Biscuits Made with Soy Milk

I am totally out of milk and half and half on a Saturday morning. Saturdays are when I attempt to give my kids something other than cereal. Unfortunately, those buttery, flaking biscuits I wanted will have to be made with soy milk. This is something I have never done, so here it goes. These are not dairy-free, cause I gots(yes, I said 'gots') me plenty o' butter, but darn, I wish I had some half and half.

Here is the recipe:
1 1/2 c flour
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t baking soda
3/4 c soy milk, with 1 t of vinegar
6 T butter.

For those of you who hate horror scenes, turn away. I mixed everything by hand. Okay, you can turn back now. I patted the dough out and using 2-inch biscuit cutters got about 10 biscuits and my son ate the remaining dough. I threw them into a nine inch baking pan at 425 and prayed I would not forget they were in the oven.I have been known to burn a few things. They seemed to take longer to brown than I expected and fear of them being too dry hit me. At the 16 minute mark, they were still not brown. I waited two more minutes and took them out, They were brown on the bottom. They seemed okay, but I will need my dairy next time.

I could not find my camera, so I used my son's Nintendo DS for photos. I'll post shortly.

How To | Simply Recipes

How To | Simply Recipes

This is a great list of how tos that will help even the most inexperienced chef get through a meal. Simply Recipes is one of my favorite sites and I hope you all give it a gander.

J is for Jack of All Trades

I am a lover, a chef, a mother and an a**hole. Jack of all trades? Yeah, and I know this. My biggest passion is food. Yesterday, my husband saw me staring at the computer. He asked if I was chatting someone up. Out of all the things I could be doing. How dare he? I was staring at Amanda's Cookin' blog. I was enchanted by all the ooeey, gooey desserts she had on the site, trying to see what I would make. Look at this:

From Amanda's Cookin'

Indignant

I have a sister that calls me every time she wants to make something. She needs directions. She will call from the grocery store. Once she prepares her meatloaf, spaghetti, mac and cheese, whatever, she feels the need to tell me that her was better. Who said it was a competition? I get indignant and want to hang up. I thought food was better than that, but even then, there is competition.

Hard

I am so frazzled. I figured this challenge would be a wonderful chance at posting everyday. I find it hard. Am I the only one?

"G" Can Only Mean One Thing..... Garlic

Anyone that knows me understands there are three levels of eaters in my home. I have a husband that abhors white, creamy things; a son who will not let me chop a chicken breasts, finish cake batter, or make pizza dough without snagging a bite; then there is my daughter....she is my partner in crime, er I mean garlic.

There is nothing she and I love more than a pizza with garlic, potatoes with garlic, pasta with garlic...garlic, garlic, and more garlic. It does not feel right if a meal is missing this special ingredient. Unfortunately, my husband wants a kiss and because he is overwhelmed if there is more than a clove of garlic in anything (I probably have three heads of garlic in me right now), it is kissus interruptus.

So what, I am going to go childish with this and say "I hate his perfume, blech!". So there.

F*ck It!

F*ck it! That is how I feel right now. I have nothing in the kitchen that speaks of easiness except rice. I have not even started brining the chicken for our meal. I wish I were Samantha or Jeannie and could snap my bloody fingers and have a meal on the table in seconds. I guess if food comes out of nowhere, you have to wonder if it really is food. We'll be eating air pies and calling it delicious. Maybe magic isn't the answer.

Back to the drawing board.

E is For Empty Headedness

I got so caught up I forgot about the challenge yesterday. I made lasagna bolognese and spaced out. My son was moody and my daughter was fluttering like a butterfly. I felt insane.

D is For Dora and Her DNA (From Paula Deen's Restaurant)

I love Paula Deen, I truly do and I have gotten used to her licking her fingers after tasting her food. Today, I watched an episode of 'Paula's Best Dishes' called 'From the Ladies with Love'. The food looked especially tasty and my waistline expanded just watching them dig into baked spaghetti and cheese biscuits. I just could not stomach looking at Paula and her chef Dora licking their fingers and snacking while preparing the food. I am used to Paula, but must everyone do this? What really killed me was Dora putting the trifle together. I could see the pudding residue from when ***Dora had licked her fingers as she continued to manipulate the trifle and Paula had already licked her fingers before placing mint on top of finished dish. I wonder if DNA sharing is part of eating at The Lady and Sons.
***correction - Those were Paula's fingers 04-06-11

Menu:
* The Lady and Sons Cheese Biscuits
* Dora's Baked Spaghetti
* Chocolate Trifle

Links to the recipes can be found here: http://bit.ly/g2GQ2c

What is C for? Coffee and Caffeine, of Course!

I will tell you a really embarrassing story. I was recently visiting my mother and had not drank my 2 morning cups of coffee and chicory. Anyone that has ever had coffee like French Market or Cafe Du Monde (my MIL is from New Orleans) knows how different it is from your regular cup of joe. The color is rich and the flavor is mellower. The smell....... Gee, I am craving it right now, just talking about it.



Now, going without my coffee would have been fine had I been close to home, but I was out for hours. On the way back in the late afternoon, I was carrying bags and dealing with the worse headache. Friggin' caffeine withdrawal. I stopped into Paper or Plastik for $3 cup of whatever blend they had, just to get home without collapsing.

I love coffee, but I hate that I cannot function well without it. I am my own worse enemy.

B is For: Beef...Sometimes

I have been on a quest to make beef less of an issue, by adding some vegetarian options to our meals. I was not a big beef eater when until I would visit my doctor. He always commented on my being anemic. Instead of prescribing iron pills or dark, leafy greens, he told me I needed eat more beef.  Overnight, I traded my chicken breasts for steak.

Then came burgers. I dream of different ways to dress a burger. I look up the online menus of food trucks that roam the streets of Los Angeles, just to see what they are slapping on a bun. One episode of "Food Wars" had me at hello. Grill 'Em All battled it out with Baby's Badass Burgers.

Yep, I love beef, but in my mind, I'm all vegetarian.

A is for Anxiety: The Blogging From A to Z April Challenge

So, I joined the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge and my first post will be about 'Anxiety".
I am absolutely panicked that I will be unable to keep up with the challenge. My wish is to blog about food and food stuff all day, but I get sidetracked by the minutia that is my life. I get the kiddies ready and I actually start planning meals in my mind that day. Sometimes I will make two different meals. My kids love pot pies in a white creamy sauce. My husband hates white creamy foods, so there is always some weird adjustment. (He had a mayonnaise incident that has scarred him for life).
I start looking for one recipe and two hours later, I am still searching. This is because everything sounds so delicious. Eventually, I will have rewritten that recipe because I know what will work better with my family. Anyways, I am off in search of a banana pudding recipe that I can tinker with.

Here's to getting rid of all that anxiety about being a proper blogger.
Wish me luck.

Advice from Smitten Kitchen: Why did my cookies spread? | tips

I am taking a cue from Deb at Smitten Kitchen before attempting her recipe for chocolate wafers. I am making ice cream sandwiches and wanted to use something besides the homemade chocolate chip cookies my husband seems to crave every 2 minutes.

Here are her tips: why did my cookies spread? | tips

Time to Buy Those Individual Aluminum Tins

Time to Buy Those Individual Aluminum Tins

I see pot pies, blueberry crumbles, and spaghetti and meatballs in my future.

I had just talked to my family about freezing pot pies individually.  Looks like someone else had the same idea.
How many of you have frozen mini meals that can be popped into the microwave or oven as needed?
Woulds appreciate any additional ideas.

How to Make (and Freeze!) Individual Chicken Pot Pies | Apartment Therapy The Kitchn

Nabisco Classics French Vanilla Creme

Nabisco Classics French Vanilla Creme

I love cookies that smell of vanilla and butter. On most occasions, I make them myself. I also happen to be married to a man that loves bring in cookies from the grocery store. He brought Nabisco Classics French Vanilla Creme home yesterday and it seemed promising. What drew me in was "Classics". This really had me believing they would taste like cookies from when I was younger. I pulled the cookie apart and tasted cookie only, leaving the creme on the other side. The cookie was reminiscent of vaguely vanilla flavored cardboard. I decided to brave the vanilla creme center, which was nothing more than colored shortening with sugar. Not even the good kind. The filling coated my tongue in an greasy mess. The crunch was nothing short of teeth shattering. Even dipped in milk, it was disturbing how long it took to soften. Never more.

How to Season a Cast Iron Skillet

There are some things mama always made sure to tell you.

Photo courtesy of bonappetit.com

1. Always carry money for a phone call.
2. If you can't say anything nice, then don't say anything at all.
3. Never abuse your cast iron skillet. 

I wish I could say I always listened.  I went through the rebellious teenage stage where I am sure if they could have shipped me to Siberia with my great-uncle Sal, they would have. No return ticket.

Anyway, a cast iron skillet is the workhouse every cook needs. It is used for baking in an oven, camping out, on a grill and of course, on the stove-top. It cooks a one-pan meal or dessert. It also requires tender loving care: a few kisses, a scrub here and there, and a nice hot oil massage. I have seen a few brought back from the dead, even.

This may seem like a no-brainer, but a new cast iron skillet needs to be washed in hot, soapy water and thoroughly dried. To dry, place the skillet on top of the stove and watch as water just dissipates. Move pan to a cold stove eye and allow it to cool.

Once pan cools, heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Using a paper towel, rub a nice, thick layer of oil or fat all over the inside and outside of the skillet. Place the pan on a foiled lined cookie sheet, upside down. Place cookie sheet in oven and allow skillet to heat for about one hour.  After an hour, remove skillet and allow to cool slightly before handling. Once cool, wipe off the excess oil and it is ready for use.

Remember that after each use, wipe the skillet clean. Do not place in a dishwasher. Do not place a hot pan in cold water. After the initial wash, avoid detergents. About once a month, just heat the pan with a little oil on the stove and wipe it down to maintain its non-stick quality. If food does happen to stick (usually after placed in a poorly heated pan), boil some water and using a nylon brush, scrape up the sticky bits. Store cast iron skillets on stove tops or pot racks.

Note: There are some skillets that come pre-seasoned. Well, that may be, but I would suggest doing it yourself, anyway.

Tasty Toaster Tarts By Joanne Chang

Talk about drool. I haven't had a Pop-Tart in ages. This is because I noticed the ingredients of the frosting. Some people may say live a little, but I would rather live a little better.
Saw Joanne Chang on the Today Show and immediately looked up the recipe. Cannot wait to try these.

                                            Photo Courtesy of King Arthur Flour

Here is a video rendition:
Tasty Toaster Tarts By Joanne Chang