Buttermilk Biscuits

These were supposed to be cookies. This recipe makes me very frustrated. What am I supposed to do with 30 or so biscuits (I doubled the recipe)? Luckily, a friend of mine will take many of them.

Buttermilk Biscuits



I got this recipe from Reader's Digest's Cookies: 1,001 Mouthwatering Recipes from around the World. That's right, they came from a cookie cookbook. The recipe was called "buttermilk cookies." They were cutouts, and I had some buttermilk to use, so I thought it'd be good for Walter's office.

Well, first off, I had to add another half cup of flour just to get the dough even close to thick enough to roll. Then, when I took them out of the oven, they had puffed up quite a bit, which surprised me. I tasted one, and it tasted like a biscuit. Not a cookie. So while the recipe was delicious, it was not a cookie at all.

This also explains why I made heart-shaped biscuits.

However, after looking over the recipe again, it occurs to me that I added 1/3 cup buttermilk instead of the 3/4 cup they called for. Could that have made the difference? Would they hav been cookies instead if I hadn't goofed that? I think the extra liquid would have meant that I needed even MORE flour to get them to cooperate. Ugh.

Ingredients
-1 cup all-purpose flour (I used 1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons cake flour and had to add another 1/2 cup cake flour)
-1 teaspoon baking powder
-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
-1/8 teaspoon salt
-1/3 cup butter, cut up
-2 Tablespoons sugar
-3/4 cup buttermilk (I used 1/3 cup)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Stir in sugar.
3. Cut butter into dry mixture until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in buttermilk.
4. Roll out on a a lightly floured surface to 1/2 inch thickness(Since they are more biscuits than cookies, rolling it to about an inch thickness is what I recommend)
5. Using a 2-inch cookie cutter, cut cookies from dough, rolling scraps and repeating until all dough is used.
6. Place on baking sheet 1 inch apart and bake for 5 to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Banana Bread Revisited

My aunt gave us some homemade pear butter for Christmas. I wasn't sure how to use it, but I got an idea to put it in my banana bread. So, I altered the recipe.

Pear Banana Bread



The only difference between my original recipe and this one is that instead of four bananas, I used three bananas and 1/3 cup of pear butter, and instead of nutmeg, I used pumpkin pie spice. I also omitted the vanilla, but that was purely by accident (it tastes just as good without it). You can find my original banana bread recipe here.

Peppery Cheesy Garlic Bread

Tonight, I am making pasta for dinner. Penne with sausage and Prego. Not exactly a culinary masterpiece, but it tastes good. I found this recipe on my bedside table (I don't even remember writing it down) and thought it would be a good touch. So, here we go.

Peppery Cheesy Garlic Bread



I got this recipe from the Southern Living Christmas Cookbook. I added garlic powder and took out the green onions (as I had none), and I used sour cream instead of yogurt, but I don't think it would be bad at all without my modifications, either.



Ingredients
-2 1/2 cups flour
-1 Tablespoon sugar
-2 teaspoons pepper
-1 teaspoon baking powder
-2/3 teaspoon salt
-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
-2 eggs, lightly beaten
-1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
-1 8-oz container of plain yogurt (I used sour cream instead)
-1/2 cup vegetable oil
-1/4 cup milk
-1 Tablespoon spicy brown mustard
-1/4 cup green onion, thinly sliced (I ommitted).
I also added 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder and an additional dash of garlic powder to taste

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine the first six ingredients (and, if using, 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder). Make a well in the center of the mixture.
3. In a separate bowl, stir together eggs and the next six ingredients. Add this mixture to the dry mixture and stir just until moistened.
4. Pour batter into greased loaf pan (If desired, sprinkle the top of the batter with additional garlic powder once it has been formed into the loaf pan)and bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes or until a pick stuck into the middle of the bread comes out clean.

Cinnamon Raisin French Toast

I almost feel silly posting something so simple in my blog, but why not? It is delicious and fantastic.

Growing up, the only time my father cooked was when we had breakfast for dinner. This was not incredibly often, but it was not uncommon, either (probably once every two weeks). Walter's family had "brinner" on a fairly regular basis as well. After we got married, we met a number of people who were not familiar with the concept, and it was so mind-boggling to us. Are we the only "brinner" fans out there?

Anyway, I love this French toast. It's sweet and fantastic, and so simple!

Cinnamon Raisin French Toast


I have also made other variations of this--chocolate and strawberry (by adding chocolate or strawberry syrup to the milk), brown sugar and cinnamon (by using different bread), etc. It is so fun and easy to switch things up.

Ingredients
-1 egg
-1 cup milk (I use vanilla soy milk because of my lactose intolerance)
-1 teaspoon sugar
-1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
-1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
-8 slices Pepperidge Farms Raisin Cinnamon bread (or any bread you prefer, but this is where you get the raisin)

Directions
1. Preheat griddle to 300 degrees. Combine egg, milk, sugar, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice in a bowl and stir until thoroughly mixed.
2. Coat each slice of bread in egg and milk mixture. Place each slice on the griddle.
3. Cook each side for about 1-2 minutes, or until browned. Serve with syrup, powdered sugar, fresh fruit, butter, or whatever you prefer to have with your French toast.

First Recipe - Banana Banana Bread

Hi, everyone! I'm Joanna Eberhart. Anyone familiar with my blog will know that I'm a housewife who loves cooking and baking. So, I've decided to try my hand at a food blog. Welcome. :)

Banana Banana Bread
I got this recipe here at allrecipes.com. I altered it a bit because that's what I do (I don't think I ever follow a recipe exactly), and it turned out pretty great.



Ingredients
-2 cups all-purpose flour
-1 teaspoon baking soda
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-1/2 cup butter
-3/4 cup brown sugar
-2 1/3 cups mashed bananas (roughly three. I used four)
-2 eggs
I also added 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 5 loaf pan and set aside.
2. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg in a bowl. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, cream butter and brown sugar. Stir in bananas, eggs, and vanilla.
4. Combine both bowls and stir until moist.
5. Pour into loaf pan and bake for 60 to 65 minutes at 350 degrees.
6. Let cool for ten minutes before removing from pan.




I am actually not a huge fan of banana bread, but this tasted good. It was very moist and sweet, which is always a plus. Walter enjoyed it, and hopefully our guests tomorrow will as well!