Brown Sugar Biscuits

I'm on my day off from work and I haven't been able to leave the couch because of Bravo's evil marathon of Real Housewives. Why? Why must they do this ALL week long?! I can't resist to watch, even if I know I've seen that episode a million times...ughgh. BUT, I did get up once to make these biscuits because I wanted to wake up the next morning and have fluffy biscuits for breakfast. These were sooo good smothered with mascarpone and strawberry jam.

Brown Sugar Biscuits

adapted by Joy the Baker

makes about 12 biscuits

3 cups flour

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 to 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

3/4 cup cold unsalted butter (1 stick and a half)

1 large egg

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Set aside.

2 In a mixing bowl, sift flour, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper.

3 Grate cold butter and incorporate into flour with your hands until it resembles coarse meal.

4 In another bowl, combine egg and buttermilk and beat lightly with a fork.

5 Add to flour mixture all at once and mix until incorporated.

6 The dough is very sticky so dump it on a floured surface and knead a few times until is comes together.

7 Pat the dough into 1 inch thickness. Cut into a 2 inch rounds, reuse scraps to make more biscuits.

8 Place on ungreased baking sheet and bake at 425 for 12-15 minutes.

Baked Shrimp with Feta

I found this photo when I was going through my old recipe photos and I can't believe I never posted it! I love shrimp so much and am almost always in the mood for it. It's such a hearty meal with just a hunk of bread to soak up the sweet nectar at the bottom of the pan. It also makes an impressive statement at the table for guests. Baked Shrimp with Feta adapted by Ina Garten heavy oven proof pan 4 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1/4 cup white wine 1 can diced tomatoes, drained 1 tsp dried oregano kosher salt 1 lb shrimp, deveined and peeled, but tails left on good quality feta 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs 3 tablespoon minced parsley 1 tsp grated lemon zest 1 lemons 1 Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 2 Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in oven proof skillet over medium heat. Saute minced garlic until tender. Add the wine and bring to a boil, scraping up any brown bits. Cook until reduced by half, 2 or 3 minutes. 3 Add the tomatoes, oregano, salt and pepper. Simmer over low heat, 10 to 15 minutes. 4 Arrange the shrimp in one layer on top of the tomato mixture in the skillet. 5 Scatter feta evenly over the shrimp. In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, parsley, and lemon zest with two tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle evenly over shrimp. 6 Bake shrimp for 15 minutes. 7 Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon over shrimp.

Chicken Couscous bowl

So this is another example of a random ingredients thrown into a bowl and called dinner — Israeli couscous, jerk chicken thighs, scallions, avocado and toasted cashews. It was SO tasty! The jerk chicken was spiced (jamaican jerk seasoning), grilled and cut into bite-sized pieces which gave lots of flavor to the rest of the bowl. And the avocado was the perfect balance of creamy and cool to the spice of the chicken, while the cashews gave a nice crunch.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Toasted Hazelnuts

Whoa, I'm alive. I know its been way way too long but I've been planning my wedding for the past year....oy. It was a whirlwind, to say the least, and now life is starting to feel normal again.

Tonight I felt like cooking a bunch of random things and put it on one plate and call it 'dinner.' I started with these brussel sprouts, which I roasted in the same pan as the hazelnuts. Whenever I cut the ends off of the cabbages, some of the leaves usually become loose. Dont throw those away! Those get extra crispy and are like chips after they're roasted. I like my brussel sprouts on the burned side so keep a close watch if you dont want them too black.

My next random dish was........potato salad. I know, its fall and I was craving the most summery picnic salad ever, but I couldn't help it! I needed sour cream/mayo/dijon smothered red skinned potatoes more than ever. Next was hard boiled eggs. Again, random. But so satisfying!!!

Don't be afraid to switch up your meals with random dishes that you love. Another example coming up tomorrow!