Biscuits

Today I'm Making... Biscuits

I am currently reading a book where the main character is a baker. It has given me an insatiable need for all things baked. These biscuits are the third baked good that I have made this week alone. Now I love biscuits, but I do not like all the processed things put into every single brand of biscuits in my local grocery store so I don't get to eat them very often. Today after making a black bean soup I decided to try my hand at making my own. This was one of the only versions I could find that didn't require lard or shortening, neither of which I keep on hand. They turned out super good which excites me because they are SO easy to make.

Here's how I did it:

Ingredients: (Makes 12 biscuits)

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• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1 cup milk
• 
  

Recipe:

1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees (make sure you do this early- you will get the best rise out of the biscuits if you put them in the oven as soon as possible after mixing the wet and dry ingredients)
2. In a large bowl mix 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon of baking powder, 2 teaspoons of white sugar and 1/4 teaspoons of salt. Mix all the dry ingredients together really well.
3. Add 1/2 cup melted butter and 1 cup of milk. Stir as little as possible to mix it together- it should be kinda chunky but with no dry bits.
4. Spoon them into 12 even balls on a lightly greased baking sheet. (at this point I sprinkled cheddar cheese on top of each one- you could also sprinkle cinnamon/ sugar for a sweet version or just leave them plain)
5. Bake them for 8-12 minutes until they start to brown- try not to let the bottoms burn.

Review:

These biscuits were shockingly good. They were so easy that you could easily throw them together if at the last minute you realized that you didn't have a carb to serve with a meal. I admit they were so good that I had three with dinner. I will be making them again for sure- hopefully I can hold off and not make them again this week.

Berry Cobbler

Today I'm Making... Berry Cobbler

Earlier in the spring our family went strawberry picking, we ate what we could and ended up freezing the rest. I have been looking for something interesting to do with the leftovers. I have never made a cobbler before so I thought I would try an easy version for my first shot.

Here's how I did it:

Ingredients: (1 - 9 inch circular baking dish)

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• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup milk
• 3 cups of fresh or frozen berries (I used frozen- don't thaw them, you could also use peaches)
• 
  

Recipe:

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees
2. Put the 3 tablespoons of butter in the baking dish (I used glass) and put it in the oven until melted, then take the dish out. Make sure the butter is spread evenly over the bottom.
3. In a separate bowl mix together 3/4 cups flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 3/4 cups of milk until it resembles pancake batter. Pour the mixture over the melted butter in the baking dish.
4. Pour the 3 cups of berries evenly over the dough. You do not need to thaw them if they are frozen. I used 2 cups of strawberries and 1 cup of frozen mixed berries.
5. Put it back in the oven for 50 minutes at 375 degrees. Take it out when it's all bubbly.

Review:

This tasted so good and it was easy to make. It's great for a dinner party because you can throw it in the oven as everyone sits down to eat dinner and it will be out in time for dessert. It isn't as pretty as other cobblers I have seen but honestly if you serve it up with some ice cream it looks so tasty no one will even notice that it's isn't very Martha Stewartesque. I will certainly be making this again and honestly I can't even think of any tweaks I would make. My son who normally doesn't like whole berries was even willing to eat it! Notice in the picture that a lot of it is already eaten... that's how good it was.

Balsamic Pork Tenderloin

Today I'm Making... Balsamic Pork Tenderloin

The thing about parenthood is that each stage of them growing up brings new challenges (and of course new joys). Lately since my baby has become mobile and my 3 year old has just turned out to be TROUBLE it has been really hard to experiment in the kitchen. Last week I went to the store and there was a sale on pork tenderloin, since I don't actually know any recipes for it off the top of my head I had to figure one out, a perfect excuse to do a little experimentation in the kitchen! I wasn't even thinking about this blog, but my husband said it was one of the favorite things I have ever made so I thought I should keep a record of how I did it. It's really easy:

Here's how I did it:

Ingredients: (for 2-3 pounds of tenderloin)

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• 2 tablespoons steak seasoning rub (I used McCormick less sodium version)
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar (Make sure it is fairly good quality since you are using a lot)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2-3 pounds boneless pork loin roast

Recipe:

1. In a large resealable plastic bag mix the 1/2 cup Balsamic Vinegar and 1/2 cup Olive Oil and the Steak Seasoning
2. Add the Pork Tenderloin to the bag and seal it up.
3. Let it Marinate for at least 2 hours- I did it for 5 and it was perfect- you can do it as long as overnight.
4. Cook in a glass pan (I use Pyrex) at 350 Degrees for about an hour- mine was 50 minutes- you want the internal temperature to be at least 145 degrees.
5. Let it sit at room temperature for at least 10 minutes before cutting into it to make sure the juices all reabsorb.

Review:

I love this recipe for a few reasons, first of all it's really easy. It is also really good and juicy. The vinegar taste was a lot more mild then I thought it was be. I liked the fact (especially with two children) that you can make it ahead of time (nap) and then throw it in the oven an hour before you want to eat. My husband loved it and is already trying to plan when I can make it again. I give it two thumbs up- I recommend serving it with some simple roasted veggies and rice.