Baking Powder Biscuits

4 cups flour
8 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup Crisco
2 tablespoons sugar
2 large beaten eggs
1 1/2 cups milk

Sift together flour and baking powder. Stir in salt and sugar. Cut in Crisco till it resembles small pebbles. Stir together eggs and milk. Make a well in the dry mixture and stir in the milk mixture with a fork. Stir just to moisten, then turn out onto a lightly floured board. Knead about 15 times, then pat lightly into a circle, about 1/2-inch thick. (The secret to light and fluffy biscuits is to handle the dough as little as possible) With a sharp round cutter, cut out rounds, without twisting the cutter. Just give it a sharp tap, then lift straight up (twisting the cutter causes the biscuits to slope over when they are baking) place on a baking sheet.

Bake at 350°F for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve warm.

Reece's PB Chocolate Cake

This is my "semi-homemade" version of a cake I had a few weeks ago. That original recipe is listed here.
1 devils food cake mix(follow the box instructions, but add 1/2 c. creamy PB)
Divide into two 9" cake pans
Bake as instructed on the box. Cool and invert.

Since this is a 2-layer cake, I figured I needed a middle filling so I made this up:
1 bag peanut butter chips (like chocolate chips, but they are PB!)
1/2 c. milk
Heat over double boiler till PB chips are melted. Remove from heat and add about 1 c. pow sugar chill for about an hour - it will have a glaze consistency. Then, whisk in creamy peanut butter until you have a good almost pudding consistency.

Use as filling between the two cakes and then frost with this:

1 can of duncan hines Buttercream Chocolate frosting beat w/ 1/4 c. milk

Top with broken or quartered Reece's PB cups

YUMM!!!!

Grape Salad

8 oz cream cheese
8 oz sour cream
1tsp vanilla
1/2 cup white sugar

First mix cream cheese and white sugar. Then add vanilla and sour cream.

2 lbs green grapes
2 lbs red grapes
wash and dry completly then place in salad bowl.

Add cream cheese mixture to grapes. Then sprinkle 1/2 cup brown sugar on top with chopped pecans (toasted ones if you want). Chill at least one hour before serving.

Blackened Chicken or Salmon

4 Tablespoons paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 cup butter
4 salmon fillets, room temperature or
4 tilapia fillets, room temperature or
4 chicken breasts, pounded evenly, room temperature

Mix dry spices on a plate. In a skillet, melt butter and oil over medium-high heat. Pour off 1 Tablespoon of butter into a shallow pan. Turn on your oven vent and crank the heat to high. (work with your range, some gas ranges would be way too hot on high, work on med-high.) Pat fillets or breasts dry with paper towels. Dip each fillet or breast lightly into melted butter and dip into the dry ingredients, patting the spices on by hand. Cook fish/chicken in skillet, 3-4 minutes per side, careful when turning. Fish/Chicken will look charred black and you may get smoke- hence the name!

Reese’s Cup Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

Reese’s Cup Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

Ingredients:
For the cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 ½ cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled (optional)

For decorating:
1 ½ – 2 batches peanut butter frosting
miniature Reese’s cups, halved and/or chopped

Directions:
For the cake, center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°. Butter two 9×2” round cake pans, dust the insides with flour, tap out the excess and line the bottoms with rounds of parchment paper. Place the pans on a baking sheet.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add the sugar and beat for about 2 minutes, until thoroughly blended into the butter. Add the eggs and yolks one at a time, beating for one minute after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk; add the dry ingredients in 3 additions and the buttermilk in 2 (beginning and ending with the dry ingredients). Mix each addition only until it is blended into the batter. Scrape down the bowl and add the melted chocolate, if using, folding it in with a spatula.

Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans. Bake for 26-30 minutes or until the cakes feel springy to the touch and start to pull away from the sides of the pans. Transfer to wire racks to cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unmold them and peel off the paper liners. Invert and cool to room temperature right side up.

To assemble the cake, place one cake layer on a cardboard circle covered in foil. Spread peanut butter frosting on top of the cake layer. (If desired, sprinkle with chopped Reese’s cups.) Place the second cake layer on top of the frosting. Frost the top and outside of the cake with remaining peanut butter frosting. Decorate with halved and chopped Reese’s cups as desired.

Source: inspiration from Smells Like Home, cake from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, frosting from Ina Garten

Chocolate Truffle Filling
4 squares of unsweetened baking chocolate
2 1/2 cups of confectioners sugar
6 tbsp of margarine or butter
1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream
In a heavy 2-quart saucepan over low heat, heat the chocolate squares, stirring frequently, until melted; cool slightly. With spoon, stir in confectioners sugar, butter and heavy whipping cream until mixture is smooth and blended.

Sausage Tomato Tortellini Soup

1 lb Italian sausage
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
3/4 teaspoon onion salt
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil or you can just leave the grease from the sausage for more flavor :)
2 (14 ounce) cans of tomatoes crushed or diced
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
6 cups beef broth
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
2 tablespoons italian seasoning
1 tablespoon worchestershire sauce
12 ounces dry tortellini or ravioli

Brown the sausage, add remaining ingredients except pasta. Bring soup to a boil, then turn to a simmer and cover for 40 minutes. Cook pasta seperately (do not overcook) and then add to soup right before serving. Garnish with more grated parmesan.

The Best Pie Crust

I've made a lot of pies in my life, and tried many pie crust recipes, until I used this one. I've never tried another pie crust recipe since. It has never let me down! I have an unusual way of making my pie crust though. I don't touch it with my hands at all! I put all the ingredients in a big Tupperware bowl, and shake it wildly, until it all comes together in a big ball. Really....it works. It's the key to a tender flaky crust.
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FLAKY PASTRY
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4 Cups Sifted Flour
1 3/4 Cups shortening
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 Teaspoons salt
1 Tablespoon vinegar
1 egg
1/2 Cup Water
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Sift flour, sugar & salt together. Put dry mixture into a very large Tupperware bowl, with a firm fitting lid. Cut shortening into smaller pieces, with either a fork, or a pastry cutter. Make sure that the shortening has been tossed around a bit in the flour. Now put the lid on your tupperware bowl, and shake, shake, shake, until it has become the size of small peas. In another small bowl, combine the egg and the vinegar, and mix together with a fork. Now pour that on top of your flour mixture. Grab a fork, and simply toss some of the flour over the top of the liquid, covering as much liquid as you can. DON'T STIR OR TRY TO MOLD THE DOUGH! Put the lid on the bowl, and begin to shake, shake, shake! ....until it has started to adhere together. Peek at the dough.....if it is still quite sticky, toss a little more flour over the dough. (1 -2 tablespoons). Replace the lid, and shake again. You will know when the pastry is ready, because it will form a ball of dough......all on it's own. It's like magic...and will always give you perfect, flaky crust. I promise.
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*This recipe makes 2 double crust 9" pies.