Asiago Garlic Herb Biscuits

I consider these to be like the Red Lobster biscuits, but on CRACK!

Ingredients:
-6 TB butter, about half melted (I took my straight from the fridge, microwaved it for 30 seconds.  Ended up half melted half not, and I think that was the key to LIFE).
-2 C AP flour
-1.5 C finely shredded Asiago cheese
-1.25 C Milk
-1/2 TB basil
-1/4 TB Rosemary
-1/3 TB garlic (you can tell I like to eyeball things)
-Dash o' salt
-1 TB baking powder

Mix all this up in a bowl.  For me, I was a little surprised that it took as little milk as it did.  I was expecting equal parts flour to milk, but I think the meltiness of the butter helped me out here.  More on that to follow.

Drop by spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet (not sure if it is necessary so much as just a habit for me) and bake for 18 minutes at 400F.

Anyway, back when I made my birthday cake cookie sandwiches (which were fantastically delicious and I wish I had some right now) it started out like my regular homemade graham crackers do but I had accidentally melted the butter.  What it resulted in was a fluffy and delightful concoction not at all like my usual grahams.  It created a really moist batter and I never could get it back to what it was supposed to be, but the end result was amazing.

Quite the happy accident.

SO I think that is why these resulted in less milk.  Let me tell you, much to my surprise they had an IDENTICAL texture to the ones at Red Lobster.  Moist, soft, fluffy.  HAPPY.  They definitely tasted more happy.

And getting to eat one directly out of the oven definitely made ME more happy as well.

Ok fine I ate two.

I also put just a dab of butter on top of each one right when they came out so it could melt into it...you can't blame me there.

This made about a dozen or so.

Believe it or not I still have asiago cheese left.  I have used the triangle that I got from Meijer (it was the cheese of the month) for a couple of things now, and I still have about a fourth of it.  You definitely don't have to overdo it with asiago, it definitely has ample flavor.

Anyway I think these biscuits are a fun and fancy spin on those fantastic Red Lobster ones. 

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Flour Tortillas

 Ingredients:
-1.5 C AP Flour
-1 tsp baking powder
-dash of salt
-1/2 to 3/4 C warm water
-2.5 TB butter, softened

Mix all the ingredients in your kitchenaid with the dough hook until it starts to form a ball.  Add the water slowly, if you end up adding a little too much just add a little bit of flour back in.  It should start to make a ball but still be a little tacky.

Pull off hunks and make balls about 2 inches or a little less in diameter.  I put mine on my silpat, if you don't have one dust a surface with flour and set them on it.

Let them rest under a kitchen towel for ten minutes.

While they are taking a sit, heat a skillet to a medium high heat or a little over.  When the dough is ready, work one by one and roll them out to about 8 or so inches on a floured surface (basically getting them really close to see through) toss it in the skillet, and cook about 20 seconds on each side until it starts to brown.  Move on to the next dough ball and repeat.

I sprayed my skillet with pam a couple times, which is completely not needed because they don't stick, but I wanted to see if it would make them crispy or darker or anything.  It did make some a little more golden, but not enough to really necessitate it.  I like to put paper towel or foil between mine just because I am sometimes a little paranoid they will stick together. Use foil if you want to keep them warm in the oven.

I like to store mine in a Ziploc bag in my fridge.  They should last a week or so in the fridge, a few days out on the counter in a bag, and a good long while in the freezer.  Rewarm them between paper towels, just like you would a tortilla from the store.

I haven't tried them yet with other flour yet, but you better believe that is soon to follow.

The last time I made these I was at my undergrad apartment in Haute, and I had to use a water bottle to roll them out.  Needless to say, now that I have progressed in both degrees and kitchen utensils, this attempt was much simpler.

Now, you may ask, why make your own tortillas.  I personally have multiple reasons I like to make them now and then, but the main reason is just the fresh texture.  They tend to be a little softer and less gummy than store bought.  Don't get me wrong, I buy the store bought ones quite a bit.  But if it comes down to me driving across town or spending a little time making my own with ingredients I consistently have on hand, it doesn't take a lot for making them myself to win out.

Sometimes, you just like to avoid the grocery.

This recipe made 8 for me, and my sizing was completely inconsistent.  So I feel pretty safe saying 8 would be about normal.  I ended up with closer to 3/4 C water and having to add back in some flour.  They are forgiving.  And pretty darn inexpensive.

Just don't do like I did and forget the salt.   GRR!  I even sat it right next to my bowl.  They still taste alright, it was just knowing that I had left it out that was frustrating.

I prefer to make tortillas with butter, you can use EVOO or lard even.  I just happen to be butter biased.

If you leave them in the skillet too long they will get crispy, which I happen to not see as an issue.  Just be aware. 

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Nurse Cake

This was a cake we did for a graduation party. 

The cake is two cakes together in the shape of a T.  The top was iced and then I took a spatula to draw out the shoulders on top.  Although it looks in this picture like the cake is cut, the corners of the top are actually iced in white icing. 

We used fondant to make each end of the stethoscope. Wilton and Duff both make silver color spray to make it look metallic. 

Using a basketweave tip we drew out the top V and the pockets, as well as lined the end of the sleeves. 

The emblem is an edible image.

You could use this same theory for jerseys and similar.

As always, it is topped with sparkly sugar.

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Crock Pot Ribs

We really like tender, fall off the bone ribs as compared to charred ones that require a lot of chewing.  My mom has it down to an art using a crockpot.

Put small potatoes in the bottom of your crockpot and lay the ribs on them.  Add just enough water to cover it all (obviously will vary by size of crockpot and amount of ingredients) and add seasoned salt and pepper.

IF it were me, you know I would add a couple of TB of butter in at this point too.  It is however, not necessary...

Cook on high for about 8 hours.

Remove the ribs and place them in a pan lined with foil.  Spread BBQ sauce on them and broil them in your oven for about 5-10 minutes.  This will get them a bit crispier on the outside, more like the grill, and carmelize the sugars in the BBQ sauce.  It is a nice process especially for those of us in an apartment with no grill!

We served them up with the roasted potatoes and cornbread cakes. 

What better thing to come home to than ribs?

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Wizard of Oz Cupcakes

Here are some super cute Oz cupcakes we made for a local play. 

They utilized fun sparkly rings from a local cake shop.  Cake shops have a lot of easy fun things that you can pop on a cupcake when you need a fantastic but quick answer to decorating.

Never doubt what is in the toy section too, toy tractors make some CUTE decorations.

Short, SWEET, and too the point!

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Homemade Coasters: Shelf Liner Backing

I see a lot of people online making their own coasters, which I have done for a year or so now myself.  I have run the gamut in things I have used as backing, but my favorite is the shelf liner that feels like a silicone web.

You can find it at Wal-Mart for a VERY fair price.  One roll will go a very long way. 

I stick it right on with E6000, of course.

Felt is rather frustrating, those little felt pads are EXPENSIVE, and all of it just about needs E6000 anyway to stay on.

Best benefit of shelf liner? Perfectly slice-able with your handy dandy paper cutter (thanks Xacto for another quality product!).

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Flourless Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Cookies

Ingredients:
-3/4 C Sugar
-1 large egg
-1/2 C peanut butter
-1/2 C Nutella
-1 tsp vanilla

Mix all of the ingredients EXCEPT the Nutella in a bowl, mixing until well incorporated.  Add in the Nutella and fold it in to the batter, not overmixing so that it is swirled throughout. 

You can either drop it by tablespoonfuls, flatten a little, and bake at 350 for ten minutes...

Or you can put giant scoops on a parchment paper lined sheet, not flatten it at all, and let them bake for about 16 minutes at 350 until the edges are starting to brown and firm up.

I am a big fan of giant cookies, so it is not hard to guess which one I chose.  It made nine 2-2.5 diameter cookies.  They each had varying levels of swirls.

Best part about this is it makes your place smell FANTASTIC. And it will give me something to put on my tall cake stand.

I am not gluten free, although I have been exploring a lot of flourless recipes of late.  What I am is an occasional minimalist.  If I can make something with fewer ingredients, I want to know.  If I can make something that is just as tasty, if not more so, with fewer ingredients, then I DEFINITELY want to know.  That way, if I am out of flour (unlikely) and in desperate need of cookies (less unlikely) I am fully prepared to make them using what I already have.

Not to mention, I have friends that are gluten free, so it is always worthwhile to have a few recipes up your sleeve for that.  Especially for parents, you just never know when your kid is going to come home with a gluten free friend!

If you want them to be more peanut buttery and less Nutella feel free to do 75% PB and 25% Nutella.  These cookies came out with chewy yummy edges and softer cores. 

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