove the turkey from the frig and take out of the bag. Carefully place it in the floured oven bag, sitting in a roasting pan. Pour half the juice oven the turkey in the bag. Seal the bag and poke several holes in it with a fork. Bake 3 to 3 1/2 hours, or until internal temperature of the thigh meat reaches 180 degrees F .

I was afraid that I had overcooked my turkey! I was told that these turkeys cook much faster than ones from the grocery store. I pulled it from the oven and it wasn't up to temperature, so back to the oven. Come to find out, my probe was broken! Yikes!!!

BUT, the oven bag protected the meat, 

and as you can see, the turkey is moist,

tender and delicious!

Juicy white meat!

The kids were all "OMG"-ing and picking at the turkey while their Daddy was trying to cut it up! He had to fuss at them a few times to make them, leave it alone so we'd have some to plate up! :-)

Cornbread Dressing

Loaded Mashed Potatoes

D-I-L Brittney's Green Bean Casserole

Mitchell's Favorite Cheddar Bay Biscuits!

Ranch~Dill Crackers (Using Mini-Club Crackers)

Brittney's Turtle Pie

Jamie's Apple Pie

My Pumpkin Cheesecake

My friend Brandie's Southern Pecan Butterballs

 from The Country Cook

Check out this information about this wonderful South Carolina farm...

Paradise Acres Farm is a small family farm dedicated to producing fresh and naturally grown fruits, vegetables, and eggs for the local community. They produce products free from harmful fertilizers, pesticides, antibiotics and hormones.

Hen and Chicks at Paradise Acres Farm

This summer would you like to raise some backyard chickens?  

Would you like to:

• collect your own farm fresh, healthy, natural eggs?
• know exactly what the hens ate to produce your eggs?
• Do a test-run before you invest in your own Hens?

Do all this and more without any long term commitments or expensive cost associate with owning your own flock.

Try the Rent-Laying-Hens Program, new this year!

For $350 the Paradise Acres Rent-Laying-Hens program includes everything you need to produce your own eggs for the duration of your rental period ... AND Paradise Acres will deliver everything you need right to your backyard.  (delivery fee included within 40 miles of Paradise Acres Farm)  Before the weather turns cold, we’ll return to pick everything up and the hens will return to Paradise Acres Farm. (Purchase available in case you fall in love with your hens).

With our program you’ll get:

• 2 Laying Hens that are already producing eggs
• Portable Chicken Tractor (coop with run)
• Bedding for the nesting box
• Feeder
• Waterer
• 100 pounds of feed
• Delivery, Setup, and Pickup
• Instructions

Rental
Our standard rental periods start in May or June and last for 6 months.  After 6 months, we’ll pickup the hens and equipment. Call for a quote for destinations further than 40 miles.  Longer or shorter rental periods are available.

Eggs
You’ll get an average of 8 to 12 eggs a week from 2 hens.

Deposit
A $75 non-refundable deposit is required to reserve your Rent-Laying-Hens. 

To contact Paradise Acres Farm, call 803-427-6943 or email dkbachmann@paradise-acres-farm.com

Find Paradise Acres Farm on Facebook

Shop their online store

Pizza Monkey Bread

Pull-apart bread, which we call Monkey Bread, is perfect for parties, showers or just a great supper. They can be sweet or savory. This one is made with pepperoni and cheeses, but you can add anything you want to it. There are no limits to the combinations that you can make. I made this one very simply using Krusteaz Garlic and Onion Flatbread mix. I highly recommend it. It was delicious in this recipe!

Pizza dough or canned biscuit dough

2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

1/2 tbsp. basil leaves

1/2 tsp. fresh minced garlic

1/3 cup olive or vegetable oil

1 (8 oz.) package of mini pepperoni

1 cup Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray pan well.

Cut pizza dough or biscuits into small pieces.

Add all the ingredients in a bowl, except the dough and toss. Add the dough pieces a few at the time and toss so that the oil is spread evenly on each piece of dough. If you add them all at once, they stick together and just make a huge ball... I found that out the hard way! LOL

Bake in oven for 20-30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the center is cooked. If the middle is still not cooked thoroughly, leave it in the oven for another 5 minutes at a time until it’s done. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve with marinara, pizza or spaghetti sauce for dipping.

Elliott's Old School Country Ham

The other day the hubby and my son Elliott went to the grocery store. Elliott picked up a couple of packs of country ham pieces. When he got home, he asked me how you cook it. I told him that I usually cook it in the cast iron skillet. He told me, "No, Mama! For Country Ham, we are going old school!" He told me to find an old skillet that he could use outside. I came out back and found this...

 He cut vents in the bottom of a #10 vegetable can

so the fire could get air and he could add more wood.

He stoked the fire.

When the pan was hot enough, he added the ham.
Nothing like cooking "old school"!

Here are some recipes that you can make using country ham!

Ham Bone Pinto Beans

15 Bean Soup with Ham

Ham Biscuits

Soups, Stews, Bread and Cornbreads... Oh My!

In this crazy Polar Vortex of a winter, I think we all need a little something to warm up our bones. Yesterday/last night, our temperatures dropped 34 degrees. Not dropped to 34 degrees, but the temp dropped BY 34 degrees back into the 20s. That's a shocker down in the deep South in March with "Spring" arriving in about 15 days! I've put together a group of my bone warming recipes in this post. Choose what looks good to you and click the link below the picture...

15 Beans Soup with Ham

Tuscan Soup with Italian Sausage

Baked Potato Soup

Cheeseburger Soup

 Beef Stew

Mama's Catfish Stew

Hush Puppies

 Vidalia Cornbread

Cornbread Recipes

Italian Herb and Cheddar Bread Loaf

Red Lobster Biscuits