Saturday, February 11, 2017

Southern Buttermilk Biscuits



This recipe comes from Food.com and makes the best biscuits I've ever made. Delicious!

Makes about 10 biscuits.



2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the board (if you can get White Lily flour, your biscuits will be even better)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder (use one without aluminum)
1 teaspoon kosher salt or 1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, very cold
1 cup buttermilk (approx)


Preheat your oven to 450°F.

Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, or in the bowl of a food processor.

Cut the butter into chunks and cut into the flour until it resembles coarse meal. If using a food processor, just pulse a few times until this consistency is achieved.

Add the buttermilk and mix JUST until combined. If the mixture is on the dry side, add a bit more buttermilk. It should be very wet.

Turn the dough out onto a floured board.

Gently, gently PAT (do NOT roll with a rolling pin) the dough out until it's about 1/2" thick. Fold the dough about 5 times, gently press the dough down to a 1 inch thick.
Use a round cutter to cut into rounds.

You can gently knead the scraps together and make a few more, but they will not be anywhere near as good as the first ones.

Place the biscuits on a cookie sheet- if you like soft sides, put them touching each other.
If you like"crusty" sides, put them about 1 inch apart- these will not rise as high as the biscuits put close together.

Bake for about 10-12 minutes- the biscuits will be a beautiful light golden brown on top and bottom.

Thursday, February 2, 2017

Chicken Spinach Artichoke Lasagna





This recipe originally appeared on Delish. I'm very proud to say that our granddaughter made it for her family when her mom was recovering from surgery. What a good daughter! Yay, Isabella! Get well soon, Aimee! The photo was taken by Isabella and is used with her permission. This looks yummy.

1 lb. lasagna noodles
3 tbsp. butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
3 c. milk
kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 c. grated Parmesan
2 c. shredded rotisserie chicken
1/2 lb. frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and drained
1 15-oz. can artichoke hearts, chopped
2 pints skim ricotta
4 c. shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 350ยบ. In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook lasagna noodles until al dente. Drain and transfer to a sheet pan to cool.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute, then add flour and whisk until golden brown, 1 minute more. Pour over milk and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and let thicken, 2 to 4 minutes. Add Parmesan and stir until creamy, then add shredded chicken, spinach, and artichokes and stir until combined.

Assemble lasagna: In a large baking dish, spread a thin layer of the sauce mixture. Top with a layer of lasagna noodles, slightly overlapping each, a layer of ricotta, a layer of the chicken mixture, and a layer of mozzarella. Repeat for three layers, ending with mozzarella.

Cover with foil and bake until warm and bubbly, 35 minutes. Broil until cheese is golden, 2 minutes more.

Let cool 10 minutes before slicing and serving.