Buttermilk Biscuits–On the Lighter Side

I’m a little late to the party. I know, I know. But I have Finally discovered coconut oil!

Months ago I bought a canister of LouAna coconut oil, put it away in my pantry and promptly forgot about it. All over the web I see blog posts about the many uses of this supposed wonder food, so I started thinking of of ways to incorporate it into our home menus. So this morning (after an uninspired hour at the gym, ahem) I decided to try my buttermilk biscuits, replacing butter with coconut oil.

Pre-BaconApocalypse Bacon Party

Rumors of an imminent bacon shortage has got the whole foodie world abuzz. Bacon prices will rise; and what once was considered a low-brow, inexpensive, commonplace kitchen staple is now a gourmet item. Much blogged about, placed on the foodie center stage, and soon-to-be the newest poetry subject: We love our Bacon! ;)

So, leave it to Lizette to host an all bacon party. LOL

Irish Soda Bread

This dense bread is a staple for traditional Irish meals. I’ve never been a huge fan, though Lord knows I ate plenty of it while touring Irish Pubs through Europe.

But that was in my younger, wilder years. I would never go such places now. <ahem!>

Spicehubby does not agree with me on this one. He loves this bread, especially the beautiful crust it makes while baking. I do have to admit that I like it better when I make it and can eat it straight out of the oven, slathered with butter.

Sweet Potato & Pecan Muffins

Fall flavors continue to mesmerize and inspire me in the kitchen. This time I’ve moved on from pumpkin to sweet potatoes. {I’m not completely moving on from pumpkin, but Spicehubby has requested I give it a break for a while!} ;)

Since the time change this past weekend has made getting up early a little easier, we actually made a HUGE effort and put in a good 45 minute workout at the gym this morning. It was just what both of us needed after a weekend of tailgating and eating. A LOT of eating… {Side note: if you don’t already know, we had a pretty good football weekend in Louisiana. Our LSU Tigers beat Alabama in a much-anticipated shootout Saturday night. And our most beloved Saints pulled out a nice win over Tampa Bay Sunday afternoon.}

Pumpkin Pecan Bread

After 2 solid days of rain courtesy of Tropical Storm Lee, a cool front has moved in and it feels gloriously like fall! So much so that I’ve been inspired by visions of pumpkins and apples and baking and gearing up for the holidays. Lessons of the past have taught me that these low humidity days are limited, so I know to make the most of them while they’re here.

Tuscan Sliders

At May 1, 2011
By Spiceblogger
In Appetizers, Breads, Lagniappe, MexiCajun Lagniappe, Recipes
1

It’s been such a wonderful Saturday, I hate to see it end. I spent the first half of the day at the Natchitoches Farmer’s Market. I set up with my seasoning and my sister tagged along with her homemade amaretto. Needless to say, she sold nearly EVERY bottle she had! ☺ And all I can say about that is “Lucky People!” Because that stuff is good!

Blog Award & Banana Oat Bread

While I was riffling through my recipes and cookbooks looking for inspiration for Easter, I came across a banana bread recipe I’ve been wanting to try. I love breads of this nature because they freeze well and make the perfect little sum’n sum’n to go along with my morning coffee.
For this recipe, I tweaked it a bit to make a little more tasty and squeeze a little more goodness into it.

Flatbread Inspiration: Season 52–Atlanta, GA

At March 4, 2011
By Spiceblogger
In Appetizers, Breads, Lagniappe, One Dish Meals, Recipes, Restaurant Review
4

Last summer on our annual buying trip to Atlanta, my business partner and I discovered the most wonderful restaurant! Season 52 boasts a changing menu according to the season and all dishes under 500 calories! We were very anxious to try it out after reading rave reviews and seeing the summer menu online. True to our expectations, it was fabulous. So much so, we went back a second night before leaving Atlanta!
The most memorable dishes we had were definitely the flatbreads. I believe in our two meals there we managed to try every one they had on the menu. They were all delicious! I have wanted to try my hand at this dish for my husband to try but have never gotten around to attempting it. Until tonight.

MexiCajun Cornbread Casserole

This cornbread casserole has become a favorite recipe of mine and many others with whom I’ve shared it. Several people have asked for this recipe, so I’m sharing it here for easy access. If you try it, please let me know; and if you have any suggested variations, I’d love to hear those as well.

Just Keep Going…

When I first began running last year, I hated it. I had convinced myself that I couldn’t do it, that I shouldn’t do it, and so I never had. Decreasing strength in my knees and a couple of extra pounds each year dictated that I HAD to do SOMETHING, and the personal trainer I hired at our local gym was determined that the something be the treadmill. Ugh. So I began…30 seconds at a time. Literally. I would walk 1 minute and run 30 seconds, increasing each interval time over days and weeks until I could run a full mile. Every time I got on that treadmill I would think to myself: “Left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot; just keep going” as I panted and gasped for breath!

Well that’s kinda how I feel about this blog. Actually, it’s how I feel about life in general! “One foot in front of the other; left foot, right foot; just keep going.” I never really know what I’m doing or maybe even where I’m going; I just have to keep on keeping on!

And so it is with food and cooking. I’m 36 years old and am only just now learning how to cook. Oh, don’t get me wrong. I’ve cooked for myself (and my poor husband) pretty much my whole adult life. I’ve just never cooked very well.

Sure I could boil pasta and heat up a pre-made sauce to pour over some browned ground meat. I could even make a pretty mean omelette or whip up a really good-looking cake from a boxed mix! But I never REALLY cooked. Like Julia Child cooking. Not until now…. And I have to say I enjoy it more than I ever have!

Now, I’ve watched my fair share of “Iron Chef” and Alton Brown’s “Good Eats” episodes, but nothing compares to getting your own fingers dirty in the kitchen and learning from your own mistakes.

So here we are. I’m learning to cook; and (I’m hoping) you get to read all about my trials, tribulations, and maybe even find a jewel of a new recipe! That is my goal afterall: to share with you what I learn and to document for myself so I don’t forget. Seems easy enough. Well… we’ll see won’t we?

Cornbread Muffins

1 1/2 cups self-rising flour

1/2 cup yellow corn meal

1 egg

1 cup milk

1 Tablespoon oil (I prefer pecan oil for baking, but any vegetable oil will do)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Mix flour and corn meal together in a medium mixing bowl. Add oil, milk and lightly beaten egg. Mix together using a fork until you get a dough-y consistency (much like biscuit dough). Fill a pre-greased muffin pan and bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle muffin comes out clean.

Serve warm with butter!