Arkansas biscuits

Vickie Reed has made these when we've been at her house a couple of times and they are delicious!

Arkansas Biscuits

5 cups of flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

3 teaspoons baking powder

2 cups of buttermilk  

5 Tablespoons sugar

1 pkg dry yeast

2 Tablespoons warm water (to mix up with the yeast)

1 cup shortening (use solid, not oil)

Melted butter in bowl.

Dissolve yeast in water in small bowl.  Mix dry ingredients.  Add yeast mixture and buttermilk mixture

Mix well.  Roll out biscuits, cut with glass or biscuit cutter.  Dip in melted butter and fold. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 20 min at 400 degrees.

Can be placed on cookie sheet and kept in refrigerator with wax paper & saran wrap 1-2 days before cooking. Makes 2+  cookie sheets full (a lot)

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Pancakes

Recipe from Epicurious: 

• 3/4 cup quick-cooking oats
• 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons well-shaken buttermilk, divided (or 2 tablespoons vinegar plus enough milk to make 2 cups)
• 3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

Soak oats in 1 cup buttermilk 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl.

Stir egg, butter, brown sugar, remaining cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk, and oat mixture into dry ingredients until just combined.

Heat a griddle over medium heat until hot and lightly brush with oil. Working in batches, pour 1/4 cup batter per pancake onto griddle and cook until bubbles appear on surface and undersides are golden-brown, about 1 minute. Flip with a spatula and cook other side, about 1 minute more. (Lightly oil griddle between batches.)

Whole Wheat Waffles

Adapted from this King Arthur recipe.

1 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon (or more for more cinnamon flavor)
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk
1/3 cup melted butter or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat waffle maker.
Whisk together the dry ingredients.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, and butter/oil.  Mix the wet and dry ingredients, stirring until just combined.  Cook the waffles according to waffle maker instructions.  Makes about 4 large Belgian-style waffles or 8 regular waffles.

Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes

Doug made these delicious pancakes Saturday morning.  Yum!

2 cups whole wheat flour 
2 teaspoons baking powder 
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt 
1 cup milk (or unsweetened almondmilk, soymilk or ricemilk)
2 tablespoons honey 
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 
1 1/4 cups fresh or frozen blueberries 

Method

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together almondmilk, 1/2 cup water, honey and vanilla until blended. Pour milk mixture into flour mixture and stir until evenly mixed. Set batter aside to rest for 10 minutes (the batter will be very thick). 

Oil a cast-iron griddle or large nonstick skillet with canola spray oil and heat over medium heat until hot. Stir blueberries into batter. Ladle about 1/4 cup batter onto griddle and cook about 2-3 minutes each side until pancakes are cooked through. 

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Banana Smoothie

This smoothie is surprisingly delicious.  The oatmeal gives a nice texture.  I also added some ground flax seed and spinach.  It tastes like a milkshake... but is a bit healthier!

serves 2:
2 bananas, sliced, frozen
1/4 cup oats
1/4 cup peanut butter
3/4-1 cup milk (I used almond milk)
2 tablespoons flax seed
handful of spinach

Put oats in the blender and blend until powdery.  Add other ingredients and blend until smooth.  Voilà!

Spiced Apple Oats

Another good winter breakfast option:

1 cup steel cut oats
2 cups almond milk
1 apple, grated
1 oz slivered almonds
nutmeg


Cook the steel cut oats in the almond milk.  Stir in the apple and nutmeg.  Top with almonds.

Almond breakfast rice

This is a delicious winter breakfast:


1 cup uncooked brown rice
2 cups almond milk
1 banana, sliced
1 oz almonds, chopped
1-2 chopped dates

Cook brown rice in almond milk (about 40 minutes). Top with a sliced banana, an ounce of chopped raw almonds and a chopped date or two to sweeten.

Fresh Cranberry Muffins

The great thing about cranberries is you can freeze the bag and just use what you need. I have a couple of bags stashed in the freezer, so I made these muffins last week when we had overnight company.

Fresh Cranberry Muffins

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chopped fresh cranberries
• 2/3 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
• 1/4 cup butter or stick margarine, melted
• 1 teaspoon grated orange rind
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400°. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl; stir well with a whisk. Stir in cranberries; make a well in center of mixture. Combine milk, butter, rind, vanilla, and egg; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 18 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Remove muffins from pan immediately; place on a wire rack. Note: These muffins freeze well. Bake them ahead, cool completely, and store in freezer bags. To serve, thaw at room temperature. Reheat in aluminum foil at 300º for 10 to 15 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Overnight oatmeal

This is a great breakfast dish! We had it several mornings last week with assorted berries, mangos, peaches, nectarines... every combination was good. I ended up not adding the vanilla or lemon zest everyday, but we did stir in honey for a little added sweetness.

serves 2:

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup milk (for skim milk, I found it was better to use only 3/4 cup so it wasn't too runny)

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons chopped nuts (pecans, almonds, walnuts)

1 peach, mango, nectarine, plum, or apricot, pitted and sliced

1 tablespoon honey

Combine oats, milk, zest, and vanilla in a glass measuring cup or bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight. In the morning serve with fruit, nuts, and honey.

Apricot Bars

These were absolutely delicious. And so easy. Yum.

1 1/2 cup flour

1 1/2 cup rolled oats

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 stick salted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for greasing dish

1 10-12 oz jar apricot preserves

Grease a 8" square baking dish with butter. Mix everything but the apricot preserves in a large bowl until mixture is combined and crumbly. Press one half of the mixture into the prepared dish. Spread with 10-12 oz apricot preserves. Sprinkle second half of mixture on top and pat lightly. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes or until light brown. Let cool completely, then cut into squares.

Galette des Rois

On Epiphany (January 6th), the French eat a Galette des Rois (kings' cake- but more like a pastry than a cake) with a bean hidden inside to symbolize the wise men finding baby Jesus. Whoever finds the bean becomes king for the day and must host the party next year. I have made this recipe several times. I omit a few steps to make it easier. It is really delicious and you can even make mini-galettes as breakfast pastries.

This recipe is for 2 galettes:

2 boxes (4 sheets) puff pastry

Frangipane cream:

1 cup butter, softened (not melted!)

1 cup blanched almonds, ground (use food processor or clean coffee grinder)

4 tablespoons flour

3 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon almond extract

pinch salt

egg wash:

1 egg

1 tablespoon water

powdered sugar

bean or nut

Thaw puff pastry sheets on counter. While thawing, use an electric mixer to combine frangipane ingredients. Unfold one puff pastry onto a silicone baking mat or parchment paper lined baking sheet. Mix together egg and water and spread 1" around outside of puff pastry. Place 1/2 frangipane filling into middle of pastry. Place 2nd pastry sheet on top and press around edges to seal. Use fork tines to seal outside, then use knife to lightly score pastry to decorate, making sure not to puncture. Spread egg wash all over top, avoiding 1" border. Bake at 450 for 15 minutes, then reduce temperature to 350 for an additional 30 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar for last 5 minutes.

When ready to serve, cut into pieces and hide bean/nut into one serving.

I made a few individual pastries too:

Nectarine Cupcakes

Recipe from Martha Stewart Living...

Nectarine Cupcakes

(also works with peaches, plums, or apricots)

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

2 large eggs

2 medium nectarines, peeled, halved, pitted, finely chopped (about 1 1/4 cups)

Preheat oven to 350. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir together milk and vanilla. Beat butter and sugar with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. With mixer running, add eggs one at a time. Beat in flour mixture in 3 additions alternating with milk mixture. Line muffin tin with baking cups. Fill each with 1 tablespoon batter, 1 heaping tablespoon chopped nectarines, and 2 additional tablespoons batter. Bake until edges begin to turn golden, about 25 minutes. Let cool in tin.

Make topping:

1 cup cold heavy cream

1/2 cup sour cream

3 tablespoons sugar

1 medium nectarine, halved, pitted, thinly sliced

Whip cream, sour cream and sugar until soft peaks form. Top cupcakes with a dollop of topping and a slice of nectarine.

Plum Skillet Cake

This recipe is from Martha Stewart. It is an easy recipe and very tasty.

Plum Skillet Cake

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for skillet

1 cup all purpose flour, plus more for skillet

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1 large egg

1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk

2 ripe medium plums, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 375. Butter an 8" oven proof skillet (or cake pan); dust with flour and tap out excess. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat butter and 3/4 cup sugar together on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg. Add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with buttermilk.

Pour batter into prepared skillet and fan plums on top, Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Bake until golden brown and toothpick comes out clean, 35-40 minutes. Let cool slightly.

Peach, Blueberry, and Pecan Crumble

This Whole Foods recipe is absolutely delicious. I LOVE the pecans! I didn't have crystallized ginger, so I left that out, but I want to try it with next time.

Peach, Blueberry, and Pecan Crumble

7 peaches, pitted, roughly chopped

1/2 cup blueberries

2 tablespoons plus 3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 crystallized ginger, finely chopped

5 tablespoons granulated sugar

5 tablespoons dark brown sugar

1 cup chopped pecans

pinch salt

pinch cinnamon

2 teaspoons lemon zest

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

Preheat oven to 375°F. Combine peaches, blueberries and 2 tablespoons of the flour in a 9-inch square baking dish; set aside. Put remaining 3/4 cup flour, ginger, granulated sugar, brown sugar, pecans, salt, cinnamon, lemon zest, lemon juice and butter in a large bowl and mix together well with your hands, breaking up the butter with your fingers. Crumble flour mixture over fruit and cover dish with aluminum foil. Bake for 20 minutes, then uncover and bake for about 20 minutes more, or until golden on top and fruit is soft and bubbling. Set aside to let cool slightly, then scoop into bowls and serve topped with your favorite ice cream or frozen yogurt.

Crêpe casserole

Friday we took a "Lunch and Learn" class at the Curious Gourmet in downtown Franklin. This recipe is so versatile (you can really just use whatever you have on hand for the filling) and we already tried it out again last night! The crepes can be made ahead of time and refrigerated... or even frozen. The entire casserole can be made ahead of time and refrigerated/frozen... just wait until right before serving to make the sauce.

Crepes with Stone Ground Dijon Sauce

Crepes (makes about 8)

-1 cup all purpose flour

-3 eggs (preferably at room temperature... put them in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes if you don't have a lot of time)

-3/4 cup milk- 2% or whole would be best

-3 tablespoons heavy cream

-salt to taste

-1 tablespoon butter, melted

-canola oil

With a whisk, combine the flour and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Add the eggs, milk, cream, and butter and mix until smooth. This step can be done in the blender, but in reverse order (add wet then dry ingredients).

Heat a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Brush the surface with canola oil. Spoon in just enough batter to form a very thin layer (appx 1/3 cup), tilting the pan to spread evenly. Cook until batter is set, then turn to lightly brown the other side. Repeat process, brushing pan with oil between each crepe, and stacking crepes between layers of wax paper

Filling

8 oz cooked ham, chopped- omit and swap with veggies for a vegetarian option

2 cup shredded Swiss cheese

1 lb fresh asparagus spears, trimmed and blanched (immersed in boiling water for 30 seconds to one minute)

freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine ham, cheese, and pepper. Place 1/4 cup of ham mixture and 2 asparagus spears down the center of each crepe. Roll and place in 9x13 casserole dish, seam side down. If there is extra filling, sprinkle around the sides of the crepes. Bake at 350 until cheese has melted, about 15-20 minutes.

Sauce

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1 cup whole milk

1/4 cup stone ground mustard

salt and pepper to taste (can use white pepper, but if you do, only use half as much)

chopped fresh chives for garnish

Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Whisk in flour, cook about 1 minute. Whisk in broth and milk; bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer sauce for 4 minutes. Whisk in mustard, salt, and pepper, simmer to heat through. Plate crepes and serve sauce individually; garnish with chives. Serve with a side of mixed greens.

Cinnamon Rolls

This was my second time to make Paula Deen's cinnamon rolls. This time, I baked them in a 9x13 baking dish (rather than on a cookie sheet) and they turned out quite well. I'm still working on perfecting the icing... we prefer a cream cheese icing, but the recipe I tried today was too buttery. We're hoping that the third time will be a charm!

Note: for smaller rolls, roll out narrower and longer (NOT thinner), and cut more than 15 slices.

Cinnamon Rolls

melted butter for bowl and pan

DOUGH:

1/4 oz package yeast

1/2 cup warm water

1/2 cup milk, warmed 1 minute in microwave

1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup butter, melted

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg

3 1/2 - 4 cups flour

FILLING:

1/2 cup melted butter (you could probably reduce this if you were trying to be healthy)

3/4 cup sugar (I used a combination of brown and white sugar)

2 tablespoons cinnamon

raisins/chopped nuts optional

ICING (adjust ingredients to your preferences):

cream cheese

butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

powdered sugar

milk

In a small bowl dissolve yeast in warm water, set aside.

In a large bowl mix milk, butter, sugar, salt, and egg.

Add 2 cups flour and mix until smooth. Add yeast mixture.

Add additional flour until dough is easy to handle.

Knead on lightly floured surface for 5-10 minutes.

Place dough in well greased bowl, turning to coat all sides.

Cover bowl and allow to rise 1 1/2 hours.

When doubled in size, punch dough down and turn onto floured surface. Roll into 15"x9" rectangle. Spread melted butter all over dough, then sprinkle sugar and cinnamon. Starting with 15" side, roll up. Slice into 15 pieces. Place in well oiled baking dish. Cover and allow to rise 45 minutes.

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes OR refrigerate to bake next morning. If baking next day, take out of the refrigerator while the oven is preheating, then bake 25 minutes.

Remove from oven and spread icing on top of slightly cooled rolls.

Banana Bread Cobbler

This recipe was delicious! Very, very good!

Banana Bread Cobbler

1 cup self-rising flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, melted
4 medium-size ripe bananas, sliced

Streusel Topping

Preheat oven to 375°. Whisk together first 3 ingredients just until blended; whisk in melted butter. Pour batter into a lightly greased 9x13" baking dish. Top with banana slices, and sprinkle with Streusel Topping.

Bake at 375° for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

Streusel Topping:

3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup self-rising flour
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup uncooked regular oats
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Stir together sugar, flour and butter until crumbly, using a fork. Stir in remaining ingredients.

Zucchini Bread

This zucchini bread recipe turned out great! I was running low on nuts, so I just topped it with nuts instead of mixing them into the batter. I only wanted to make one loaf, so I cut the following recipe in half.

Zucchini Bread

(makes 2 loaves)

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 teaspoons cinnamon

3 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

2 1/4 cups granulated sugar

3 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups grated zucchini with peel

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

1. Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
3. Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.
4. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.

Plum Clafouti

We made this plum clafouti and although I burned the edges, it still turned out pretty well! What a great alternative to traditional cobblers or cakes!

Plum Clafouti

(the following recipe serves 6-8, but you could easily cut it in half, if desired)

butter for baking dish

8-10 ripe plums

1/2 cup granulated sugar

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon coarse salt

1 cup milk

1 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Confectioner’s sugar

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Butter a shallow 12x8 inch baking baking dish.

2. Place the plums stems side up on a cutting board. Cut each plum off center so the knife just skims the center pit making two rounded lobes of plum. Cut around the pit with a small sharp knife. Discard the pit and add the flesh to the baking dish. Place the plum lobes cut side up in the prepared baking dish.

3. Whisk the eggs in a bowl until frothy. Gradually whisk in the sugar until well blended. Add the vanilla.

4.In a large bowl combine the flour and salt. In three or four additions gradually whisk in the milk and the cream until the batter is smooth and thick. Whisk in the beaten egg mixture until blended. The batter will be the consistency of a crepe batter.

5.Pour the batter over the plums. Dot the surface with the butter. Bake until puffed and golden and no longer runny in the center, 35 to 45 minutes.

6. Cool slightly before serving. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar and spoon onto dessert plates.

Irish Soda Bread

This rustic loaf was really easy to make... it was a Bon Appétit recipe. It is a dense bread, good with a piece of cheese or toasted with a little butter or jam. It freezes well, too!

Irish Soda Bread

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 tablespoons sesame, poppy, or caraway seeds (I used sesame seeds this time)

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

appx. 1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425. Lightly flour baking sheet. Mix flour, seeds, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Mix in enough buttermilk to form moist clumps. Gather dough into ball. Turn out onto lightly floured work surface and knead just until dough holds together, about 1 minute. Shape into 6 inch diameter round, about 2 inches high. Cut a 1" deep "X" in the top of the dough round, extending almost to the edges. Bake until golden brown, loaf sounds hollow when tapped on bottom, and tester comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer bread to a cooling rack to completely cool.