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.