Simple Southern Biscuits

I'm a pretty good planner for our weekly meals (or at least I thought I was...) and usually do my shopping once a week for fresh foods like milk, bread, fruits and vegetables.

Well this week I either miscalculated or we over ate because I woke up on Saturday morning and we didn't have any bread, only a small amount of milk, no fruit or even cereal! Not very many ingredients to enjoy breakfast, and I do love my weekend breakfasts.

But luckily Saturday was a busy day and we just skipped breakfast (cause we had to...) and went about our business. I intended to stop by the store but things didn't work out and I ran out of time. Having a stocked pantry and a freezer helped me with lunch and dinner, so no worries there.   

Then comes Sunday morning...still no bread, fruit, or cereal, and a small amount of milk.  I decided to take matters in my own hands and make my mom's homemade biscuits. Biscuits were a staple growing up and they are the perfect substitute for a loaf of bread.  Great for breakfast, or put some ham on it and you have a wonderful sandwich, and you can serve with dinner as a roll.  What's better?

Mom's Simple Southern Biscuit recipe is soooo easy.  You only need 3 ingredients and they make light and fluffy biscuits that are to die for!  Can't you just imagine sinking your teeth into a hot, fluffy biscuit with butter or jam on it?  My mouth is watering now....

So the bread dilemma is solved, and I feel lazy.  Wonder if I can go another day or two without going to the store!  (that will be a test!)

Enjoy!



Simple Southern Biscuits

Source: Imogene Center's recipe box

Makes: 15 Biscuits

½ cup cold butter, cubed (1 stick)
2 cups self-rising flour
¾ cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a large bowl, cut butter into flour until mixture resembles coarse peas sized crumbles. Stir in buttermilk just until moistened.

Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead 3-4 times. Pat or lightly roll to ¾-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 2 ½-in. biscuit cutter.

Place on a greased baking sheet. Bake about 10-11 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Three Citrus Muffins

Do you know the muffin man, the muffin man, the muffin man....

I can't believe that I recall hearing this song over and over as a child.  It's so appropriate as someone just called me the "muffin man" today!  Oh, I would say that it is probably true.  I do love a good muffin and it's something that I have been baking ever since I was in junior high school.

I've made all kinds of muffins through the years and have posted some of my favorites here on my blog.  Here are a few you may have missed.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins – Healthier Version

Simple Blueberry Muffins

Raspberry Sour Cream Muffins

Marshmallow Muffins

Today I'm channeling an early spring and wanted to bring you a bright, sunshiny muffin that uses the abundance of citrus available right now.  This tender yet moist muffin is laced with hints of orange, lemon and lime.  They came out so light to the taste that they instantly made me happy! These are certainly a new favorite, which will go into our weekend treat rotation.  

Enjoy your Three Citrus Muffins!





Three Citrus Muffins

makes: 6 

1 egg
1/4 cup 2% milk
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup Canola Oil
1 1/2 Cups all purpose flour
1/2 Cup sugar
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp lime zest
1 tsp orange zest

Place egg, milk, orange juice and oil in a large mixing bowl and whisk together until light. Add flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the three citrus zests. Stir just until moistened. Don’t overmix…batter should be lumpy and a little thick.

Spray a non-stick muffin pan with cooking spray. Divide batter among 6 muffin cups filling most of the way full.

Bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 min. Allow to cool 10 minutes. Serve.

Pecan Orange French Toast

Whenever we go up to Cambria, for a quick vacation we make a point to stop along the way and have breakfast at a favorite restaurant.  

It's a tradition we do each and every trip up north.  The breakfasts and nice and hearty, filled with biscuits and gravy, an omelette, or something decadent like french toast.  

The last time we went I indulged and got an order of french toast, fruit, and bacon. Yum!  It was wonderful and the whole time I was eating it I couldn't quite make out the ingredient that made this french toast just a little more special.  One the way home it hit me!  The flavor of citrus, specifically oranges lingered in the dish.  

I still remember this dish and today I decided to re-create this for our breakfast.  I added the addition of chopped pecan which I think lent a wonderful crunch to the dish.  Oh my! Thick bread slices with a touch of grated orange peel and crunchy pecans make this French toast something special!

I hope you enjoy this for breakfast or brunch soon.




Pecan Orange French Toast 

Serves 6  

4 eggs
2/ 3 cup orange juice 
1/ 3 cup 2% milk 
1/ 4 cup sugar 
1 tablespoon grated orange peel 
1/ 2 teaspoon vanilla extract 
1/ 4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 
6 slices french bread 
3 tablespoons of butter
3/ 4 cup chopped pecans 
Maple syrup 

In a a 9x13 dish whisk together the eggs through the nutmeg (the first seven ingredients). Place bread slices in the mixture and press into the mixture.  Turn the bread over so both sides soak up the mixture.  

Meanwhile heat a skillet or griddle over medium heat.  Add 2 Tablespoons of butter to the hot pan. Allow to melt and swirl around the pan to cover all the surface area.  Add 3 or 4 slices of the egg soaked bread to the pan.  Cook on the first side 2-3 minutes until golden brown.  Flip bread over and cook for another 3 minutes.  Remove to a plate or platter and sprinkle with chopped pecans.  Serve with maple syrup if desired.