Garlic Cheese Biscuits

420.  So let's talk about biscuits; hot, flakey, buttery.  But, add cheese and garlic and you have elevated them to a brand new flavor profile.  If you have a favorite recipe, simply add a cup of shredded cheddar and garlic salt.  Or you may add chives, parsley, Parmesan Cheese, Old Bay Seasoning, or any dried spice you desire.  A simple cheese biscuit is perfectly paired with a hot bowl of soup.

Here is my recipe:

Red Lobster Cheese Biscuits are similar and there are so many knock-off recipes.  But making your own biscuits is so very simple and you know what the ingredients are.  And that makes them even better.

Enjoy!

"Baking is Life.  So when you describe what you're making, you must describe life.  Do you see?  It's not just recipes."

~ J Colgan

Chicken Thighs in Lime Cilantro Black Bean Rice

363. Ok...let me just say, there are times I get agitated with the pop-up ads or never ending recipe ads that accost you while scrolling on your social media.  But yesterday...I stopped...I watched...I made note...and I saved this recipe!!!  It was a buzzfeedtasty post on Instagram.  I not only saved it...I made it!!!
You can find the original recipe here.

 I followed the recipe but added a few ingredients to my taste.     I was a bit disappointed with my chicken skins that stuck to the bottom of the dutch oven.  Remember to blot your chicken and make sure the skin is dry before adding to the pot.  I also used Basmati Rice which adds so much flavor and fluffs up beautifully!

To save recipe select and drag to desktop and print or select and print from smart phone

The chicken skins were so crispy and flavorful and this rice, can I say we didn't want to stop eating it!

Fantastic recipe and thank you Buzz Feed Tasty...this was a perfect recipe!

"Be sure to taste your words before you spit them out!"  ~Anon

"I like rice.  Rice is great if you're hungry and want 2000 of something."  ~Mich Ehrenborg

Fruit Pie Glue

348.  Fruit Pie Glue
Did you ever think you would see the words "Glue" and "Pie" in the same title?  Well, this is a great secret of professional bakers they keep under wraps.
While visiting a friend this past summer I learned of this great secret to keep your fruit pie from that runny disaster when the corn starch doesn't seem to thicken just so.  Or when you slice the pie too soon before it cools completely.  This "Glue" creates a perfect thickness so you can go ahead and slice a semi-warm pie and not worry about the filling spilling out into the pie plate.  You will be so surprised.

 Note the texture to achieve for the perfect "glue".  This may be mixed with fresh or frozen fruit.

 It will be perfect every time.

 Make sure to always vent your pies with large slits in a two crust pie or use a lattice top as pictured.
(Photo courtesy Chris R.)

"Baking may be regarded as a science, but it's the chemistry between the ingredients and the cook that gives desserts life.  Baking is done out of love, to share with family and friends, to see them smile."  -  Anna Olson

Chocolate Cake

342.  Chocolate Cake!!!  Just the sound of those two words together can make your taste buds smile.  But I'm not talking just any cake...I'm talking moist, soft, chocolatey, rich.  So good that you take your fork and gather up every little crumb left on the plate.  Chocolatey Ganache settles on top like a crown.  And the secret is, "It's Vegan".  I didn't believe it either...till I made it.  Richa Hingle from Veganricha.com shares this jewel and her description sold me on the recipe.  Once I made it, I will always come back time and again to this easy but delectable cake.

The first time I made the cake I used almond butter in the ganache.  The second time, peanut butter and raspberry jam in the center.  Both cakes were lip smacking but I preferred the peanut butter in the ganache.

Here is the recipe for Vegan Chocolate Cake with chocolate Peanut Butter Ganache.  And what is great about this blog is that the recipes are in a great print format with nutrition facts.

I think you should bake a Chocolate Cake tonight!  You need it!

Matzo Ball Soup

330. The months of February and March call for hot, hardy soup.  This recipe for Matzo Ball Soup is a staple and has always delivered.

When I was young, in college and lived in New England, I would collect recipes and other household items for my future home.  One of my favorite past times would be to catch the local radio show "Gus Sanders Yankee Kitchen" out of Boston, MA.  Here is a video of the actual show.

This is a link to a blogger who devotes her entire blog to Yankee Kitchen recipes:  http://ykconnection.blogspot.com 

Also, an online cookbook from Gus Saunders, the tenth edition here:  https://www.scribd.com/document/19966643/The-Gus-Saunders-Boston-Kitchen-Cookbook-Vol-X

I would wait patiently by the radio and grab whatever paper was nearby to jot down recipes that women would call in and give over the radio. 

As years went by and I established my own home and family, I took time to type out the recipes and try them.  This is where I learned my Matzo Balls recipe from Mrs. Finkelstein...and if you can see the date on the recipe...1984. 

 I like to date my recipes and make notations of changes or if I liked the recipe or not.  It helps when you don't make a certain recipe often to remember your thoughts at the time of preparation.
In addition to the matzo balls, I make a chicken soup, sometimes with veggies sometimes as a consommé broth.

This recipe always turns out beautiful but you must make sure the transfer is quick.  My Matzo Balls fall sometimes in the transfer.
 



I loved that time of life...young, expectant and hopeful for a family I could cook for and spoil with homemade meals.

Mr. Saunders gave aspiring cooks advice that was practical and to the point, telling the Herald American in 1973, 

“I feel food shouldn’t be a big, complex mystery.”

- Gus Saunders

Shrimp Stuffed Tilapia Fish

324.  My honey picked up tilapia fish filets the other day and it inspired me to be creative.  I had shrimp in the freezer and decided to make a stuffing.

Shrimp Stuffed Tilapia 

6  Tilapia fish filets
10 cooked medium shrimp, peeled and chopped
1 cup day old crusty bread, crumbled
1/4 cup red bell pepper, chopped fine
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup chopped fresh spinach
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 egg
salt & pepper
1/2 tsp dill
Old Bay Spice
Garlic Salt

Wash tilapia filets and blot with paper towels.  Set aside
Mix in a small bowl shrimp, bread, pepper, parsley, spinach,  lemon juice, egg, salt, pepper, dill, pinch of Old Bay Spice and garlic salt.   Blend together so the filling begins to collect.  Take the filling and form into 6 oval shaped balls in your hand.  Place the oval filling on the short end of a filet and then roll the filet up around the filling.  Push a toothpick through the fish to hold together.  Repeat with the remaining filets and filling.

Heat up a pan with 2 Tablespoons of olive oil.  Place each filet, large side down in pan and do not move.  Allow the fish to sizzle and slightly brown.  Turn each filet over using two spoon spatulas being careful not to tear the fish.  Filling may fall out but you can gently push it back into the filling.
Once the fish is no longer transparent, remove from the heat to a serving plate or directly on to individual plates.

Serve with rice.  Season the rice with butter, 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice and dill.

Cream Sauce

4 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon flour
1 cup milk or more as needed
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
salt and pepper
dill
garlic salt

In a small saucepan melt butter.  Add the flour and continue to cook over medium heat till flour has a nutty smell and a light brown color.  Using a whisk begin to incorporate the milk in the butter /flour mixture stirring constantly to avoid lumps.  Add lemon juice & seasons and continue to stir and cook till the sauce has thickened.  Pour over the stuffed tilapia and place remaining sauce in a gravy boat.


This meal is beautiful, so light and tasty and would impress your company.  It is very flavorful and each bite is delightful!

"In the hands of an able cook, fish can become an inexhaustible source of perpetual delight." 

- Jean-Anthelme Brilliant-Savarin

Egg Brunch Muffins

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

310.  "Happiest of New Years"
A delightful resolution would be to enter a New Year by embarking on new and unexperienced recipes.  Are there any flavors you have desired to taste or new regional favorites you have longed to introduce your palate to?

Or simply taking one of your favorites and adding or "tweaking" the ingredients.  This is how I started this blank cooking year.  It is a challenge to elevate any recipe with complete confidence, but once you take a risk, you will be delighted with the outcome.

A simple egg muffin was on the brunch menu and rather than having multiple items of choice, I placed them all in one neat, convenient little bundle.  A standard egg muffin recipe can be found here:  http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/scrambled-egg-muffins

I altered the recipe by adding chives, tabasco, fresh parsley and sweet potato crinkle cut fries.

Of course, layering everything from the bottom up, then baking till bubbly and light brown on top.


They double in size and each morsel is packed with flavor and so fulfilling.

Step out of your cooking box and try something you never have before, or edit an old standby recipe.
Make this New Year one filled with delight, unexpected flavors and new favorites!

"I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes.  Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world.  You're doing things you've never done before, and more importantly, you're doing something."

~Neil Gaiman

Marinara Sauce

 306.  This summer my tomatoes grew exceptionally well.  So well that the neighborhood squirrels had a steady diet of my little red beauties!

 When I make my homemade fresh tomato sauce I use my blender.  I remember my mom processing tomatoes for hours.  Boiling the water.  Dropping the tomatoes in the water then plunging them into an ice bath to stop the cooking process.  Then laboriously peeling each tomatoes and then squeezing every last bit of liquid and seeds from the centers.  There was just as much waste from the tomatoes as there were tomatoes to cook.

 My logic has been…the seeds and skin carry just as much nutrition as the pulp of the tomato.  So, I just wash each tomato, whole and cherry, and cut them in chunks, then fill up my blender.

 The blender does a wonderful job of mincing every bit of skin and seed that you would not know the difference.  And the texture is very smooth and consistent.

 Once it has processed till all the little bits disappear, it will seem foamy and the color turns pink.

 I prepare a large 6-8quart pot by sautéing in olive oil 1 large onion chopped and 4 cloves of garlic minced.  Once you pour the liquid tomato puree into the pot, bring it to a rolling boil and continue with the remaining tomatoes.

 The color red returns quickly with the heat.  I then chop fresh parsley, oregano and basil.  One to two cans of tomato paste.  Add teaspoon of sugar, salt and pepper and sometimes a pinch of red pepper flakes.

 Bring all to a boil, then turn down to simmer for about 60 minutes stirring every so often.  Taste to adjust the seasoning and if you would like to add more of the ingredients have fun!  I have even added chopped up veggies from my garden such as squash, green bean, peppers or eggplant.  Once it has cooked and the seasoning is perfect you can serve it with pasta or pour the hot sauce into sterilized jars and place sterilized lids on top.  Within minutes you will hear the seals pop and your sauce is ready to store away in a cool place until you need it.  For canning I use both canning jars and mayonnaise jars, which are a perfect size and the special canning lids fit just right!

"The federal government has sponsored research that has produced a tomato that is perfect in every respect, except that you can't eat it.  We should make every effort to make sure this disease, often referred to as 'progress', doesn't spread."

~Andy Rooney

"I don't care what anybody says:  Nothing is better than a tomato you grow.  There's something about it that's different than a tomato you can buy.  It's a great thing."

~T. Vilsack

Sofi's Crepes

303.  If you love crepes you must try a Sofi Crepe from Annapolis, MD.  Located on Craig Street by the United States Naval Academy, Sofi is a walk-up storefront selling made-to-order crepes both savory and sweet.  

You place your order then watch the crepe artist make your crepe right before your eyes.

The smell is intoxicating and you can't help but get excited.

The crepe comes wrapped in a foil wrapper and is hot and steamy.  

You can find the website here:  Sofi's Crepes

And the menu:  Sofi's Crepe Menu

Tables and chairs are located along the sidewalk just a stones throw away from the Naval Academy.

The town is a quaint nautical port with archaic buildings and history down every street.

We parked our car and walked around.

 It is a great day trip and there are delicious restaurants and great shopping down each street.

Sofi's actually has 6 locations around Maryland.  See the locations here:

Sofi's Crepes locations

"...sprinkled with sugar and eaten hot, they form an exquisite dish.  they have a golden hue and are tempting to eat.  Thin and transparent like muslin, their edges are trimmed to resemble fine lace.  They are so light that after a good dinner, a man from Agen is still willing to sample three to four dozen of them!  Crêpes form an integral part of every family celebrations."

~Anatole France