Stuffed Biscuits

I am always searching for quick, homemade recipes for supper. We have our main meal at lunch, so I cook light meals for supper. I saw several similar ideas for this on Pinterest, and so decided to create my own version based on the ingredients that are easily available to me. This recipe is definitely one of my favorites and is on a regular menu schedule!



You start by making a biscuit dough. Use your favorite recipe. I've included mine below. It come from a vintage Better Homes and Gardens Homemade Bread Cookbook that my mom gifted to me from her cookbook stash when I got married. I love this book!

Next, gather your filling ingredients and cut into cubes or pieces. I used ham and mozzarella cheese in this particular batch, but honestly, the variations on this recipe are endless. Just use what you have on hand.















Cut or form your biscuits by hand and flatten them a little. Put on your desired ingredients. You can add a small amount of the condiment of your choice or just serve the biscuits with the condiments later. I've done both, but I think I prefer leaving them dryer to bake because they can get messy pretty quickly if you go overboard on the condiments inside the biscuit. Fold up the sides of the biscuit to cover the insides and pinch together at the top to seal. Place the sealed side down on a baking sheet.



When all are assembled, bake your stuffed biscuits according to your biscuit recipe instructions.



Enjoy the yummy warm goodness when they are done! I've served these with mustard and mayonnaise most often, but depending on how you seasoned them, you could serve them with marinara sauce, ranch dressing, or anything else! One time I brushed the tops of the biscuits with a creamy Italian dressing I mixed up on the fly. After baking them, I brushed them again with the mixture and that was also fantastic.




Stuffed Biscuit Recipe

Baking Powder Biscuits
2 cups all-purpose flour (can use 1/2 cup whole wheat, 1 1/2 cups all-purpose)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup shortening
3/4 cup milk

Stir thoroughly the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in shortening till mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in dry mixture; add milk all at once. Stir just till dough clings together. Knead gently on lightly floured surface (10-12 strokes). Roll or pat dough to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut with 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter; dip cutter in flour between cuts. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees till golden, 10-12 minutes. Makes 10 biscuits (usually makes 12 if using whole wheat).

To make the stuffed biscuits:
Cube or cut meat and cheese of choice, sufficient to fill 10-12 biscuits. Cut or form your biscuits by hand and flatten them a little. Put on your desired ingredients. Fold up the sides of the biscuit to cover the insides and pinch together at the top to seal. Place the sealed side down on a baking sheet. Bake according to biscuit recipe instructions.

Mini Pizzas

Suppers are light in our household (we have the big meal at lunch). So I'm always on the lookout for easy recipes to have at night... beyond just sandwiches. These mini pizzas are great: fast, easy, delicious, and a big hit with the kids.

My family loves pizza, and we usually make the crust and the sauce from scratch. But it's a big, time-consuming project. So when I need something fast, I turn to this recipe.

The crust is made from tortillas. They actually make a pretty decent thin crust pizza and if you have store-bought tortillas on hand, nothing could be simpler.

Kid approved! They love the little mini slices you can make from these pizzas. ;)

Mini Pizzas

Flour tortillas

Shredded mozzarella

Pizza sauce

Other toppings such as pepperoni, ham, onions, peppers... you name it!

Pretty easy; just make them like you would a normal pizza. I just suggest you not go heavy on the sauce. Bake them on a baking sheet at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. 

Homemade Yogurt

I am very pleased and grateful to say that my very first attempt at making yogurt turned out successful. I've been wanting to try it for a long time but was a bit intimidated by the necessity to keep it warm for a long time. I don't have a yogurt maker here and I was afraid that the process was going to be much too involved to be practical for me to accomplish.

That's when I ran across this recipe, which not only takes only about 3 hours to make, but uses a crockpot to maintain the warmth. Genius! I thought. And it was.

I also read this recipe, which I found had some useful additional hints. The only things I really altered from the first recipe are that I added a tiny bit of sugar to help in the fermenting process and I doubled the yogurt starter. Next time, I will try it without the additional sugar and see how things go. I'd like to have a non-sweet yogurt, as it is definitely more versatile.

We tried it this morning and it was very good. I blended it with some fresh strawberries. Interestingly enough, the yogurt was thicker out of the jar but when I blended it, it turned quite liquid and worked well as drinkable yogurt. Not a problem, since we are used to drinking our yogurt here.

All in all, I was happy with my first attempt and I look forward to experimenting with this further in the future.

Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches

So it's about time I posted a recipe.

I've been thinking about this blog often as I cook, but I've been spending most of my spare moments working on my quiet book, so my blog has taken a back seat for the time being.

Still, I promised to post things that were yummy, so here's one for starters! (I apologize ahead of time for the crummy cellphone pictures. My husband took the kids outside while I was cooking this meal--which I appreciate--but he unfortunately took the camera with him as well.)

As a little background, I buy beef ("estofado" or stew meat) that is pretty tough and needs to be either pressure cooked or slow cooked in order to make it enjoyable to eat. However, I wasn't completely satisfied with any of the cheesesteak recipes I was finding for these types of cooking methods. The vegetables kept coming out as mush, which I didn't find overly appetizing. I also felt like the recipes were always low on the vegetable side. So, I've combined a few recipes into one and adapted it to fit my particular likes. If you find you are having the same problem as me, give this recipe a try!

Cooking my yummy vegetables!

Pretty easy to do while the meat is pressure cooking away. Did I mention how much I love my pressure cooker?

What the meat looks like when it's done. I used too much water, so I reduced the water amount in the recipe I'm sharing with you.

The final product! Yummy goodness....Mmmm.

Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches

2 lb beef (round steak or whatever other cut you prefer), cut into bit sized strips

3 bell peppers, cut into strips

3 large onions, sliced 

1 pkg onion soup seasoning mix

1/2 cup water

2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp garlic powder or 2 garlic cloves, minced

6-8 six-inch hoagie style buns 

6-8 slices Provolone or Mozzarella cheese

1-2 Tbsp butter or olive oil

Directions

Place strips of beef into pressure cooker. Add onion soup seasoning mix, water, and Worcestershire sauce. Pressure cook for 25 minutes. (This is the right amount of time for the toughness of my beef and my altitude. I suggest starting out with 10 minutes and testing doneness. You can always cook it for longer if needed.) 

Meanwhile, saute peppers, garlic, and onions in oil or butter in a skillet. Cook until tender but not overcooked. When the meat is done, add vegetables to meat mixture and simmer gently on the stove for an additional 5 minutes. Serve over buns and top with cheese. 

If desired, you can toast the sandwiches in the oven before serving.