Parmesan Knots

I am a lover of bread and always have been, so when a soon to be in law posted on facebook that she had just made parmesan knots and they were delicious... I was very intrigued. I looked the recipe up and when I saw they were made with canned biscuits I was very excited. I had not-so-recently bought a TON of canned biscuits because they were on sale plus coupon. The only problem was they were in cans of 8... and there is only two of us. So I had been saving them for recipes... recipes which I had not tried looking for because I have so many other things going on.

The original recipe is on allrecipes.com and makes 60 knots. I scaled it down quite a bit, but it did say they freeze/reheat wonderfully if you want to go ahead and make 60.

Parmesan Knots
allrecipes.com - with slight changes

one 16.something oz can of Grands Buttermilk biscuits (8 biscuits)
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon evoo
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons parmesan (shaker parm)
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
pepper

preheat oven to 450*

cut each biscuit in half, roll each half out into a 6-8 inch rope, tie in a knot, set on baking sheet/stone. mix the rest of the ingredients.

here is where my recipe differs from theirs - theirs says to bake the biscuits and THEN brush on the mix. i brushed on the mix, baked and then made another batch of mix and brushed on again. do which ever you like. I can only attest to my method and I was very pleased with my results.

Either way, they bake for about 10 minutes, watch for browning around 8 minutes and take them out a little early if necessary.

~~~~~

These were SO good. You could of never guessed that they were made from biscuits. This recipe is one of those that transforms something everyday into something totally different. It's also very easy and very addicting. I made 16, planned on freezing the leftovers and there were only 6 left over!


Camera phone picture - sorry!! I'm pretty certain I accidentally threw my camera battery charger away....

Spin Off

My go to beer bread recipe is wonderful. But like everything else, it gets old after a while. Its just so darn easy to whip up though, so I thought I would put a spin on it and create something new.

I was inspired by this recipe, but just did not have the time or ingredients to make biscuit dough from scratch.

Bacon Cheddar Beer Muffins
recipe by me, inspired by TPW

2 and 2/3 a cup self rising flour
one 12 oz beer (i always use michelob ultra when making bread)
half pound bacon, fried and roughly chopped
1 and 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar

preheat the oven to 375*

spray 12 muffin wells with non stick cooking spray

mix all ingredients with a rubber spatula, being sure to scrape the bottom so there isn't any dry flour. divide the mixture evenly into the 12 muffin wells. bake for 25 minutes. let them cool a little in the muffin wells, and then "flip" them onto their side in the well to cool a little longer. best eaten warm.

~~~~~

These were really good! A great spin off!

Baptist versus Presbyterian

I have always considered myself to be a covered dish baptist. Meaning that my church is a tiny church where everybody knows everybody and we look for any excuse to have everyone bring a covered dish and stay after the sermon for some good fellowship. We also don't care if you wear jeans and cowboy boots to church.

So when Bradley and I got serious and he asked me to go to his church with him.... I was a little apprehensive. What is a presbyterian? Will my church be mad? Will it un-do all my covered dish teachings?!?!

He explained to me that there were two things that made them different from my church - 1. they have chairs instead of pews. 2. there is a band in the choir loft.

So I went and he was right it was pretty much the same thing. There were bulletins, people singing hymns off key, prayer, the occasional old man nodding off and his equally old wife jabbing him in the ribs. Church is church people, I think naming them should be done away with.

But the longer we've been together and the more I've met people from his church and visited his church, I found out that there were an additional two differences he left out.

1. they don't bring covered dishes, they caravan down the road to guadalahara

2. a lot of the guys.... make their own beer. they even meet up every so often to taste each others creations.

Now I'm not implying they're meeting up and getting sloshed for Jesus. They're just good guys fellow shipping around a common hobby. What's wrong with that? Nothing.

Bradley's first attempt at making his own beer ended up as an alcohol free beer that tasted like apple juice. His second attempt worked just fine and we now are the proud owners of two cases of a "sam adams" knock off. The whole process is very interesting and it's fun to drink something that you actually brewed.

When I saw a recipe for Cheddar Ale Spread I thought of his latest creation and how neat it would be to make an appetizer that included it. This stuff is really good, addictingly good. I used spicy brown mustard instead of dijon, and actually think it could use a little more than just 2 teaspoons.



So, Jason - give Anne Marie this recipe and tell her to make it for your next get together of "sips and sermons" or "pale ales and parables"..... I could go on all night :D

Gutted, Stuffed and Wrapped!

I love browsing recipes and one of my favorite recipes sites is ThePioneerWomanCooks.com. She is very "down to Earth" with her recipes, meaning that you don't have to search for the ingredients, most of them are in your pantry. And don't get me started on the simplicity of her recipes!

Much like her chocolate pie that I added to, I had to add to this recipe. Her basic recipe was: jalapenos, cream cheese, bacon. Very simple! But when most red blooded Americans eat something spicy, what do they dip it in? Ranch! (or bleu cheese, but for blogging purposes, please scream "RANCH" when answering my question)

So here is what I did -

Jalapeno Poppers
Pioneer Woman mixed with Country Woman

Jalapenos (you want the stubby round ones, not the long skinny ones)
Whipped Cream Cheese
Ranch Powder
Bacon strips, halved (you want two half slices of bacon per jalapeno)
wooden toothpicks

preheat oven to 375*

mix the ranch powder and cream cheese to your liking. split each jalapeno from tip to stem and scrape out the insides. stuff each half of the pepper with the cream cheese filling (don't be shy, more is more here because while baking, some of it will ooze out) and then wrap it with a half slice of bacon and spear it with a tooth pick.

arrange the poppers on a wire rack in a roasting pan, try not to let them touch so the bacon will cook evenly. depending on the thickness of the bacon, you may need to cook them for up to 45 minutes. start at 35 minutes and just watch them. My bacon varied in size, so 40 minutes was a good medium for me.

~~~~~

These were SO good and SO filling! If you aren't a fan of spicy foods, don't let that turn you away from making this recipe. The peppers lose their extreme heat and you are left with just a small kick.

Cranberries and Second Graders

Bradley's Great Grandmother's Christmas Party was this past Saturday night. I had planned on making Paula's Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle again, but at the last minute changed my mind. It was just too much to do, on top of making a pie and cooking dinner and packing and having to go to the store, in my pajama pants, while the meatloaf was cooking because we didn't have any potato flakes. So I decided to make a cranberry dip. I love cranberries, and apparently you have to love cranberries to love this dip because I got some mixed reviews. Well I say mixed... basically it was two reviews. Someone in Bradley's family patted me on the back and told me he loved it, as I did the march of shame out of the fellowship hall carrying my dip that was barely touched. Bless that man, he probably told his wife, "I just felt so bad for her that no one had eaten her... whatever it was". Then we went to his parents house and his little brother Raylen said "I tried it and it was terrible". It was as if i wasn't even in the room!!! All I could do was laugh, at least he is honest.

So I'm giving you this dish and fore warning you that in order to try it... you must LOVE cranberry sauce! I served it with pretzels, but it would also be good with home made tortilla chips - think "spinach tortillas in the shape of Christmas trees!"


Ruby Red Pretzel Dip
recipe courtesy of allrecipes.com

1 (16 ounce) can jellied cranberry sauce
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cold water

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the cranberry sauce, sugar, vinegar, ginger, mustard, cinnamon, and pepper. Stir over medium heat until smooth. In a small dish, stir together the flour and cold water. Stir into the cranberry sauce. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve with your choice of dippers.

Last tailgate party of the season

Except for bowl games, but we won't go there right now....

I think I've mentioned once or twice before, I LOVE CROWDS. I love hosting parties and thank God I married someone who feels the same way. Saturday night was the inevitable Iron Bowl. It was also the time when Bradley told me that I needed to add a little section to my page called "Bradley's Grill Corner". So today is my first installment of his creations, although I won't be posting the recipe to his famous ribs because even I am not worthy enough to know the secret ingredients that make them so delicious and buttery and melty and slap yo'sef tasty!


"Mmmm Mmmm Clark, that is goooooo-uuud!"

While our boys in white (and crimson) couldn't quite pull it off in Auburn, two and a half hours away in a tiny town that is Odenville... the Webb's pulled off yet another satisfying game day spread.

I also added something to my beer bread you might want to try, a teaspoon of garlic powder. Bradley accused me of not really making bread, that's how fast it disappeared. I only made one loaf, and should of taken Bradley's road and made several.... like he did with the slabs of ribs. I think we had about fifty.

Another first for me... crock pot cheese dip. How I missed making this pot of melty love I do not know. But I did a few things non traditional that to me, made it perfect.


Crock Pot Queso
recipe by me

2 lbs Velveeta, cubed
8 oz cream cheese, cubed
2 cans of Rotel, your favorite heat (I still prefer Mexican Festival)
small can of chopped green chilies ("Old El Paso")
1/3 cup taco seasoning

Put everything in the crock pot and make sure you have a hubby around who knows how to work those things, as I would have probably burnt the cheese. Give me a break, I have never made it before!!!

~~~~~

The ribs were great, the cheese dip great and the game... eh! We had fun, as always.

Just stick with what you know

Ask any old southern lady what all she has fried in her lifetime, and I bet she will say, "It'll be easier to tell you what I have NOT fried". Just the other night one of my besties called me simply to say "Paula Deen is about to fry DRESSING!!!". And we don't waste any time saying "deep fat fried" or "deep fried", because we know you are waiting to hear what comes after the word "fried". It helped make the south famous!

If Bradley had it his way, we would be eating fried everything for all meals. When we first got married I said "NO" and now we fry a lot more things. Here is where I will insert on of Paula's quotes, "worth the weight". But I still won't just fry to be frying!! Like frozen chicken fingers and frozen fries... those can go in the oven and save us a few hundred calories.

I know I made the remark that I wasn't sure if I could post my famous batter recipe on here. I found out why... it really is going to make me famous. I used a different recipe so I would be able to post it up, and it didn't work out too great. They fried up nicely but the crust did not stick very well. Don't get me wrong... we ate them! But I should of just used my recipe instead of making it "all about the reader".

When I become famous you can just go to my restaurant and buy a "bag o batter". I have used it on everything, I even fried chicken Sunday night with it!

Buttermilk Fried Green Tomatoes
recipe courtesy of recipetips.com

		oil to fill pan 1/4 inch deep
		1 1/2 cups cornmeal
		2 tablespoons salt
		2 tablespoons black pepper
		2 tablespoons paprika - hot if desired
		1 1/2 cups buttermilk Heat oil over medium high heat in a large skillet. Pour buttermilk into a shallow dish. Mix cornmeal with the rest of the seasoning ingredients in another shallow dish. Dip each tomato slice into the buttermilk then dredge it in the cornmeal mixture. Fry each slice in the oil until browned, 3-5 minutes. Turn and cook the other side until browned. Remove to a paper towel lined plate or baking sheet. Keep warm in a 200° oven while cooking the rest of the slices. ~~~~~

Another trip back to childhood....

We would always have a week long family vacation in Panama City Beach, and it would include lots of.... you guessed it.... incredible SEAFOOD!!! One of my all time favorite seafood items has got to be oysters. Raw, fried, baked.. you name it, I love it! But a real treat, was Oysters Rockefeller. There was only one restaurant there that served them, and of course one of the many hurricanes took care of that. I haven't seen them on a menu since! But they couldn't be that hard to make. Now since I live in Central Alabama and it is almost November, I couldn't just run out and purchase a dozen oysters on the half shell. So I used what I think is the oyster's next of kin.... the mushroom!!!

Mushrooms Rockefeller
recipe by me

5 slices bacon, cooked cooled and crumbled
1 - 9 ounce bag of fresh spinach leaves
12 large mushrooms
12 mushroom stems, finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/3 cup heavy cream
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup plain bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400* and clean the mushrooms. Fry the bacon in a deep skillet. Remove and let the bacon drain, but do not empty the skillet. Saute the onion in the bacon grease for about 2 minutes, then add the garlic and saute for about 1 minute. Add the spinach to the skillet and let it cook down. Add the crumbled bacon and finely chopped mushroom stems back into the skillet and mix the ingredients. Add the cream, salt and pepper – bring to a boil. Add the cheese, and be sure that it is all melted into the mix before you remove the skillet from the heat. Remove from heat and stir in the bread crumbs. Stuff mushroom caps generously with the mixture. Bake in the preheated oven 25-30 minutes until lightly browned.

~~~~~

This tasted exactly like it did back then, although I didn't try putting the whole thing on a saltine cracker. Hmm.... anyway! I can't wait to try it out on oysters and get the real effect!

See you in a year, Cary :(

Today my husband's best friend leaves for Iraq to be an on base fire fighter. He is not only Bradley's best friend; he is also one of mine. He is the third plate at my dinner table.... or in our case, at the coffee table. I don't know what we're going to do without him.... but a year will fly by quick I'm sure.... I hope!

Saturday night we had a going away party for him. His favorite food is Mexican and the party theme was "fire", so spicy Mexican food seemed to fit. I made my famous salsa and quesa-deLas.... and we also had some hot dogs for good measure. Everything was a big hit! I'm so glad; I wanted the party to be really special for Cary. All I heard was "I need the recipe for this salsa!" Don't worry girls, I told you it was easy.... and I meant it -

DeLa's Blender Salsa
recipe by me!

2 cans of Del Monte Stewed Tomatoes - Mexican Recipe
1 can of Rotel - your choice of flavor, I prefer Mexican Festival (blue label)
one bunch of cilantro, stems removed
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon garlic powder
juice of one lime

** tip: try not to play around with the salt and garlic powder, using two tablespoons of garlic salt instead of the above makes it too salty to eat **

Slightly drain the canned items, and dump everything on the list into the blender. Pulse until you reach the consistency you desire, I prefer the "liquefy" button. Keep it chilled and keep the "salsa bowl" full!

At work, we have a dip that everyone loves called chicken dip. It has 3 simple ingredients: canned chicken, cream cheese and ranch powder. To be so simple, it is so delicious! Last football season I served it a few times, but then it started to get old. So I played with the ingredients and came up with the filling for the second item on the party's menu (sorry the descriptions of size are so bad) -

Quesa-DeLa's
recipe by me, again!

one of the larger cans of chicken
one tub of whipped cream cheese
1/3 cup taco seasoning

Mix everything together and do a taste test to make sure the seasoning is right. Add a little more if you need to. Now... here comes the part where you get creative! This is extremely versatile! From here, you can pour it into a bowl, top with shredded cheese and serve with chips as a dip. You can spread it onto a flour tortilla, roll it up and cut into pinwheels. Or, you can do like I did (above) and sandwich between two flour tortillas and cut into triangles. It would even make a great 8th layer to 7 layer dip. You just do what your stomach tells you to do and everything will come out right!



Good luck Cary! We love you and can't wait to see you again!