Wondering how to add a few calories to your breakfast?

Allow me.

These are really super easy to make (along with, uh, everything else I ever blog) and are such comfort food for breakfast! You will need:

We’ve seriously never talked about how to make basic biscuits? This is mind boggling to me.

This is one of those recipes I make by throwing stuff into a bowl; I very rarely measure this at all, so I had to go back and make these again and actually pay attention. The sacrifice! I make pretty [...]]]>

We’ve seriously never talked about how to make basic biscuits? This is mind boggling to me.

This is one of those recipes I make by throwing stuff into a bowl; I very rarely measure this at all, so I had to go back and make these again and actually pay attention. The sacrifice! I make pretty small batches of this because I make small biscuits and I make them pretty often, so there are always more on the way; the recipe is easily doubled.

Gather this:

• 1 cup AP flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. instant/bread machine yeast (you can certainly leave this out; I like the little extra rise and the flavor of it)
• 1/4 cup cold butter, shortening, bacon drippings (seriously) or any combination thereof
• 1/2 – 3/4 cup milk or buttermilk (see directions)

To make ‘em:

1. Combine flour, salt, baking powder and yeast in a bowl or in the work bowl of a food processor, then cut in butter with a pastry blender or fork, or pulse in the food processor till the mixture looks like coarse cornmeal
2. Slowly add milk, gently stirring with a rubber spatula or your fingers; add just enough so that it turns into dough
3. Turn onto a floured surface (I do it right on the counter lately); knead it four times, folding it back over itself as you go. FOUR! Then STOP, no matter how much fun it is. Overworked dough = unhappy biscuits
4. Roll and cut out biscuits and bake at 400F till just starting to brown on top; I do these in a cast iron skillet, but any kind of dish or baking sheet with a little butter in the bottom works just fine
5. Tell everyone you slaved over a hot stove for hours making these, and shouldn’t someone bring you something lovely to drink?

It is also from an era when food wasn’t asked to [...]]]> This recipe comes from my great aunt Eva who named it thusly. Or perhaps she got it from her mother, my great grandma, who named it thusly? Either way, who am I to argue? It is, indeed, one of the easiest desserts you’ll ever make.

It is also from an era when food wasn’t asked to look pretty for the camera.

Obviously.

Gather together:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 stick butter
• 1 cup milk
• 3 cups fruit (cut up; don’t drain)

And then:

1. Combine sugar, flour, baking powder and salt; cut in butter like you’re making biscuits, or pulse in a food processor, then stir in milk till well combined
2. Pour batter into a buttered cast iron skillet or baking dish and top with fruit and its juice
3. Bake at 350F for 45 minutes; sprinkle sugar on top for the last few minutes of baking

See? SEE? How crazy easy is that? And at the end you get this?

No brainer.

Rust is not your friend.

I know. This is shocking news to you all.

I’m happy to report that this is the same pan today:

A bit of an improvement, yes?

The folks at Lodge told me that I should have this pan sandblasted. Being stubborn [...]]]> Remember when I wrote a cautionary tale about cast iron? Allow me to review:

Rust is not your friend.

I know. This is shocking news to you all.

I’m happy to report that this is the same pan today:

A bit of an improvement, yes?

The folks at Lodge told me that I should have this pan sandblasted. Being stubborn determined, however, I went at it with some sandpaper and did the best I could. It was not great, and the pan went back to live at the bottom of my pantry while I sulked about it thought of another plan.

Then last week we took a road trip to “Chagganooga” (so sayeth Kiddo) and I obviously could not resist swinging through South Pittsburg on the way back up to Nashville. At the Lodge factory store they had this little rust eraser thing sitting on the counter for a couple bucks — worth a shot, right?

Y’all. It’s a miracle! The rust just fell from the skillet and the pan without even that much elbow grease involved. A MIRACLE I TELL YOU. Here is the pan after the eraser; can you believe it’s the same pan??

So the next step was to re-season it in the oven, then put it to work. The perfect first job?

Bacon, of course.

This one will need a lot of use to start to start getting dark like my generations-old skillets, of course, but we’re certainly off to a better start now.

This recipe originally came from here, but has lived in a binder in my kitchen for years now. This is good chicken. Man catching chicken even. It’s crispy and juicy and lemony and fabulous. I gave this recipe to my sister a few years back and she’s married now. SEE?? Try this:

You will need:

This is another one of those recipes that I have written down on a scrap of paper and tucked away. I have no idea where it came from, but it’s so yummy.

It’s also what I had for breakfast this morning. Is that wrong? It’s fruit, people.

Try this. Seriously. Gather:

Hungry yet?

This was one of the prettiest dishes! We had a couple straggler peppers in the garden and some yummy skirt steak in the fridge.  Add in some shrimp, some onions, some mojo sauce and a squeeze of lime, and life is good.

It was the weekend so the Yankee and I made this together. Into [...]]]>

Hungry yet?

This was one of the prettiest dishes! We had a couple straggler peppers in the garden and some yummy skirt steak in the fridge.  Add in some shrimp, some onions, some mojo sauce and a squeeze of lime, and life is good.

It was the weekend so the Yankee and I made this together. Into a large bowl we put:

• Thinly-sliced skirt steak (cut against the grain, not with it)
• Sliced red peppers
• Sliced green peppers
• Chopped jalapeños
• Enough mojo marinade to cover
• Shrimp in mojo marinade in a separate bowl

And let that sit a couple hours. Then you’re ready to cook!

1. Put a large skillet over medium heat and add about a tablespoon of oil
2. Pour off most of the marinade (you don’t want things swimming in the skillet), then pour the meat/peppers mix into the skillet
3. Cook and stir until meat is almost cooked and vegetables are starting to get tender
4. Add in shrimp (you’re doing this last so it won’t overcook) and continue to cook the whole mix until everything is done
5. Squeeze a lime over the whole thing and eat up! Serve with homemade tortillas, mashed black beans and fire roasted salsa or salsa roja.

This, like a lot of my recipes, is cobbled together from so many different recipes and word of mouth that I’m not even sure where it started. It involves my Mama’s concoction of spices, though, so it’s awesome. And spicy. Feel free to tone down the spices and add more later if it looks like [...]]]>

This, like a lot of my recipes, is cobbled together from so many different recipes and word of mouth that I’m not even sure where it started. It involves my Mama’s concoction of spices, though, so it’s awesome. And spicy. Feel free to tone down the spices and add more later if it looks like too much!

• 1 lb. breakfast sausage
• 1 lb. ground chuck
• 1 medium chopped onion
• 1 can condensed tomato soup
• 1 can dark kidney beans
• 1 can light kidney beans
• 2 cans diced tomatoes
• 1 can Rotel
• 1 small can green chiles
• 1/3 cup chili powder
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp oregano
• Water or beer

To assemble:

1. Brown the meats and onion together till the meat is cooked through
2. Add all the cans and all the spices and stir well
3. Adjust consistency as you like it — add a little beer or water till it looks just right
4. Simmer at will. I love this cooked all day in the slow cooker, or on the stove top in a heavy pan (such as a cast iron dutch oven)
5. Serve with cheese, Fritos, and cornbread!

This is a perfect meal to throw together during the middle of the week. Quick, easy, and so delicious!

You will need:

And then: