recipes

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Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits

 

There is nothing better than a melt-in-your mouth, mouth-watering, hot, fresh homemade buttermilk biscuit straight out of the oven!   I know a lot of people that are put off by making biscuits because they think that they are hard to make.  I’m here to tell you that they’re not!  They’re really quite easy. 

The statement I hear all the time is, “My biscuits always come out hard.”  My reply, “ You’re kneading them too much.”  If you knead biscuit dough too much, you will get hard biscuits.  If you very gently and, as little as possible, knead the dough, they will come out nice and fluffy and soft every time.   The recipe I use came from Frugal Families.  I’ve been using it for years and I can’t remember the last time that I had trouble with my biscuits.  Of course, I did make a few variations that worked much better.  I hope you’ll give it a try!

 

Easy Homemade Biscuits

2 cups self-rising flour, sifted
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup shortening
2/3 cup buttermilk (can use regular milk)
  1. Sift flour and baking powder.  Add salt if using all-purpose flour. 
  2. Pour the milk into the cup and then add the shortening till the cup reaches the 1 cup mark. (this will give you an easy way of getting the shortening out of the cup).
  3. Remove shortening from milk and add to flour mixture.  Cut into flour until mixture resembles very coarse corn meal.
  4. Pour milk into flour mixture and stir until a soft dough forms. (You may need to add a little more buttermilk, just add a very small amount at a time until you reach the right consistency.)
  5. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead about 6 to 7 times, just enough that dough starts to come together.
  6. Pat dough out to about 1/2’” thickness and cut out the biscuits with biscuit cutter (can with a hole punched in bottom and top taken off works really well.)
  7. Place on greased pan and bake @ 425 degrees for 15 to 17 minutes. Makes 10 -12 biscuit depending on how thick your dough is and how small or large you cut your biscuits.
  8. For softer biscuits, butter the tops as soon as you take them out of the oven. 

 

**If using all purpose flour (which is what I do), add the following per 1 cup of flour:

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

I usually just add a generous pinch of salt to my flour because I’m usually making a double batch and I don’t want 2 tsp of salt in my biscuits.  They do just fine. 

 

Note from me:  **Well, shoot!  I had pics to go with this but I can’t seem to find them.  I guess that means that I’ll have to make some more!  Check back soon to see pics added!**

This post is linked to:

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Friday Feasts 
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Slow Cooker Cowboy Beans

CPW 

I had a “change of menu”  this week.  This recipe came from Stephanie at “A Year of Slow Cooking”.  I think this sounds like a great change from regular pinto beans. 

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Ingredients:

1 pound dried pinto beans, soaked overnight
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 pound lean ground beef or turkey (optional)
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1-2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 (10-ounce) can Rotel, or traditional chopped tomatoes, your choice
1-2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
7 cups water
sliced jalapenos, optional (don’t have on hand)

Cost for this meal:
Beans  $0.25
Onion  $0.25
Ground Beef  $1.00
Ro-Tel   $0.62
Bell Pepper $0.05
garlic   $0.05
All other spices – I’m guess no more than $0.05 total

Total cost for this meal is $2.27

I added an extra cup of beans, a heaping tablespoon of preminced garlic, approximately 1 tablespoon of cumin and about 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings (Yes, I know not the healthiest, but we love pinto beans the southern way!). 

Serves 8-10 as a side dish, or 5 as a main course. Sort pinto beans, and soak overnight in lots of fresh water. 

(Note from Me:  I don’t normally soak my beans.  I just sort, rinse well, and then place them in my Crock Pot.)

In the morning, drain your beans, and pick out any that have split open, or look discolored and shriveled.  Pour into a 6 quart slow cooker. Brown hamburger and onion on the stove, and drain fat. While the meat is cooking, add the rest of the ingredients into your slow cooker. Start with 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce and apple cider vinegar. Add the meat, and top with 7 cups of fresh water. Stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or on high for about 6.  Taste the beans. If you’d like your beans to have more of a tang, add some more Worcestershire sauce and apple cider vinegar.  Top with sliced jalapenos, if desired.

Don’t forget to check out Crock Pot Wednesdays for more great recipes this week!

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~~Spiced Pork Chops~~

This is one of our most favorite recipes. I can’t remember where I found the original recipe at (somewhere online), but it’s delicious!

FYI: Some of the spices, if you have never bought them, are a little pricy, but last a long time.

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Spiced Pork Chops
4 pork chops
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon fennel seeds – crushed
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ tablespoon butter
½ cup chicken broth

Mix all spices together and evenly sprinkle half over the top of the pork chops. In a skillet, over medium-high heat, heat olive oil. Placed spiced side or pork chops down in the hot skillet. Cook about 3-5 minutes on one side till browned, but no blackened (turn down the heat if they are cooking too fast). While chops are cooking on the first side, sprinkle remaining spice mixture on the uncooked side. Flip them over once, finish cooking.

Remove chops from skillet and keep warm. Add butter to skillet and whisk browned bits with a wire whisk. Turn the heat up a little, add chicken broth and keep whisking till the sauce reduces to about half. Serve the chops with the sauce on top.

I saved a large spice container that had either onion or garlic powder in it (I think) to put my spice mixture in. I also mix up enough spice mixture at a time to fill my container. This way I always have it on hand.

I hope your family enjoys this recipe as much as mine does!

This post is linked to:

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap

Vanderbilt Wife (Family Recipe Friday)

Designs By Gollum (Foodie Friday)

Momtrends: Friday Feasts