Quick Biscuits

One of my favorite little additions to a meal is (semi)homemade biscuits. I use a recipe out of my Bisquick Cookbook that Steve's mom got me for my birthday last year. It is a great cookbook to go along with a Costco size box of Bisquick.

Tonight I made the bisquick biscuits to go along with a salad for dinner. They take about 5 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to bake, so they are the perfect quick addition to any meal to give it that special cozy touch!

2 cups Original Bisquick mix
1/2 cup shredded Italian five-cheese blend (I use whatever cheese I have on hand)
2/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves, crushed (I used fresh rosemary from our garden and chopped up the leaves)
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1. Heat oven to 450F. In a medium bowl, stir Bisquick mix, cheese, milk, and 1/2 teaspoon of rosemary until soft dough forms. On ungreased cookie sheet, drop dough by the spoonfull.
2. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. In a small bowl, mix butter, garlic powder, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon rosemary. Brush over warm biscuits. (I left out this last step and the biscuits still tasted quite good!)

Birthday Cake

Drumroll please.....

I present to you my very first cake from scratch for my hubby's 37th birthday! Yellow butter cake with chocolate frosting recipe from Martha Stewart. Baking a cake was serious work. It took me about an hour to prep the kitchen, then another hour to mix, and another hour to bake, cool, and frost. Don't even get me started on the cleanup. Chocolate EVERYWHERE. But, would I do it again? In a heart beat! I think this was the first time in my life that I actually enjoyed baking. It was sort of magical watching it all come together. And of course the end result was pretty and absolutely delicious!

 

Roasted Quail

So I finally built up enough courage to try to prepare some quail that we had frozen in the freezer. Steve  previously skinned and cleaned the birds immediately after shooting, and I placed them in the freezer. Easy as that!

To cook the quail, I sauteed onions in butter on the stove, then browned the quail slightly on all sides. I transferred the quail and onion to a baking dish with white wine. I added orange bell pepper and large pieces of tomato. I baked the dish for about 35 minutes at 300 degrees. It actually turned out really good!! It tasted just like chicken. It was a little tough and slightly dry but that's probably because I overcooked it just a little. Next time I will try wrapping in bacon - I think that will help keep the birds a little more tender! Overall, it was a fun new dish and I would definitely do it again! We're becoming quite sustainable around here :)

10 Foodie Things to Do Before Summer Ends

1. Eat hot, buttered corn on the cob.
2. Make a root beer float.
3. Watch the sunset with a glass of champagne or white wine in hand. 4 Champagne Cocktails
4. Add an umbrella to your drink of choice and enjoy it poolside or at the beach. Pina Colada Recipe
5. Eat a hot dog at a baseball game. Go to a Minor League game. They're lots of fun and you won't pay Major League prices. Hot Dog Recipes
6. Grill something, anything!
7. Go out for ice cream. Haagen Dazs pints have nothing on ambling with a dripping ice cream cone. Better yet, catch the ice cream man. (You're never too old to chase Mister Softee.)
8. Kick back with an icy cold summer ale of choice. Summer Seasonals, 13 different types of beer
9. Enjoy some funnel cake, a corn dog or some other purely summer food found only at a fair.
10. One word: S'mores.

From Shine on Yahoo.com

Japanese Style

One of my favorite things about eating in Japan was all the little sides in individual dishes. So last week, instead of making a traditional meal with an entree with sides all on one plate, I put together a Japanese style dinner with a small salad, bread, baked beans, and mango for dessert, all in separate dishes. The only thing missing was the Asahi beer! It was a nice change from a big, heavy meal and it took us back to our sweet honeymoon!

Veal Scallopini

On a trip to the grocery store to pick up some tri-tip for this weekend's BBQ, Steve found some Veal Scallopini on "Manager's Special". I looked at him like he was insane. First of all, I've never had veal and I wasn't really interested in trying it now. Secondly, "manager's special" gives me the heeby jeebies when it comes to meat. The sticker should say "this meat will be dog food soon".

Anyway we argued over the veal for a few minutes. He said I never try anything new. I told him it was no different than him not eating corn on the cob or green beans. He argued that it was completely different because he was forced to eat corn on the cob and green beans as a child and never liked them, and he continues not to like them. I on the other hand, have never even tried veal, yet have this instinctual aversion to it. Baby cow? NT, Steve! "But look how tender it looks", he says. That's my point. EW.

Well, Steve won the battle and we took that baby cow home. I googled veal scallopini and came across a recipe that didn't look too bad. Breaded veal, browned on the stove in hot oil and garlic, then simmered with green bell peppers and mushrooms. How bad can it be?!

The verdict? STRANGE! Not necessarily BAD, but weird. And honestly, I couldn't tell if it was the meat that tasted weird, or the sauce or the mushrooms. I just started eating mushrooms recently and usually only eat baby bellas. Trader Joe's only had "white mushrooms" whatever that means, so I used those. The sauce was made from sauted minced garlic in olive oil and white wine. Steve thinks the "weird" taste came from burnt garlic. Could be.

Anyway, would I try it again? Yes...without the garlic and with baby bellas, and without the Manager's Special sticker!!!

Tri-Tip Marinade

1 cup lemon juice
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
1 tbls garlic salt
1 tbls black pepper

Marinade a minimum of 6 hours in refrigerator (the longer the better)
Makes enough marinade for two 4-pound tri-tip roasts

Jaime's Taco Seasoning

Forget to pick up a packet of Lawry's taco seasoning for tonight's meal? Don't fear, just combine these simple ingredients and you will have taco seasoning that's even better than Lawry's.

1 tbls chili powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper

Combine in a bowl and add desired amount to your chicken or beef!

Tip: Make extra and save for next time!

Susanne's Aioli

1. In the bottom of a beaker, crack a large egg and let it come to room temperature while you assemble the rest of the ingredients.
2. Prepare:
• Mix together 2/3 cup canola oil and 1/3 cup olive oil
• juice one lemon
• 2/3 cup fresh italian parsley
• 4 cloves of garlic (or to taste)
• sea salt and white pepper to taste
3. Put 2 tablespoons of oil in with the egg. Start blending with a Cuisinart hand blender. Slowly add some more oil, allowing it to emulsify before adding more. Keep drizzling in the oil.
4. As the aioli thickens, add the oil more quickly. Stop halfway through and add the parsley, garlic, lemon juice, and salt and pepper.
5. Continue blending until all the oil is incorporated and the aioli is thick. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking.
6. Spoon into a pretty serving bowl, cover and chill for at least a half hour before serving so the flavors can marry.

Serves 6
Recipe compliments of Susanne Woolley

Peach Toffee Crisp

5 medium peaches peeled and sliced or 5 cups frozen (thawed) sliced peaches
2/3 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup original bisquick
1/4 cup english toffee bits
1/4 cup firm margarine or butter

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Heat oven to 375. Spread peaches in ungreased square pan 8 x 8 x 2 inches.
Mix remaining ingredients until crumbly, sprinkle over peaches.
Bake 35-40 minutes or until peaches are tender and topping is golden brown. Serve warm.