biscuits

can one ever have too many biscuit recipes? i think not. and. while i purposing to eat raw and no grains, i find i can enjoy these a little here and there. I found this recipe on Pinterest and it has started making frequent appearances on the table. the kids say they still like our old recipe better than this, but this is a welcome change for something different. they are very easy and pretty foolproof.

3 c. flour-I'm going to try a GF mix next time 1 1/2 t. salt 1 T. sugar 1 1/2 t. baking powder 1 stick butter 3/4 c. buttermilk--if you don't have buttermilk, you can make your own! 3/4 cup milk and 2 tsp lemon juice or, my standby, apple cider vinegar. Works like a charm. 1 egg 1/4 c. water

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine flour, salt, sugar, baking powder and butter until crumbly. Mix in buttermilk, egg and just enough water to make a workable dough. Mix the dough until it is just barely combined (don't over mix). Roll the dough onto a floured cutting board about 1 inch thick. Cut with a 2 inch biscuit cutter, or a 2 inch round cup. Place on a greased baking sheet (touching each other) and bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Makes about 12-15 biscuits, depending how thick you make them.

Christmas breakfast

our christmas days are  a long, drawn out, amazingly fun process.  it has evolved into a whole day of eating and opening presents.  i guess that's no different from any other family, but one difference for us, is we don't open everything in one fell swoop.  now that the children are a bit older--and that's relatively speaking....every present is wrapped and nothing is placed under the tree until christmas eve....so some of the surprise is all the presents appearing out of no where :)  we have stockings to open and presents to unwrap.  we wait until everyone is {somewhat} awake and we have cups of coffee, cider and hot chocolate ready for the stocking opening.  once everyone has their warm drink of choice, we all gather in the den and stockings are handed out.  we go around, one by one and reach in--without looking is the ideal--and pull out one thing at a time.  this can take up to an hour or two for the whole family to empty their stockings. once that is done, we stop and have breakfast.  i have found that breakfast needs to be on the lighter side or no one wants to eat Christmas dinner (actually lunch, since its around 2).  i am also learning how to keep it very simple, since i would have already been cooking the few days prior and will be the rest of the day.  we have had cinnamon rolls (recipe here), breakfast casseroles, scrambled eggs and muffins, etc.    our favorite so far has become fruit soup and biscuits.  i know my sweet husband needs some protein with breakfast, so this year, i will make some mini quiches to go along with our soup. after breakfast, we go back to the tree and open presents.  we are usually there until time for lunch.

this soup is wonderful!  it is so refreshing and light.  and. so. simple. what i love about it, is that i throw it all together the day before--whenever there is time--and its just ready for us when its time to eat.  the other thing i do (which i did tonight) is make enough biscuits for that meal and freeze the dough on a cookie sheet--several days or weeks ahead.  once they are frozen, i put them in a ziplock and when we are about ready to break for breakfast, i throw them on a cookies sheet and pop them in the oven.

i will make the mini quiches the day or two before christmas also.  my goal is to make this as easy as possible for that day.  i want to be in the den, enjoying my family and not in the kitchen...until they have all crashed on the sofas :)

i found this soup recipe years and years ago in a cookbook series on healthy eating.  i wouldn't say its exactly healthy, but it is a favorite and with a few wise choices, it can be healthier than most foods :) we have this for dinner many times during the summer, too.

Fruit Soup

recipe as written makes 11 cups without bananas (which we never add)

• 12 oz package frozen raspberries
• 16 oz package frozen strawberries
• 12 oz package frozen blueberries
• 20 oz can pineapple chunks, unsweetened, undrained
• 16 oz can peach slices, unsweetened, undrained and cut in bite size pieces
• 16 oz can pear halves, unsweetened, undrained and cut in bit size pieces

Combine all portions of fruit in a BIG bowl.  let stand about 2 hours at room temperature or overnight in refrigerator to let frozen fruit thaw and juices to mingle.  refrigerate until ready to serve.  Add bananas (if desired) to each portion served.

*this will keep several days in the refrigerator.  Add bananas only to the portion to be used immediately, since they will turn.

we serve with whipped cream on top and biscuits.  we almost always have left overs and use this as a base for smoothie or a topping on ice-cream, oatmeal..whatever.  you name it, it works here :)

NOW--i usually make these biscuits to go with this. but lately, the kids have been asking for buttermilk biscuits with this, since the usual ones are a bit sweet.

i learned to make these biscuits from my mother-in-law.  she, like me, doesn't use recipes for most of her meals, and this is no exception.  i am sure she was taught just like she taught me to make them...and, while they are NOT good for you, they are pretty darn good.  there are no measurements...you just have to 'eyeball' it and go on experience--as you get used to making them

buttermilk biscuits

• self rising flour
• crisco
• buttermilk

What she taught me:  put a couple of cups of flour in a bowl.  take a couple of heaping spoons of crisco and cut (and by cut she meant mush it with your hands until it was all blended) in until the constancy of cornmeal.  (what I do is blend it all in and if I can form a ball with the flour/crisco mix with my hands, without feeling the greasiness of the crisco, you got the right mix :)).  add buttermilk, a little at a time until you have a moist heap (hehe, i told you it wasn't precise)....and it will be gooey, but those make for flaky biscuits.  put dough out on a floured board and put just enough flour on top to be able to flatten with your fingers and it not stick to you.  flatten out to about 1/2" and cut with a biscuit cutter--I use a regular sized mouth mason jar.   lay out on an ungreased cookie sheet--sides barely touching.  bake at 450 for about 5 minutes.  they will be light brown on top and maybe very light on the bottom.

who needs cinnabon????

I got this recipe from my friend, Debbie Lindstrom.  She is an AMAZING cook/baker.  She shared these on a moms email loop/group I have been a part of for about 10 years now.  when I first made these, they were gobbled up in a nanosecond.  I had to make another batch and then another....so, I figured out real quick that if I quadrupled the recipe, I could have enough for our family to get SICK of them and also have some to share.  I ALWAYS give some away when I make these or just plan on the family having them when there is a need for me to make them for someone.  I have even sold them, they are THAT good!!!!  they freeze very well. Microwaved they are delish or what I like to do if serving them for breakfast, is cook them just until the yeast is cooked...pull them out and save for that morning....put them back in to finish baking and then frost while hot.  One batch makes 2 dz, so I end up with about 8 dz cinnamon rolls....talk about yum!!!  I usually put as many as I can get onto my sheet pans and if I am taking them to others, put them in disposable pans.   I have taken these to neighbors, friends, enemies ;).....they are easy to make for a crowd.....and always welcomed!!!  ENJOY!!! Cinnamon Rolls

• 1 tbsp. yeast
• 1 tsp.. salt
• 1 c. warm milk
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 c. sugar
• 4 c. flour
• 1/2 c. melted butter

Dissolve yeast in milk. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.  Knead into a ball. Let rise until double in size. When ready, roll out to about 1/4 inch thick. Spread with filling below:

• 1/4 c. butter, softened
• 3 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 c. brown sugar

Spread butter on dough evenly, Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon over dough evenly. Roll dough up. Slice into 1 inch slices. Place on a greased pan. Let rise again. Bake 10 minutes @ 400.

Icing for Cinnamon Rolls

• 1/2 c. butter, softened
• 2 tbsp whipping cream
• 1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 oz cream cheese
• pinch of salt

Beat until fluffy. When rolls are hot, spread on top.

linked up with steadymom and chatting at the sky and so much shouting so much laughter and sweet shot tuesday

biscuits and lilikoi butter

Lilikoi

I saw someone ask for a good biscuit recipe recently and I could hardly wait to post this recipe.  this is THE BEST recipe for biscuits have ever used. i have another one, that is a buttermilk recipe, but this one is a sweet biscuit that can be used for strawberry short cakes as well.  i got this recipe from a susan branch, cook book.  If you have never looked at her work, it is WELL worth the time.  Her artwork is beautiful and I have never cooked anything out of her books that my family rejected.  the lilikoi butter--a creation of my own, although the idea was birthed in a little cafe in Volcano, Hawaii.   they had lilikoi butter in squeeze bottles on each table.  the color fascinated me and i decided to be brave and try it...so glad i did...it was wonderful.  they made it there fresh, so the challenge was on.  i did have a hard time finding lilikoi (or otherwise known as passion fruit)...either fresh, frozen or (my preference) frozen puree.  i found it at central market and bought them out.  i loved lilikoi soooo much.  i add it to my tea, too.  it is sour like lemon, but a bit softer.  that said, this butter is really a curd.  it can be made like a lemon or lime or even mango curd/butter.  it took me almost a year to find the puree, and when i did, i felt like i had accomplished a great victory!!!  Then I just used the puree in place of lemon in my lemon curd recipe.....it brought back all the memories from my trip and the kids LOVED it. BEST BISCUITS

• 2 C. Flour (it can be made with whole wheat, but i usually save our white flour consumption for these) :)
• 1 T. baking powder
• 1 1/4 t. salt
• 2 1/2 t. sugar
• 1 1/2 C. heavy cream
• 4 T melted butter

Preheat oven to 425. Put dry ingredients in a bowl and stir with a fork.  Add the cream stirring constantly just until dough comes together.  Place dough on a floured board and knead for 1 minute. Pat dough flat about 3/4" thick. Cut with 2" biscuit cutter (I use a canning jar) brush both sides with butter. Place buttered biscuits 1" apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 15-18 minutes until brown.

IMG_9953

*I put cold butter on my cookie sheet in the oven while it preheats. Then, I just dip the biscuits in the melted butter and put on the sheet. We have taken the dry part on vacation and I just buy the butter and cream and add  it when I am ready to make them. We also always doublethese....they are good cold, too, but we rarely have any left over.   You can also split them, put a bit of butter on them and toast them.  YUMMY

IMG_9958

LILIKOI BUTTER

• 5 egg yolks
• 1 cup sugar (1/2 cup if using sweetened concentrate)
• 1 TBS lemon juice
• 1/3 cup lilikoi puree/juice
• 1 stick butter (1/4 pound), cut into pats and chilled

Bring all ingredients to room temperature except butter....then add enough water to a medium saucepan to about an inch high.  Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.  Meanwhile, combine egg yolks and sugar in a medium size metal bowl and whisk until smooth, about 1 minute.  Add lilikoi and lemon juice to egg mixture and whisk smooth.  Put bowl on top of sauce pan--like a double boiler...  (Bowl should be large enough to fit on top of saucepan without touching the water and large enough to whisk thoroughly.)  Whisk until thickened, approximately eight minutes, or until mixture is light yellow and coats the back of a spoon.  Remove promptly from the heat and whisk in the butter a piece at a time, allowing each addition to melt before adding the next.

pour into a clean coverable container.  Refrigerate, it lasts a long time :)

usually, i just follow the basic curd making techniques.  if you know how to do that, you can make this :)  do as you please....

linked up with chatting at the sky and sweet shot tuesday and one nutty girl and so much shouting so much laughter