Cheddar Bay Biscuits

When I was a kid Red Lobster was one of my favorite places to eat.  I didn't get to go very often, so it was special when we did.  The Cheddar Bay biscuits were the best part of the meal. I think I could make a meal with just a basket of those.

These days, we don't frequent R.L. too often, but when we do my kids are the same way.  They are usually filled up on bread by the time their food gets to the table.

   I first made these several years ago.  I decided to make them again tonight after my kids had mentioned them.  I'd forgotten how good they are.  The perfect accompaniment to your main dish and salad.  Or, if the kids are gone, a meal all by themselves.

Cheddar Bay Biscuits at home...

4 c. baking mix (such as Bisquick of Jiffy)

4 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 1/3 c. water

1/2 melted butter

1 t. garlic powder

1/4 t. salt

1/8 t. onion powder

1/8 t. parsley

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F  Spray or grease your cookie sheet. .In a mixing bowl, combine the baking mix, cheese, and water. Mix until dough is firm. Drop spoonfuls of dough on the prepared pan.Bake at 375 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown.Combine the melted butter, garlic powder, salt, onion powder and parsley. Brush over baked biscuits immediately upon removing from oven.

Hi!

 I have taken a long hiatus away from the land of blogging! It's been a crazy 9+ months since my last post and moving up north.. away from my beloved Tennessee to booty-kickin', cold (and kinda dark)  Minnesota. The hubs just happened to land a great job here, so here we be.   Lets just say we're still adjusting.

Although I felt plucked from my balmy, green, full of happy people, and all that is southern and lovely-- NASHVILLE (yay!), I am certain that nothing in my life happens without a purpose.  So... I take comfort in knowing that God's got it all under control, and my job is to just trust and obey. 

 It's good to be back...in blog-land that is.  I know there must be some right brainers around here somewhere...

Banana rum raisin ice cream

 If you ask me my favorite ice cream, there is no hesitation to tell you it's Haagen-Dazs Rum Raisin.  I don't buy it often though since not a lot of stores carry it in my area.  That is a blessing since the temptation to eat the whole pint can quickly turn into reality.  I saw this recipe on Martha Stewart's site a few months ago and since I've seen it on a few blogs.  It's simply devine!  It's decadent and wonderful and easy. 

BANANA RUM RAISIN ICE CREAM

• 3/4 cup dark rum (I used regular Bacardi)
• 3/4 cup golden raisins
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 soft-ripe medium bananas, coarsely chopped
• 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
• 2 cups cold heavy cream

toasted coconut (optional)

• In a medium saucepan, combine rum, raisins, and sugar. Bring to a boil over medium-high, remove from heat, and let cool completely, 30 minutes.
• In a food processor, combine bananas and condensed milk and process until smooth, 2 minutes. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat cream on high until stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. With a rubber spatula, gently fold banana mixture into whipped cream. Fold in rum-raisin mixture. Pour into a 5-by-9-inch loaf pan, cover with plastic, and freeze until firm, about 8 hours (or covered, up to 1 week).

The little oven that could!

When it's 101 degrees outside and you're craving some brownies, but you can't stand the heat generated from the heat monster known as your oven, utilize your toaster oven!  In the summer time I use my toaster oven for most all of my baking. I use it to heat up pizzas, hot sandwiches, and leftovers for my boys, but I also use it to make brownies or small cakes.  The heat can sometimes be a bit uneven, but it gets the job done.  I also make things like baked chicken or cubed steak n gravy for supper in the little oven that could. 

Here's a good brownie recipe:

• 1/2 cup sugar 
• 3 T. butter
• 2 T. water
• 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (semi-sweet)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 t. vanilla extract
• 2/3 c.  flour
• 1/4 t. baking soda
• 1/2 t. salt
• 
  
• Preheat the oven to 325. Butter an 8x8 inch square pan.
• In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, butter and water. Cook over medium heat until boiling. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips until melted and smooth. Mix in the eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the chocolate mixture. Spread evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until brownies set up. Don't overbake! Cool before cutting.

basil -n- anchovy pesto

This week found me perusing the internet for ways to use up my ever bountiful basil that is flourishing from what started with one wee little plant.  I love pesto and I do make a few batches of that each summer.  I was really excited when I came across a few similar recipes for a pesto recipe using basil and another one of my favorite ingredients---wait for it............flavor packed anchovies!  If you're not a fan of the salty little fishes... have you really ever tried 'em? They are one of my favorite ingredients to use in pasta sauces, salads, and condiment type sauces like this one. I would encourage you to start small and try incorporating small amounts in recipes that call for them or are compatible with their flavors.  I experimented with a few different recipes and came up with this delicious fusion.  So it's basil -n- anchovy pesto!  That's because basil-n-anchovy are in love in this recipe. Remember in school when a guy and a girl would go together and you'd put a -n- in between their names?  Yah, it's just like that, except in an herbs and fish sorta way.   

Basil-n-anchovy pesto:

4 cloves garlic, peeled
2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup pine nuts or walnuts, toasted
1/2 cup fresh Italian parsley leaves

1 T. drained capers

2 T. white wine vinegar

1-2 T. Progresso Italian breadcrumbs
8-10 anchovy fillets, drained (don't throw out the oil in the tin)

1 T. anchovy oil from the tin

fresh ground pepper
1/2 to 3/4 cup olive oil 

Clean and dry your herbs. Combine everything in a food processor EXCEPT the olive oil.  Pour olive oil in slowly until you get the texture you like.  Taste and adjust ingredients to you liking.  I added more anchovies and anchovy oil to mine but it's up to your taste.

My son who is an anchovy lover like me has asked me to make homemade pizzas using this as the pizza sauce.  His favorite pizza is pepperoni, jalapeno, and anchovy!  That's pretty near perfection for me too.   I'll post the homemade pizzas when we make them.  

Rachael Ray knives

 I recently received the Rachael Ray knives I ordered!  I have to say I am really enjoying them so far!  Here's the specs on R.R.'s 10 piece knife set- 

10-piece set includes 3-1/2-inch paring, 5-inch boning, 6-inch serrated utility, 7-inch East/West, 8-inch bread, 8-inch cook's, and 8-inch carving knives
Also includes carving fork, kitchen shears, and handsome bamboo hardwood block
Single-piece German stainless-steel construction with forged bolster and strong tang
Bright orange synthetic handles with built-in antimicrobial inhibitors
Hand wash; limited lifetime warranty


I researched knives for a couple months before making this purchase. My old knife set was ancient.  If my memory serves me correctly the hubs ordered them for me..maybe..10 years ago off of an infomercial! Ha!  They weren't the greatest quality, but they've definitely served their purpose in my busy kitchen over the years.
 I fully intended to go with a Henckels or Wustof set.  I even had the green light from upper finance (a.k.a. my husband) to make the purchase.  As I researched though, I found so many great reviews of these R.R. knives.  First off, I love the cushy rubber handles which are antimicrobial  They make it easy to grip when your hands are wet.  They're nice and solid in their construction, and supa-sharp.  When I found comparable Henckels or Wustof, the R.R.'s set seemed like a no brainer. I decided to take a chance on a knife set with great reviews and have some leftover dough for something else. I figured worse case scenario I wouldn't like them and I'd only have spend $120 and I'd use them anyway for a couple years.  So as of now I'm really digging this Rachael Ray set of 10 knives.  I got mine from Amazon.  They had the best price I found, and shipping was free! Here's a link to where you can buy if interested:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000OYMAO6/ref=s9_simh_gw_p79_d0_g79_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0Q10PXTRNFWBCC2RK1BR&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846

Ceiling fans (a necessary evil?)

Having ceiling fans in the south is not only a nicety, it's a necessity.  So glad that over the years fan designers have stepped up and improved the looks of these formally aesthetically unpleasing eyesores.  Those ignorant designers who won't hang a ceiling fan (especially in the warmer southern regions) are not being sensible in the least.   A room can look good all day long, but if you're sweltering in it, no one will want to hang out there.  Yes, we'd all rather see a gorgeous light fixture or chandelier above our heads, but a ceiling fan in all it's wonderful practicality (beautiful breezes blowing in our faces) doesn't have to be ugly.

This first picture above is of a fan (three blade) that we bought my oldest son.  I'm not giving the manufacturer or name because it was a useless fan.  Three blades DON'T do the job.  The blades were also shorter.  My son loved the look, but unfortunately we ended up replacing it a few months later. I'm just saying beware of shorter, 3 bladed fans like these.

TEOLO FAN from Harbor Breeze (above top pic the actual fan in my house, bottom pic is from Lowes website.

This is the fan we ended up putting in our master bedroom.  We also replaced our son's three blade with this one and put another in our upstairs bonus room.  I love the simple, modern look of it. And it and puts out a wonderful amount of air very quietly.

 http://www.lowes.com/pd_72029-88854-LP8063LBN_0__?productId=3284130

URBANIA FAN from Harbor Breeze.  This is the fan we got for our living room.  It looks tons better in person.  Again, I like the simple design, and the breezes produced from it's FIVE, 54" blades makes my family happy in the heat of summer.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_151279-1811-E-AR54BNK5C1_4294935502__?productId=3476813&Ns=p_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&pl=1&currentURL=%2Fpl_Ceiling%2BFans_4294935502__%3Fpage%3D2%26Ns%3Dp_product_qty_sales_dollar%7C1&facetInfo=

So that's the ceiling fan situation at our house.  Putting up a ceiling fan doesn't have to jeopardize your style. There's lots of great options out there.  

teaspoons and cinnamon

 I have a large silverware drawer with probably 3 or 4 different sets of flatware in it.  If I'm having company for dinner or setting a formal table I will take notice of matching patterns, but in our normal day to day routine we just grab and eat.  I thought it was interesting though to take note of the differences in these two spoons.  The top spoon is from a set we used when I was growing up in my parent's house.  When I got married my mom gave us a few things to start and I still have a spoon or two left.  The bottom spoon is from my newest set.  Although they are both teaspoons the difference in size is great.  I don't know if that says something about the modern design, or how much bigger our bites are these days.  hmmm...something to ponder.


                            

 I love McCormick's black pepper grinders, but have you seen their cinnamon grinders?  I love using it for a really fresh cinnamon taste in recipes, over toast, and in my big bowl of oatmeal in the morning.