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The 101 Recipes You Need to Know How to Cook | Bon Appetit

Every home cook has some basic recipes that they turn to all of the time for weeknight meals, special Sunday suppers or dinner parties. There are some classics and basic recipes that you learn along the way that you can always rely on when you want to turn out a great meal. Bon Appetit has put together 101 of the basic classic recipes, with everything from appetizers to desserts and everything in between so that you can have recipes to fall back on, learn and use when you want them. Check it out!

Source: The 101 Recipes You Need to Know How to Cook | Bon Appetit

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Posted by MikeG on October 15, 2016 in Appetizers, Beans, Beef, Beverages, Biscuits, Breads, Cakes, Cookies, Cooking, Cooking Websites, Dessert, Dinner, Eggs, Fruit, Lunch, One Pot Meals, Pasta, Picnic Fare, Pie, Pork, Potatoes, Poultry, Rice, Salad, Sandwiches, Sauce, Sausage, Seafood, Side Dishes, Snacks, Soups & Stews, Vegetables

Tags: 101 basic recipes, 101 recipes you need to know how to cook, basic recipes you need to know, bon appetit, Bon Appetit 101 recipes you need to know

Impressive Biscuits in a Hurry – Cook’s Country Buttermilk Drop Biscuits

10 Oct

We had something of an impromptu breakfast yesterday with Michelle’s parents and our nephew stopping over for a nice breakfast so we had to throw some things together in a hurry. There is always plenty of bacon, eggs and coffee in the house and ingredients to make pancakes, but I really like to have nice, warm biscuits to serve with breakfast as well. They are great just with butter, but also go well with jelly, or to put some egg or bacon on and make yourself a little sandwich. The usual recipe I have turned to for biscuits takes a bit of time and preparation, something I did not really have yesterday, but this recipe from Cook’s Country for buttermilk drop biscuits gives you the same great taste and flavor in much less time so you can put it together pretty quickly.

Buttermilk Drop Biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk, chilled

8 tablespoons butter, melted, plus 2 tablespoons butter

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and pre-heat the oven to 475 degrees. Line an unrimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt in a large bowl until the ingredients are well blended. Stir the buttermilk and melted butter together in a 2-cup liquid measuring cup until the butter begins to form clumps.

Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until just incorporated. Using a greased 1/4-cup dry measuring cup, drop level scoops of the batter about 1 1/2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake the biscuits in the oven until the tops are golden brown, rotating the baking sheet halfway through the baking process, about 12 to 14 minutes.

Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and brush it on the biscuit tops. Transfer the biscuits to a wire rack to let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

This recipe makes about 12 biscuits. The difference in this recipe is that it uses hot fat (the melted butter) instead of the traditional cold fat you use with butter. With cold butter, as the butter melts it creates steam and helps to give you a flaky biscuit. When you stir the hot butter together with the cold buttermilk in this recipe, the butter will clump up in the milk, giving you the same type of texture you would get in a traditional recipe but with less work. The biscuits came out perfectly and were light and fluffy and had great flavor, making them ideal to go with breakfast. They will also be good to go along with any meal you like and you do not have to go through a lot of effort to make them. Even if you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can always create your own by combining 1 cup of regular milk with a tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice and allowing it to stand for 5 minutes. You could also get dry buttermilk, which I use often as a stand-in for recipes, where you just need to add water to the powder to get buttermilk. In either case you can end up with great biscuits for breakfasts or to have with stews, soups, chicken, meat or just about any meal you like in just a few minutes.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

3 Comments

Posted by MikeG on October 10, 2016 in Breads, Breakfast, Dinner, Side Dishes

Tags: biscuit recipes, biscuits for breakfast, buttermilk biscuits, buttermilk drop biscuits, Cook's Country, Cook's COuntry buttermilk drop biscuits, fast biscuit recipe

The Best Biscuits! Believe It! Southern Style Biscuits

01 Sep

If you have spent any time on my blog you’ll see that there are a number of different biscuit recipes on here. I like to make biscuits because they can be good for so many things. They are great for breakfast to use as breakfast sandwiches with sausage, bacon, egg and cheese, They can fill in in a pinch for lunch if you want a small sandwich to tide you over and they are great with dinners to soak up gravy, dip in soup or just have to go along with a hearty meal. Needless to say we are biscuit lovers in this house, which means I am always interested when a recipe comes along. A while back I saw this recipe from Tasting Table for southern-style biscuits and they sounded very good. It is, by far, the best biscuit recipe I have tried to date and is certainly one you want to look into.

Southern-Style Biscuits

10 tablespoons butter, frozen

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon sugar

¼ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

¾ cup chilled buttermilk

¼ cup chilled heavy cream

Flaky salt, for sprinkling

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Grate the frozen butter using the large side of a box grater. Transfer the butter to a bowl and place the bowl in the freezer to keep it chilled.

Sift the flour, baking powder, sugar and baking soda into a large bowl. Whisk in the salt. Using a fork, stir in the grated, chilled butter and then make a well in the center of the mixture. Add the buttermilk and cream and stir until the dough begins to clump and become shaggy.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Working quickly, gently press and fold the dough 4 to 5 times (try not to knead or squeeze the dough), then form it into a rectangle. Pat the dough down to a uniform thickness of about ¾ inch.

Using a 2½-inch biscuit cutter, press straight down through the dough, without twisting. Gather and pat down the scraps if needed to make more cuts. Place the biscuits on a parchment-lined baking sheet so that they are just touching and chill the biscuits in the fridge for about 20 minutes.

Sprinkle each biscuit with flaky salt and bake the biscuits until they are golden on top, about 12 to 15 minutes. Let the biscuits cool slightly before serving.

These biscuits never seem to last very long. I get about 10 to 12 biscuits out of the dough and I would say at least half are gone if we make them with dinner and by the next day they have all been used. You can make this dough ahead of time and cut the biscuits out and then freeze the dough to use the biscuits when you want them. You want to make sure all of the dairy you use in this recipe – the butter, buttermilk and cream – is all very cold as it is a key to making the biscuits come out as great as they do. Getting those solid pieces of butter in the dough to be there while the biscuits cook give great flavor to the final results. The biscuits are fluffy, moist and have just a that hint of crisp exterior that you will love. My family loves this recipe over any others I have made before and it is pretty much the only one I use now. The picture below shows the biscuits with some sausage gravy and eggs that we had one night as a breakfast for dinner, but I also regularly make them with anything that we are having gravy with – chicken, turkey, meatloaf, pot roast – or any time I make stew or soup. They are just plain delicious.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

6 Comments

Posted by MikeG on September 1, 2016 in Biscuits, Breakfast, Cooking, Dinner, Lunch, Side Dishes

Tags: best biscuits recipe, biscuits and sausage gravy, biscuits recipe, southern-style biscuits, Tasting Table southern-style biscuits

It’s Summer. It’s Hot. Keep it Simple with the Ultimate BLT

06 Jul

The warm weather has really started to kick in here lately, with temperatures regularly up in the 90’s now as July gets underway. That means the house is going to be warm and humid and you are not going to feel like doing much cooking when it comes to making dinner. Sure it could be easy to just go out and grab something or order in a pizza or sandwiches, but you can still make something quick, easy and tasty all on your own. I am one of those people who could eat sandwiches pretty much any time of the day so I have no problem having one for dinner now and then, especially when it gets warm out. When I saw this recipe from Bon Appetit for what they call the Ultimate BLT, well it seemed like the perfect time to give it a try. I mean, it is bacon after all, how could you go wrong? You get lots of options with this one so you can be as plain or adventurous as you like.

The Ultimate BLT

¼ cup (packed) dark brown sugar (optional)

4 teaspoons chipotle chile powder (optional)

4 teaspoons smoked paprika (optional)

1½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided (optional)

¼ cup pure maple syrup (optional)

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (optional)

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

2 pounds thick-cut bacon

2 heads of romaine lettuce, separated into individual leaves

4 large beefsteak tomatoes, sliced ¼-inch thick

16 ½-inch slices of your favorite bread, toasted

2 avocados, sliced (for serving)

Mayonnaise (for serving)

Flaky sea salt, freshly ground pepper

Place racks in the upper and lower thirds of your oven and pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.

If you are making the brown-sugar rub for the bacon, whisk the brown sugar, chile powder, paprika, and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt in a small bowl.

If you are making the maple-mustard glaze for the bacon, whisk the maple syrup, mustard, cayenne, and the remaining ½ teaspoon of kosher salt in another small bowl.

For making plain bacon, divide the bacon between 2 wire racks set inside large foil-lined rimmed baking sheets. Bake the bacon, rotating the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through, until it is brown and crisp, about 35–50 minutes (depending on the thickness of the bacon). Transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain.

For flavored bacon, generously sprinkle the desired amount (you’ll have enough rub and glaze for 1 lb. bacon each) with rub or brush with glaze about 5 minutes before the bacon is done cooking. The rub should be melted and bubbling and the glaze should look thick and caramelized.

Arrange the bacon on a large platter and serve it with lettuce, tomatoes, toast, avocados, mayonnaise, sea salt, and pepper alongside for building sandwiches.

Okay, I know I said that this was good for summertime and then the recipe says to put the oven on for 45 minutes. You do have some options here for making the bacon and you can always fry it if you prefer, but I find putting it in the oven on a rack keeps it from sitting in too much grease and makes it crisper. It also lets you cook a large batch of it all at once, which is perfect for sandwiches. Personally, I didn’t try any of the flavored bacon, but the brown sugar rub sure sounds good and it is one I am going to try. I like my BLT pretty basic with one exception – I do like avocado on it. I want crispy bacon, some romaine lettuce or spring mix, good mayo, fresh tomatoes and some nice bread and I am all set. I used spring mix on my BLT along with the avocado and some local tomatoes and I used my favorite homemade bread for the sandwich, though any bread you really like is going to be perfect for you. You can serve this alongside some potato salad, coleslaw or just some chips and you are good to go. I had a basic coleslaw I made myself that I’ll share the recipe for another time. I only made a pound of the bacon, which is more than enough for the three of us for sandwiches and it was a great dinner. I actually got some thick cut bacon from the Fresh Market for this one instead of the usual Smithfield’s I buy and it was awesome. With so many choices on how you want to serve this one, you can do lots of great things with it. Is it the ultimate BLT? If it’s not, it’s pretty darn good anyway.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on July 6, 2016 in Breads, Cooking, Dinner, Lunch, Pork, Sandwiches

Tags: BLT, BLT recipe, BLT sandwiches, bon appetit, Bon Appetit Ultimate BLT, sandwiches for dinner, The Ultimate BLT

This is the Bread Recipe You Have Been Looking For

25 Jun

I have found over the last several months that I really like making bread. I have a good quality bread maker and use it often, but there is also something about making it all yourself from scratch that I get real enjoyment out of. From the time the yeast begins to bloom and you get that great aroma to getting your hands into the dough and kneading away (don’t forget how great of a workout kneading dough for 10 minutes can be for you) to shaping the dough and smelling it baking in the oven to the time you cut into that first piece and see the steam rise from the loaf as you put some soft butter on the warm bread, it can all be quite wonderful. Needless to say I have tried a lot of different bread recipes in this time frame, but the one I always seem to go back to is this one from King Arthur Flour. King Arthur Flour has been a fantastic source for me for inspiration, baking products and recipes and this bread recipe has turned into my favorite. I make this one about every 10 days or so because it gives me two loaves of bread and it is better than anything you can find yourself buying at any grocery store. The best part about it? It is really easy to make yourself.

French-Style Country Bread

For the Starter:

1 cup cool to lukewarm water (90°F to 100°F)

1/2 teaspoon active dry or instant yeast

1 1/4 cups unbleached bread flour or organic bread flour

1/4 cup (1 ounce) white whole wheat flour or whole wheat flour

For the Dough:

all of the starter (above)

1 cup lukewarm water (100°F to 115°F)

3/4 teaspoon active dry or 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

3 3/4 to 4 cups unbleached bread flour or organic bread flour

1 1/2 to 2 1/4 teaspoons salt, to taste

To make the starter: Stir all of the starter ingredients together in a large bowl to make a thick, pudding-like mixture. Cover the starter with plastic wrap and let it rest for at least 2 hours. For the best flavor, let the starter rest longer; overnight (up to 16 hours) is best. If you plan on making the dough in a bread machine, place the sponge ingredients in the bucket of your bread machine and turn the machine on for just a few seconds to mix the ingredients together. Turn the machine off and close the cover, then let the starter rest as directed above.

To make the dough: Stir down the starter with a spoon and add the water, yeast, sugar, 3 1/4 cups of the flour, and the salt. The dough will be a loose, messy mass. Let the dough rest for 12 to 15 minutes, then stir it again; it should become more cohesive and a bit smoother. The dough will handle better once it has had time for the flour to absorb the water while resting and relaxing. By using this method, you’ll tend to add less flour, and have much bigger holes in your finished bread.

Knead the dough, adding more flour as necessary, to make a soft dough, about 10 to 12 minutes.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl or plastic container, cover the container with lightly greased plastic wrap, and let the dough rise until it has almost doubled in size (depending on the weather, this could be 1 to 2 hours). If you are going out, or if you prefer, let the dough rise slowly in the refrigerator. If your dough has been refrigerated, allow it to come to room temperature before shaping it. It will warm up and rise at the same time.

Deflate the dough gently, but don’t knock out all the air; this will create those “holes” so important to French bread. For one large loaf, form the dough into a round ball; for two loaves, divide the dough in half and shape into two balls.

Place a semolina or cornmeal-dusted piece of parchment paper onto a baking sheet. Gently place the ball(s) of dough on the baking sheet, seam-side down.

Cover the bread gently with lightly greased plastic wrap and let it rise until it is puffy and about 40% to 50% larger, anywhere from 45 to 90 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 475°F.

Slash or cross-hatch the bread with a sharp knife or lame. Dust the dough with a little flour. Spritz water into the oven with a clean plant mister, and place the bread in the oven. Reduce the heat to 425°F and spritz the oven with water every few minutes for the first 15 minutes of baking.

Bake the bread for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until it’s a rich golden brown, and its interior temperature registers at least 190°F on a digital thermometer. The smaller loaves will bake more quickly, so keep your eyes on them.

Remove the bread from the oven, and cool it on a rack. Store the bread loosely wrapped in paper for a couple of days at room temperature; wrap it in plastic and freeze for longer storage.

If you are normally intimidated by the idea of making a starter or making your own bread, don’t be. This recipe makes things simple for you to do and you come out with bread that you will be proud to call your own. The crust of the bread comes out perfectly (spraying mist in the oven makes a big difference here) and the bread itself has the flavor, smell and look that is divine. The bread is great for sandwiches or to serve with any type of meal, makes great toast and is really great any time you want some. I typically leave one loaf out and freeze the other but I still find they are gone in about two weeks. I purchased a lame (pronounced lahm) from King Arthur so that I could score the bread and I am still learning and working with it, but you can create your own great looks and patterns on the bread with it (just be careful; they use razor blades and are incredibly sharp). You could certainly use your bread machine to do all of the kneading and the rise for you if you wanted to, but I love to do that part myself. It makes me feel like I am really creating something of my own. As I said, I make this recipe a lot and highly recommend it.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

6 Comments

Posted by MikeG on June 25, 2016 in Breads, Breakfast, Cooking, Dinner, Lunch, Sandwiches, Uncategorized

Tags: bread recipes, country bread, French-style country bread, homemade bread, King Arthur Flour, King Arthur Flour French-style country bread recipe, making bread at home

It Was a Dark and Stormy Banana Bread

24 Jun

I really like banana bread. It not only can make a great dessert item with a little bit of ice cream (go for Ben and Jerry’s Chunky Monkey for the complete banana experience, or make your own homemade banana ice cream), but it also is perfect for a brunch buffet or even just for breakfast on its own. I have tried a few different banana bread recipes and have never been disappointed in any that I have made, so when I saw this one from Joy the Baker I knew it had to be a hit. How could you go wrong by combining two great things – banana bread and a Dark and Stormy? If you have never had a Dark and Stormy, I was introduced to them long ago on a cruise to Bermuda and it’s a great combination of dark rum and ginger beer. this recipe incorporates the concept, though it leaves out the ginger beer and uses ginger instead.

Dark and Stormy Banana Bread

1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup lightly packed muscovado brown sugar (or dark brown sugar)

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon dark rum

2 ripe bananas, mashed

1/2 tablespoon fresh grated ginger

heaping 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Melt the butter in an 9-inch cast iron skillet over medium-low heat. Melt the butter until the crackling subsides and the butter begins to brown. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the sugar. Whisk until the butter and sugar are thoroughly combined. The mixture may seem broken as the butter won’t completely absorb into the sugar just yet. Allow the mixture to stand and cool for about 5 minutes.

Whisk in the eggs, one at a time. The mixture will begin to emulsify, be glossy and no longer greasy. Whisk in the vanilla and the dark rum. Add the mashed bananas, fresh ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground ginger and stir to combine.

Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir the mixture carefully until all of the dry ingredients are incorporated. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides and spread the batter evenly across the skillet.

Place the skillet in the oven and bake for 18-25 minutes until mixture is dry on the top, but still slightly soft in the center. Remove the skillet from the oven and allow the banana bread to cool for 15 minutes. Sprinkle the banana bread with powdered sugar if you’d like and enjoy it warm.

There are a few great things about this recipe. Naturally, the first one is in the flavor. It is awesome banana bread, nice and moist with good banana flavor and the dark rum and ginger really shine through here. Second, this bread is the epitome of easy make and clean up since you do everything in one skillet start to finish. It’s a great use of your cast iron skillet and the bread comes out perfectly in color and has some nice texture to it and there’s no extra bowls to have to clean. Add some ice cream or homemade whipped cream to this and you have something great.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another great recipe to try. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on June 24, 2016 in Breads, Breakfast, Brunch, Cakes, Cooking, Dessert, Fruit, Uncategorized

Tags: banana bread, banana bread recipes, dark and stormy, dark and stormy banana bread, Joy the Baker

Grab Your Summer Sunglasses and Make These 28 Sandwiches Slideshow Photos – Bon Appétit

25 Apr

As the temperatures start to get warmer, I know my thoughts begin to drift more and more to summer. That means spending more time outside and less time in a hot kitchen. For me, there is no better option at mealtime then than sandwiches. I love sandwiches and am happy to eat them for lunch or dinner (and even breakfast sometimes). There are all kinds of great combinations that can make for satisfying and fulfilling meals for you and your family in the summer or anytime. Bon Appetit has put together 28 fantastic sandwich ideas for you to bust out when you want something different. Check it out!

Source: Grab Your Summer Sunglasses and Make These 28 Sandwiches Slideshow Photos – Bon Appétit

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Posted by MikeG on April 25, 2016 in Breads, Breakfast, Cooking, Cooking Websites, Dinner, Eggs, Leftovers, Lunch, Picnic Fare, Pork, Poultry, Produce, Sandwiches, Sausage, Seafood, Turkey, Vegetables

Tags: 28 sandwich recipes, Bon Appetit sandwich recipes, sandwich recipes, sandwich recipes for summer, sandwich recipes for warm weather, sandwiches

easter recipes Recipes – NYT Cooking

21 Mar

Easter is less than a week away and if you are planning on hosting Easter dinner this year, you want to have some good recipe ideas on what to make. NYT Cooking has put together everything you might be interested in making this year, from ham to lam to side dishes, brunch recipes, desserts,what to do with those hard-boiled eggs and much more. Check it out!

Source: easter recipes Recipes – NYT Cooking

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Posted by MikeG on March 21, 2016 in Appetizers, Breads, Breakfast, Brunch, Cakes, Candy, Cookies, Cooking, Cooking Websites, Dessert, Dinner, Dressings, Eggs, Fruit, Holidays, Lamb, Pie, Pork, Potatoes, Produce, Salad, Seafood, Side Dishes, Vegetables

Tags: Easter brunch recipes, Easter dessert ideas, Easter dinner, Easter recipes, Easter side dishes, ham recipes, Ideas on what to make for Easter, lamb recipes, Making Easter dinner, NYT Cooking

Favorite St. Patrick’s Day Recipes

13 Mar

St. Patrick’s Day is coming this week, so it is time for you to roll out and try some of your favorite Irish recipes. I already have several posted here on the site that you may want to look out, but Food Network has also put a pretty good list together of everything you need to have a great Irish meal on St. Patrick’s Day or anytime, whether you are Irish or not. Check it out!

Source: Favorite St. Patrick’s Day Recipes

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Posted by MikeG on March 13, 2016 in Beef, Breads, Cooking, Cooking Websites, Dessert, Dinner, Holidays, Lamb, One Pot Meals, Potatoes, Seafood, Side Dishes, Soups & Stews

Tags: corned beef and cabbage recipes, Favorite St. Patrick's Day recipes, food network, Irish recipes, recipes for St.Patrick's Day, St. Patrick's Day recipes, what to cook on St. Patrick's Day

Comfort Food Recipes – Bon Appétit

23 Jan

The first real snowstorm of the season is upon us in my area of New York and most of the East Coast today. That means it is the perfect time to think about comfort food recipes that make you feel warm, cozy and full. Bon Appetit has put together 35 recipes that are some of your favorite comfort foods to get you through the cold weather this weekend and all winter long. Check it out!

Source: Comfort Food Recipes – Bon Appétit