Simple Drop Biscuits

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter + 2 Tbsp for pan

Method:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F and melt 2 Tbsp butter in a glass baking dish in the oven.  When butter is almost totally melted, remove pan to have ready for biscuits.

Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl.  Melt butter, mix with milk, and pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.  Mix until just moistened.  Drop by large filled tablespoons into the buttered baking dish, or use an ice cream scoop with a trigger mechanism for a rounder, more uniform biscuit.  Bake 8-12 minutes til biscuit tops begin to brown and the bottoms are golden brown.  Makes about 8 medium-sized biscuits.

Beer, Herb, and Cheddar Bread

Ingredients:

3 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp dried parsley (1 Tbsp fresh)
3/4 tsp dried rosemary (2 tsp fresh)
3/4 tsp dried thyme (1 Tbsp fresh)
1 1/2 cups or 1 bag shredded cheddar cheese blend
12 oz beer of choice

Method:

Combine flour, soda, and salt in a large bowl.  Add herbs and most of the cheese (reserve a good handful to top the loaf before baking) and combine once more.  Pour in beer slowly and mix all til just combined, making sure all flour has been incorporated.  You may need to turn the dough with your hands a couple times to do that.  Press dough into a greased loaf pan, stretching to the corners and leveling the top.  Cover with the remaining cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 45-60 minutes until loaf is browned and sounds hollow when tapped.  Cool before slicing and use a serrated knife.

Butternut Bread with Walnuts and Chocolate Chips

Ingredients:
*1 cup butternut squash purée
2 eggs
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp orange extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup roughly chopped walnuts
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease (vegetable shortening or butter) and flour one 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.5 inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl (KitchenAid mixer with paddle attachment), mix together the butternut squash puree, eggs, oil, water, orange extract, and sugars until thoroughly combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Stir the dry ingredients into the butternut squash mixture in two additions. Combine just until incorporated; do not over mix. Mix in walnuts and chocolate chips gently.  Pour batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 65-75 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

*I prefer to roast my own honeynut butternut squash for the best tasting bread.  Those little dickens can be hard to find, so you can substitute canned butternut, pumpkin, or sweet potato puree with similar, delicious results.

Chicken Corn Chowder in the Slow Cooker

• Ingredients:
• 1-1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
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• 12 ounces red potatoes, sliced and diced thin
• 1 sweet onion, diced thin
• 3 carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced thin
• 2 cups corn kernels, frozen, canned or roasted
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• 4 cups chicken broth or bone broth
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
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• 1/2 cup half and half (milk mixed with heavy cream)
• 4 tablespoons cornstarch
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

• 1 package of bacon, baked in the oven til crisped and browned, then diced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives or scallions
• shredded cheddar cheese
• a crusty, crackling baguette

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This will be a 7-8 hour event, with 3 hours of slow cooking the chicken, then 4-5 hours slow cooking the soup.

I started with putting uncooked chicken breasts in my slow cooker, then poured about a cup of bone broth on top of them. Take the 3 cloves of garlic and sprinkle/spread on top of the chicken. Add some salt and pepper on top, then close the slow cooker and cook on high for 3 hours. I turned my breasts twice while cooking because I can't let things alone, but it's not necessary to do that.

With about 20 minutes left on the breasts, I chopped up all the veggies. I used a bag of mixed baby potatoes, so there were red, gold, and purple in there. You can use all red if you like. I always dice onions and celery very small and thin, so that upon cooking they kinda melt away into the liquid, or at least you never bite into a big chunk. Usually I keep the shredded carrots on hand, because peeling and chopping them is just another thing that takes time. Whatever carrot shape you like works here -- shredded, waffle, or thin rounds.

When the chicken is done, put the breasts on a plate and shred with two forks. The goal is medium bite-sized pieces. You can leave some bigger pieces, because that's fun. However, refrain from turning it into confetti -- not really what we're going for.

Dump all the things back into the slow cooker -- chicken, potatoes, celery, onions, carrots, and frozen corn. Pour the rest of the broth in. Sprinkle in the thyme, oregano, paprika, salt, and pepper. Give it a few tosses with a large spoon to mix the seasonings and the veggies. Cook on high for 5 hours, stirring every hour.

The last 30 minutes of cooking are when you add the last ingredients to make the soup thick and creamy. Stir the half and half, cornstarch, and butter in a small bowl. When it's totally smooth and combined, stir it into the crockpot. If your soup seems too thin, you can add little amounts of cornstarch to thicken it. Always go slow when adding things to thicken soups, and give it a few minutes rest to absorb and recheck. Your soup may thicken suddenly after a minute and could end up TOO thick if you added too much.

Now is a good time to cook the bacon in the oven. Carefully line a large pan with foil, making sure the foil comes up the sides of every side of your pan. That keeps bacon grease from leaking under the foil and making a mess. Lay bacon strips flat side-by-side, and cook at 350 for 20-25 minutes until brown and crispy. After baking, crumble or dice the cooled bacon for the top of the finished soup. This will be a lot of bacon -- save some for tomorrow! Also -- now is the time to chop your scallions or chives.

Serve hot chowder with crumbled bacon, chopped scallions, sprinkles of your favorite cheddar cheese on top, and a hunk of a crusty, crackling baguette on the side. Cool the leftover chowder and freeze in small containers to have simple meals ready for reheating later.

Pumpkin Sage Biscuits

• Ingredients:
• 1/2 cup pumpkin or butternut squash purée
• 2 cups unbleached white flour
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 Tbsp cane sugar
• 1/2-1 tsp salt (I used 1/2 tsp because I'm trying to lower sodium in our diets)
• 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, frozen
• 1 1/2 tsp dried sage (or go fresh!)
• 3/4 cup heavy cream or whole milk (I used milk)
• For the egg wash:
• 1 small egg
• 1 Tbsp milk

How to:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.  Using a box grater, grate the butter into the flour mixture.  Place this mixture in the freezer, bowl and whisk, while you prepare the wet ingredients.
2. In another bowl, mix the chilled milk/cream, pumpkin/squash purée, and finely chopped sage. Whisk together until smooth. In a third bowl, make the egg wash by beating the egg and 1 Tbsp of milk together.
3. Remove the dry ingredients from the freezer.  With a pastry cutter or your hands, make sure the grated butter is fully incorporated into the flour (it should look like bread crumbs).  Gently add the pumpkin/squash mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring just until the dough starts to come together. Using your hands, lightly knead the dough in the bowl, until uniform, but avoiding overhandling it.
4. Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour and press the dough out to 3/4 inch thickness. Using a 2 1/2 inch round or square cookie cutter, cut out the biscuits.  Place on a lightly buttered baking sheet.  Brush the tops with egg wash.  Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in a 400F oven, until golden on top.  Transfer the biscuits to a cooling rack and serve warm.

This should make about 12 biscuits.  Mine were a little thin and I got 15.  Make sure your baking powder and soda are fresh to get nice, tall biscuits.  Also -- handle the biscuit dough as little as possible -- the butter staying cold is also what makes great biscuits. 

I enjoyed these warm with turkey and white cheddar cheese as a sandwich, and also warm with butter and blackberry jam.  DIVINE.

Dark Gingerbread Cake with Orange Zest and Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 3/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup blackstrap molasses

1/2 cup honey

• zest of 1 large orange or 2 small
• 3/4 cup warm water
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• Frosting:
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 pinch salt
• 1-2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9x13 pan. Set pan aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, spices, baking soda and salt. Set aside.  In a large bowl whisk together coconut oil, sugar, and eggs until thick and pale. Stir in molasses, honey and orange zest.

Add the dry ingredients in thirds to the wet ingredients. Stir together until well incorporated. Add the warm water and gently stir until the mixture is silky smooth.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake cake for 35 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

While the cake bakes, make the cream cheese frosting. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, blend the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Stop the mixer and add the softened butter. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat over medium speed until smooth and incorporated. Add one cup of powdered sugar and blend until incorporated. Add vanilla extract (and the paste from inside the scraped bean, if using) and remaining cup of powdered sugar if you're using it. Beat until frosting is smooth and silky.

Allow cake to cool in the pan for 20 minutes. Remove from the pan and place on wire rack. Allow to cool completely before frosting the cake.  This cake can be stored, well wrapped in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days.

Carbonnade (Flemish beef and beer stew)

Ingredients:
2 lb. beef chuck, cut into 2″ x ¹⁄₂″-thick slices

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

¹⁄₄ cup flour

4 tbsp. unsalted butter

4 slices bacon, finely chopped

6 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced lengthwise

2 cups Belgian-style ale, like Ommegang Abbey Ale

1 cup beef stock

2 tbsp. dark brown sugar

2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

3 sprigs thyme

3 sprigs parsley

2 sprigs tarragon

1 bay leaf

Bread, for serving

Steamed vegetables

Season beef with salt and pepper in a bowl; add flour and toss to coat. Heat 2 tbsp. butter in a 6-qt. Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add beef; cook, turning, until browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate; set aside. 

Add bacon; cook until its fat renders, about 8 minutes. Add remaining butter, garlic, and onions; cook until caramelized, about 30 minutes. Add half the beer; cook, scraping bottom of pot, until slightly reduced, about 4 minutes. 

Return beef to pot with remaining beer, stock, sugar, vinegar, thyme, parsley, tarragon, bay leaf, and salt and pepper; boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, covered, until beef is tender, about 1 ½ hours. Serve with bread and steamed vegetables.