Cheddar Rosemary Biscuits

I have a slight love or maybe addiction for biscuits. Pillowy soft on the inside a slight golden brown crust on the outside and light and fluffy all the way through. Okay, I’ll admit it I know I need help. Tonight I made minestrone soup and I really wanted biscuits but wanted them to have an Italian flavor to them. However, I also wanted cheddar biscuits. It was an internal conflict I would quickly resolve with the creation of a new kind of biscuit.

Cheddar Rosemary Biscuits

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1 Tbs baking powder
• 2 tsp sugar
• ½ tsp cream of tartar
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• ½ cup (1 stick) cold butter – cubed (cut into cute little squares)
• ¾ cup milk
• 1 Tbs lemon juice
• ½ tsp dry rosemary
• ¼ tsp garlic powder
• 1 cup finely shredded cheese (use the small grates on the cheese grater)

Combine the milk and the lemon juice and let sit. I measure the milk and then put the lemon juice in the cup and let it sit. This is how you “make” buttermilk. I don’t buy buttermilk anymore because I can never seem to use it fast enough. Anyway…

In the bowl of your food processor (if you don’t have one don’t worry, I can walk you through this) put the dry ingredients and the cubed butter. Make sure you have the blade in place first. Pulse everything together until it resembles course crumbs. Pour the mix into a mixing bowl. Add the cheese and mix it in evenly.

Okay if you don’t have a food processor, skip what you read above and just put everything into the mixing bowl.

Cut the butter into the flour mixture by using a pastry blender or two forks.

Make sure everything is well mixed now.

Add the cheese and mix it in evenly.

Then pour in the milk and with a fork gently incorporate it into the dry mixture. Mix just enough to make everything wet and hold together. Do not over work the dough or you will not get light and fluffy.

With a large cookie scoop also called a #20 disher, scoop the dough and put on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. (If you don’t have parchment paper you really should get some, it makes all baked goods cook better on the bottom and the clean up is so easy.)

Make sure you space them apart a bit to account for them rising a spreading a bit. Place them into a 350 degree oven (You did turn it on before you started, right?) allowing them to bake for about 12 to 15 minutes. Check them at 10 minutes to help you gauge how long they need to stay in there. This makes 12 light and fluffy golden pillows of yumminess.

If you want more, this recipe does double easily. Or you can mix everything but the milk mixture ahead of time and put it in the fridge and make them the next day in no time.

Chicken Enchiladas

 This dish is great with rice and corn. My kids love these enchiladas and eat everything on their plate when I make this dish for dinner.


1 ½ cups sour cream
2 green onions chopped
1/3 cup cilantro chopped
1 small garlic clove minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 bag spinach leaves
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into strips and cooked thoroughly
2 cups shredded cheddar/jack cheese (or more, I really don't measure this out)
10 flour tortillas or 14 corn tortillas
1 jar salsa

• Prep chicken first. I like to have it already prepped and frozen then you just have to thaw it in the microwave.
• Preheat oven to 350.
• Grease a 9x13 baking dish with a bit of oil or cooking spray.
• In a small bowl, mix together the sour cream, green onions, cilantro, cumin and if you want you can add Ortega chiles or a jalapeno chopped if you want.
• Set up an assembly line to assemble the tortillas. If you are using corn tortillas, you will want to warm them up first so that they will not break when you are rolling everything up.
• Assembly line: tortilla -sour cream mixture-spinach-chicken-cheese
• Take your tortilla and spread a semi thin layer of the sour cream mixture on the whole thing.
• Add a layer of spinach down the middle.
• Add a layer of chicken strips down the middle.
• Sprinkle the tortilla with cheese.
• Roll it up loosely and place seam down in the pan.
• Repeat with the rest of the tortillas. I can get ten enchiladas out of this.
• Cover the pan with foil and cook for about 30 minutes.
• Remove the foil and sprinkle with the rest of the shredded cheese.
• Cook for about 10 more minutes. (I just turn off the oven and leave it in for 10 minutes.)
• Serve with salsa and cilantro or chopped tomatoes or whatever you like.

I adapted this recipe from 101 Wraps and More's Chicken Enchilada recipe.

Potato Rolls

These rolls are so light a fluffy they practically melt in your mouth.
Total prep time from start to finish is about 2 1/2 hours.

Potato Rolls

1 small russet potato peeled and cubed
¾ cup water
¾ cup milk
1 TBS lemon juice
1 pkg active dry yeast (2 ½ tsp)
3 cups all purpose flour plus extra for kneading and dusting the rolls
2 TBS sugar
1 ½ tsp salt
¼ cup butter

Boil the potato and water in a small saucepan until it is soft and fork tender (about 10 minutes).

While the potato is cooking combine the milk and lemon juice and let sit so it can clabber.

Pour the cooked potato and water into a large bowl and mash the potato.

Stir in the sour milk and let it cool for a few minutes. It needs to be about 110° to keep the yeast from being killed.

Dissolve the yeast in the potato and let it stand for about 10 minutes.

Add the flour, sugar, salt and butter and stir with a wooden spoon until the dough starts to hold itself together.

Scrape the dough onto a floured work surface.

Cover and let it rest for five minutes. (I just put the bowl upside down over the top for this as the dough is fairly sticky.)

Uncover and knead the dough for about 5 minutes or more until it is smooth and elastic using just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking.

Form the dough into a ball and put it in a lightly butter bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in a warm place.

Let it rise for about 1 hour, until it is double in size.

Punch down the dough and put it out onto a very lightly floured surface.

Shape it with your hands into a rectangular log. Cut it into 16 even pieces.

Cover with a towel and let them rest for about 5 minutes.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly butter it.

Roll each piece into a ball and place on the baking sheet.

Cover the rolls with a towel and let them rest in a warm spot for about 20 minutes or until they are double in size.

Dust the rolls with a bit of flour.

Cook in a preheated 375° oven for about 20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and puffy.

Mommy's Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Here is my recipe for Pumpkin Pie. As this is pumpkin season I felt it appropriate to post. And it goes well with a pumpkin unit study.

3 unbaked 8 or 9 inch pie shells

1 ½ - cups sugar
1 TBS - ground cinnamon
1 tsp - ground ginger
¾ tsp - ground cloves
1 tsp - ground nutmeg
4 - large eggs
1 - 29 oz can pumpkin or 3 ½ cups pumpkin puree
2 - 12oz cans evaporated milk
1 - 8oz block softened cream cheese

In a small bowl, combine spices and sugar.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and pumpkin until well combined and very smooth. Add the eggs and beat until combined, then add the sugar mixture and mix thoroughly.

Carefully add the evaporated milk and continue beating until combined.

Carefully pour into the unbaked pie shells dividing mixture equally into the 3 shells.

Bake in a 425 preheated oven for 15 minutes then reduce the temperature to 350 and finish cooking for about 45 minutes. Center will be set but may still jiggle like a cheese cake, or quiche. You do not want to wait until the center is completely firm as it will keep cooking after you take it out of the oven then be over done. A knife inserted into the middle will come out clean.

If making pie ahead, freeze the pumpkin and the shell separately and then thaw when ready. Make sure to mix the pumpkin mixture before pouring it into the shell.