Homemade Bread

Southern Biscuits

The Ultimate Cookbook for Ultimate Biscuits!

by Joi

Southern Biscuits Cookbook

Okay, look out. You know how I get when I’m all worked up about one of my culinary obsession:

  • cookbooks
  • coffee
  • chocolate

Recently, I received a copy of a gorgeous new cookbook to review. It’s Southern Biscuits, by Nathalie Dupree and Cynthia Graubart and it is just perfection.

This beautiful, hardback 211 page cookbook quickly became a favorite in this southern kitchen and it will become a favorite in your kitchen as well, whether it’s a southern, northern, eastern, or western kitchen. Great cookbooks are like that – they’re insanely popular all around the world because of one universal truth: We all love outstanding food. We love making it, we love serving it, and we love eating it.

The first recipe I tried was Chicken and Drop Dumplings (page 153). I was beyond thrilled with the delicious outcome. It tastes exactly like you’d expect chicken and dumplings to taste if they were served in a great southern cook’s kitchen. My mouth’s watering just thinking about them.

Other recipes in Southern Biscuits include:

  • Black Pepper Biscuits
  • Pimento Cheese Biscuits
  • “Fast Food Biscuits”
  • “Big Nasty Biscuits”
  • Pancakes
  • Waffles
  • Easy Refrigerator Strawberry Jam
  • Chocolate Gravy
  • Biscuit Fried Pies
  • Berry-Biscuit Summer Pudding
  • Breaded Tomatoes
  • Rainy-day Beef Stew and Thyme Dumplings
  • Peach Coffee Cake
  • And many, many more that’ll make you the talk of town!

In addition to beautiful photographs and outstanding recipes, you’ll find pages dedicated entirely to creating the perfect biscuit.  The authors explain what makes a “Southern Biscuit” extraordinary and give you a complete education in Biscuit Basics. Pages 12 through 31 are devoted to showing the reader, step by step how to make sure your biscuits are the most beautiful, fluffy, and delicious biscuits to ever hit a table.  You’ll learn about the different ingredients and how each one is vital to great biscuits. You’ll learn the mysteries surrounding perfect kneading, shaping, cutting, folding, and dropping.

No matter how long you’ve been baking, I guarantee that’ll learn something new.  And, in the kitchen as much as anywhere else, knowledge is sweet power!

Naturally, the stars of the show, however, are the many wonderful recipes in Southern Biscuits.

They’ll blow your mind.

One more thing, I started not to include this last paragraph – because it sounds kind of sales-y. As I “wrote” the words in my head, I thought,”You sound like you’re pitching something on television!” That’s not what I’m about – besides, I’d be horrible at selling anything. My skills lie in the buying aspect of any transaction… just ask my husband. However, if I were looking for a new cookbook to buy (something that I’m often doing, since I collect them!), this is information I’d want someone to give ME, so I’m giving it to YOU. I’m very, very, very familiar with cookbooks (to the tune of hundreds in my collection familiar) and I can tell you that this is a high quality cookbook. When I opened the package and looked through the cookbook, I turned to the inside cover to see the “retail” price. When I saw $21.99, I was honestly surprised. I’ve seen books half this impressive priced upwards of $30.00.

However, the look of surprise on my face THEN was nothing compared to what I saw when I went to Amazon to see what it would cost. (You see, when I’m reviewing products or telling you about things I love, I look for the best price for you – I’ve got your back!) Southern Biscuits, by Nathalie Dupree and Cynthia Graubart is available on Amazon for $14.95!!! Believe me, that’s an unreal price for this beautiful cookbook.

The cookbook will be available on May 7, but you can order it now. Again, at the risk of sounding like a tv salesperson, if I were you I’d grab a copy right now. You’ll love it as much as I do.

Self Magazine’s Diet-Friendly Thanksgiving Recipes

Thanksgiving Recipes for People Counting Calories!

by Joi

Cherry-Cranberry Sauce (Serves Eight)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 piece ginger (about 1 inch), peeled
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup amaretto
1 bag (15 oz) frozen or fresh cranberries
1 bag (10 oz) frozen cherries
1/4 cup sugar

Heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook ginger and cinnamon until ginger becomes fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Carefully add amaretto and cook until liquid thickens and reduces by half, about 1 minute. Add cranberries, cherries, sugar and 1/2 cup water. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until cranberries break apart and sauce thickens, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 1 week.

Pear, Mushroom and Pomegranate Stuffing (Serves Eight)

1 tablespoon olive oil
10 oz. cremini mushrooms
2 large celery stalks, chopped
8 large sage leaves
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
1 demi whole-wheat baguette (about 8 oz), cut into 1-inch cubes
1 large Anjou or Bartlett pear, cored and cubed
1 cup pitted prunes, chopped
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup pomegranate juice

Heat oven to 350°. Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Cook mushrooms, celery, sage and thyme, stirring often, until mushrooms and celery soften, 6 to 8 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl; add baguette cubes, pear, prunes, broth and juice. Mix well and let rest until bread absorbs liquid. Transfer to an 8″ x 8″ baking dish; cover with foil. Bake 40 minutes, remove foil and bake until stuffing puffs up, about 5 minutes.

Green Beans With Blackened Sage and Hazelnuts (Serves Eight)

1 tablespoon. unsalted butter
1 tablespoon. olive oil
1/2 cup chopped fresh sage
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 lb green beans, trimmed
1/2 teaspoon. salt
1/4 cup hazelnuts, chopped

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Heat butter and oil, then cook sage until it begins to blacken, 1 to 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook until golden, about 2 minutes. Add beans and salt; toss to coat. Carefully add 1 cup water. Steam until beans are fork-tender and most of the water has evaporated, 3 to 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle hazelnuts on top and serve..

The skinny: 92 calories per serving, 6 g fat (1 g saturated), 9 g carbs, 3 g fiber, 3 g protein


Mashed Potatoes and Parsnips With Caramelized Onions and Blue Cheese (Serves Eight)

1 tablespoon. olive oil
3 large white onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoons salt
3 baking potatoes (such as Yukon gold, about 2 lb), peeled and cubed
6 parsnips (about 1 lb), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1-1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, heated
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
3 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped

Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat; reduce to medium. Cook onions with sugar and salt, stirring occasionally, until onions brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Add a few tbsp water as you cook to keep onions from sticking or burning. Fill a medium stockpot 3/4 full with cold water. Add potatoes and parsnips; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes and parsnips are fork-tender, 20 to 25 minutes, then drain. Beat 1/4 of potato-parsnip mixture and 3 oz broth in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Repeat, alternating between potato-parsnip mixture and broth, until you’ve incorporated all. Fold in onions, cheese and thyme, and serve..

The skinny: 209 calories per serving, 3 g fat (1 g saturated), 41 g carbs, 6 g fiber, 5 g protein.


Roasted Squash With Balsamic Sauce and Apples (Serves Eight)

2 large butternut squash (about 4 lb), halved, and seeds and membranes removed
1 piece ginger (about 1 inch) peeled and finely chopped
1 cup. balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Vegetable oil cooking spray
2 Gala or Golden Delicious apples, cored and thinly sliced
1/4 cup dried cherries, chopped

Heat oven to 400°. Slice a small piece off the skin side of each squash half, so halves sit flat. Microwave on high in a covered bowl until flesh begins to soften, 2 minutes. Gently simmer ginger, vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until liquid decreases by 1/3, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. Line 2 large baking sheets with foil and coat with cooking spray. Place squash halves skin side down on baking sheets. Arrange apple slices in cavity of each half. Bake until apples soften, 25 minutes. Remove squash from oven, drizzle with balsamic sauce, return to oven and bake until apples brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Cut each squash half into quarters and transfer to a serving platter with any extra juices. Sprinkle with cherries and serve immediately..

The skinny: 166 calories per serving, 0 g fat, 42 g carbs, 6 g fiber, 3 g protein.


Sweet Potato Biscuits (Makes Eight)

1 medium sweet potato (about 5 oz)
1 1/4 cups. whole-wheat biscuit mix
2 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cubed
1/2 cup lowfat buttermilk
1/4 teaspoons ground allspice

Wrap sweet potato in a paper towel. Microwave on high until soft, 4 minutes. Scoop flesh into a bowl and mash; set aside. Heat oven to 400°. Place biscuit mix and butter in a bowl; rub butter into mix with fingertips until large pea-sized crumbs form. Add sweet potato, buttermilk and allspice; mix until just combined. Transfer dough onto a cookie sheet and form into a 12″ x 4″ rectangle. Cut into 8 rectangles with a serrated knife and separate slightly. Bake until biscuits are firm to the touch, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Once cool, store in an airtight container for up to 3 days..

The skinny: 124 calories per biscuit, 5 g fat (3 g saturated), 15 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 3 g protein.

Thanksgiving and Christmas don’t HAVE to destroy your diet or clobber your willpower.  Thanks to healthy recipes like the ones above, you can still look forward to a beautiful and delicious meal and not have to dread the scales the next day.

Well… not toooo much.

If you want to make the stuffing recipe above (or any dressing or stuffing recipe, for that matter) completely vegetarian, use vegetable broth in place of the chicken broth.  I do it every year for my daughter Brittany and her dressing is always outstanding.  Granted, you’ll want to get creative with the spices – sage, pepper, and onion powder compensate for the flavor you lose when you avoid chicken broth.

Thanks to Self Magazine for sharing these recipes and images with our readers!

Rich Corn Bread Recipe

Great for Thanksgiving Day or Any Day

by Joi

Rich Corn Bread

1-1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup unbleached flour, sifted
1 teaspoon each salt and sugar
3 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup melted butter

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 12 x 16 inch pan or large cast iron skillet. Combine cornmeal, flour, salt, sugar, baking powder and vanilla. Add eggs lightly beaten with milk and beat until the batter is thoroughly blended. Stir in heavy cream and butter. Spread the batter into baking pan and bake for 20 minutes, or until well browned.

Recipe Credit: Nielsen-Massey Vanilla

Easy Blueberry Muffins Recipe

by Joi

Freshness

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Easy Buttermilk Blueberry Muffins

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1-3/4 cups sifted, all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
3/4 cup buttermilk (the secret behind these sensational muffins)
3/4 cup blueberries (washed and well-drained)

Cream together the butter and sugar until light. Add eggs – one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and nutmeg. Add to creamed mixture alternatively with the buttermilk. Beat well after each addition.

Fold in blueberries. Fill paper-lined muffin pans 2/3 full and bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Yield: 14 – 16 muffins

Note:  Experiment with different berries – blackberries and strawberries make excellent muffins as well.  I’ve never tried raspberries, oddly enough – but I think I’ll do that one morning this week!  My problem is that I’m SUCH a blueberry fan that pulling me away from them isn’t easy.

**** Interested in cutting back your daily salt intake?  Read about a troubling new study on my Self Help Blog:  How to Cut Back on Salt and Why You Should Do So!

Thomas Jefferson’s Beloved Monticello Muffins

by Joi

According to Monticello.org, this muffin recipe was often used, and loved, by Thomas Jefferson and his family.   This would be a wonderful recipe to make tomorrow morning – very fitting for President’s Day, wouldn’t you say?

If you’re a history buff like me, you’ll definitely want to click the link above and visit this very informative and beautiful site.

Recipe for Monticello Muffins

4 cups of flour
1- 1/2 packets of yeast
1 -1/2 cups water
cast iron griddle

Silver flatware Jefferson brought from France; photograph by Edward Owen Mix flour, yeast, and water. Dough will be very sticky. Coat your hands in flour before kneading the dough. While kneading, continue to add small amounts of flour to the dough until the stickiness disappears and the dough becomes more solid. You may find you add as much as 1/2 cup more flour during this process.

Put the dough in a large bowl, cover with a towel, and leave in a warm place overnight. The dough should more than double by morning. The underside of the dough may be a bit sticky — if so, knead it a bit more. Using your hands, shape the muffins into small golf-ball sized balls. Set the muffins aside, cover with a towel, and let rise for an hour.

Preheat ungreased griddle over medium heat. Add shaped muffins to griddle and cook for about five minutes on each side.

The muffins will look like biscuits on the outside and English muffins on the inside. Serve immediately. Makes two dozen small muffins.

On Monticello.org, you can even find the Jefferson Family’s Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe!

Southern Buttermilk Cornbread Recipe from Martha White

by Joi

Martha White Corn Meal MixLast night I made a big stew for supper and knew exactly what I wanted to go with it: Buttermilk Cornbread.

I was about to use my normal recipe when I noticed a recipe on the back of my Martha White Self-Rising White Corn Meal Mix. The word Southern caught my eye and the ingredient buttermilk sealed the deal.

I doubled the recipe because I wanted to fry some for supper and bake some for the next day. It was terribly, terribly delicious fried and I just warmed up a little square from the baked and it was Heavenly as well. Once you’ve had cornbread made with buttermilk, I promise you, you’ll never want cornbread any other way.  There’s something distinctively wonderful about the flavor of buttermilk in each bite.

Southern Buttermilk Cornbread Recipe from Martha White

Ingredients:

Crisco Original No-Stick Cooking Spray
2 cups Martha White Self-Rising White Corn Meal Mix
1 1/3 cups buttermilk or 1-1/3 cups milk
1/4 cup Crisco Pure Vegetable Oil or 1/4 cup Crisco All-Vegetable Shortening, melted
1 large egg

Directions:
1. HEAT oven to 450ºF. Spray 8-inch ovenproof skillet or 8-inch square pan with no-stick cooking spray; place in oven to heat.

2. BEAT egg in medium bowl. Add all remaining ingredients; mix well. Pour batter into hot prepared skillet.

3. BAKE 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Serving size: 8 servings

The recipe above makes 1 round or square pan, 12 muffins or 16 cornsticks.

Here’s something you have to try – I promise, it’s amazing! Put some cornbread in a bowl and pour a little buttermilk over the top. Grab a spoon or fork and enjoy. It’s not just good, it’s dang good.

Speaking of dang good – for dessert I made Paula Deen’s Pumpkin Bars from her perfect cookbook Paula Deen & Friends.  You can read my review of the Paula Deen & Friends cookbook by clicking the link.

Word of caution: When you make the pumpkin bars, expect them to go faster than a rabbit with a hungry coyote on its tail.

Easy Hard Rolls

by Joi

1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees F)
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
3 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1-1/4 teaspoons salt
1 egg white mixed with 1 tablespoon water

In a small bowl, sprinkle yeast over the warm water. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cut shortening into flour, sugar, and salt until consistency of fine crumbs. Add the yeast mixture and stir until a soft dough forms. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for 20 minutes.

Divide dough into 12 portions. Flatten each portion into a 4×3 inch rectangle. Roll each up from the long side, pinching edges to seal. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Place rolls about 3 inches apart on a greased baking sheet. Brush lightly with egg white.

Cover and let rise for 1 hour. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden. Cool on a wire rack. Split each roll lengthwise, top with Butter (as in “not margarine!”) and serve. You’ll achieve hero status immediately.

These are absolutely amazing – if you aren’t in the habit of baking your own bread, you don’t know what you’re missing. The experience, itself, is a blast. It gives you such a great sense of accomplishment when you serve bread you made with your own two hands. And the flavor? You can’t beat it anywhere. Give this recipe a try, you’ll amaze yourself – and that’s always fun!

Paula Deen’s Peanut Butter Bread

by Joi

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup peanut butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine dry ingredients. Add milk and peanut butter. Pour into a greased 8 by 4 by 3-inch loaf pan. Bake for approximately 50 minutes. Serve with your favorite jam.

The recipe, above, is one of the ones that’ll be featured on one of the Cooking With Paula Deen episodes today (see the scroller at the left to see if it’s the earliest episode or the latest – I honestly don’t remember!).

I’d make it right now – since I’m now craving it like mad! – But the only peanut butter we have on hand is crunchy. But after a quick run to the store this morning, I’ll be set! After I’ve baked one (or two!), I’ll post the pics and tell you how great they are. It’s a Paula Deen recipe, it can’t miss.

If you don’t see a pic at the top, it means I’m either in the store or the loaves are in the oven!

Click the link below for the rest of the recipes from the Goin’ Nutz Episode:

Paula Deen Recipes

Pineapple Upside-Down Muffins

by Joi

1/2 cup oats
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
1 10-ounce can pineapple slices
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 large eggs
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons pineapple juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple
1 cup grated carrot
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar mixed with 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Cooking Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat 12 muffin cups with cooking spray.

2. To prepare topping: Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar into each muffin cup. Sprinkle nuts, if using, over the sugar. Stack pineapple slices and cut into 6 wedges. Place 2 wedges in each muffin cup.

3. To prepare muffins: Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl.

4. Whisk eggs and brown sugar in a medium bowl until smooth. Whisk in oil, juice and vanilla. Stir in crushed pineapple. Make a well in the dry ingredients; add the wet ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined. Stir in carrot, oats, raisins and nuts, if using. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups (they’ll be quite full).

5. Bake the muffins until the tops are golden brown and firm to the touch, 15 to 25 minutes. Immediately loosen edges and turn muffins out onto a baking sheet. Restore any stray pineapple pieces and nuts. Let cool for at least 10 minutes. Serve upside-down, either warm or at room temperature.

Delicious!!!

Recipe Credit: Eating Well

Blueberry Coffeecake Recipe

by Joi

One of my favorite magazines (believe me, this is an honor for a magazine…I buy so many it’d depress me to count them all), Tea Time, ran the following recipe in their Fall 2005 issue. It’s a winner and you’ll absoulutely love it.

BLUEBERRY COFFEECAKE

4 tablespoons butter, softened (don’t even think about using margarine)
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup milk
1-1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

TOPPING

1/3 cup flour
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 inch Springform Pan.

Cream butter and sugar until thoroughly blended. Add and and vanilla and mix well.

Stir flour, baking powder, and salt together. Add dry ingredients to butter-sugar mixture; add milk. Using a hand mixer, beat until batter is smooth.

Spread batter into prepared pan and sprinkle blueberries over the top.

For the topping, combine flour, butter, sugar, and nutmeg using your fingers or a Pastry Blender until mixture is crumbly. Spread over the blueberries.

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes.

Run a table knife around the edges of the pan and remove the springform edge from the bottom. Serve warm.

Enjoy!

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