Old Fashioned Biscuits

I'm on the quest for the perfect biscuit!

Biscuits bring to mind farmhouses, pioneers, kitchens full of flour, big breakfasts, lots of family gathering around, and hot melted butter.  They also remind me of my mom's biscuits and gravy and my mom's Aunt Grace's kitchen back in Oklahoma.  Everyone trying to help with cooking, a kitchen crowded with people, and my Great Uncle Howard riding up on his horse to come to breakfast.  Such memories of country life for a child that grew up in the suburbs of Los Angeles.

So on my quest for the perfect biscuit I steal, (I'm mean write down) every old recipe my mom has every time I go visit her.  Not nearly done...cause she has sooo many!  This one I found tucked in a drawer paper clipped to a stack of special recipes.  She can't remember which relative these came from but knew they had been made many many times.

So I decided to make these today.  The key to these is baking powder.  A small amount of butter in these.    They are very easy to whip up and I had them in the oven in no time.  They were not the most moist biscuit, but they certainly would do in a pinch.  All in all a good standard biscuit.  I'm still on my quest.  One of my favorite's so far are these. 

Try some this weekend and give a taste test to these biscuits.  Old timer's swear by them (or at least my family tree did!)

Old Fashioned Biscuits

Makes 6 biscuits

1 1/2 c All Purpose Flour
½  t salt
1 ½ t baking powder
½ t sugar   
3 T butter
½ c milk

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. 

Mix together the dry ingredients. Using a pastry blender or two knives cut in the butter until you have pea sized bits.  Add the liquid, mixing quickly and gently for about 20-30 seconds until you have a soft dough. 

On a lightly floured board, pat dough into a rectangle about 3/4-inch in thickness.  Cut into squares using a knife or bench scraper. 

Bake for 15 minutes, until golden brown. 

Creamy No Roux Stove Top Macaroni and Cheese

Craving pasta?

I do....often.  But, I haven't been eating as much pasta as I'd like lately.  I truly love the stuff, but watching the carbs calls for less pasta.  So sad.  But every once in a while I have to have some comforting pasta.

So I was surfing the net and I was on the www.theKitchn.com and ran across a  post for a dreamy looking pasta dish.  Do you know this site?  It's an excellent resource for recipes, how to's, and anything food related.  Go visit it you can!  So, I was surfing this site and came across a recipe for what they called Creamy No Roux Stove Top Macaroni and Cheese.  No roux? Really?  Peaked my interest, but they really had me at "stove top"!

So I decided I had to make this.  And I did.  

It was really easy to make.  Something you could do as a side dish during the week.  Or if you prefer along side your Sunday dinner.  Either way this lives up to it's name.  It's creamy...there really is 'no roux', and all is made simply on the stove top.  Doesn't get much better.

I already posted another Stove Top Macaroni & Cheese dish using King Arthur's Vermont Cheese Powder.  You can find that recipe here.  Honestly they are both good.  This one, of course, uses fresh shredded cheese and is slightly more involved, but the result is fabulous!
Try them both and see for yourself!

Creamy No Roux Stove Top Macaroni and Cheese

by the Kitchn

Serves 4 to 6  

What You Need

Ingredients

1 pound pasta, any shape
1 1/2 cups whole or 2% milk
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2-3 cups shredded cheese, like cheddar, monterey jack, or colby
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon powdered mustard
Optional extras (cook before adding): Ham, bacon, onions, peas, mushrooms, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower

Equipment

Pasta pot
Sauce pan
Whisk
Spatula

Instructions

1. Boil the Pasta: Bring about 4 quarts of water to a boil over high heat in the pasta pot. Add the pasta and a tablespoon of salt. Cook until the pasta is al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2. Warm the Milk: When the pasta has finished cooking, prepare the cheese sauce. Begin warming 1 cup of the milk in the saucepan over medium heat. Whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup of milk and the flour until there are no lumps. When you just start to see tendrils of steam rising from the warming milk, whisk in the milk-and-flour mixture. Continue whisking gently until the milk thickens slightly to the consistency of heavy cream, 3-4 minutes.

3. Make the Cheese Sauce: Turn the heat to low and begin mixing handfuls of cheese into the milk. Stir in the salt and mustard. Stir until all the cheese has melted and the sauce is creamy. Taste and adjust the seasonings as desired. Remove the sauce from heat.

4. Combine the Pasta and Cheese Sauce: In a large serving bowl, combine the pasta and 1/2 of the cheese sauce. Stir to coat the pasta evenly. Add the second half of the sauce and any extra add-ins.

5. Serving and Storing Leftovers: Serve the mac and cheese immediately while still warm. Leftovers will keep for up to a week and can be reheated in the microwave. If the sauce is a little dry after re-heating, mix in a splash of milk to make it creamy again.

Additional Notes:
• Baked Mac and Cheese: If you have a little extra time, you can bake the macaroni and cheese to give it a golden crust. Pour the prepared mac and cheese into a casserole dish, cover with a lid or foil, and bake at 350°F for 1/2 hour. Remove the covering, sprinkle with breadcrumbs and a few pats of butter, and bake uncovered for another 15-20 minutes until the top is golden and the interior is bubbly.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Need another quick weeknight dinner?

Today's recipe is perfect for that.  Done in under 30 minutes this dish will please the whole family.  MGG and I used to go to a lot of Chinese restaurants and I always loved getting the lettuce wraps.  Cool crisp lettuce against a hot spicy chicken.  YUM!  I would always order these and we would fight over the last piece of lettuce!  I've actually made a version of these lettuce cups with turkey that you may love.  You can find that recipe here.

Now we seem to be going to a lot of Thai restaurants.  They've been the new "in" thing.  They too have a version of lettuce wraps, but they are different.  Light...more citrusy, very fragrant with Thai flavors of mint and cilantro. They just burst with flavor!  I had to learn to make this version.  So when I was thumbing through a Cuisine at Home magazine I spotted a similar version.  So here's my adaptation of their Chicken Lettuce Wraps.  

So light, and the flavors will just rock in your mouth.  These are filling enough to have for dinner.  Serve with a nice fruit salad and you are set!  Quick to throw together for a weeknight meal, and make sure to save some for lunch the next day!  This will be a definite "go to" recipe!

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Serves 4

1 T canola oil

1 T minced ginger

1 T minced garlic

1 lb. ground chicken

¼ c fresh lime juice

1 T soy sauce

2 t brown sugar

2 t chili garlic sauce

½ c red onion, minced

½ c cilantro, chopped

½ c mint, chopped

Lemon zest

Boston, Bibb or Romaine lettuce leaves

Toppings:

Cilantro and mint leaves (optional)

Dry roasted peanuts

Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.   Add ginger and garlic and cook for 30 seconds.  Add chicken and cook, breaking up into small pieces, about 10 minutes or until cooked through. 

Meanwhile in a small bowl stir together lime juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, and chili garlic sauce.  Add to chicken and cook until liquid has evaporated approx 4 minutes.  

Stir in red onion.  Remove from heat and add cilantro and mint.  Stir to combine.  Sprinkle on lemon zest. 

Serve chicken in lettuce leaves, topping with cilantro and mint if desired, and peanuts. 

Adapted from Cuisine at Home July/August 2012