Cheesy Rosemary Drop Biscuits

Don't you just love culinary karma. You know, when you stumble upon a delicious recipe and just so happen to have practically everything in your kitchen already. You might even be struck with a great idea on how to jazz up said recipe. This is culinary karma. For the record I also believe in shopping karma - where you put the beautiful, but pricey dress back on the rack and return a week later to see if they still have your size. If so, well, that little number was just meant to be yours. 

Back to the point though, I had a bout of culinary karma the other day when I came across some yummy little biscuits on Everybody Like Sandwiches. I was debating what to have for dinner and had a hankering for some eggs. Since we were also leaving for Toronto for a week (which is where we still are), we had barely anything left in the fridge. When I saw these it was like all the moving pieces came together. Poached eggs over cheesy biscuits - perfect easy dinner. I changed the recipe up a bit to fit what I had on hand, and loved the end result. I think you could really play around with these to find the flavor combination that works for you. 

I will for sure be making these again. They have that perfect squishy, biscuity (I can make up words when it's my blog, right?) texture, and are loaded with flavor. Plus they are as easy to make as cookies. Just mix and scoop. And be sure to grab the parchment paper instead of wax paper though...oops! ;)

Cheesy Rosemary Drop Biscuits

Adapted from Everybody Like Sandwiches, which she got from Bread & Honey

Makes appx. 9

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon dried rosemary

coarsely ground black pepper, to taste

3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese

1/2 cup grated jack cheese

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup buttermilk

• Preheat oven to 450℉.
• Combine flour, baking powder, salt, rosemary, pepper, and cheeses in a large bowl.
• Stir in milk and oil and stir just until all ingredients are incorporated.
• Use an ice cream scoop to make equal sized dollops onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
• Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until lightly golden.

Strawberry Yogurt Muffins

I've been a bad little blogger lately. We've been so busy enjoying the lovely change in weather, that there has been very little cooking going on. Instead we've been having dinner with friends, golfing, and just quickly grabbing things as we go. This on-the-go mentality is actually what lead me to these muffins. I'm not normally a muffin gal. If I'm going to go to the trouble to bake something for breakfast, it's probably going to be pancakes or bacon and eggs. Muffins have always seemed like a bit of a light weight. They are nice for about an hour, but then you are starving again. And don't even getting me started on most healthy varieties out there - if I wanted a nutritious breakfast, I wouldn't be eating a muffin, especially one that tasted like cardboard.

So I was naturally a little apprehensive when I saw this recipe on my yogurt container. Whole wheat is not exactly at the top of my list when it comes to baked goods, but I also knew that it would keep me satisfied longer (see Michelle, I'm learning!). And the muffin form would be very convenient for the busy days ahead. Plus the strawberries at the store seemed to be screaming "buy me!" 

I was more than pleasantly surprised with the outcome. The muffins are super moist with big air pockets and chunks of gooey strawberry. They definitely aren't of the sweet/sugary topping variety (yeah Starbucks, I'm talking to you), but can be made so with a dollop of Ina's wonderful cinnamon honey butter. Healthy muffin and a big smear of butter - guess I'm taking baby steps in the nutritious eating department. I froze half the batch and have been zapping/sticking them in the oven when I'm in need of an quick and easy breakfast. 

And also a big happy (belated) mother's day to all you special ladies out there. Mom, you're the best and I love you! How you put up with 3 crazy kids, I will never know. ;)

Strawberry Yogurt Muffins

Recipe adapted from Stoneyfield Farm Organic (on container)

1 cup AP flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 cup chopped strawberries

2 eggs

1 cup yogurt (I used Stonyfield lowfat plain)

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla

• Preheat oven to 375℉.
• In a medium bowl, combine the flours, sugar, and baking soda.
• Stir in strawberries, then set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, yogurt, butter and vanilla.
• Gradually stir dry ingredients into wet.
• Divide batter evenly amongst a 12-cup muffin tin that has been greased or lined with papers.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.

Skillet Cornbread

For the past few weeks, I have been absolutely smitten with a new cookbook - The Cornbread Gospels. This lovely book is written by Crescent Dragonwagon, and is the result of years of research and just an all-out passion for cornbread. It is loaded with history, storytelling and of course, many wonderful recipes. This is one of those cookbooks that you read like a novel. By the end, you not only have a greater appreciation for cornbread, but also for the many people and generations that have helped evolve it and add to its rich history.

This book doesn't miss a beat. There are recipes and descriptions for traditional northern, southern and southwestern cornbreads, as well as ones found world wide. It is full of new and eventful ways to use cornmeal, in addition to ways to use up leftover cornbread. Recipes for things like baked beans and cooked greens are included to make sure you have the perfect accompaniment to each and every type.

So where is one to begin? I will admit, there are more little flags coming off of this book than you will find at the UN. Nearly every recipe appealed to me in some way. Most people already have a love affair with cornbread (of some variety), but hearing the history behind each recipe only entices you to try it more. I decided to start in a rather natural spot, with the same cornbread that Miss Crescent served up in her very own restaurant in Arkansas, the Dairy Hollow House.

This cornbread was simple to make using a cast-iron skillet. For those of you a little intimidated to use your cast-iron, this is a great starter recipe. All you do is heat some butter up in the skillet, add the mixture of ingredients and pop it in the oven. The cornbread comes out with a buttery, thin and crisp outer crust that is in perfect contrast to the soft and airy center. If I have ever tasted a cornbread that I would call "authentic" this would be it. It's neither sweet nor spicy, but has a true corn flavor that shines through beautifully. My husband and I alone cleared off half the skillet with dinner, and I finished off the rest with a big smear of butter for breakfast the next morning. If you like non-sweetened cornbread, I would give this a try. And if you are a cornbread fan in general, I would definitely recommend checking out this book.

A big Thanks to Sam over at My Carolina Kitchen for this very thoughtful award. Sam writes a food column for the Murphy, NC paper and has tons of great recipes. She also has been spending time in the south of France, and has some amazing posts on the food and her experiences there. I'm sure you would really enjoy hearing all about it - I know I am super jealous!! :) Over the past months I have made some great friends through the food blog community, so I want to share this award with all of you!!

The hubs and I are taking a little trek down south for all of next week, so I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter! I can't wait to spend some time on the golf course and in the sun, and of course, wear white pants!

Dairy Hollow House Skillet-Sizzled Cornbread

Courtesy of The Cornbread Gospels - Crescent Dragonwagon

vegetable oil cooking spray

1 cup unbleached white flour

1 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal (use organic if you can)

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

2 tablespoons sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup mild vegetable oil

2 tablespoons butter

• Preheat the oven to 375℉.
• Spray a 10-inch cast-iron skillet with oil and set aside.
• Sift the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt together.
• In a small bowl, stir the baking soda and buttermilk together.
• Whisk in the sugar, egg and 1/4 cup oil into the buttermilk.
• Place the oiled skillet over medium heat, add the butter and cook just until butter has melted and starts to sizzle.
• Turn the pan so that the butter covers the entire bottom and sides of the pan.
• Combine wet and dry ingredients, and stir together using as few strokes as possible.
• Scrape batter into pan and bake for 20 minutes, or until it is golden brown.
• Let it cool slightly, slice and serve.

Housewife's Banana Bread

I'm pretty sure that everyone already has their favorite banana bread recipe. I know I do - my mom's. This is not a post for hers though, because see the thing about my mom's banana bread is, that it's simply hers. It's what she's known for and I'm pretty sure that if I ever tried to make it, there would be no chance of it tasting as good as when she does. Guess it just has that extra little "mom factor." So, I'll stick with having her mail us loaves and loaves (seriously, the UPS guy knows her by name).

For this same reason, I usually steer clear of most banana bread recipes. This one piqued my interest though (when I first saw it on Noble Pig, but actually got it's origin from Leslie at The Hungry Housewife -- love both of them!), because of the ingredients. Essentially, Leslie took a plain jane banana bread and gussied it up into something really different and special. It has coconut and blueberries, in addition to walnuts, if you're into that sort of thing. This was entirely different than my mom's, and in the end I decided was even more like a blueberry bread. And it was delicious! My only mistake was forgetting to set the timer (or I actually set it on the microwave and someone -- ahem -- messed with it!), so it got a little overcooked on the edges. Nothing a little doctoring couldn't fix.

So even if you have a go-to banana bread recipe, I would encourage you to try this one for a change. I mean we all have black bananas in the freezer, right? I liked mine best slightly heated in the microwave with a big smear of butter.

Please click HERE to get the recipe and to pay Leslie a little visit. The only change I made was to add a few more blueberries (which I highly recommend!). I think I would also leave out the walnuts next time as well, but that is entirely up to you and yours. 

Sweet Honey Cornbread

I've been seeing a lot of cornbread recipes out there lately, and I have to tell you, I'm a big fan of the sweet versions. The savory ones that have a little kick to them just don't do it for me. Especially since I normally serve cornbread with soups and such that already have a bite to them, so the sweeter versions work to counteract a bit of that heat. Sorry, to all of you who think sweet cornbread is a bunch of bologna, but I like it!

This is my first time making cornbread entirely from scratch, and there really is nothing to it. It's so easy, I don't know why I even bothered with the mix in the first place. You can really taste the honey in these, but they aren't too sweet. They baked up beautifully, with a slightly crisp edge and a moist, crumbly center.  With a nice pat of butter, these are just perfection.

Instead of eating my little disaster of a gumbo, I ate 3 of these for dinner. :)

Sweet Honey Cornbread Muffins

Adapted from Down Home with the Neelys

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1 cup AP flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup whole milk

2 large eggs

1/2 stick butter, melted

1/4 cup honey

• Preheat oven to 400℉.
• Mix together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, butter and honey.
• Combine the wet and dry, stirring with a wooden spoon just until combined.
• Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners and fill each cup with mixture till about 3/4 full.
• Bake for approximately 15 minutes, or until just golden brown.

Spoon Cornbread

Since everyone seems to be snowed in and cold (except for my parents - ya, ya, I know it's warm and sunny and I never should have moved above the Mason-Dixon line. I get it.). I thought I would share with ya'll my perfect accompaniment to the soup that we will all be inevitably making. This is like an amped-up version of cornbread. It's quick and easy, and doesn't even require you to pull out a whisk.

It's starts with good ol' Jiffy mix, then you add creamed and regular corn. There's also some sour cream in there to keep the bread nice and moist. I often make this in muffin tins and freeze any extra muffins. They freeze beautifully and will make even a canned soup night seem homey. If you like sweeter cornbread vs. the kind with some heat, this is for you.

I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe New Years! We are off to Canada for a few days, so assuming I don't become a popsicle while we are there, I will see you all in 2009!

Spoon Cornbread

1 Dozen Muffins

1 package Jiffy Corn Muffin mix (8 1/2-oz.)

appx. 10-oz. Canned Creamed Corn

appx. 10-oz. Canned Kernel Corn, drained

1 cup Sour Cream

2 Eggs

1 stick of Butter, melted

Pam

• Preheat oven to 350℉.
• Mix all ingredients together using a spoon.
• Spray muffin tine with a little Pam, and pour in mixture.
• Bake for appx. 35 minutes, or until tops are golden brown, edges are darkened, and an inserted toothpick comes out clean (if baking in a rectangular pan, bake time will increase to about 1 hour).

Panettone Bread Pudding

You know how sometimes you are introduced to something new, and then you see it just everywhere and wonder how you went so long without knowing it even existed? This is my experience with Panettone. Panettone is a beautiful Italian cake that I've seen many people blog about and is all over the grocery stores and bakeries, but up until about a month ago I didn't even know there was such a thing. 

It really caught my attention when I saw Ina making this bread pudding with it on the Food Network. I've never really been a big bread pudding fan, but Brad and I had just recently had an amazing version at a local Mexican restaurant, so I guess I was in the mood.

It is delicious!! The almond and vanilla extracts give it an amazingly rich flavor. It made me immediately think of amaretto. It also looks beautiful with the little pieces of dried fruit and makes enough for the whole family. This would be the perfect ending to a holiday meal. We ate it after it had been out of the oven for about 30 minutes, so it was still warm, with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. I'm using every once of self control trying to restrain myself from running to the fridge and stealing a little bit more!

I hope you and your family and friends have a wonderful and safe holiday. See you in the New Year!!

Panettone Bread Pudding

Adapted from Barefoot Contessa  - Ina Garten

1 Italian Panettone, brown outer crust removed

Unsalted Butter, for greasing the dish

3 extra-large Eggs

8 extra-large Egg Yolks

5 cups Half-and-Half

2 tsp Vanilla Extract

2 tsp Almond Extract

1/3 cup Sliced Almonds

• Preheat oven to 350℉.
• Cut Panettone into 1-inch cubes and spread out on a baking sheet.
• Toast cubes for about 10 minutes, or until lightly browned.
• Grease a 9x13 in. baking dish with the butter, and place bread cubes inside.
• Whisk together the whole eggs, egg yolks, half-and-half, vanilla and almond extracts and sugar.
• Pour mixture over bread and allow to soak for 10 minutes.
• Scatter almonds on top.
• Place baking dish inside a larger dish.
• Fill larger dish with hot tap water until it comes about halfway up baking dish.
• Cover the entire thing with aluminum foil with a few holes cut in it so that it vents.
• Bake for 45 minutes, being careful not to spill any water into the actual baking dish.
• Remove aluminum foil and bake for and additional 45 minutes or until light golden brown and the custard is set.
• Allow to rest for 15 minutes before serving (best warm or room temperature).

Tuscan Ribolita with Tomato Garlic Bread

Everybody pull out your slow cookers yet again, I have a heck of a soup for you to try. It's hearty and warm and will give your house the most mouth watering smell. Forget lilac, I want a ribolita candle. It's also very quick to throw together and is fairly healthy considering it is totally meat-free and has lots of veggies and beans (you know how the song goes...).

I made this the other day when the hubby and L had another one of their little jam sessions, and  we all thought it was completely soul satisfying and perfectly flavored. The hubby even said that it was better than the soup he gets for lunch most days at Hale and Hearty. Considering these are on just about every corner of NYC, my culinary ego is feeling a little puffed today. :) This is the first recipe I've made from this cookbook, so I will definitely be going back for more.

I normally serve a soup up with some kind of sandwich or salad, as I usually don't find soups satisfying enough on their own. Every meal needs something to literally bite into, not just sip, in my opinion. But the bread cubes in the ribolita really do the trick and make it hearty enough in its own right. Nevertheless, I made up some toasted bread and rubbed it with tomato and garlic to serve alongside. For something so simple, it sure tasted good and the tomatoey bread was a great compliment to the soup.

Tuscan Ribolita

Adapted from Slow Cooker - Willams-Sonoma

1/4 cup olive oil, plus some for drizzling

2 yellow onions, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup tomato paste

8 cups chicken or vegetable broth

6 cups canned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 bunch kale or savoy cabbage, coarsely chopped

4 carrots, coarsely chopped

2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced

Salt and pepper

3 cups day-old crusty bread

Parmesan cheese shavings (optional)

• Warm olive oil over medium heat in a frying pan.
• Add onions and garlic and cook for 5 minutes, or until softened.
• Stir in tomato paste and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
• Add broth to the pan and bring to a boil.
• Remove from heat once the liquid begins to boil.
• Place beans, kale, carrots, celery, and thyme in slow cooker.
• Add 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper.
• Add in the broth.
• Cook in slow cooker for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.
• Stir bread into soup about 10 minutes before serving.
• Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.
• Optionally, each serving can be drizzled with olive oil and parmesan shavings.

Tomato Garlic Bread

Slices of crusty bread (I used ciabatta)

Garlic cloves, peeled

Tomatoes, halved

EVOO

Coarse Salt

• Lay the slices of bread over a grill pan for a few minutes on each side until they are toasted and have nice markings.
• Rub each piece of toast with a garlic clove then the cut side of the tomato half.
• Drizzle with a little bit of olive oil and follow with a sprinkle of salt.