Buttermilk Biscuits

Making homemade biscuits is something I have tried and tried.  I figured out bread and yeast products but biscuits are a whole different ballgame.  I have tried at least 20 different recipes and what I have come up with is a variety of different recipes and combined them till I found one that I really enjoyed.  They used to come out like hockey pucks but have finally gotten to wear they rise are perfectly flaky.

• 2-1/2 cups All Purpose Flour
• 2 Tbsps. Baking Powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup COLD butter
• 1 cup COLD buttermilk
• 2 tsps. honey or sugar

1. Preheat oven to 425.
2. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt to a large mixing bowl. Stir until well-combined.
3. Cut the cold butter into cubes and add it to the bowl. Use a pastry cutter (or the back of a fork) to work it in until coarse crumbs form.
4. Create a hole in the middle of the dry mixture and add the cold buttermilk and honey. Use a silicone spatula to gently stir until just combined. Don’t overmix. It will be crumbly.
5. Add the dough to a floured surface and create a rectangle with your hands about 9 inches long.
6. Fold the left side into the middle, then the right side. (See process shots.)
7. Rotate the dough so that it’s horizontal. Gently flatten into a rectangle again, and repeat the same folding process 2 more times.
8. Form into a 10 x 7 inch triangle about 1-inch thick.
9. Use a 3-inch cookie cutter to cut 6 circles. Do not twist the cutter, it will seal the edges and prevent airflow which will hinder them from rising. Lightly flour the inside of the cutter in between. I like to store them in the fridge as I cut them to prevent them from getting too warm.
10. Roll the dough back out until it’s 1 inch thick again and cut 2 more biscuits. You should end up with about 8 biscuits total.
11. Butter a 10-inch cast iron skillet and place the biscuits inside so that they are almost touching. The close proximity makes them rise better. You could also place them close together on parchment paper on top of a baking sheet.
12. Bake for 15 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
13. Combine the honey and melted butter and brush the warm biscuits with it. For more browning on top, bake for up to 5 more minutes at 450°.
14. Store in an airtight container or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can also freeze leftover biscuits.

Rotini Salad

This is one of my favorite pasta salad recipes.  I love love the dressing on this pasta.  It reminds me way back in the day when we used to have get-togethers or Sunday suppers.  I believe my aunt's used to make this. Have you ever had this recipe?

• 1 lb rotini cooked, drained, and chilled
• 1 large green pepper, diced
• 1 chopped onion
• 3 carrots, peeled and grated
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup vinegar
• 1-1/2 cup mayonnaise

Mix thoroughly the milk, sugar, salt, vinegar, and mayonnaise.   Pour over tossed vegetables and rotini.  Toss to coat.  Chill before serving.  Best if chilled 2 days before serving.

Naan Bread

Ingredients:

•  ¼ cup warm water - about 110°
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1½ tsp active dry yeast, or instant yeast
• ¾ cup warm milk
• ¾ cup plain yogurt
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting

Directions:

1. Combine the warm water and sugar in a large mixing bowl and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Sprinkle in the yeast over the top and let sit for 5 minutes, until foamy.
2. Add in the warm milk, yogurt, olive oil, baking powder, salt, and all-purpose flour. Combine with your hands or a sturdy wooden spoon until the dough ball forms. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead the dough for 3 to 5 minutes, until smooth and elastic.
3. Coat the mixing bowl with olive oil, add the dough ball back to the bowl, and cover. Let sit in a warm location for about 1 hour, until the dough is double in size.
4. Divide the risen dough into 10 equal wedges and then roll into an elongated circle (oval shape), about ¼" to ⅛" thin.
5. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and coat it with oil. Once the pan is nice and hot, you may want to reduce the heat so you don't scorch the bread.
6. Add the rolled-out dough to the pan, and let it cook for about 30 to 60 seconds until bubbles start to form. Flip over and cook for an additional 30 to 60 seconds, until the bread, is browned and cooked through.
7. Remove the naan bread from the skillet, brush with butter and sprinkle with Tastefully Simple Garlic, Garlic. 

Cinnamon Rolls

Tangzhong

• 1/2 cup (113g) whole milk
• 3 tablespoons (23g) King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour

Directions for the Tangzhong:

• Combine both the ingredients in a small saucepan, and whisk until no lumps remain.
• Place the saucepan over medium heat and cook the mixture, stirring regularly, until thickened, paste-like, and the spoon or spatula leaves lines on the bottom of the pan. This should take 1 to 3 minutes, depending on the strength of your burner.
• Remove from the heat and transfer to a large mixing bowl, the bowl of a stand mixer, or the bucket of a bread machine (whatever you plan to knead the dough in).

Dough

• 2/3 cup whole milk, cold
• 2 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 package of vanilla instant pudding
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla

To Make the Dough:

• Add the cold milk, then the flour and remaining ingredients to the mixing bowl in the order listed; the heat from the tangzhong will help to warm the cold milk.
• Mix on low speed of a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment, to bring the dough together. Next, knead the dough until it’s smooth, elastic, and tacky. This will take 10 to 12 minutes on a medium-low speed of a mixer.
• Shape the dough into a ball, place it in a bowl, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a reusable cover.
• Let the dough rise until puffy but not necessarily doubled in bulk, about 60 to 90 minutes (depending on the warmth of your kitchen).

Filling:

• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 2 tablespoons King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour
• 3 to 4 teaspoons cinnamon
• 3 to 4 teaspoons sugar
• 1/16 teaspoon (pinch) salt

• To make the filling: While the dough is rising, put the melted butter into a medium bowl and add the remaining ingredients, stirring until the mixture is the texture of damp sand. Set aside.
• Lightly grease a baking sheet, or line it with parchment paper.

To assemble the rolls:

1. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface and press it into a 10” x 12” rectangle that’s about 1/2” thick. For evenly shaped rolls, try to pat the dough into an actual rectangle (with corners), rather than an oval. 
2. Sprinkle the filling over the dough, covering all but a 1/2” strip along one long side. 
3. Starting with the filling-covered long side, roll the dough into a log.
4. Score the dough lightly into eight equal 1 1/2” to 2” pieces; this will make large, saucer-sized cinnamon rolls — their generous size is part of their charm. Cut the dough at the score marks. Dental floss will give you the cleanest cut: pull off a long piece of floss, loop it underneath the log at the score mark, and pull the ends in opposite directions to cut the dough. Repeat until you've cut all of the rolls. If you don’t have dental floss, a bench knife or sharp knife will work. 
5. Place the rolls onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them so there’s at least 2” between each one and they’re 2” away from the edges of the pan; a 3-2-3 arrangement works well. To prevent them from unraveling while they rise and bake, tuck the ends of the spirals underneath the rolls so that they’re held in place.
6. Cover the rolls with lightly greased plastic wrap or a reusable cover and let them rise for 30 to 60 minutes (depending on the warmth of your kitchen). The rolls should be puffy and the dough shouldn’t bounce back immediately when gently pressed.
7. About 20 minutes before you’re ready to bake, position a rack in the top third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
8. Bake the rolls for 14 to 18 minutes, until they’re a light golden brown and a digital thermometer inserted into the center of one roll reads 190°F. Bake for the lesser amount of time for extra-soft rolls, and the longer amount of time for rolls with a bit more color and slightly firmer texture.
9. Remove the rolls from the oven, place the pan on a rack, and brush the hot rolls with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the melted butter. Let the rolls cool for 10 to 15 minutes before icing.

Meatloaf

 I am always looking into finding the best meatloaf and I believe I may have found it.  The cheese added that little bit of what I was missing.  Let me know if you try it and if you like it!

• 1 1/2 lbs hamburger
• 1/2 lb Italian sausage
• small onion
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup BBQ sauce
• 1 cup shredded cheese
• 1 sleeve crackers crushed
• 2 splashes Worchestershire Sauce
• pepper
• garlic powder
• Tony's 

• Topping:
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
• 1 tsp Mustard
• 2 Tbsp BBQ Sauce
• Splash of Worcestershire sauce

Mix all ingredients together except the topping ingredients.  Shape into a loaf and put into a loaf pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for an hour.  Pour topping onto the top, and bake for an additional 15 minutes.  

Cornbread from Krusteaz

 This is for Melissa!! So she knows to use OIL with the Honey Cornbread & Muffin Mix.