Buttermilk Biscuits

Who doesn’t love fresh buttery biscuits? My kids gobble them up and I’m tired of buying the expensive frozen ones from Mason Dixon (which are delicious btw). Turns out I’m a biscuit snob. These aren’t a great weekday recipe the first time you set out to make them but after a bit of practice it will become second nature and you can whip up these biscuits in a snap. Whole fat buttermilk is the key here, the real stuff. If you don’t want biscuits every day, you can use the leftover buttermilk to tenderize chicken, bake it into banana bread, or make yummy ranch dressing! I’ll share my other favorite buttermilk uses tomorrow or the next day, but for now…biscuits!

What you need:

2 1/2 cups of self rising flour (White Lily is my go-to)

1 stick of salted butter (4 oz)

1 cup full fat buttermilk

Start with a stick of very cold butter (popping it in the freezer for a few minutes is a good idea) and grate with a box grater the entire stick. Gently mix the grated butter and flour together with a fork. When it looks like you have tiny pebbles in the bowl make a well by scooting the flour up the sides of the bowl and pour in your buttermilk. Gently mix until thoroughly combined.

Sprinkle a bit of flour onto a flat work surface and pour the dough out onto the flour. It’s a good idea to also dip your fingers into the flour so the dough doesn’t stick too much to your hands. Gently pat and spread out the dough with your fingers, some people using a rolling pin but I think this deflates the dough too much. Just take your time patting and spreading. Until you have a rectangle thats approximately 8x6 inches in length and 1 inch high. Fold the dough in half and then fold it again. Now gently pat it out again and use a biscuit cutter or upside down glass to cut out your biscuits. Gently piece together your scraps in the same way to use up the remaining dough. Place the biscuits on a non greased baking pan and bake at 450 for about 15-20 minutes until the tops are golden brown.

Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Do you love Italian American style cheesy, tomatoey comfort food? Think lasagna, stuffed shells, baked pasta, etc? This meal is just as satisfying but its a great vegetarian dinner that does not include pasta. We all love pasta, right? But its not good to eat it all the time, especially if you have a gluten free person in your life or you are thinking ahead to spring break….eek.

I’m all for variety and sweet potatoes have so much to offer. They are a nutrient dense superfood, filled with fiber and antioxidants. Aside from all that, they are so delicious! I love sweet potatoes and am always looking for new ways to prepare them. Looking through my fridge, I noticed a half empty tub of cottage cheese (another thing I have been craving so much lately) and knew just what to do. Make stuffed shells but use sweet potatoes instead of noodles. I have a go to cottage cheese, parm, egg blend that I use for all my baked pasta dishes so this was a cinch to prepare. My favorite cottage cheese brand, Good Culture, has about 14 grams protein per serving so this meal really has it all.

What you need:

4 small sweet potatoes

1/2 cup full fat cottage cheese

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1 egg

1 cup frozen spinach, thawed

1/2 tsp of salt and pepper

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

1 cup marinara sauce

4 slices mozzarella cheese

Begin by preheating the oven to 450 and washing your sweet potatoes. Put them in the oven for about 30 minutes or until you can easily pierce them with a fork. It’s a good idea to bake your sweet potatoes on a tray because they can leak and its hard to clean the sticky mess they can leave on the bottom of the oven. Meanwhile, stir together the cottage cheese, Parmesan, egg, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning in a bowl. When that is throughly mixed, stir in the spinach. Remove the baked sweet potatoes from the oven and allow to cool until they are easy to handle. Now slice the potatoes down the center lengthwise but do not pierce all the way through. Scoop out a small spoonful of flesh from each potato and open them up slightly so they will be easy to fill. (I fed the extra sweet potato spoonfuls to my dogs with their dinner and they’ve never been happier).

In a small baking dish, pour half the marinara sauce on the bottom and spread it out to cover the bottom of the dish. Place the potatoes on top and spoon the cottage cheese mixture into each potato. Pour the remaining marinara on top of the sweet potatoes and then add a slice of mozzarella cheese to the top of each one. Turn down the oven to 350 and bake for about 20 minutes until the mozzarella has thoroughly melted and begins to brown on top. Enjoy : )

Salmon Pot Pie

Not only do we grow tired of eating chicken from time to time, its been hard to find good quality organic, free range birds in the grocery store lately. The supply chain issues are real and I know we are all sick of hearing about it, but its a good time to branch out and try new things. My oldest daughter has recently become addicted to salmon and wants to eat it constantly. I love a simple pot pie for Sunday supper, especially when there is still a chill in the air. I found some lovely local leeks and carrots at my favorite neighborhood grocery and they were the inspiration for this meal. We are all still trying to be healthy so I used phyllo dough for the crust which is a very light option comparatively and only a splash of milk in the sauce. This turned out to be quite good and I’ll definitely be adding it to our rotation.

What you need:

-1 lb of fresh salmon

-2 tbsp olive oil

-5 tbsp butter

-salt and pepper

-1 large leek or 2 small ones

-2-3 large carrots

-1 celery stalk plus leaves reserved

-1/4 cup dry white wine (I used Viognier)

-3 tbsp all purpose flour

-3 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice

-2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley, 2 tsp fresh dill (or whatever herbs you like : )

dried herbs work fine here too, but use half the amount

-1 cup frozen peas

-2 cups chicken broth or fish stock

-1/4 cup milk

-5 sheets of phyllo dough

If you are using frozen phyllo dough, be sure to remove it from the freezer about 2 hours ahead of time. What you don’t use can easily be refrozen afterwards. Now begin by removing the skin from your salmon fillet and slicing it into 2 inch chunks, set aside. Preheat the oven to 375. Wash and chop your vegetables and place a pan over medium heat on the stove top and add your olive oil plus 3 tbsp of butter. Add the carrots, leek, and celery and sprinkle over some salt and pepper. Stir occasionally and let the vegetables cook for about 10 minutes. After the vegetables have softened pour over your white wine and raise the temperature to medium/high and allow the alcohol to cook off. When most of the wine has evaporated (should just take 2-3 minutes) turn the heat back down to medium/low and add 2 more tbsp butter. Add 3 tbsp flour by sprinkling overtop of all the vegetables and stir slowly to cook off the raw flour flavor. Be careful not to burn the flour but let it coat the vegetables, scrape up any brown bits as you stir, do this for about 3-4 minutes.

Next pour the lemon juice into the pan and stir again, this will help deglaze the pan. Now add your broth, one cup at a time and stir to incorporate. Keep stirring as the sauce thickens. After about 1 minute of slow stirring, pour in the 1/4 cup of milk or half and half. Allow to bubble for a minute while stirring, this will prevent the milk from curdling when it goes into the oven. Keep stirring until it reaches your desired thickness keeping in mind that it will get slightly thicker in the oven. Now turn off the heat, stir in your fresh parsley, celery leaves, or other herbs, and allow to sit while you prep everything else.

Place your raw salmon and peas on the bottom of a 9x9 baking dish or pie pan. Sprinkle a dash of salt and pepper on the top of the fish and peas. Now take your vegetables and sauce and pour over the top of the salmon. Stir gently so that everything is combined and evenly distributed. Place about 4-5 sheets of phyllo dough on the top, its ok if it tears or crumples in areas. Arrange it in a pretty pattern or just scatter the sheets on top. Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes at 375 or until the dough has nicely browned on the top and the sauce is bubbling underneath. Serve in a bowl with a spoon and enjoy : )