Cheesy Drop Biscuits + Cider Variation

I've been on the hunt for a biscuit recipe that would be similar to Red Lobster biscuits. Have you had them? I mean, I haven't been to that restaurant in many years . . . but I still remember those amazing biscuits. They're far too salty. But the texture? Yeah, that's what I wanted to find.

Then I tried this recipe from Food & Wine.

Success!

Over time, I've tweaked it to meet my tastes and what we usually have in the pantry. I've added shredded cheese and even experimented with adding different flavors, as you'll see below. This biscuit recipe is a real winner and comes together fast.

CHEESY DROP BISCUITS

What you'll need . . .

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch salt
• 6 tablespoons Earth Balance or salted butter -- cold! 
• 3/4 cup soy, almond, or cow's milk*
• 1/2 to 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

* I've used the same amount of water and even APPLE CIDER for extra flair. When I used the cider, I also used a special maple cheddar in place of regular cheddar cheese. The biscuits were so delicious -- sweet and savory.

Method . . .

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Spritz a baking sheet with oil or line with parchment paper.
2. Whisk together the flour, Parmesan, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. Drop the tablespoons of butter into the dry ingredients and then mix with your hands until mixture is crumbly.
4. Add in the shredded cheese and pour in the milk. Mix until just combined (doesn't need to be uniform).
5. Drop dough in 1/4 cup amounts onto your baking sheet.
6. Bake for 16-18 minutes, until golden.

ENJOY!

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Baked Spinach + Ricotta Gnocchi

And now for a simple recipe you’ll want to make over and over again. We tend to overdo the pizza in this house. So, I was looking to make something that uses many of the same ingredients we always have on hand -- just in a different way.

If you’ve never had baked gnocchi, you’re in for a treat. The gnocchi (pronounced like this) are super tender yet a hint crisp. You can bake them and eat with any kind of sauce you please (a pesto or brown butter sauce is divine!). I chose to use some store-bought tomato sauce from Aldi and fresh mozzarella. And if you’re into individual portions -- these guys freeze quite beautifully.

Mangia!

SPINACH + RICOTTA GNOCCHI

What you’ll need . . .

• 15 ounces ricotta cheese (I used part-skim)
• 1 cup packed spinach leaves
• 3/4 cup flour*
• 1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• salt + pepper
• Pasta sauce
• Fresh mozzarella cheese

* I used caked flour because I wanted to see how it would work. All purpose would be a good substitute. I also think this recipe would lend well to gluten-free flours, just play with the amount. To get the right mix. You want the resulting gnocchi to be a bit firm but mostly tender.

Method . . .

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease two baking pans or dishes with olive oil and set aside.
2. Blanche spinach leaves in a small pot of boiling water (1 minute). Immediately submerge in cold water to stop cooking. Dry leaves as much as possible using a tea towel and chop finely.
3. Toss all ingredients into a bowl and mix until you form a wet dough.
4. Portion out by heaping tablespoonful onto/into greased baking sheets or dishes.
5. Bake for 20 minutes, until firmed up a bit and slightly golden.
6. Turn the oven to broil.
7. Then cover gnocchi with tomato sauce (a lot or a little, depending on your preference) and top with cuts of the cheese. Broil for 5-7 minutes until the cheese browns and bubbles.
8. Serve immediately.

FREEZE:

• Spoon onto wax paper lined baking sheets in the tablespoon portions.
• Put in your freezer until completely frozen -- a couple hours.
• Store in an airtight freezer bag for up to 6 months. 
• Then bake as instructed above in whatever size portion works best for you.

I’m going to try to get my new year thoughts out today, but I’m still getting over this pesky sickness. So, whatever the case -- that post is coming next. I hope you enjoy this recipe, though. It’s definitely one that is getting put into the regular rotation because it’s so easy and delicious.

Here’s to more recipes in 2015!

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Spinach Zucchini Pesto with Walnuts

Continuing with our zucchini theme this week -- I bet you didn't think I could possibly have another pesto recipe up my sleeve. Pesto has definitely become my favorite spread over the last several years. And ever since I discovered I could make it without any cooking or basil or whatever else I used to use with more traditional recipes -- I've been mixing it up weekly.

This is a great recipes to make with leftover zucchini and spinach!

ZUCCHINI PESTO
Use up veggie leftovers in this zesty pesto!

What you'll need . . . 

• 1 medium zucchini (about 1-1/2 cups grated)
• 1/2 cup spinach (you could sub in other greens, like kale, too)
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese*
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• salt + pepper to taste
• water to achieve desired consistency

Method . . .

1. Put all ingredients -- except water -- in a food processor and blend until smooth.
2. Then add water 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach your desired consistency.

* Vegans can experiment with using nutritional yeast to substitute. I would have done it, but we're out + have some parmesan leftover.


In all, this recipe mixes up about 2 cups of pesto. We used ours in some delicious Pumpkin Pesto Rolls last night. Today we might use the rest atop pizza. It's tasty spread on sandwiches, in French toast, and so on.

// ALSO TRY

Vegan + Gluten Free Zucchini Burgers
Vegan Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
Pesto + Avocado Sauce (Video!)
Pumpkin Pesto Rolls
Garlic Scape + Swiss Chard Pesto, 2 Ways
Steamed Pesto Dumplings
Pesto Pizza Dough
Baby Kale Pesto
Walnut Basil Pesto
Basil-Pesto French Toast
Pesto French Toast, II -- with Avocado Butter
Pesto Quiche with Oatmeal Crust
Pesto Garlic Knots
Pesto Portabella Sandwiches
(Pesto) Smothered Mother

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Polenta Pizza

Before I get to the recipe, I forget if I told you what Stephen got me for our anniversary. Actually, I think I mentioned it on Writing Chapter Three. Or maybe here. Sigh -- I don't remember.

Either way: I am obsessed with our Sodastream Fizz machine.

Most people like it for the at-home soda-making. I just like the water. Lots and lots of sparkling water. I was buying bottles of the stuff almost daily. So, this has helped kick that habit. I wonder how long it will take us to break even.

Feast your eyes on that bubbly goodness!

This incredible -- seriously, it's THAT good -- polenta pizza recipe came about because I have had bad case of bread-fatigue. I don't know how it happened because I usually eat A LOT of bread. But yesterday when Stephen suggested making another huge sandwich, I just couldn't do it.

So, we made this instead.


POLENTA PIZZA WITH ROASTED VEGGIES

What you'll need for the crust . . .

• 4 cups water 
• 1/2 cup coarse cornmeal 
• 1/2 cup bulghur wheat*
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

 *Note: Alternatively, you could use another 1/2 cup cornmeal in place of the bulghur wheat. We just didn't have any in the pantry.


Method . . . 

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Generously oil a glass 9" x 13" baking sheet. Set aside.
2. Boil the water on the stove. Add in the cornmeal and bulghur wheat. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring almost constantly until most water is absorbed.
3. Then take off heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese and add the salt and pepper.
4. Let sit for a few minutes to thicken, then pour into your prepared baking dish. Spread evenly.
5. Spritz with a little more olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 10 minutes.

Notes on making the pizza:

• Keep oven on 400 degrees F. Once you've pre-baked your crust, you can add your toppings as you normally would.
• You can top the pizza with plain sauce and mozzarella cheese. 
• We opted for pre-roasted veggies -- purple onion, chocolate peppers, yellow squash, and garlic -- and shredded cheddar cheese. Instead of sauce, we spread some chopped basil. 
• Whatever you do, bake for another 20 minutes and crank up to broil for a couple minutes so everything gets browned and bubbly.
• Let cool for a few minutes. Eat right away, though I most enjoyed mine the next morning for breakfast!

Today on Writing Chapter Three, we're sharing some of our favorite links discovered via Pinterest. I spend way too much time on there these days!

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Stuffed Portabellas

Quick recipe tonight. It's packed full of nutrients, too. I mean, I try my best to cook healthfully as much as I can -- but I favor pizza, garlic knots, and more bread. This isn't a secret. You've seen our recipes. I'm damn proud of them.

But part of lowering my sugar intake is finding new foods (or, in this case, rediscovering old favorites) to fuel myself with. PS: You also spy some Orange Pan-Glazed Tempeh from 101 Cookbooks.

STUFFED PORTABELLAS

What you'll need . . .

• 6 portabella mushrooms, washed and stems taken out
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced 
• 1 small cooking onion, sliced 
• 1/4 cup pine nuts 
• 2 handfuls baby spinach, rinsed 
• 1/2 cup red quinoa (already cooked) 
• 1/4 cup Greek yogurt 
• 1/4 cup Parmesan 
• 1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil 
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method . . .

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Set aside a lightly oiled, rimmed baking sheet. 
2. In a pan over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon oil, onions and garlic. Cook for several minutes until glassy. 
3. Add in the pine nuts and cook for a couple minutes, until lightly browned. (Don't walk away: It will happen relatively quickly.) 
4. Turn off the heat and toss in the spinach. Mix around until wilted. Add salt and pepper as you see fit.
5. In a bowl, mix together this stove-top creation with the quinoa, white beans, Parmesan, and Greek yogurt. Set aside. 
6. In the same pan you just cooked in, heat another tablespoon oil until warm. Then toss on your mushrooms (you may need to do so in batches) and cook on each side until slightly softened (but not soggy -- you're still going to pop 'em in the oven). 
7. Then arrange your mushrooms so they are stem-side up on the baking sheet. Stuff each with an equal amount of your filling mixture. 
8. Then bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the mushroom cap is tender. 

NOTE: If you're making these ahead of time, you may wish to refrigerate the filling and then do steps 6 through 8 when you're ready to eat.


OTHER QUINOA FAVORITES:

Smoked Chipotle Quinoa-Bean Burgers
Red Quinoa Bread
Roasted Red Quinoa Tea
In-a-Pinch Red Quinoa Chili
Quinoa Ginger Snaps
Basic Quinoa Lunch Salad


And on Writing Chapter Three, you can catch some scenes from my first Mother's Day. We visited my hometown. Ada was a doll. I'm . . . a . . . mom!

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Summer Squash Ravioli . . . in Winter!

I know what you're thinking. Don't even say it. It's not summer. I know! But I have this amazing recipe -- fresh from the METHOD archives, and I just have to share it. You can one-hundred-percent substitute zucchini or another type a squash, too.

So, don't get all technical on me, OK? :)

Here's the original post:

Last week, my friend Marissa asked me what she could do with a bunch of summer squash. I didn't have any great ideas at first . . . but when I arrived home that evening, I found that I, too, had inherited a ton of the stuff from one of my husband's co-workers.

What to do???

I immediately decided I didn't want to cop out and just slice it into pasta or something. That got me thinking, though . . . ah, pasta! I hadn't make my own, from-scratch pasta in a while. So, Saturday morning, that's exactly what I did. And I think it turned out extremely well!

If you have yet to make pasta from scratch, don't worry. It seems much more intimidating than it actually is. Also, I don't have a pasta attachment for my mixer . . . so, really, this is easy even without all the fancy stuff. Trust me! All you need is a rolling pin, a knife, and a fork. However, for the earlier instructions, you will need a blender or food processor.

And a mixer is handy for kneading the dough.

Unfortunately, I was unable to get a photo of the cooked & finished product. My camera battery died :( BUT it cooked just as well as the lasagna I made for the March Daring Bakers challenge. Yum!

SUMMER SQUASH & BASIL RAVIOLI

What you'll need . . .

• 2 jumbo eggs (2 ounces)
• 10 ounces summer squash, peeled and cubed
• 12 large basil leaves
• 2 large cloves of garlic
• 2 cups wheat pastry flour
• 1-/2 cups unbleached white flour
• Pinch of salt
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 big handful of baby spinach

Method . . .

STEP 1: Put the cubed summer squash, cloves of garlic, and basil leaves in a blender and set it to "food chop" if you have that option. You may also use a food processor set to chop. I had to "feed" my squash into the blades a bit by pushing gently with a spoon. Be careful! Blend until no large lumps remain.


STEP 2: In the bowl of an electric mixer, sift together the flours and salt . . . and then lightly use your fist to make an indentation in the middle large enough for the squash and eggs to fit inside.


STEP 3: Crack the eggs and pour the squash mixture into the indentation you created. Then with a spatula, gently mix and start to incorporate everything together until moistened. After a while . . . you may find it is difficult to mix everything together. For a split second you may think, "No! I added too much flour, and now this won't turn out!" It's indeed a critical moment, but you needn't fret.

STEP 4: At that point, get your bread-kneading attachment (a.k.a. Mr. Hook in my house) and set your mixer speed to low. Let it knead for five or more minutes, until your dough is smooth and elastic. If for some reason it is still sticky, add a bit more flour, 1/8 cup at a time. Same with if it's too dry, add water 1 tablespoon at a time.


STEP 5: Take your ball of dough and cover it with plastic wrap. Set in a room-temperature place (I put mine in our microwave and, no, it wasn't on!) for 30 minutes to 3 hours (I let mine sit while I did other things for a little OVER 3 hours).

STEP 6: When you have 20 or so minutes until you're done waiting for STEP 5 to be done, get out your food processor and blend together the ricotta cheese & spinach. Just blend until fully incorporated. It will be tempting to eat it . . . but you must resist.

STEP 7: Generously flour a large work surface and split your large dough ball into two smaller balls. Also lightly flour a rolling pin and put your first dough ball atop some flour. Start to roll out the dough. The key is to act like you're stretching it out rather than pressing it down. You want to get it as thin as possible (without compromising the integrity, so maybe the width of a quarter plus just a tiny bit more? You'll know what's right when you're doing it -- just keep in mind that when it cooks, it gets slightly thicker).

STEP 8: Once it's all rolled out, take a sharp knife and cut it into large squares. I think 2 to 2-1/2 inch squares work well, but it's really up to you.

STEP 9: Repeat STEPS 7 & 8 with the other ball of dough.

STEP 10: Put a large pot of water over high heat on the stove.

STEP 11: Take one square, put a heaping teaspoon of ricotta filling atop it and then top it off with another square by gently pressing around the edges. To seal the deal, use a fork to press in those edges. If they aren't sticking, you may want to have a small bowl of warm water handy, which can help if you lightly coat the edges and THEN press to seal. Again, I know it sounds lazy of me, but you will know what to do when you're doing it. Plus, you can always improvise. Continue with the rest of the squares. If you have squares left over, you may wish to roll them together and save for another time. I didn't have that many left over, as I didn't 100% blend all of my squash, so I had some big chunks to contend with.

STEP 11: When your water is boiling (wait until it is a violent boil) drop a third of your to-be ravioli into the pot. You want to cook them in smaller batches so that they don't stick together. Make sure you gently stir during this process (and keep the heat as is) so they don't stick to the bottom. Ravioli is "done" when they all start to float to the top. I think this takes approx. 3 to 4 minutes. But keep a watchful eye. Take out with a slotted spoon and repeat with the rest of the batches.

STEP 12: Serve with your favorite pasta sauce, sprinkle some Parmesan cheese, and ENJOY!


Have you entered our H2O Bottle Giveaway? If not -- you have until Monday, March 15th. It's just our way of celebrating reaching over 800 subscribers! Go check it out here.

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Rye-Parmesan Soft Pretzels

This recipe comes from Alton Brown, one of my all-time favorite chefs. Before last night, I'd never made soft pretzels from scratch. But that didn't mean everything that went into the process was unfamiliar. In fact, I badly burned my left thumb last night -- and the last time I burned a digit was about a year ago . . . while making soft pretzels.

Ouch!

So, exercise caution as you prepare this recipe. And if you're as clumsy as I am, you may want to keep some cold water and a few band-aids nearby.

RYE-PARMESAN SOFT PRETZELS
(Not a fan of rye or parmesan? Get Mr. Brown's original soft pretzel recipe here.)

What you'll need . . .

• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 2-1/2 cups wheat pastry flour
• 2 cups rye flour
• 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
• 2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
• Vegetable oil, for pan
• 10 cups water
• 2/3 cup baking soda
• 1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
• More kosher salt (or pretzel salt, if you're fancy)

Method . . .

(To make the dough)

1. Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam.
2. Add the flour, butter, and parmesan cheese. Using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined.
3. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes.
4. Remove the dough from the bowl and place in a large, lightly-oiled bowl. Cover the large bowl with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes (or until the dough has doubled in size).
5. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.

(Baking instructions)

1. Then bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.
2. In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.
3. Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

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