Pioneer Woman's Buttermilk Biscuits

I was craving a tried and true egg sandwich with some real biscuits, so I decided to make some of my own for the occasion. Of course they're made of wholesome wheat and sweet buttermilk, so there was simply no way of them turning badly. These are also fantastic with some butter and Vegemite, if you venture for an Aussie snack of sorts. And of course, biscuits are always best with tea!




Ingredients:
4 cups white-whole wheat, all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (3/4 tsp table salt)
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup chilled shortening
1/3 cup cold butter (5 1/3 tablespoons) cut into pieces
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons melted butter



To Make:
1. Preheat your oven to 450F.

2. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Stir together. Then add the chilled shortening and cold butter pieces.
3. With a fork, cut in the shortening and butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
4. Pour in the buttermilk and mix gently with a fork until just combined. The dough will be a little sticky, not overly dry or crumbly.
5. Lightly flour a clean surface. Lightly dust your rolling pin with flour. Turn the dough out of the bowl and roll to a 1/2 to 3/4-inch thickness, depending on how thick you'd like your biscuits to be.
6. Cut rounds with a biscuit cutter, or with really anything round like a bowl, and place them on a baking sheet.
7. Bake for 11-14 minutes, until golden brown. Do not underbake or the biscuits will be doughy. Brush the tops with melted butter.


Enjoy!! :)

Sorta-S'more Turnover Bites

These are really quick to make, and quite delightful little treats to make for things like, ohh Canvas, maybe? (college student ministry group). I think that there's definitely room for improvement for this recipe, but for the time being, this is what I did, and friends seemed to gobble them up anyways. That's why college students are the best guinea pigs for baked goods and meals... they'll really eat whatever you put in front of them. And they'll be brutally honest, which is also really good when you're an amateur food-maker like myself :)

Gathered Ingredients:
crescent roll dough, or puff pastry (next time I'm doing puff pastry!)
almond butter (or peanut butter, or whatever)
chocolate chips, chocolate bars, or nutella
graham crackers
cinnamon & sugar
1 egg
oven at 350

Put It All Together:
1. Roll out the pre-made dough and cut it into rectangles, according to how big you want your s'more bites to be.
2. Sprinkle each rectangle (in the center only!) with a cinnamon & sugar mix. You can put on a lot, because it takes a lot to actually taste it through the dough. If you put it on the edges, you won't be able to fold the pastry well enough, so keep it in the middle.
3. Smother a graham cracker piece with almond or peanut butter, then top it with chocolate
4. Lightly wet the edges of the rectangle with water and fold it over. Use a fork to seal the edges.
5. Mix up an egg wash (part egg yolk, part water, stirred), and brush it over top all of the pockets of Sorta-S'mores.
6. Put them in the oven for about 7-10 minutes... keep a close eye on these babies, because they'll burn real easily (trust me. I did it.)
7. After they've cooled a bit, add some fabulously textured marshmallow fluff on top.

There are so many different ways you could go with this simple recipe, so explore!

Enjoy!!

Lemon-Lavender Pound Cake

It still seems like an anomaly that citrus fruits are most in season during the winter months, but to contrast my futile attempts at disbelief, I've ventured to find a recipe to suit my winter fancy, using these citrus wonders. Meyer lemons. They are so great. The perfect blend of sour and sweet, because they taste like a cross between an orange and a lemon and I quite love both of those. Also, lavender has always been a comfort to me, especially in the winter, so what a perfect pair! I love this recipe and I can't wait to do it again. For some reason, it turned out a bit dry, but that could be due to the fact that I rushed the process of making it at the end. Hope you love it like I do!

Ingredients:
makes 2 loaves

1/3 cup milk
6 large eggs
1 1/2 Tbspn fresh lemon juice
1 Tbspn vanilla
3 cups AP flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tspn baking powder
1/2 tspn salt
2 Tbspn freshly grated lemon zest
1 2/3 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup dried lavender flowers

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter and flour the sides and bottoms of two loaf pans.  Set aside.
2. In a bowl, combine milk, eggs, lemon juice, and vanilla.  Whisk until combined.
3. In the bowl of a mixer, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and freshly grated lemon zest.  Mix to combine.
4. Add the softened butter to the flour mixture.  Cream for 2-3 minutes until fluffy.
5. Gradually add the milk mixture in 2-3 parts, mixing thoroughly for about 30 seconds to 1 minute before each addition.
6. Mix in lavender flowers until evenly distributed through the batter.  Be careful not to overmix.
7. Divide the batter into the two prepared loaf pans.
8. Bake in oven for ~30-35 minutes.  When the tops are about to crack, score the tops in one line with a sharp, oiled knife to create an even crack.  Then, place an oiled piece of foil on top of the cakes, oil side down.  Continue to bake for 25-30 minutes (for a total baking time of ~55-60 minutes).
9. When a toothpick removed from the center of the cake comes out clean, the cakes are done.  Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes on a rack before turning the cakes out.  Let cool completely.

for glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
juice of 1 lemon
zest of 1 lemon
sliced almonds, optional

1. Mix together the powdered sugar and the lemon juice.
2. Add in the lemon zest.  Mix until combined.
3. Pour the glaze over the pound cakes.
4. Immediately top with a sprinkling of sliced almonds, if using.  Let dry.


So delightful! Enjoyed best with a cuppa tea :)

Skillet Cornbread

To accompany the amazing lentils and roasted veggies that my roommate made for our roomie dinner, I made some cornbread. It also accompanied well with that goat cheese that I made the day before! Yummo! This is recipe is so effortless that I could put it all together just on my kitchen table bench. No need for massive space of the entire kitchen space (God forbid!). Really, that was only very convenient for me because my roommate still had dinner goin all over the rest of the kitchen. But I liked how easy it was regardless.

To make:
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons shortening

Now put it together:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.  In a bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, salt, and baking powder and stir together.
2. Measure the buttermilk and milk in a measuring cup and add the egg.  Stir together with a fork.
3. Add the baking soda and stir.
4. Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients.
5. Stir with a fork until just combined.  Do not over stir.
6. In a small bowl, melt 1/4 cup of the shortening in the microwave.
7. Slowly add the melted shortening to the batter, stirring constantly until just combined.
8. In an iron skillet over high heat, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons shortening.  Pour the batter into the hot skillet and spread to even out the surface. Add a bit of herbs on top if you want (I put some sweet basil).  Cook on the stovetop for 1 minute, then bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown.  The edges should be crispy.
9. Slice into lil pie slices and serve it from the skillet if it's not too hot to carry :)   

Fresh Goat Cheese

I had an epiphany over Christmas break that I must, truly must start making my own cheese. I knew it couldn't be that hard, really. And then I looked up a few recipes and learned that it was even easier that I imagined.

To Make:
1 Quart Goat Milk (Pasteurized... not ultra-pasteurized, preferably. more on that later.)
1/4 cup Fresh Lemon Juice
sea salt and herbs of your choice
cheese cloth

Easy Peazy:
1. Pour the milk in a sauce pan and put it over medium heat, until it reaches 180 degrees. It's important that you use a thermometer to know if you're getting to the exact temperature, because you don't want your milk to burn. Once you get it to 180, take it away from the heat.
2. Add the lemon juice. You should see the milk curdling in about 20 seconds, but if it doesn't, then add a tad bit more of lemon juice. Let this sit for about 20 minutes.
3. Then, drape the cheese cloth over a colander, over a big bowl. You'll need to layer up the cloth about four or five times so that it'll be strong enough for this yummo cheese.
4. After most of the whey has drained through the colander, tie up the edges of the cloth into a little knapsack of sorts, and then slip the knot through a spoon or twig. Hang it over a deep bowl for about 1 1/2 hours to allow the excess liquid to drain out of the cheese.
5. Eat it as is, or add a bit of sea salt and various herbs. I split it up into three sections: one with rosemary and sage and lavender, another with sweet basil and thyme, and another with cracked black pepper and salt.

WOOHOO! you've got cheese. that was easy.

Okay, and for those of you who accidentally bought ultra-pasteurized goat milk like I did, don't fear because you haven't totally screwed up! After doing the whole process of heating it and putting in the lemon juice, you can just let it cool over the stove and then pour it back into the milk container. Put it in the fridge over night and then you can take it out the next day and do the rest of the process.



ENJOY!

Cranberry Gingerbread Bundt

Christmas parties. So many Christmas parties. Which means, so many opportunities for baking yummy things!! Woo! So I get pretty excited. Plus, it's nearly finals week, and I'll use whatever distraction I can grab at to give me a study break. Hence the bundt. And, who doesn't love to say the word "bundt"?! It's so fantastic! I'll make a bundt any day just so that I can say the word a zillion times over. Oh, and it's real pretty, quite the crowd-pleaser. Apparently my friends also said that it actually tasted delicious as well. So you really can't go wrong. If you're in need of a Christmas baked good, give this a go.

Ingredients:

3 c. whole wheat pastry flour
1tsp. baking soda
1 (heaping) Tb. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 c. butter (melted&cooled)
1c. brown sugar
1c. molasses
1/2 c. buttermilk
3 eggs
12 oz. fresh cranberries

1/4 c. heavy cream
1/2 c. chopped dark chocolate
dash of cinnamon

Create:

bake at 350. butter & flour a bundt pan.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, ginger, salt, and nutmeg. Set aside.
Beat butter, molasses, eggs, brown sugar, and buttermilk. Add gradually to the dry ingredients.
Fold in the cranberries.
Bake for about 30-40 minutes, until it's set.
Let it cool completely, then take it out of the mold, place it on a pretty platter.

In a double boiler, melt up the chocolate and add in the heavy cream, stirring continually. Add the bit of cinnamon if you're feelin brave (it makes the chocolate taste even more "dark").
Pour over the cake, and serve.

Yes, I am certainly wearing my ugly Christmas sweater.

God bless us, everyone. 

Enjoy!

Guiness Dark Chocolate Cupcakes

Who doesn't love a lil' liquor in their baked goods? I know I do! And of all things, Guiness, Whiskey, and dry robust red wine all make me think of being warm and cozy. So I chose to work with Guiness this time. This recipe creates a rich, moist cupcake with a light creamy frosting which is sure to tickle your fancy.

Ingredients:

1 12 oz. bottle of Guinness
1/2  cup chocolate pudding (or milk)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 Tb vanilla
3 eggs
3/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups AP flour
1 1/2 tspn baking soda

Okay Go:

note to self: don't put open bowl of frosting in fridge.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine cocoa powder, sugar, flour, and baking soda in a bowl and set aside.
2. In a separate mixing bowl, combine Guinness, pudding (milk), oil, and vanilla.
3. Beat eggs into wet ingredients one at a time.  Mix in sour cream.
4. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet.
5. Pour batter into lined cupcake pans (or make sure to butter your pans if they are not lined), about 2/3 full.  6. Bake for 25 minutes if making regular sized cupcakes and 15-18 minutes if making mini sized ones.  Allow to cool before removing from tins.

Mascarpone cheese frosting

1/2 lb. mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream

1. Place all ingredients in an electric mixer bowl.
2. Beat on medium high until soft peaks form. Do not overmix!  Use immediately.

Enjoy!