Biscuits

 Yogurt or Buttermilk Biscuits

Ingredients:

3 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tb sugar 

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup cold butter or lard cut in pieces (the colder the better)

3/4 cup Greek PLAIN yogurt or Buttermilk

1 large egg 

3 tbs cold water if you are using yogurt

Preheat oven to 400.  Lightly butter your pan or cast iron skillet.

Sift dry ingredients together.  Cut in butter with knives, pastry blender or fingers until you have a small pea like consistency.  Should resemble a coarse meal.

In large measuring cup, whisk egg and buttermilk or yogurt together.  Add the 3 tbls water if using yogurt.

Gradually add this to your dry ingredients.  Mix until the dough come together..dump on a lightly floured board or counter top and knead the dough until it holds together.  Don't over work it.

Roll out into a 1" thick circle. Use cutter or glass to cut out your biscuits.  Place on your baking sheet or inside your cast iron skillet.

Bake at 400 for for 12 to 14 minutes.

AIR FRYER instructions

Line basket with parchment paper cut to fit.  Or if you don't have parchment paper, use foil.  If you aren't using the ones that are specifically made for the air fryer, poke some holes in your paper/foil.

Put biscuits in basket, spacing about 1 inch apart.

Cook at 400 for about 9 minutes.  

 

Shrimp Creole

3 tbs butter or olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

½ cup chopped bell pepper

½ cup chopped celery

3 cloves garlic diced

1 tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

¼ tsp cayenne

4 bay leaves

1 tbs Worchestershire sauce

4 tsp Creole seasoning (I use Tony’s but any will do)

1 14.8 can of diced tomatoes (with or without chiles)

1 cup shrimp stock or chicken stock

1 cup water

1 tb flour

1 ½ lb peeled and deveined shrimp ( I get the medium size ones for this dish)

Directions:

Heat butter or olive oil.  Saute onions til they begin to get tender, add bell pepper, celery and garlic to mixture.  Cook until onion is translucent.

Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper, cayenne, worchestershire sauce, bay leaves and creole seasoning.  Mix well.

Add the stock and water.  Simmer for a few minutes.

*** At this point, I make a slurry, put a tb of flour in mixing cup, add some of the liquid from the dish and dissolve. Then slowly add this back to your pot***

Simmer until the liquid is reduced to the desired point.  The dish should not be real thick but it isn’t soup and shouldn’t be runny either.

Add the shrimp and continue to simmer until the shrimp turn pink.

Top with chopped green scallions and serve over rice.  Have your favorite hot sauce to add at the table.

Pecan Bread Pudding with Praline Rum Sauce

 

Bread Pudding

Ingredients

2 Baquettes (stale) so get them ahead of time and let them sit out 24 hours

1/4 cup butter -- melted

2 cups sugar

3 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

6 regular eggs or 4 large eggs

1 tsp cinammon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tb. vanilla

1 cup toasted and chopped pecans.

Preheat oven to 350.

Pour melted butter into a 9 x 12 pan. OR use the small 2 serving tins as I do. I can do 5 2 serving pans this way.  Just divide the butter evenly between the tins.

Tear or cut the bread into bite size pieces and put in large mixing bowl.  In large measuring cup, combine rest of the ingredients with the exception of the pecans and whisk well.

Pour over the bread and mix well.  Then stir in the toasted pecans.

**** You can toast the pecans in the oven, on the stovetop in a skillet, or as I do, in my air fryer.  Or just buy them already toasted. **

Pour mixture into pan and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes in the oven.

If you chose to use your air fryer, you will need to use smaller pans.  Cook at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes.  My air fryer will hold 2 of the pans.  

Praline Rum Sauce

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 can evaporated milk

4 tb butter

1/2 cup toasted pecans

1 tsp vanilla

1 tb. rum

Melt butter in 4 cup or larger measuring cup.  When melted, whisk in sugar until dissolved.  Gradually whisk in milk, vanilla, rum.  Cook on high for 1 minute.  Whisk well.  Then continue to cook in 30 second increments being sure to whisk it good..  Continue until sauce is as thick as you want it.  It will thicken some more after you quit cooking it.  

This is good not only over the bread pudding but on ice cream, pound cake and waffles.  

Zuni Stew

Zuni Green Chili Stew

Thanks to Sue Mclane for sharing this recipe with me.  She got it from her mother, Barbara Earl. 

Ingredients

3 lbs boned lamb cut into cubes (or you can use another meat - I substitute pork a lot since I find not everyone likes lamb and it is expensive)
2 T olive oil
2 yellow onions chopped
5.5 cans of hominy, including the liquid
1 medium size dried red chili pepper crushed and chopped or add red pepper flakes
1 T salt
1/4 tsp balck pepper
2 cloves garlic peeled and crushed
2 tsp oregano
1/2 cup parsley or cilantro
6 green peppers washed, cored, quartered
1 qt or less water
handful of juniper berries

Dust lamb cubes with flour and brown.  Remove from skillet.  saute onions until golden.
Return meat to kettle, mix in remaining ingredients
Cover and simmer 1.5 hours, stirring occasionally.

Makes 12-14 servings.

You can also do this in your InstaPot.