Baking Powder Biscuits with Raisins

I love warm baking powder biscuits in the morning.

1  1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1  1/2 tsp baking powder
3 tbsps cold butter
4 tbsps sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk (or milk with 1 tsp vinegar)
1/2 cup raisins

Mix dry ingredients together then cut in the butter. Add the liquid all at once and stir just until it comes together. Fold in the raisins.

Pat or roll out to about 5 X 7" and 3/4" thick on a floured board. Cut out 12 small triangles and place on a lined baking sheet.

Bake at 425 F for 15-20 minutes until bottoms are lightly golden.

Recipe may be doubled.

Savory Black Olive and Parmesan Biscuits

This is a small batch but you can certainly double it if you need more biscuits. This recipe makes 5-6 round biscuits.

1  1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1  1/2 tsps baking powder
1/2 cup buttermilk (or milk with 1 tsp vinegar added)
3 tbsps cold butter
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup sliced and drained black olives (not pickled)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Mix dry ingredients together , including the parmesan,  then cut in the butter. Add the liquid all at once and stir just until it comes together. Fold in the olives.

Pat out on a floured board to about 3/4" thick. Flour your round cutter or drinking glass, whatever you are using.

Place biscuits on a lined baking sheet.

Bake at 425 F for 15-20 minutes and serve warm.

Tomato Salsa Soup

Can't beat the taste of fresh tomatoes!

4 cups tomato juice (fresh or canned)
1/4 cup salsa
1  1/2 cups chicken broth
2 cups chopped broccoli (flowerets or stems)
1 small onion, diced
2 tbsps hummus
3/4 cup chopped cooked chicken
1 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

I was blanching and peeling tomatoes for salsa and was able to reserve 4 cups of tomato juice, but you can use store bought tomato juice too. (Won't have quite the freshness factor though)

Here's the link to the salsa I was making:
http://hotandcoldrunningmom.blogspot.ca/2013/09/cooked-tomato-salsa.html

Put all the ingredients except cilantro into a large pot, bring to a boil then simmer for 5-10 minutes until broccoli is cooked.

Using an immersion blender or food processor blend until almost smooth. 

Add cilantro, salt and pepper to taste

Giant Soft Pumpkin Oat Cookies

Make your cookies BIG that way you can honestly say "I only ate ONE cookie!"

Start by mixing the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.

2  1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup oats
2 tsps baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup coconut

In a medium bowl mix:

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup pumpkin purée
1 cup chocolate chips (or more)

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and drop by heaping tablespoons onto a lined baking sheet. Leave a good 2 inches between as the cookies will spread.

Bake at 350 F for 12 minutes.

They're literally the size of my hand!

And the look on this one's "face" is like Oh No! I see what you're doing with that glass of milk??!!!??!!!

Gemista Greek Stuffed Tomatoes and Peppers

It's the right time of year for stuffed tomatoes and peppers. I'm not lucky with growing peppers so I have to buy them, but the garden is giving me lots of big juicy tomatoes.

You'll need: 

5 large tomatoes, reserve pulp
3 green peppers
2 tbsps olive oil
1 medium onion, grated
1 small carrot, grated
1 lb ground trio (beef, veal & pork)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1  1/4 cup brown rice
3/4 cup water
Salt and pepper
Pinch of sugar
Some fresh chopped parsley
Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
Some sliced black olives (optional)
1  1/2 cups tomato purée (or tomato sauce)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup water
1/4 (another) cup water 
6 - 7 small potatoes, quartered

Cut the tops off the peppers and tomatoes keeping their hats. Scoop out the tomato pulp and purée in a food processor. Set aside.

Heat 2 tbsps olive oil in a large saucepan. Add grated onion and cook 2-3 minutes then add grated carrot and cook another couple minutes.

Add ground meat (you can choose to use only beef but I prefer the trio). Cook meat just until no longer pink. Add the puréed tomato pulp. Add the rice, 3/4 cup water, sugar, salt and pepper, parsley, lemon zest and juice, and if using, black olives. Bring to  boil then reduce heat and simmer 10-15 minutes.

Fill veggies about 3/4 full (I may have overfilled mine, oops) and set them topped with their hats in a large baking pan. You may still have more filling depending on the size of the tomatoes and peppers you are using. If so just hollow out more veggies to stuff or you can simply eat the rice and meat as is.

Place the potato halves between the tomatoes and peppers.
Mix 1  1/2 cups tomato purée, 1/4 cup olive oil and 1/2 cup water and pour around the tomatoes and peppers and over the potatoes. Pour an additional 1/4 cup water between veggies.

Bake in a 400 F oven for 1 - 1  1/4 hours basting occasionally.
When basting if pan is getting dry, add a little more water.

Only one baking dish used and dinner is served!
Add some feta to the plate, which I forgot when taking this pic : (

Spicy Peach Salsa

Yep, this is a hot one!! You can tame it though with less hot pepper flakes and cayenne. Just a small batch...1 pint and 2 jam jars. Serve with tortilla chips or your next fish dinner. Or even on a burger!

1  1/2 tbsps fresh cilantro
1  1/2 cups fresh tomato, peeled and diced 
3/4 cup onion, diced
2  1/2 cups peaches, diced
1 tbsp lime juice
3/4 cup green pepper, diced
2 tsps hot pepper flakes
1/4 cup vinegar
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp cayenne
2 tsps honey

Mix peaches with lime juice. I had 1 white flesh peach in the mix. 

I had a handful of cherry tomatoes. Obviously I didn't peel those, but peel the large tomatoes. Toss with the peaches and add the rest of the ingredients.

Bring to a boil over medium heat then simmer for 5-6 minutes.

Fill sterilized jars and process in a hot water bath.
To sterilize I boil a kettle of water and pour into jars which have a piece of cutlery in them to keep the jars from cracking. Pour out the boiling water onto the lids and rings, then fill jars and seal. Place jars in large pot, fill hot water to cover jars. Bring to a boil and time off 20 minutes.

Remove from water and check that seals are good after 24 hours.

Pan Roasted New Potatoes

Choose similar small to medium sized potatoes for this one.

Scrub them clean and toss with a couple tablespoons of olive oil, some garlic powder, salt and pepper.

Cook them in a large frying pan on medium low to medium heat in a little more olive oil.  Stir regularly until a fork pierces easily. Mine took about 45 minutes.

Slice 1 onion and 1 green pepper and add to the pan.

You may want more olive oil here too. Toss and cook another 5-10 minutes and serve.