Baking Powder Biscuits

This recipe comes from my 7th grade Home and Career Skills (aka Home Ec) class.  This is the version I keep coming back to, it's tried and true and I've never had it go wrong.

2 cups sifted flour (I don't sift, just make sure the flour isn't packed)
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
cut in finely: 1/4 cup shortening (I usually use butter)
Stir in to make a soft dough: 3/4 cup milk
Round up on lightly floured board.  Knead lightly about 30 seconds.  Roll out or pat out about 1/2 inch thick.  Cut.  Place on ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake at 450* for 10-12 minutes.

Biscuits and Gravy Casserole

I love biscuits and gravy, so I decided to try this recipe for our New Year's brunch.  It was fabulous!  It makes a bit more than two people can eat, however, and it's not possible to cut it in half unless you waste half of the biscuits.

I served it with Cranberry Orange Bread and Caramelized Ham and Swiss Buns.  Perfect combination!

Click here for the original link to the blog Lemon Sugar.

Biscuits and Gravy Casserole

INGREDIENTS

1 can large, flaky biscuits (such as Grands)

½ pound ground breakfast sausage

3 Tablespoons flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

2 and ½ cups milk

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F).

Prepare a small casserole dish (approximately 7x10) with cooking spray. Set aside.

Open biscuits, and cut biscuits into quarters.

Layer half of the quarters in prepared pan.

Bake for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare gravy.

In a heavy skillet, brown the ground breakfast sausage over medium high heat until fully cooked.

Sprinkle the cooked sausage with 3 Tablespoons of flour.

Use a wooden spoon to stir flour into sausage until completely absorbed.

Lower heat to medium, and cook flour/sausage mixture for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add milk, and stir to combine.

Add salt and black pepper.

Stir frequently until mixture comes to a slight boil.

Taste, and adjust seasonings as desired. (I usually add more black pepper)

If the gravy is too thick, add a bit more milk. You want the gravy to be thickened but not too thick, not "globby," it should still be slightly runny.

Pour gravy over the cooked biscuits.

Layer the remaining uncooked, quartered biscuits over the gravy.

Place casserole dish on a baking sheet, and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. If they start to over-brown, you can cover with foil for the last 10 minutes or so.

Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Biscuits for Two

Another recipe from Taste of Home from the Cooking for One or Two section.  I haven't made these in years, but I made them again today (I'm thinking of making sausage gravy and biscuits one of these days, and thought I'd better be comfortable making biscuits again).  I always end up with more than the 4 the recipe says it yields (maybe I use too small of a biscuit cutter?), but I'm okay with that (and why I don't favor a regular recipe - a few extra is one thing, we don't need over a dozen biscuits!).  One of these days I'll try a buttermilk biscuit recipe, but what I like about this one, once you have the cream of tarter in your herbs and spices, you pretty much have the ingredients on hand.  I have not had much luck with the making my own buttermilk tricks.  Also, I used butter instead of shortening.  Maybe I'll pick up some butter flavored shortening over the holidays.  In addition, I skipped greasing my cookie sheet and used parchment paper.


1 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cream of tarter
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup milk

In a bowl, combine dry ingredients.  Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Stir in milk.  Turn onto a floured surface; knead 1 minute.  Roll or pat dough to 1/2 inch thickness.  Cut with a floured 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter.  Place on a greased baking sheet.  Bake at 450 for 10-12 minutes.  Yield: 4 biscuits

Biscuit Nugget Chicken Bake

This recipe came from a casserole cookbook from Taste of Home (I've mentioned it previously on this blog - this particular one was *filled* with lots of great recipes).  It's easy to throw together, and definitely a comfort food dish on a cold night.  Similar to a chicken and biscuit recipe, it's different with the extra seasonings and cheese on the biscuits.  Oh, and I used a bigger package of biscuits than it called for because I wasn't paying attention, but it still came out wonderful.

Ingredients
3 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 cup milk
1 jar (4-1/2 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained
1/2 teaspoon dill weed
1/2 teaspoon paprika
TOPPING:
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 tube (12 ounces) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

Directions
In a large saucepan, combine the first six ingredients. Cook and stir
over medium heat for 5-7 minutes or until heated through; keep warm.
In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the cheese, onion, parsley
and paprika. Separate biscuits and cut into quarters; add to bag and
shake to coat. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 400°
for 5 minutes.
Transfer chicken mixture to a greased 8-in.-square baking dish; top
with biscuits. Bake, uncovered, for 10-13 minutes or until bubbly
and biscuits are golden brown. Yield: 4-6 servings.

Summer Vegetable Cobbler

I have discovered the best recipe on the planet for zucchini. 

This recipe is PERFECTION.  It's patterned after a fruit cobbler, but it is savory.  It sort of reminded me of a meatless chicken a la king.

I tweaked it a little, based on what I had.  I used a green pepper instead of a red one, and a purple onion.  The biggest change I made was because my baking powder expired over 2 years ago.  Instead I used the Bisquick recipe for cheddar biscuits.  (2 cups Bisquick, 2/3 cup milk, 1/2 cup shredded cheddar -- I did use fresh basil too!)  I sprinkled a little bit of Parmesan over the top too.

The recipe suggests it is a vegetarian main dish.  I made it as a side dish.  But I could have eaten a whole plate of it!!!

It appeared in the June/July issue of Taste of Home magazine.

Summer Vegetable Cobbler

2 Tbsp butter
3 small zucchini and/or summer squash, sliced
1 small sweet red pepper, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp flour
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

For biscuits:

1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp cold butter
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
3 Tbsp minced fresh basil
2/3 cup milk

Preheat oven to 400.  In a large skillet, heat butter over medium-high heat.  Add zucchini, red pepper, and onion.  Cook until zucchini is crisp-tender, about 10-12 minutes.  Add garlic.  Cook 1 minute longer.

In a small bowl, whisk flour, milk, salt, and pepper.  Stir into pan.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Cook and stir 2-3 minutes or until sauce is thickened.  Spoon into a greased 8-inch square baking dish.

For topping, in a small bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt.  Cut in butter until mixture resembles course crumbs.  Stir in cheese and basil.  Add milk.  Stir just until moistened.  Drop by rounded tablesoonfuls over filling.  Bake 25-30 minutes or until filling is bubbly and biscuits are golden brown.