Garlic Aioli

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 tsp Lemon Juice
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp Pepper

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients and stir until well combined.

Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.

Serve and enjoy!

Parmesan Crusted Potatoes

 These potatoes make a WONDERFUL side dish. 

1 lb new potatoes, halved Yukon works great
1/2 Tbsp Garlic Powder
small amount of oil
4 Tbsp Butter, melted
1 1/2 cups Parmesan Cheese

Preheat oven to 425.  Clean potatoes and cut them in half.  Score them into a diamond shape.

Season potatoes with garlic powder and a little oil.

In a medium bowl, combine melted butter and parmesan cheese, creating a paste-like mixture.

Spread the parmesan mixture on the bottom of the baking pan.  Place potatoes face down on the baking sheet.

Bake until potatoes are golden and fully baked about 25 minutes.

Strawberry Compote

I make this sauce when I make plain cheesecake.  It is SO good over cheesecake and ice cream and pancakes.  Heck, it's almost good enough to drink LOL

4 Cups strawberries, diced up
1 tsp Vanilla
1/3 - 1/2 cup Sugar
1 tsp Cornstarch
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
A pinch of Salt

1. Prepare The Strawberries. Start by slicing or dicing the strawberries.
2. Combine Strawberries & Sugar. Add the strawberries to a medium saucepan along with the sugar. 
3. Make Slurry. In a small bowl, combine lemon juice, cornstarch, vanilla, and salt. Whisk together until completely smooth, then add this cornstarch slurry to the strawberries and sugar. 
4. Bring To A Boil. Stir the mixture with a flexible spatula over medium heat until it begins to boil. 
5. Stir To Thicken. Keep stirring. Reduce the heat and simmer on the stove for 4-5 minutes, or until the berries have softened somewhat and the sauce has thickened. (Remember it will thicken more as it cools)
6. Cool. Let the strawberry topping cool, then transfer the finished sauce to an airtight container or glass jar. Chill in the refrigerator until cold.
7. Serve & Store. Store strawberry topping in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. You can freeze this strawberry topping in an airtight freezer bag for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge before using (the texture will soften slightly upon thawing). Enjoy this strawberry topping with waffles, ice cream, cheesecake, strawberry shortcake, pound cake, yogurt, and more!

 

Biscuits

Let me tell you I have tried and tried to make biscuits for YEARS!!! They started out like hockey pucks LOL. But with lots of practice and a family that loves to try them, I have finally gotten some that are pretty darn good.  They aren't Hardee's good but they are pretty good.  Here ya go!

2 cups self-rising flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

3 Tbsp Butter

4 Tbsp Crisco, butter-flavored

3/4 - 1 cup buttermilk or whole milk

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.  Cut in the butter and shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the milk and stir together with a spoon. DO NOT DUMP the milk in all at once.  Start with about 1/2 cup and gradually add until the dough is wet.  Turn out onto a generously floured surface.  DO NOT KNEAD.

Roll or pat out your dough to about 1 inch thick.  Cut out biscuits.  I used a 2-inch biscuit cutter so they would be a bigger biscuit to use for breakfast sandwiches.  Spray a baking sheet lightly with cooking spray. Place biscuits touching each other on the baking sheet.  Brush tops with additional buttermilk.  Bake in preheated 425 degrees oven for about 15-20 minutes until brown on top.  Makes between 8-10 biscuits.  

I personally do not use buttermilk.  I use either whole milk or 2% milk and they are still delicious.