How Cute are These Ideas?

image source

image source

image source

image source

image source

Monkey Bread

The other day Big Sissy and I tried our hand at Monkey Bread, a pull-apart bread recipe from Pillsbury.

I think it went well.  Here's the recipe we followed:

INGREDIENTS

1/2

cup granulated sugar

1

teaspoon cinnamon

2

cans (16.3 oz each) Pillsbury® Grands!® Homestyle refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

1/2

cup chopped walnuts, if desired

1/2

cup raisins, if desired

1

cup firmly packed brown sugar

3/4        cup butter or margarine, melted

DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease 12-cup fluted tube pan with shortening or cooking spray. In large-storage plastic food bag, mix granulated sugar and cinnamon.Separate dough into 16 biscuits; cut each into quarters. Shake in bag to coat. Arrange in pan, adding walnuts and raisins among the biscuit pieces.In small bowl, mix brown sugar and butter; pour over biscuit pieces.Bake 28 to 32 minutes or until golden brown and no longer doughy in center. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Turn upside down onto serving plate; pull apart to serve. Serve warm.

Vintage Jello Add

image source

Texas Style Chili

When it comes to Texas style Chili, the verdict is still out.  It seems that you have some that would swear that Texas Chili doesn't contain beans and others that would swear it does, OR that you should use stew meat instead of ground.  I'm not one to say that there's only one way.  I'll just say, "if it's good, it's right."

I grew up with ground beef in my Chili.  Sometimes we had beans and sometimes we didn't, though I always liked my Chili with beans.  We used Pinto style beans, most often, but I like red beans or "kidney beans" just fine.

What you'll need...
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 medium onion, medium dice
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 to 1-1/2 lbs. Ground meat (beef is traditional, but I use turkey if I want to lighten it up)
2 tbsp. Paprika
1 tbsp. Chili Powder
2 tsp. Garlic Powder
2 tsp. Onion Powder
1 tsp. Cumin
2 tsp. salt, plus more to taste
1 tsp. Black Pepper
a pinch Cayenne Pepper
2 Cascavel Chilis, seeded
2 tsp. beef bullion dissolved in 2 cups water
1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz.) can Red Beans
Dash of Tabasco

In a heavy bottom pot, heat oil.  Saute onion until soft, add minced garlic in the last minute to flavor the oil.  Add ground meat and begin to cook, stirring often to crumble the meat.  Add seasonings about half way through cooking the meat, stirring to incorporate evenly.  When meat is done, add tomatoes with juice, beans, and beef broth.  In a separate heated skillet, place Cascavel chilis flesh side down for about ten seconds to release their flavors.  Throw them in a blender with a little of the broth ( about 1/3 cup) from the pot of chili.  Puree in blender and add pureed chilis in broth back to pot.  Simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes to an hour.  Some people prefer to cook longer on a low heat, but that's your call.  Adjust seasonings to taste before serving.  Garnish with shredded cheddar, green onion, cilantro, or crumbled cornbread.  Heck, my Grandpa was even known to eat his chili with saltines.  Let your taste buds do the talking.

I'm entering the 2011 Texas Star Chili Cook Off over @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage!

Skillet Cornbread

Here's a recipe that's easy and good...a perfect accompaniment to most any meal.  Tonight I'm serving our cornbread alongside Chili.  You may notice that this cornmeal doesn't call for sugar in it.  Most cornbread that I've had in Texas  does not.

Skillet Cornbread

• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
  1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• ⅓ cup shortening
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk
  
  
• Preheat oven to 400° F. Grease an 8 inch cast iron skillet.  
  
  
  Place cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl and stir to incorporate dry ingredients. Add shortening and cut into dry ingredients until well blended.  In a separate bowl, slightly beat together egg and milk. Pour into the dry ingredients; mix well.
  
  
  Pour the batter into prepared skillet.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until done and top begins to turn golden. Serve warm.

• 
  

Experimenting with Biscuits

When I was a young girl, I added refrigerated biscuits to my grandma's grocery list often.  This was due to the fact that my mom had given me a Pillsbury Bake-Off cookbook and I was set on trying out every recipe in it.  The recipes were not at all intimidating, even for a 12 yr. old.  I'd also picked up some handy tricks from my Home-Ec class....rolling the dough out, dipping it in melted butter, cinnamon, and sugar, and twisting it into shape.  I definitely liked to play around with biscuits.

image source

All of these memories came flooding back when I made Chicken Stew with biscuits the other day.  Upon sharing them, my 12 yr. old has been requesting biscuits to try out recipes from the Pillsbury website ever since.  I must admit, the bevy of recipes has grown significantly from when I was 12.  We are eyeing the pull apart breads, especially.  I giggle at the idea of history repeating itself.

Pictures of our adventures with biscuits to follow...

Eeek!

Take a look at the 4-1/2 ft. Rattle snake found near my mom's house!
The head has been removed (and buried) so that's not even accounted for in this pic.  Can you imagine it looking any longer than it already does!?!
It's been so hot in Texas and now that the weather has cooled in the evenings, the snakes are out enjoying their evening stroll.