Biscuits

These are our favorite biscuits for dipping in hot chocolate. We also love them with Jam and butter.

3 C. flour
1 1/2 tbs. baking powder
3 tsp. sugar
¼ tsp. salt
¾ C. butter
1 C. milk

Preheat Oven to 450 degrees. In a bowl stir together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center; add milk all at once. Stir just till dough clings together.

On a lightly floured surface, knead dough gently for 10 to 12 strokes. Roll or pat dough to ½-inch thickness. Cut with a 2 ½ inch biscuit cutter*, dipping cutter into flour between cuts.
Transfer biscuits to a baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or till golden. Serve warm.
Makes 15.

*One thing I have learned is that when you cut them out, don't twist the cutter, just go straight down and then straight back up. That way they rise more evenly in the oven instead of half of them staying somewhat flat.

Adapted from: Better Homes and Gardens

Cranberry and Apple Stuffed Pork Chops

2 Tbs. and 1 1/2 tsp olive oil
1-1/4 onion, chopped
2-1/2 large granny smith apple-peeled, cored adn diced
1/4 cup and 1 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1-1/4 cup dried cranberries
salt and pepper
5(6oz) boneless pork chops
2 Tbs. and 1-1/2 tsp olive oil

Heat 1 tbs olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Stir in the onion and apple; cook and stir for 5 minutes.  Stir in the cranberries and balsamic vinegar, and continue cooking until the apple and onions have softened, about 5 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper, then scrape the mixture onto a plate and refridgerate until cold.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease a baking dish

Cut a large pocket into the pork chops.  Stuff the cooled apple mixture into the pork chops, and secure with toothpicks if needed.  Heat teh remainng oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Season the pork chops with salt and pepper to taste then place them in the hot skillet. Cook on each side until browned, about 3 mintues, then transfer to a baking dish.  Top with the remaining apple mixture and cover teh baking dish with aluminum foil.

Bake in preheated oven until the pork is no longer pink in the center, about 40 minutes depeding on the thickness fo the pork chops.  Uncover, and bake about 10 more minutes or until the apple mixture has browned around the edges. 

I made this with chicken and we liked it, haven't tried the pork chops though. 

Balsamic Honey Glazed Pork Chops

2 Pork Loin Chops
Olive Oil
Salt and pepper
2 Cloves garlic, crushed
2 Tbs. honey
1/2 c. balsamic vinaigrette dressing

Heat enuogh olive oil to lightly coat your frying pan.  Heat oil on medium high heat.  Crush the cloves of garlic and rub on pork chops both sides, add salt and pepper to taste.  Add pork chops to the heated oil.

Brown pork chops on each side (about 2 min per side).  Once browned, reduce heat to medium low.  Add balsamic vinaigrette adn honey to the frying pan.

Coat the pork chop in the sacue and simmer for 10 minutes.

* you can marinate the pork chops in balsamic vinegar for 2 hours to get a stronger flavor.

Baked Zucchini Sticks

2 large zucchini
2 eggs
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese (finely grated)
Dash of garlic powder
Dash of dried basil
Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cut the zucchini into half lengthwise then into thick spears.
Combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and seasonings then mix thoroughly.
Dip the spears into egg then bread crumbs and Parmesan mixture, making sure to coat evenly.
Place on baking sheet and spray the top of each spear with cooking spray.
Bake for 10-12 minutes then turn the oven to broil and cook, watching carefully, until they become golden brown 45-60 seconds.
Serve with marinara sauce or ranch dressing. We had them with ranch, but I bet they would be even better with marinara. Jeff and I really liked them.


From: For the Love of Cooking

Peach Cobbler

Our neighbors invited us over last night for this cobbler and Jeff and I both thought it was the best cobbler we've ever had. It really was delicious. She also added some blueberries which was really good.

1 stick butter
1 C. sugar
3/4 C. self-rising flour
3/4 C. milk
One 28-ounce can sliced peaches in syrup (can also use 1 quart home-canned peaches. To use any other fresh fruit, simmer 2 cups fruit in saucepan for about 10 minutes with 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water)
Preheat oven to 350. Put butter in 2 qt. casserole or 9x13 pan and place in oven to melt. Mix sugar and flour; stir in milk slowly. Pour over melted butter but do not stir. Spoon fruit on top, gently pouring in syrup. Still do not stir. Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until nicely browned on top.

From :Keri Gilespie

Honey Ginger Chicken Breasts

Marinade:
1/3 cup of honey
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1/2 tsp orange zest
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
4 cloves of garlic, minced
Juice from 1/2 an orange
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat

Combine the ingredients in a large zip lock bag, seal and shake well. Add the chicken breasts and toss to coat evenly. Place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, turning occasionally.
Other ingredients:
Cooking spray
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp water
Sesame seeds
Green onions

Remove chicken from bag, reserving marinade. Heat a large skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Place the chicken breasts in the skillet and cook for 7-8 minutes then flip. (I wiped out the pan with a paper towel when I flipped them so the chicken wouldn't burn from the sugar in the marinade). Cook for an additional 4-5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked and the juices run clear.

While the chicken is cooking, strain the marinade through a sieve, discard the solids. Place marinade into a saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook 3 minutes. Combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. Add cornstarch mixture to saucepan, stirring with a whisk, cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat.

Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes; slice the breasts into thin strips then drizzle with sauce. Sprinkle the top with sesame seeds and green onions. Serve with more sauce on the side. Enjoy.

From: For the Love of Cooking

Coconut Sticky Chicken

6-8 boned, skinned chicken thighs (about 1½ lbs.)
2/3 cup canned coconut milk
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 teaspoon hot chili flakes

Sauce:
¾ cup rice vinegar
½ cup sugar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon hot chili flakes
4-5 green onions, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. cold water

Rinse chicken and pat dry. In a large bowl mix coconut milk, ginger, pepper and hot chili flakes. Add chicken and mix; cover and chill at least 1 hour or up to a day.
Lift chicken from bowl, reserving marinade; pull thighs open and lay flat on a lightly oiled grill on high heat. Cover and cook, turning thighs as needed to brown on both sides, until meat is no longer pink in the center of the thickest part (about 10-12 minutes total). I cooked on my George Foreman Grill for 4-5 minutes. Baste frequently with remaining marinade…and use it all (I didn't do this on my Foreman Grill, but it would be great to do on the outdoor grill).
Transfer thighs to a warm platter and pour the sauce evenly over meat; garnish with green onions.

Sauce:
In a 2-3 quart pan, combine rice vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, and hot chili flakes. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until mixture is reduced to around ½ cup, 8 to 10 minutes. Mix your corn starch and water and add to the mixture. Cook until thick, but not too thick...it doesn't taste as good if it is too thick. Use hot. Makes approximately ½ cup of glaze.

*If you don't have a grill or George Foreman, you can easily cook on the stove.

Poached Salmon on Citrus Salad

I make this salmon at work, it is super easy and they seem to love it.

1 lime
6 oranges
4 (4oz) skinless salmon fillets, about 1 inch thick
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp sugar
2 Tbs. cooking oil
6 wonton wrappers, cut 1/2-inch thick strips
4 cups arugula or baby spinach

1. Finely shred 1 teaspoon peel from lime; set aside.  Juice lime and 2 oranges; reserve 1/4 cup juice for dressing.  Pour remaining in large nonstick skillet with lime peel and 1/2 cup water.  Bring to a boil; add salmon.  Reduce heat.  Simmer, covered, 8 to 12 minutes, until fish easily flakes with fork.
2. Meanwhile, for dressing, in bowl whisk together reserved juice, olive oil, and sugar; season with salt and pepper.
3. In a second large skillet heat cooking oil over medium-high.  Cook wontons, 1 to 2 minutes, stirring often, until crisp.
4. Peel and section remaining oranges.  Drizzle dressing on greens, oranges, and salmon.  Pass wontons.

I didn't make the wontons to go with this recipe, but I'm sure they are probably good with it.

Crunchy Macaroons

1 ½ cups crisp rice cereal

1 ¼ cups flaked coconut

2 egg whites

3 tablespoons sugar

1/8 teaspoon almond extract

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients.  With damp fingers, shape into 1 ½-in. mounds on parchment paper-lined baking sheets.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.  Remove from pans to wire racks to cool 

Creamy Baked Risotto

I am trying to get away from always making plain white rice, so I thought I would give this recipe a try. It was delicious! It was also easy, so I will definitely make it again. It's from the "Cook's Country" magazine.

Easy Baked Risotto

5 c low-sodium chicken broth (be sure to use this or it will be salty)
1/2 c water
2 bay leaves
4 T unsalted butter
1 onion
salt and pepper
2 c Arborio rice
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 c dry white wine (I used water with a tiny bit of apple cider vinegar - I personally think you could leave it out all together)
1 1/4 c grated parmesan cheese
1 T chopped fresh parsley (I used dried parsley and added it when I added the rice)

1. Adjust rack to middle position and heat to 400 degrees. Bring broth, water, and bay leaves to a simmer in medium saucepan over med-high heat. Cover and keep warm over lowest possible heat.

2. White broth is warming, melt butter in Dutch oven over med heat. Add onion and 1/2 tsp salt and cook until lightly browned, about 6 minutes. Stir in rice and cook until edges begin to turn translucent, about 2 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add wine and cook, stirring until completely absorbed, about 1 minute.

3. Pour warm broth over rice. Cover Dutch oven with sheet of aluminum foil (I had to use two), pressing down so that it rests on top of broth. Crimp foil around edges and cover pot with lid for tight seal. Bake until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes (I had to cook it for about 23 minutes). Discard bay leaves. Stir in Parmesan cheese and parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper. Enjoy!