25

Oct

Day 10: Garlicky Salsa Verde

The average Texan consumes so, so much salsa. And it’s a year-round thing. So, even though this is a Fall-focused 31-day challenge (that is stretching out into November, heh)…I’m adding salsa verde. Because I can. And you can, too. Plus, tomatillo season goes into November.

Garlicky Salsa Verde
Tomatillos are those little green jewels most tend to walk right past at the grocery store or farmer’s market. They are part of the nightshade family, which is related to the tomato. They grow in husks and are great roasted, chopped on top of a salad, or however you like.
Makes 3-4 cups of salsa

1 pound of tomatillos (the little green “tomatoes”), about 8 or 9 of them
5 garlic cloves
1/3 cup chopped onions (one-quarter of a large onion)
1/4 cup chopped chives
1 handful of cilantro (2/3 cup-ish), thick stems removed
1/4 cup water
2 tsp chili powder
6 dashes of Chipotle Tabasco
Salt and pepper, to taste (about 1/2 tsp salt)

Step One: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove husks and rinse the tomatillos; remove peel from garlic. On a rimmed baking sheet, spread out the tomatillos and the garlic. Bake for 5 minutes, then flip the tomatillos and bake for 5 more minutes, or until tomatillos are an olive color. Remove from oven, and set aside to cool a bit.

Step Two: In a blender or food processor, add the remaining ingredients, including a little salt and pepper. Next, add the garlic cloves and the tomatillos (plus any juices from the tomatillos). Blend until it is the consistency you prefer. (I prefer pretty smooth…few chunks.) Grab some chips and eat! Or top on some enchiladas. MMM.

With help from
Rick Bayless & The Homesick Texan, but mostly by trial and error 🙂

Ole!
Laurel

~Laurel~

12 years ago Short URL

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10

Jun

Biscuits and Gravy 2

 I love weekends. They’re busy and relaxing, sunny and rainy, but never too long. We were feeling a little breakfast for dinner last night, and here’s what happened:

Biscuits ‘n Gravy (the quick way)
For a lazy brunch, make your favorite homemade biscuits. For an easy dinner that’s quick, too, bust out the pre-made biscuit dough or bakery-bought biscuits. This gravy is creamy without any fatty cream and will remind you of your Southern grandmother’s amazing recipe for buttermilk biscuits, even if she was from New Jersey. Enjoy.
Serves 6

10-12 biscuits
16 ounces of your favorite sausage (pork, tofu crumbles, etc…)
1/4 cup flour (all-purpose or brown rice flour do well)
1 quart of milk (cow, soy, hemp, almond…something thicker [not rice milk])
Optional: 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper; 1/2 teaspoon ground sage

Step One:
Prepare your biscuits (oven, already baked, etc.) and heat them. In a large saucepan, brown the sausage. If using pork or other fatty meat, drain almost all of the fat (reserve 1 TB with the meat). 

Step Two:
Next add flour to the cooked sausage and coat the meat. 

Step Three:
Then, add the milk. Stir continuously until gravy starts to thicken (7 minutes or so). Add pepper and sage for flavor. Let sit for a few more minutes to thicken more and stir once again. Spoon over piping hot biscuits and serve.
   
Hope your fun weekend spills over into the week!

Happy eating!
Laurel

~Laurel~

13 years ago Short URL

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22

Apr

Homemade ‘Bisquick’

There’s no shame in making your life easier.

From simple home organization to major changes (like moving closer to your work and social activities), most of us try hard to make life a little less crazy/time-consuming/chaotic. Bisquick, the beloved baker’s shortcut, was created in the 1930s and is still used. The problem: hydrogenated oils, pricey for what you get, etc. If you make a big batch of homemade ‘baking mix,’ you can use a cup here and two cups there in all sorts of ways for meal/snack shortcuts. Here is how I use it:

  • Garlic cheese biscuits
  •  Pancakes
  • Chicken pot pie
  • Breading for chicken or shrimp
  • Pies
  • Muffins
  • Scones
  • Etc, etc, etc…

 So here are the ingredients in the big Yellow box:
Enriched Flour Bleached (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Partially Hydrogenated Soybean and/or Cottonseed Oil, Leavening (Baking Soda, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate, Monocalcium Phosphate), Dextrose, Salt.
 (courtesy of http://blog.fooducate.com/2010/08/29/bisquick-a-shortcut-loaded-with-trans-fat/)

Ick. But here are two homemade recipes:

Homemade Bisquick Mix 
Thanks to Pennies & Pancakes for her recipe

  • 6 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon salt 
  • 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter 

 Combine the first three ingredients in a large bowl. Using a pastry cutter or the back of a fork, chop up the butter in the same bowl and combine it with the flour mixture.

Transfer to an airtight container and keep in your fridge for up to 4 months. Scoop out the mix as needed.

Homemade Wheat Bisquick Mix
Thanks to Thrifty Housewife for her recipe

  • 4 Cups unbleached flour
  • 4 Cups whole wheat flour
  • 1/4 Cup baking powder
  • 4 Teaspoons salt
  • 1 Cup shortening or oil
  • 1 1/3 Cups dry powdered milk

In large bowl, blend unbleached flour, salt, and baking powder. Add shortening (or oil) and mix until crumbly. Stir in powdered milk, and then the whole wheat flour.

Store in an airtight container for up to 2 months; refrigerate if made with the oil.

***USE BOTH OF THESE MIXES AS YOU WOULD NORMALLY USE BISQUICK.

 And, on that note, a simple Bisquick recipe…that I’ve been making since high school.

Garlic Cheddar Biscuits (like from Red Lobster)
Makes 8, but easily doubles
2 cups Bisquick mix (either regular or wheat version)
3/4 cup milk (or 1 cup milk for wheat version)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 t. garlic powder
2 TB butter or margarine, melted

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except butter.

Spoon out small ‘biscuit-sized’ portions of dough on a nonstick baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until golden on top.

Once you take the biscuits out of the oven, quickly brush the melted butter on top of them. Serve warm or at room temp. 

*These go great with anything, but we usually serve them with pork, ribs, stew, or something hearty. If you’re serving with fish, you might want to add 2 dashes of dill to the dough.

Happy eating!
Laurel

~Laurel~

13 years ago Short URL

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