Oopsy

first off, i would like to apologize for the no post last week.  i was planning on posting the meal i made last tuesday night over the weekend but i ended up getting sick and never got it done. so, here we are. last tuesday night i made hamburger steak with onion gravy and chive mashed potatoes, from  Cooking Light, and old-fashioned biscuits from Food Network. it was, to quote hannah montana, the best of both worlds. (yes, i was a fan back in my dark days.) when i was making my old-fashioned biscuits, a recipe by Paula Deen by the way, i made a little oopsy, okay actually a huge oopsy. when putting the dry ingredients together i read 1 tablespoon of baking soda. i thought that seemed like a lot of baking soda so i re-read it one more time. i was correct, one tablespoon of baking soda. so i gave Mrs. Deen the benefit of the doubt and dumped it in. well, when i tasted the biscuit at the supper table i knew it had too much baking soda. my mom even asked me if i put too much baking soda in, but i assured i read the recipe twice and that's what it said to do. after supper as i was cleaning up i happened to glance over at the recipe, and there in black ink was clearly printed one tablespoon of baking powder. i thought, wow, Hannah, you must be getting old. as my grandpa used to say, "biscuits like that never last long at our house." we threw them out.

the steak and mashed potatoes were delicious! i'm sure the biscuit would've been too!

Recipes:

Hamburger Steak with Onion Gravy
TIME: 20 minutes SERVES: 4

Ingredients: 
1 pound ground sirloin 
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 tablespoon canola oil, divided 
1 1/2 cups vertically sliced onion 
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour 
1 cup unsalted beef stock
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions (optional) [i opted out]

Directions: 
[1] Divide beef into 4 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick patty. Sprinkle patties evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; swirl to coat. Add patties; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned; remove from pan.
[2] Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add vertically sliced onion; sauté 3 minutes or until lightly browned and tender. Sprinkle onion with flour; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add stock and remaining salt and pepper; bring to a boil. Return patties to pan; reduce heat to medium, partially cover, and cook 5 minutes or until gravy is slightly thickened. Sprinkle with green onions, if desired.


Quick Chive Mashed Potatoes
TIME: 6 minutes  SERVES: 4

Ingredients: 
2 c. of frozen mashed potatoes [i made 2 c. of homemade mashed potatoes]
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives
2 Tbsp. creme fraiche or sour cream [you guessed it, i used sour cream]
2 Tbsp. fat-free milk
1 Tbsp. butter
1/8 tsp. black pepper

Directions:
[1] Prepare 2c. of mashed potatoes [frozen or homemade]
[2] Stir in all 6 ingredients


Old-Fashioned Biscuits
TIME: 45 minutes YIELDS: about 10 biscuits

Ingredients: 
2 c. all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 tsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
8 Tbsp. cold lard or un-salted butter [i used butter]
Unsalted butter, softened, for the plan and biscuit tops

Directions: 
[1] Preheat oven to 425.
[2] Mix the flour sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl with a fork.
[3] Cut the chilled lard into small cubes and add to the dry ingredients. Use a pastry blender (or two forks) to cut the lard into the flour, pressing and twisting until the lard is in pea-size bits.
[4] Make a well in the flour-fat mixture and slowly pour in the milk. Mix with a fork until just combined, then knead gently with your hands until the dough comes together into a sticky ball.
[5] Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth and pliable; do not overwork. Roll out into a 1/2-inch-thick round, flouring the rolling pin and dough as needed.
[6] Smear a 10-inch hoe cake pan or cast-iron skillet with softened butter. Cut out 2-3 inch biscuits using a clean empty can, the mouth of a glass or biscuit cutter. Put the biscuits on the pan. Re-roll the scraps and cut out more biscuits. Make a fist and mark the top of each biscuit with your knuckles. Dot with softened butter. Bake until golden, 15-20 minutes.

Chicken Fajitas

....last night i made chicken fajitas! i got the recipe from Food Network. the chicken in it was superb. i loved the flavor. the only thing that i did differently to the recipe was to substitute cotija cheese for feta cheese, as my local grocery store does not carry a wide variety of cheeses. cotija is a hard goat's milk cheese that originated from mexico, but feta cheese substitutes just fine! at least that's whats Gourmet Sleuth told me. Gourmet Sleuth is a website i recently stumbled upon that has a culinary dictionary with substitutions, ingredients, and equivalents. i would really recommend checking it out, it has been a life saver to me many a times. anyways, back to the fajita, super good, super easy, super quick, you should try it.

Chicken Fajitas
TIME: 35 minutes   SERVES: 4
Per serving: Calories 372

Ingredients: 

1 teaspoon chili powder
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 bell peppers (any color), sliced
1 red onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon grated lime zest, plus wedges for serving
8 corn tortillas [i used flour]
1/2 cup prepared pico de gallo or fresh salsa
1/3 cup crumbled cotija cheese (about 1 1/2 ounces)

Directions: 

[1]Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Mix the chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper and rub on the chicken breasts.
[2] Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning, until golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a baking sheet, reserving the skillet, and bake until just cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board to rest, 5 minutes.
[3] Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in the reserved skillet over medium heat. Add the bell peppers, onion, garlic and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon cumin and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are lightly browned, 8 minutes. Stir in the lime zest and 2 tablespoons water. Season with salt.
[4] Wrap the tortillas in aluminum foil and warm in the oven, 5 minutes, then divide among plates. Slice the chicken. Top the tortillas with the chicken, bell pepper mixture, pico de gallo and cheese. Serve with lime wedges.

Good News & Bad News

i have good news and bad news. i'm a firm believer in giving the bad news first in this type of situation. because, after you hear the bad news you know it can only get better, but when you hear the good news first you know it'll only go downhill from there. so, enough of my jabbering.............BAD NEWS: i'm not cooking until the weekend, and miraculously i'm all caught up on my posts (okay so this is kind of good news for me,) which means i don't have a meal to post about..............GOOD NEWS: i've had something that's just been waiting to be posted on here but i've been waiting for the opportune moment. it's a recipe for the best cheddar cheese ball ever known to man! (well in my opinion) I found this recipe from An Edible Mosaic. my naive cooking mind always thought that making a cheese ball was close to impossible. turns out it isn't. it's super easy. oh how innocent i am when it comes to food sometimes!

Cheddar Cheese Ball Appetizer (Or Cheddar Pub Spread if you're feeling fancy)
TIME: 9 hours MAKES:  2 large cheese balls [i just made one]

Ingredients:
8 oz. sharp cheddar, shredded
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
8 oz. Farmers cheese (no salt added)
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1 c. toasted pecans, chopped.

Directions:

[1] Pulse together all ingredients in a food processor until it forms a smooth paste.
[2] Divide in half, and roll each half into a ball.
[3] Put the cheese balls on a paper towel-lined plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
[4] Before serving, roll each ball in pecans and then let them sit at room temperature for 45 minutes; serve with crackers.

the finished product in the line up of appetizers at a party i took it to.