Biscuits & Sausage Gravy

There is a chill in the air and fall is definitely upon us.  Yesterday was a dreary and rainy evening.  During the evening hours, I was cozy watching the World Series on TV and text messaging with a friend about the events of the game and hoping our beloved Royals would rally.  Sadly, they did not, but the Series isn't over yet!  During our text conversation,  she asked me if I had added anything to the blog lately.  Well, I had to confess, that things have been busy and I have just not been feeling very creative in the kitchen and no, I haven't had an entry in several months.  

The guilt set in.  

I have been craving biscuits and sausage gravy for the last few days, so I decided it was time to take care of that craving, and I would leverage the basic recipes for photos and a new blog entry.  I've historically not been a baking powder biscuit fan, because I've never seemed to master them.  They often were more like hockey pucks rather than the light, fluffy creations I expected them to be.  For these reasons, I generally take the easy way out and get a tube of biscuits from the grocery.  

Well, I won't be doing that any more!  This is my new go to recipe for light fluffy and flaky buttermilk biscuits that I can easily mix up with ingredients I have on hand.  These biscuits are not my recipe, credit belongs to Cooking Light.  I'm excited to find an easy recipe that fits my biscuit expectations and am excited to share the recipe with you.  

So without further ado, here's the biscuit recipe that can be quickly pulled together for a tasty breakfast.  They would be fantastic simply slathered with butter or with some jelly or a drizzle of honey.     

But for the royal treatment, whip up a skillet full of gravy to make you feel warm and cozy!

Low Carb Focaccia

Bread,  often referred to as the 'staff of life'.  Bread is an incredibly basic food that supports life. The world of bread is immense and varied: some type of bread is found in almost every society of the world and is made with the simplest of ingredients.  

With the evolution and modification of grains, many folks have digestive issues with gluten and wheat products, others have opted to eliminate wheat as well as grains from their diet. I personally feel better since eliminating wheat from my diet during my low carb journey.

As those of you who join me on the low carb journey probably know, finding a good low carb bread isn't easy and if you like bread, that's a big deal!

I adapted this from a recipe found in About.com and I hope that you will enjoy this recipe as much as I do.  It produces a thin, flat whole grain textured bread that is wonderful for dipping in your favorite olive oil, slathering it with fresh creamy butter, or thinly slicing it in half to make your favorite sandwich or panini.

Crumpets

Who among you has heard of tea and crumpets?  I have often heard the reference but actually had no idea what a crumpet looked like or tasted like.  On the other hand, I am very familiar with English Muffins and love them toasted and oozing with butter!

A friend of mine at work was going on about how good crumpets were not long ago.  She told me that if I liked English Muffins, I'd like Crumpets.  So the following weekend I found some in the refrigerated case at my local supermarket.

Once home, I toasted one up, slathered on the butter and became an instant convert!  I love these so much more than English Muffins.

Yesterday she and I visited a local kitchen store so I could purchase some rings so I could make crumpets.  I didn't hesitate to get started and mixed up the recipe this morning late.  What a wonderful project for a nice snowy morning.

I looked online for recipes and used the one by Bobby Flay on thecookingchannel.com.  After reading the recipe through a couple of times, I ended up altering the directions just a little.  You can find the original recipe on The Cooking Channel website or follow my instructions (which I think are easier and still produce desired results.

Gluten Free FireCrackers

I've dubbed these little jewels "fire" crackers because they have jalapeno pepper in them.  I'm among those who like spicy foods.
Also these little gems contain no wheat flour for those of you who are needing to avoid gluten.

I found this recipe via Pinterest, yes it is an addiction, but it inspires me to try new things and helps me pass time on the bus ride to and from work each day. Following is the recipe as posted by The Realistic Nutritionist, inspired by Oh My Veggies with a little modification to the directions by me.
 Let the healthy snacking begin!

Double Chocolate Muffins

Ladies and gentlemen....start your blenders (or food processors)!

These muffins are delish and are so easy to make.  You just dump the ingredients in, blend and bake!

Again, I find a lot of inspiration on Pinterest....these were also based on one of those finds.

I substituted ricotta cheese for the plain greek yogurt since I didn't have any plain yogurt in the fridge and the result was still yummy!

I'll be packing one of these this week to have along with my morning coffee when I get to work.  

Dressing

I know we're past Thanksgiving now, but I wanted to share my dressing recipe.  When I grew up Thanksgiving dinner was usually ham or roast.  I don't recall ever having turkey.  I know, I know, before you write me off,  we did have all the other fixin's.

Although we didn't have a bird, we did have dressing.  Where I come from in southern Indiana, stuffing is prepared in the bird, dressing is prepared and baked in a pan independent from the bird.  Myself, I prefer the outside the bird method because I like all the crispy edges you get.

This is my mom's recipe, with a few minor adjustments.  Yep, can't leave a recipe alone, I have to tweak it just a bit.

You need to plan a bit ahead of time to dry the bread for this recipe.  I've never used croutons because I just don't see the need of trying to soften up rock hard bread cubes.  It's more inexpensive to dry your own bread anyway.

For this recipe you will need 2 loaves of white bread.  If you have time to poke holes in the bag and let it set and dry out, that's great.  If not, tear the pieces into hunks and let the bread set out overnight on a couple of cookie sheets or into a warm oven after baking your holiday pie.  If you prefer to make a 9x9 pan, just half the ingredients.  The bake time will be the same.

Whole Wheat Banana Bread

This banana bread is true to the name "quick bread".  I don't know about you, but I never eat the entire bunch of bananas, so this is the answer to your overripe banana problem.  It is also fat free...except for that butter or cream cheese you choose to slather on.

Prosciutto, Capocollo and Carmelized Onion Pizza

Prosciutto, Capocollo and Carmelized Onion Pizza

This is a quick and easy recipe for pizza.  I tend to like thin crust pizza and as a result I had to search a bit to find a recipe that was easy, thin yet substantial enough to hold some hefty ingredients and not be doughy.  In my reading about pizza crust, I learned that the dough doesn't go through the rising process if you are want to achieve a nice thin crust. 

Organic Olive Oil

You will notice that this pizza does not call for a pizza sauce, but rather is simply brushed with extra virgin olive oil, letting the meat and veggies be the stars of the pizza.
   
I used organic olive oil produced in Italy from Agriturismo Poggio Eutrusco's organic farm near Montepulciano.  This tin of oil was a gift from my friend Pamela, who I was delighted to visit in May. 




A little information about our ingredients.....Prosciutto is an Italian word for ham.  In English, it is almost always used for a dry cured ham.  Prosciutto is made from either a pig's or a wild boar's hind leg or thigh.  The process of making prosciutto can take anywhere from nine months to two years, depending on the size of the ham. 

The prosciutto here from the local deli doesn't even come close to comparing to the fabulous prosciutto in Italy.   It is also expensive, but worth the splurge. I purchased 4 ounces for this pizza and only had a bit little left over for nibbling on later.

During several visits to Italy, I have had the pleasure of staying at Agriturismo Cretaiole where I had the opportunity to visit our host's farm and sample their prosciutto from their farm raised pigs. It is always a melt in your mouth treat!

Luciano's Prosciutto

For my pizza today, I used Prosciutto and another Italian cured meat, Capocollo.  Where Proscuitto comes from the ham, Capocollo is made exclusively of meat from  the shoulder or neck. 



 
I layered on red, yellow and orange bell peppers along with caramelized onions.  I topped off the pizza with fresh herbs from my garden and some freshly grated Parmesan cheese and shredded mozzarella.

Basil, Rosemary and Oregano

Caramelizing onions is easy to do and they are wonderful on this pizza.    Start by thinly slicing 2 medium vidalia onions.  
Drizzle 2 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil into a large non-stick skillet.
Add 1 Tablespoon brown sugar and stir over medium heat.

You will see the onions start to turn opaque.  Continue to let them cook, stirring frequently.  When they are finished they will be a lovely caramel color, like the photo below.  Remove the onions from the heat and set them aside to cool.  I generally cook up a nice supply and keep a stash in the frige.

Caramelized Onions

Now it's time to make the pizza dough.

Pizza Dough

Ingredients:

1  .25 oz. package of active dry yeast
1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
3/4 cup 110 degree F water
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Happy Yeast

1. Place a pizza or bread baking stone in the oven and preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. 
2. Dissolve yeast and sugar in water. Set aside for 8 minutes.  At the conclusion of the 8 minutes your yeast should be happy and foamy. 
3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour and the salt.
4. Pour the yeast mixture into the flour mixture and mix well with a wooden spoon.
5. Turn the dough onto a floured board and knead until smooth, about 2 minutes.
6. Working from the edges to the center, press the dough into a 12" circle.  You can hold the dough up off the counter and stretch it evenly. 
7. Sprinkle a pizza peel liberally with corn meal.

Assembling the Pizza:

1. Place the pizza dough onto the peel.
2. Drizzle the surface of the dough lightly with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and spread it evenly with your hands.
3. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese.
4. Sprinkle with a combination of Italian seasonings that you like.  I used Rosemary, Oregano and Basil from my garden along with some fennel seed  and cracked black pepper. 
5. Evenly spread the caramelized onions over the crust. 
6. Arrange the paper thin strips of Prosciutto evenly over the onions.
7. If you'd like to add additional veggies you can, for my pizza, I use a mixture of bell peppers, whatever I have on hand.
8. Top it off with another 1/4 cup of freshly grated Parmesan Cheese (not that stuff that comes in a green can) and Mozzarella cheese.   

Pizza ready for the grill

I often use my grill to bake the pizzas.  It results in a lovely crust, but you do have to watch it to make sure it doesn't burn.  When I use the grill with the stone positioned on the grate.  I max out the heat, pumping it all the way to 600.  The pizza cooks in around 5 minutes.  I wish I had an outdoor pizza oven...maybe someday!

The list of instructions is long, but if you have things semi ready, you can mix up this pizza and be eating in around 30 minutes, and it is better than the Pizza chains that we all frequent. 

...and that's What's Cooking at Cathy's ~ Enjoy!

Irish Soda Bread

Today is St. Patrick's Day and parades and celebrations are plentiful and everything is green!

I'm not so much into the celebration and party atmosphere that the holiday brings....rather, I'm here in my kitchen, having my own kind of fun with flour, butter, milk and a few other ingredients.  The holiday has inspired me to try something new, something I've not made before....Irish Soda Bread.  It is surprisingly simple and uber easy if you have a Kitchen Aid stand mixer to lend a hand.

I haven't planned a "traditional" Irish meal.  You see, I'm not a big fan of corned beef and cabbage and boiled potatoes.  It's not the veggies I have issues with, I'm just not a big fan of corned beef.  Instead I am slow cooking a brisket with my homemade dry rib rub and grilling some cabbage slices and will accompany those with this recipe for Irish Soda Bread (slathered with butter).

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com.   The recipe has a high rating and a sea of positive comments.  Based on the comments of the masses, I altered the baking instructions just slightly.  I lowered the oven temperature and increased the baking time.  I also opted to bake my bread as 2 loaves rather than one large loaf and I'm baking it in baking pans that are stoneware (think pizza stone) in hopes of a nice crusty bottom on the loaves.

Don't worry about the 1/4 cup melted butter and 1/4 cup buttermilk that you baste the bread with.  It sounds like a lot, but I used every drop.  The bread is out of the oven now and it smells heavenly and it sure looks is tasty!

Irish Soda Bread
adapted from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

4 cups all-purpose flour
4 Tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1/4 butter, melted
1/4 cup buttermilk

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 
If you are using a pizza stone or stoneware baking dishes, preheat the baking dishes along with the oven.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the four, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and 1/2 cup butter.  It should look like this when it is "right".

Stir in the egg and buttermilk.

Turn the dough out onto a floured board and knead a few turns to pull it together.  Don't work it too much.  This is a different type of dough than regular bread dough and it won't benefit from excessive kneading.  

Form the dough into two 6 inch rounds and place them in the baking dishes (or on a cookie sheet, etc.). 

Pat the dough down slightly and using a sharp knife make a "X" in the top of the loaves. 
(I think I cut mine too deep, I'll go a little easier next time I make the bread.)

In a small bowl, combine the melted butter and buttermilk.
Brush the tops of the loaves with this mixture and put them into the preheated oven.
Bake 50-60 minutes, checking for doneness.  When done a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf will come out clean.  Brush the loaf with the butter mixture while it continues to bake.  I did 4 brushings every 10-15 minutes.

When the loaves come out of the oven, wrap them in a clean dish towel and set the loaves on racks to cool.  Yes, it is okay to slice off a chunk!  Everyone knows the best bread is warm from the oven!  

I am really satisfied with this recipe.  I think it also has great possibilities for added ingredients such as rosemary, raisins, apricots, etc. 

Tie on your apron, and bake up a couple of loaves and share one with a friend!

I'll close today's post with an Irish Blessing.

May joy and peace surround you,
    Contentment latch your door, 
        And happiness be with you now,
            And bless you evermore."

...and that's What's Cooking at Cathy's ~ Enjoy!

Herb and Cheese Focaccia Bread

I love bread! 
There is something magical about the bread you make yourself.  Simple ingredients combined into warm crusty satisfaction. Wonderful enticing aromas wafting from the kitchen as it bakes into golden perfection.  Bread is so much better without all the preservatives that are included in the store bought stuff. 

I'm planning soup for later in the week and leftover pasta for dinner tonight and decided I needed a hearty bread to accompany them.  I opted for making Focaccia because it is quick and easy and doesn't require the rise time that other breads require.

In mere minutes I had this bread mixed up and rising.  It is so quick you can easily pull this together while you are preparing the rest of your dinner meal.  Or if you like bread as much as I do, this makes an awesome snack!

I will try a variation of this later that inclues a good amount of mozzarella on the top for a cheesey bread.

Herb and Cheese Focaccia Bread

Ingredients:

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1  teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 Tablespoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 cup water
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
Sea Salt for sprinkling

Directions:

In a large bowl, sir together the flour, salt and sugar.  Taste the mixture and adjust salt to your taste.  (I added another 1/2 teaspoon to mine at this point.)  Mix in the dried oregano, thyme, basil, rosemary and black pepper. 

Stir in the 1 Tablespoon of olive oil and water.  Mix until the tough pulls together.

Before Kneading

Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic.

After Kneading

Quickly wash out your mixing bowl with warm water, dry and lightly oil the inside. (This will warm the bowl, helping the bread to proof.)
Place the dough into the bowl and turn to coat it with the oil.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.  When the dough has risen, punch it down and place it on a greased baking sheet.  Pat it out into a 1/2 inch thick rectangle.  Drizzle the remaining 2 Tablespoons of oil on top and spread with your fingers. 

Using your finger tips, dimple the surface of the dough.

Sprinkle with the 1/2 teaspoon of dried rosemary and 1 tablespoon of grated Parmesan cheese.

Give the bread a quick grate of sea salt and pop it into the oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve warm. 

Seriously, in the time it took me to type up the recipe in the blog, my bread has baked and I'm sitting here enjoying a big hunk!  It is so so good!

...and that my friends is What's Cooking at Cathy's ~ Enjoy!

No-Knead Bread

I was given this recipe by the manager at the Le Creuset store in Leawood, KS.  The recipe originated from the New York Times.  Regardless of where it came from,  I have been using my cast enamel French Oven and have been making amazing bread from this recipe.

This recipe takes some rise time, so plan ahead.  If you like artisan breads with the crisp crust and texture of a Tuscan loaf, this is your recipe!  You will never pay $4 a loaf again!

No-Knead Bread
Yield: One 1 1/2 pound loaf

Ingredients:

3 cups all purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or Wheat Bran as needed
1 5/8 cups water

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine flour, yeast and salt.  Add 1 5/8 cups water and stir until blended.  The dough will be shaggy and sticky. 

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.  Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature (about 70 degrees).
Dough is ready when the surface is dotted with bubbles.
Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it. 

 Sprinkle the dough with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice (no more, remember this is a no-knead recipe).  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.
Using just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the work surface and your fingers, gently and quickly shape the dough into a ball.  Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal (I used cornmeal because I like the finished results.). 

Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours.  When dough is ready, it will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

At least 30 minutes before the dough is ready, heat the oven to 450 degrees F.  Put a 6-8 quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in the oven as it heats.  When the dough is ready, carefully remove the pot from the oven.  Slide your hand under the towel and turn the dough over into the pot, seam side up.  It may look a mess, but that is okay.  Shake the pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed, it will straighten out as it bakes. 

Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes.  Remove the lid and bake another 15-30 minutes, until the loaf is beautifully browned.  Cool on a rack.


 Get out the butter and slather it on while it is still warm and indulge yourself!

Enjoy!

Coconut Banana Pancakes (Gluten and Dairy Free)

I have to admit that when faced with a choice of waffles or pancakes, I'll choose waffles, nearly every time.  So trying new pancake recipes isn't something I'm inclined to do.  However, this recipe caught my eye a while back and since I have some over ripe bananas sitting on the counter, I decided to indulge myself this morning and give this recipe a try.  This is also a great option to regular pancakes if you have dietary considerations that prevent you from eating gluten or dairy products. 

Raw Oats

I have to admit, that when I assembled the ingredients the batter looked too thin.  Then I discovered I had used the 3/4 cup measure instead of the 1 cup measure for the oat flour.  Once that correction was made, the batter was more typical of a pancake batter.

You can purchase oat flour from Bob's Red Mill in most grocery stores.  If your store doesn't carry oat flour, no worries, you can make your own by putting old fashioned oats into your blender and grinding them into flour.  This is quick and easy and is something we can do to help add more whole grain to our diets.

Flour - After Grinding

Coconut Banana Pancakes

Ingredients:

1 cup oat flour
2 Tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 very ripe banana, mashed
1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 large egg
3/4 cup coconut milk
1 Tablespoon canola oil
Toasted Chopped Pecans
Banana Slices

Directions:

1. Mix the oat flour with the baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, mix the banana and brown sugar.  Add the oil and egg and coconut milk and mix well.
3. Fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and stir to combine.  Do not overmix.
4. Heat a cast iron or other heavy skillet over medium heat.  You may want to make a test pancake to test the heat of your skillet.  I found these to burn easily, so be sure to not get your skillet too hot.
5. Cook pancakes 3- 4 minutes per side, until browned and cooked through. 
6. Stack them up, top with butter, sliced bananas, chopped pecans and maple syrup.

Pour yourself a hot cup of coffee, grab your fork, dig in and enjoy.

I think this would also be good sprinkled with some toasted coconut, but didn't have any on hand.  I'll try that variation next time I make the recipe.