Friday, August 31, 2012

Guest Post: Buttermilk Biscuit Tutorial


Hey Y'all! I'm Rachel, blogging at A Dash of Southern! Sweet Kaitlyn asked me to show all her readers how to make mouthwatering homemade buttermilk biscuits! I really enjoy making these biscuits, as well as eating them! I hope you have great success preparing these for your wonderful family!

Homemade Buttermilk Biscuit Tutorial!
A favorite in the South
Prep: 20 min., Chill: 10 min., Bake: 13 - 15 min.


These biscuits are simply heavenly. With no "rising" required, it took me a mere 30 minutes to  mix and bake these biscuits (longer than the recipe calls for because bread isn't my specialty). They are so easy to make and so worth it! This recipe came from Southern Living magazine and has never failed me! 

1/2 - cup cold butter (1 stick real butter)
2 1/4 - cups self-rising flour (not all purpose)
1 1/4 - cups buttermilk or make your own (see note at end of recipe)--additional flour for counter surface to knead dough
2 - tablespoons of butter, for melting


 Cut butter with a sharp knife or pastry blender into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Sprinkle butter slices over flour in a large bowl. Toss butter with flour. Cut butter into flour with a pastry blender until crumbly and mixture resembles small peas. (I used my hands) Cover and chill 10 minutes.

Add buttermilk, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead 3 or 4 times, gradually adding additional flour as needed. With floured hands, press or pat dough into a 3/4-inch-thick rectangle (about 9 x 5 inches).
Sprinkle top of dough with additional flour. Fold dough over onto itself in 3 sections, starting with 1 short end. (Fold dough rectangle as if folding a letter-size piece of paper.) Repeat entire process 2 more times, beginning with pressing into a 3/4-inch-thick dough rectangle (about 9 x 5 inches).

Press or pat dough to 1/2-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface; cut with a 2-inch round cutter, and place, side by side, on a parchment paper-lined or lightly greased jelly-roll pan. (Dough rounds should touch.)

Bake at 450° for 13 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven; brush with 2 Tbsp. melted butter.

* If you do not have buttermilk, you can always make your own by using vinegar or lemon juice. 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice plus enough milk to make 1 cup. Let mixture stand for 5 minutes before using.


***

ingredients^
sliced stick of butter, ready to add to flour^
used my hands to cut butter into flour^
chilled with buttermilk added^
dumped mixture onto lightly flowered wax paper^



kneading, pressing, and folding process^^^

using a glass to make cut out the biscuits^
slightly touching biscuits on a lightly greased pan^

put biscuits in oven at 450 degrees F. baked for 10 minutes, checked, and baked for additional 2 minutes. ^

meanwhile...
slice up 2 tablespoons of butter, put in microwave safe bowl (measuring cup for me) and heat on high for 20 seconds. heat for additional time if not thoroughly melted. 

while biscuits are still hot, brush with melted butter...♥



Today they were served with grape and strawberry jellies, but are amazing with any meats, gravies, or just plain!!!









Thursday, August 30, 2012

30x30 Challenge, Week 4

The 30x30 Challenge: Week #4

I actually really loved a lot of my outfits this week. And thanks to my husband coming home early one day, I was able to get some help with the photos! That cut the time in half (: I really can't believe I've already come up with 20 outfits. I have a feeling the next 2 weeks are going to be challenging - but this IS a challenge.

Outfit #16:

Sometimes I have a weird thing about wearing tanks with nothing over them. That's how I found this little black sweater. I love this thing. It's so lightweight and has saved my life with this challenge. It goes with everything!

Outfit #17:
I love this outfit! I've never paired this sweater with a vneck, but that pop of color under the grey looks great! Especially with the white shorts. Another cute, casual outfit that looks super put together (:

Outfit #18:
I belted this top to give it a different look. I think it would also look cute belted under a cardigan once the weather cools down. GIANT picture of the week!

Outfit #19:
I chose to wear jeans twice this week - once with heels and once with sandals. This outfit takes a nice blouse and makes it more casual.

Outfit #20:
Here's the famous white tank I love, all by itself. See, I love the way it gathers at the bottom so it looks form fitting and I also adore the detail at the neckline!

Twenty different outfits!!! Sorry I'm a midget in #17 - I don't know what happened! Only two weeks to go. I recommend this challenge to anyone who needs to get creative with the clothing they already have!!

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Easy Broccoli Risotto


Risotto can be rough. I'm always trying to find recipes that make it simple. Such as my Roasted Cauliflower Risotto.

Well this recipe is simple. Super creamy. Super delicious. SUPER healthy!!! This recipe can feed 3-4. If serving three, it's 545 calories. If it's four, it's only 407 calories a serving!!! It tastes so rich you'll feel like you must be eating thousands of calories....but you're not (:

Enjoy!!

(I'll transfer this to a recipe card once the website I use is working again!)

Easy Broccoli Risotto (serves 3-4)
  • 12oz frozen broccoli
  • 3 tbsp margarine
  • 2 links hot italian turkey sausage, casings removed
  • 1 cup frozen chopped onion
  • 1 cup arborio/pearl rice
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/3 cup white cooking wine
  • 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
  • 1 (14oz) can fire roasted diced tomatoes
  • 3 tbsp 1/3 fat cream cheese

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a large skillet over high heat, melt 1 tbsp margarine & cook broccoli for 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl & place in the microwave to stay warm.
  2. Add the sausage & onion to the skillet & cook until browned (about 5 min). Add in the rice & garlic & cook for 1 min.
  3. Pour in the wine & stir, until evaporated (2 min). Add 1 cup water, broth & tomatoes & bring to a boil.
  4. Transfer to a baking dish & cover. If you don't have a lid, use foil. Bake for 20 minutes.
  5. Uncover dish & add 2 tbsp margarine. Add 4tbsp cream cheese & stir vigorously. Stir in broccoli & season with salt & pepper.

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

My New Favorite Chocolate Cupcake

Oh chocolate suicide. These cupcakes were amazing. I made them yesterday, and let me tell you, they will blow your mind!

This is the first recipe for frosting that actually turns out like it does at cupcake shops!!! I've made hundreds, if not thousands, of cupcakes, and this was a GREAT recipe. I'm planning to check out more of Lizzy's recipes - she has every cupcake under the sun!

You can hop on over and check her out...and get this to die for recipe here!

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Ryan & I love buffalo chicken ANYTHING. At least once a week we have something that contains buffalo chicken. Buffalo Chicken Pizza, Buffalo Chicken Sushi, Buffalo Chicken Pasta....and probably the easiest to make: Buffalo Chicken Dip.

I made this for my entry into the 2012 Virtual Tailgate. If you haven't already, you should go check it out!

I've made this dip a thousand times with a thousand different brands of products. The hands down best companies to use for this dip are: Franks, Philadelphia & Kraft. TRUST ME!!!!

Enjoy!


Friday, August 24, 2012

Sage-Walnut Butter Chicken & Tortellini


Sweet. With a twist. The honey-balsamic-butter combination is melt in your mouth delicious. Love this recipe. I saw the idea in FNM and made it into my own recipe.

Season the 4 chicken tenderloins with salt, pepper & 1/2 tbsp sage. Drizzle some olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat & add the chicken. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, flip, & cook for 5 more minutes. The trick to juicy chicken is low heat and cover it!

In the meantime, melt 6 tbsp of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tbsp of the sage, 1 cup of chopped walnuts & cook for 3 minutes.

Heat salted water in a large pot and bring to a boil. Add 19 oz of frozen cheese tortellini and cook for 90 seconds. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, drain the tortellini & rinse under cold water. Chop up the chicken and add it to the walnut mixture. Add the 1 cup water to the walnut skillet & cook for 2 minutes, until it reduces in half.

In a small pot, simmer 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, 1 tbsp of honey & 1 bay leaf over medium high heat for 5 minutes, until syrupy.

Toss the tortellini with the butter sauce, parmesan, salt & pepper. Drizzle with the balsamic syrup.

We polished off the entire thing between the two of us. Last time we had leftovers and they were just as good the second day. Swoon....


I forgot to add the chicken on this recipe card!!! Oops!

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Spicy Pierogies & "Kielbasa"

Ryan begs for this. So I gave in and made it for him last night. This is quick & low fat. I always use turkey sausage when something asks for another similar meat. One kielbasa can have over 300 calories. 3 of the turkey sausages only had 360 calories. We like spicy. I say it time and time again. So if you don't, I'm sure it would taste just as great using "non-spicy" alternatives. For example, dijon mustard, plain cheddar and potato pierogies, etc.

This wasn't really very spicy though, so don't be afraid to try it. The vinegar really mellows it down.

Here's the recipe. Enjoy!




30x30 Challenge, Week #3

The 30x30 Challenge: Week #3

It's getting harder!!!! I apologize in advance that the pictures are kind of dark. It rained all day from the moment I woke up - making for HORRIBLE lighting. I'm definitely going to have to figure out some more layering. I'm only half way through the challenge. This challenge is making me hate some of these articles of clothing...like, I never want to wear them again after this. When I see the pictures of myself I say, "I am donating this after I get through the 30 days."

Outfit #11:

Can I just say: what the heck happened to my skirt?!?! I looked like I rolled around on the floor after I put it on...Oh geez...Anyways, I do like the mixture of the grey, blush and tan sandals.

Outfit #12:
Cute and casual. I love the color of this blouse. Every week I'm tempted to wear this in almost every photo. This is NOT something I want to donate. I like how this outfit is laid-back, but still looks put together.

Outfit #13:
My giant picture of the week (aka me as 6'2"). I don't usually like wearing shirts with high necklines under blazers, but with the necklace this black shirt worked. It's a strange outfit though...Too sexy for work, but too formal to wear out?? I don't know. I'm sure it looked awesome as I walked my puppy around the apartment complex.

Outfit #14:
An outfit I have almost worn before. I had on different bottoms. But I like this top with the black 3/4 sweater. When I added the white shorts and sparkly sandals I fell in love. It's clean and summery looking, but I could still wear this to dinner.

 Outfit #15:
Like I said last week, I adore this blouse. And it turned out to be pretty darn fine looking when I put it with leggings. This week I used the fabric tie belt it came with. Probably my favorite outfit this week (:

So there it is!!! Week #3 and halfway through. I am surprised at how many DIFFERENT looking outfits I've made. I'm worried that by the end I'll just be pairing a shirt with a random short and it will look like a bunch of repeats. We will see!

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Fudge Brownie Oatmeal Cookies

Oh.my.lord.

These were my newest creation. Ryan loves brownies - I always have them on hand. That's how I came up with the Cheesecake Fudge Brownies I posted awhile back.

Well, these are amazing. You make them using brownie mix.

Pick dark chocolate or fudge...

Place 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 2 large eggs, and 1 tablespoon of water into a bowl...

...and add in your brownie mix and 1 cup oats.

Like this!

Stir it up good!

Then add in 1 cup of chocolate chips - I prefer semisweet.

Stir again....

Make heaping tablespoonfuls on a plate & place in the freezer. Chill for 30 minutes. During this time place your cookie sheets in the fridge. Why? Chilling the pans and dough will keep your cookies plump and they won't fall flat!

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. After your dough is chilled, place the cookie dough balls on your chilled pans, lined with parchment paper. If not all the cookies will fit in the oven, keep the dough chilling until your're ready for the next batch. Bake for 12 minutes. 

Let the cookies cool for one minute on the pan and then transfer the parchment/cookies to your counter to cool.

So tempting.....

Yummy yum. We also used these to make ice cream sandwiches after dinner.

To keep your cookies ooey-gooey, place them in an air tight container while they are still warm (:

And keep your puppy or small children away while baking these...or you might end up with oats all over your floor like I did.




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