After taking a hike with two of our children yesterday, we decided to cook as a family last night. Having seen a show recently that featured chicken-friend steak, we were craving that as our main course. With the Southern theme beginning, we chose to accompany the steak with homemade onion rings, wilted spinach, and biscuits.

While the guys were busy making the onion rings, my 10 year old daughter and I worked on making biscuits. Although biscuits can be delicious when made plain, I prefer to add some flavors to mine. I have made cheddar biscuits and sweet potato biscuits. For this meal, I wanted something with a bit of sweetness. Cinnamon was deemed to be the best addition.

Working together, we measured, mixed, rolled, and cut our biscuit dough. While not as simple as purchasing biscuits, these baked goods were ready in 30 minutes, from start to finished product. These biscuits were excellent served warm from the oven, split in half, and topped with butter and/or honey. Also, as the kids noted, the leftovers made an excellent breakfast the next morning.

Cinnamon Biscuits

2 cups flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 Tb. sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

6 Tb. unsalted butter, cut into pieces

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 Tb. skim milk

1/4 cup sugar

1 Tb. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 450 F.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, 1 Tb. sugar, and 1 tsp. cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Add butter pieces and mix with a pastry blender until the butter pieces are the size of grains of rice. Add the buttermilk, and stir to combine.

Place dough on a lightly floured surface, and finish combining by kneading. Pat or roll dough into a square that is approximately 11″ x 11″ and is 3/4″ thick. Using a floured 3-inch round cutter or glass to make biscuits. Place biscuits on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Gather scraps into a ball, pat dough into another square, and cut more biscuits. Repeat process until all dough has been used.

Brush skim milk on tops of biscuits. Combine 1/4 cup sugar and 1 Tb. cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle on top of biscuits. (Remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture can be saved in a sealed container.) Bake for 12 - 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove biscuits from cookie sheet, and place on cooling rack.

Makes 14 biscuits.

If you read this blog frequently, you will know that Monday evenings are crazy in our house. This past Monday was even busier than usual, as our younger daughter had a doctor’s appointment at 5:30 about an hour from home. Therefore, not only were the adults going to have a late dinner, but so were the kids.

Although the kids suggested doing take-out, I thought I would make a quick dinner at home. With vacations and special events, there had been enough fast food already. As a trade, I offered to make homemade waffles, which was accepted as an excellent alternative by all four. So, after the whirlwind of making and serving waffles, coordinating showers, and reading bedtime books, we were ready for dinner for the adults.

Obviously, I didn’t want to make a late dinner that would require a lot of work, but I wanted something with a quiet, romantic twist. I have made fondue many times, but I wanted to try something different, as we had a block of aged provolone cheese in our refrigerator. Adding some fresh mozzarella for gooey-ness and basil for Italian flavoring, it seeemed that this recipe should be a hit.

My next decision was what to serve as dippers for the fondue. My favorite item to dip in any fondue is good sourdough bread. I decided also to use green apple pieces, broccoli florets, and pear chunks. All of these items were delicious, except for the pear. Although I enjoy pear, it’s flavor was too delicate to compliment the fondue.

Served with a glass of Riesling, this made a delicious, late night dinner.

Fondue with an Italian Twist

1 garlic clove

3/4 cup Riesling (or Sauvignon Blanc)

1-1/2 Tb. flour

3/4 fresh mozzarella, diced

1-1/2 cup provolone, shredded

1/2 tsp. dried basil

1 loaf sourdough bread, cubed

2 green apples, diced

1/2 lb. broccoli florets, blanched

Cut garlic clove in half, and rub cut sides on inside of fondue pot. Add Riesling to pot, and place on burner. While wine is heating, toss mozzarella and provolone with the flour. When wine begins to boil, add cheese mixture in small amounts, stirring constantly. When cheeses have melted, add basil, and stir well. Reduce heat, and begin dipping bread, apples, and broccoli!

In my last post, I described the Hawaiian-inspired dinner for two that I created.  As I was visualizing the two dishes (a pineapple and soy sauce marinated pork tenderloin and cinnamon-sugar grilled pineapple) and the accompanying drink (a coconut and pineapple combination), it seemed that the meal might be a little too sweet.  To balance the sweetness, I decided to make a side dish that had no fruit or sweetness.  Also, as it was a late meal I wanted to make something that was light and quick to prepare.

Both of us love cheese, which makes an excellent contrast to fruit, so it seemed like a perfect ingredient in the side dish.  With a refrigerator that always has an assortment of cheeses, I checked out my options.  I found a block of Parmesan and wondered what I could create.

I am an eater who enjoys crunch in her meals, so I decided that I would combine the Parmesan with a few other ingredients, pop them in the oven for a few minutes, and make a fast and tasty side dish.  The result of my experiment was a batch of Parmesan Crisps that both of us enjoyed.  I plan to make them for the kids one day soon, as they, too, enjoy cheese and should find this to be a tasty snack.

Parmesan Crisps

1 cup Parmesan cheese, coarsely grated

4 tsp. flour

Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 375.  Grease cookie sheet.  In a small bowl, combine the cheese and flour.  Add pepper to season.  Place rounded tablespoons of mixture half inch apart on cookie sheet.  Bake for approximately 10 minutes, or until golden brown.

Serve immediately, or place on a cooling rack.

Makes 1 dozen.