cheese biscuits

Yesterday, we the husband planted me a herb garden.

I'm not one for plants really. Actually, I kill them. I either over water, under water, too much sun, not enough sun, let them get eaten by cats, amongst other things.

But this year I am determined to keep the plants alive. I'm not going to kill them.

My black thumb will turn green.

Or check back in a month when I've killed them all.

What I am good at, is biscuits.

Fluffy, warm, soft, cheesy, biscuits.

With lots of butter. I can't kill those.

Cheese biscuits
[ from Grazing ]

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Pour in the olive oil and buttermilk and mix with a wooden spoon until just combined. Add the cheddar cheese and fold gently. Be wary not to over mix, it will make your biscuits tough.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently 5 times. Pat or roll the dough out into a rectangle, about 1/2-inch thick, then fold it over onto itself. Roll the dough again and fold it onto itself once more, then finally roll the dough out to be 1/2-inch thick. This creates flaky layers for the biscuits. Cut the dough into circles, or cut into squares like I did. Place biscuits onto an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, or until tops are golden brown.

Serve warm with lots of butter.

lemony quinoa, chickpea, + kale salad

Running.

Laundry.

Coffee.

Feed and change the baby. Times a thousand.

Catch up on the t-flo debacle.

More laundry.

Trying to bake in the 25 minute naps my daughter takes. About 5 times a day.

Stuffing my face with quinoa salad, feeling healthy, but then eating some chocolate right after.

Balance people. I'm still trying to figure it out, but it's getting better.

In my search to find balance, I'm always searching for a healthy meal. For some reason, I always seem to think meatless / vegan / vegetarian meals are best. Nothing makes me feel better than whole grains, beans, and tons of veg. 

Well, a really big spoonful of cream cheese frosting makes me feel pretty damn good too.

ps. every time I hear about Joy & Tracy refer to mesh panties, I almost pee from laughing.

pps. I need cookie butter.

ppps. Trader Joe's need to be in Canada, ASAP.

Lemony quinoa, chickpea + kale salad

[ adapted from Love and Lemons ]

2 cups cooked quinoa
1 clove garlic, minced
1 14oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 cups green kale, roughly chopped
4 radishes, sliced
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
1/4 fresh basil, chopped
salt & pepper to taste

dressing:


3 tablespoons olive oil
juice and zest of one lemon
1 tablespoon amber agave syrup

In a small bowl, whisk together all of your dressing ingredients. Season to taste with salt & pepper, set aside.

Place the minced garlic in a large bowl, followed by the warm quinoa and kale, toss to combine. Let rest for a few minutes and then toss in the remaining ingredients. You want to give the kale time to wilt a little bit before added all the other good stuff in. Toss in the dressing and season to taste with salt & pepper.

herb & cheese buttermilk quick bread

Day one of maternity leave :

Wake up, have coffee and cereal.

File for unemployment insurance.

Well, that brought me to 9 am.

Where after that, I was extremely bored.

My sister came over, we dyed her hair, I made soup.

But that only brought me until noon.

WHAT THE?!?!?!

So I made bread. Really easy, simple, deliciously versatile buttermilk bread.

The entire loaf is gone.

It's okay, I got time to make more.


Herb & cheese buttermilk quick bread
[ adapted from the kitchn ]

 I adapted this bread to make a savoury herb and cheese version, but the original recipe is for a basic bread. The kitchn has listed a bunch of different variations that can be used with the basic recipe.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup grated cheese

Grease and flour a 9x5-inch standard loaf pan, set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, oregano, and thyme. In another medium sized bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg, and oil. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and using a rubber spatula, fold / mix gently until just combined. Don't over mix! You might have some floury bits, but it's okay. Gently fold in the grated cheese.

Transfer batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 45 - 50 minutes or until golden and a tester inserted into the centre comes out clean. Let rest in pan for 15 minutes before removing.

Serve warm or at room temperature with butter.

twice baked potatoes

We're down to the wire folks.

We take possession of our new house in four days. We're not moving in four days, we have to paint first, but things are getting crazy around here.

Things I've learned while packing;

- Cats love boxes.

- Cats HATE tape guns.

- Nesting and packing go quite well together.

- Don't let your pregnant wife pack the boxes with books.

- Husbands think you only need to pack 3 days before you move.

- This infuriates their A type wives.

- You can accumulate a lot of stuff into a small space.

- Especially when you haven't moved in 5 years, gotten married and are about to have a baby.

- One can accumulate a lot of kitchen items. Giant gingerbread man pan anyone? Soup tureen? Angel food cake slicer?

Even though we're enthralled in packing, we still need to eat. I've tried not to buy a whole bunch of food, simply for the reason I don't want to move it. So I've been making dinner from staples and what's left in the fridge.

Russet potatoes + crispy bacon + cheddar cheese = dinner.

Twice baked potatoes. So simple, so delicious, yet I never make them at home. Why? I have no idea. It always seems like something you eat when you go out to a steakhouse, not something to whip up on a Sunday night. You could even pre-make the potatoes, freeze them and then pop them out for the second baking when the need comes.

The filings are infinitely adaptable, cheese, meat, onions, broccoli, you name it, stuff it.

Twice baked potatoes


3 russet potatoes, scrubbed clean
4 slices bacon, cooked until crispy
1 tablespoon cream cheese
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
salt & pepper to taste


Wrap potatoes tightly in foil, bake at 350 for an hour.

Remove from oven, unwrap from foil and let cool for 15 minutes, leave oven on. Meanwhile, chop the bacon slices into small pieces, add to a medium-sized bowl along with 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, cream cheese and the butter. Set aside.

Using a sharp knife, make a lengthwise cut to remove the top 1/4 of each potato. Using a small spoon, gently remove the cooked potato insides and place into the bowl with the cheese and bacon. Make sure not to go all the way into the bottom or sides of the potato, leave about a 1/2-inch of potato along with the skin. It should make a hollow potato boat.  Repeat with each cooked potato.

Place the hollowed out potatoes into a baking dish. Stir and mash together the potato insides along with the cheese and butter until you have a nice, smooth texture. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the filling back into the hollowed potatoes, packing it down as you go. It will seem like there is more filling than will fit, it's okay to mound it over the top of the potato, just make sure to pack the filling firmly. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbling.

hasselback potatoes

Hangry ~  A state of anger and irritability resulting from being hungry.


 Or the every day life of a pregnant woman.

I try to snack as much as possible to prevent myself from turning into the incredible, pregnant, hulk, but when a pregnant woman gets a craving. Watch out.

Mine was potatoes. Roasted potatoes.

Earlier in the week, I had some leftover roasted yukon golds for lunch and that's what started it. I ate my lunch and instantly wanted more.

Right freaking now.

I needed crispy, buttery, salty, garlicky, potatoes. Before I go into a green-inducing rage.

Thank you hasselback potatoes, which is a fancy word for fancy cut potatoes with garlic, butter, and olive  oil.


Hasselback potatoes
[ from Joy the Baker ]

4 large yukon gold potatoes
4 garlic cloves
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash potatoes thoroughly, making sure to scrub the skin. Thinly slice the garlic, set aside.

Slice a thin layer off the bottom of the potatoes, just enough to have them sit without any wobble. Thinly slice the potatoes, but not all the way through, leaving enough on the bottom to still hold the potatoes fairly tight together. Slide garlic slices in between the potato slices, you might need to jam them in, it's okay.

Transfer potatoes to a baking dish, sprinkle each potato generously with salt. Top each potato with one tablespoon of butter and drizzle with olive oil.

Bake for 1 hour, until potatoes are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Every 15 minutes during baking, baste the potatoes with the butter/oil mixture, this will ensure a crispy potato.

cheesy corn bake

Fall is about comfort food.

Things that are creamy, warm, gooey, things made into pies. During this time of year, I'm all about things baked in casserole dishes, covered in cheese.

Step in cheesy corn bake.

I came across this recipe back in the height of fresh corn season, but never got around to making it. I regret that. Alot.

When I did finally get around to making it, my god.

It's like macaroni and cheese, but take out the macaroni and put in corn. It can be thrown together with things you probably already have in your pantry, fridge, and freezer, in under 15 minutes. Then bake that delicious blend of cheeses, peppers, and corn for 35 minutes until the top is crunchy and the casserole is bubbling with cheesy, creamy goodness.

I enjoy it tongue burning hot, but the husband ate it the next day cold and liked it even better.

Cheesy corn bake
[ from the kitchn ]

1 green bell pepper, diced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 oz cream cheese
1 teaspoon salt
pinch of cayenne pepper
4 cups corn, fresh or frozen (if you are using frozen corn, be sure to steam and drain it before using)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Saute the diced pepper in about a teaspoon of olive oil, over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, set aside.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Once the butter is completely melted, whisk in the flour, making sure to combine thoroughly. Continue cooking for about 3 minutes over medium heat until roux starts to turn colour and all the flour has been cooked out. Add milk, stirring constantly until mixture becomes very thick. Remove from heat, add cheddar cheese and cream cheese, stir until smooth. Season with salt and cayenne pepper.

In a large bowl, add corn and diced pepper. Pour the cheese sauce over top and toss well to coat every kernel. Transfer mixture into a casserole dish.

Bake for 35 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Let stand for about 5 minutes before serving.

black bean + heirloom tomato quinoa salad

Well folks, this is what we've been waiting for. The last few days of summer. Hot, dry, full of last minute parties, deep fried fair food, farmer's markets full of fresh, local produce, last minute road trips, everyone is trying to squeeze ever last drop out of summer before winter arrives. 

But I have to say, I'm kind of ready for fall. 

Summer is awesome and all, but I bought a new raincoat and I'm DYING to wear it. Quote me on this later, in January, when I am cursing the rain. 

broccoli slaw

Summer can come with some side effects that are not so pretty.

Mosquito bites (which I have three of on my right foot), overheating (especially while straightening my incredibly curly, unruly hair), and the worst of all, very unsightly tan lines.

I've been really trying to avoid getting the dreaded tank top tan lines on the chest and shoulder, and I think with my excessive wear of strapless maxi dresses, I've conquered that.

But, I have another very odd tan line.

It's on my right knee. It's a band aid tan line.

whole wheat garlic knots

Most Sundays, I like to enjoy a nice, long walk. Not this past Sunday.

I was lazy.

Bump on a log.

Sloth-slug hybrid species.

The husband dragged me out for the walk. It was horrible. I got all hot, sweaty, mostly because I wore a enourmous sweater/blanket, which was completely the wrong choice, and then he tried to take me down a new path.

orzo salad

With the long awaited arrival of spring in Vancouver, I finally get to cook all of my favourite summer things.

Now it's acceptable to bbq everyday, rain or shine, eat ungodly amounts of corn on the cob, look for pretty, ruby red stalks of rhubarb at the farmers market, drink lots of unsweetened ice tea and/or blush wine and make orzo salad.

caesar salad + roasted garlic compund butter

I've been in a fog of playoff dreaming the last day or so.

My beloved Canucks have only 4 more wins to go.

I'm beyond freaking out. The husband is already planning where he will be on the parade route.

I know, I know, we still haven't even started the season, but it's just nice to think about.

Back to a few days ago on game day. It was kind of nice outside and I was feeling like something a little lighter for dinner. Of course I thought a salad would be amazing. Caesar salad is even better. Who doesn't love garlic breath?

But of course, the husband thought well a salad clearly isn't enough food. Dilemma.

whole roasted garlic

I like the baked goods, we all know that. But I like baked savory things.

Especially easy ones. You know the kind that take all of 4.5 seconds to prepare, the kind you can do on a weekday.

One of my standbys is whole roasted garlic. Like the old lady in the hot sauce commercial says, I put that bleep on everything.

Serve it with goat cheese and crackers, use it in my turkey burger recipe, toss it with some pasta and Parmesan cheese, or eat it plain. Keeps vampires away. Crucial.

When roasted, garlic takes on this sweet, buttery flavour. It's creamy and caramelized, no sharpness that you normally get with raw garlic. And it's dead simple to make.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Take an entire head of garlic and chop it's top off.

Doesn't it look pretty. All the little cloves.

Place the head in a piece of foil, and drizzle the top with some olive oil. Sprinkle on some salt and pepper.

Wrap the head up in the foil, doesn't have to look pretty (see mine), but make sure it's wrapped tight so no delicious garlic juices leak out.

Bake for about 45-50 minutes. ish. Unwrap and serve.

We enjoyed ours along side some pork the husband grilled for us.

We stunk for the rest of the night, just like the canucks.