Best Ever Strawberry Shortcake

May 15, 2013 by · 2 Comments

Best Ever Strawberry Shortcake

First a quick public service announcement….I wanted to let anyone in the Raleigh area know that if you are looking for a Realtor in the Triangle (or know of someone who is,) my husband, Jim (Jacobs), is now working with RE/MAX in Cary. Check out his site here. Thank you:-).

So, here is one more of my mom’s recipes.  This really is the best way to make strawberry shortcake.  There is just something about the sweet biscuit with the mashed strawberries and freshly whipped cream that creates the ultimate in yummy desserts.

My girls devoured theirs and I savored every sweet bite.

Hurry, while you can still get fresh strawberries and make this.  Here in NC we probably have a few more weeks.

Enjoy!

Best Ever Strawberry Shortcake
 
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Ingredients
  • 2 cups flour
  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • 1½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
  • 6 tablespoons cold butter (cut into small pieces)
  • ¾ cup buttermilk
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 cup of chilled whipping cream
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar
  • Fresh Strawberries (2-3 pints) – hulled and cut into quarters
  • Additional Sugar

Instructions
  1. Combine flour ⅓ c. sugar, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl. Cut in butter until mixture is the texture of coarse meal. Make well in center.
  2. Mix together buttermilk and vanilla. Stir into flour mixture, just until ball forms.
  3. Knead gently 5-6 times on floured board. Pat into ¾ thickness. Cut into 3″ rounds. Place on baking sheet. Lightly brush with milk. Sprinkle with sugar.
  4. Bake at 425 degrees for 12-14 minutes, until the tops are a light golden brown.
  5. To make whipped cream place the cream in a bowl and beat until it starts to thicken a bit. Add 1 tablespoon of vanilla and confectioner’s sugar. Continue beating until thick (but do not over beat.)
  6. Place cut strawberries in a bowl and add enough sugar to sweeten to your liking. (when strawberries are in season you may need less sugar than you would off-season.) Let the strawberries sit for about 20 minutes and then mash to break up the berries into smaller pieces.
  7. To assemble, cut shortcakes in half through the center. Place one half on a plate and top with strawberries. Place the other half of the shortcake on the strawberries and then top with a generous dollop of whipped cream.
  8. Enjoy!

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Cilantro Lime Chicken Chopped Salad

May 6, 2013 by · 2 Comments

Cilantro Lime Chicken Chopped Salad

One of my favorite weeknight time savers lately is to cook a chicken on the weekend and then divide the meat (and broth) between two easy meals through the week.  While chicken and dumplings or enchiladas are always family favorites, sometimes I like to lighten things up with a chicken salad.

This salad is originally from Your Homebased Mom and I knew I would like it when she said it was from the Nordstrom Cafe.  I have only eaten there once, but I remember my lunch being sooo good.  The real star of this salad is the dressing.  On another day we combined the dressing with some mayo and Greek yogurt and poured it over some chicken in a wrap.  I love the taste of chipotles especially when they are combined with lime, honey and cilantro.  This was super flavorful and just spot on.

Here is a yummy recipe for Herb Roasted Chicken.  Another easy way to cook a chicken is to place the cleaned chicken in a dutch oven.  Cover with water and simmer for about an hour and a half or until the chicken easily pulls apart.  Let the chicken cool slightly and then place in the refrigerator for a few hours.  When you are ready to use the chicken and broth you can skim the fat off the top and then shred the chicken.  I usually make dumplings or chicken and noodles with the chicken and the broth.  You can also cook the chicken like this with some veggies in the water for a little extra flavor.  This is just how I like to do it.  Doesn’t get much easier and it tastes delicious:-)

Some other  great recipes from BWL if you need to use up leftover chicken:

Chicken and Brown Rice Bowls with Chipotle Cream Sauce

Chicken and Refried Bean Enchiladas

Chicken and Dumpling Casserole

Mexican Chicken Tortilla Soup

Mexican Spicy Chicken Pizza

Source:  Adapted from Your Homebased Mom

Linked Up at: Six Sisters’ Stuff Strut Your Stuff Link Party

Cilantro Lime Chicken Chopped Salad
 
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Ingredients
  • 1 cup cilantro
  • 2 -3 tsp chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, chopped small (depending on how spicy you want the dressing)
  • ⅓ cup rice vinegar
  • ¼ cup fresh squeezed lime juice
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 2 tsp honey
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¾ cup canola oil
  • For Salad (Enough for the amount of salads you will be serving)
  • Chopped Romaine and Iceberg Lettuce
  • Pinto Beans – drained and rinsed
  • Roasted and shredded chicken
  • Shredded Monterrey Jack Cheese
  • Crushed Tortilla Chips (we used baked blue corn chips)
  • Chopped Tomato
  • Frozen corn – thawed

Instructions
  1. To prepare dressing roughly chop cilantro. Puree chilies in food processor and then add vinegar, lime juice, garlic, honey and salt. Blend and then slowly add the oil to to make an emulsion. Add cilantro and pulse until combined.
  2. Prepare salad and then toss with the dressing. Enjoy!

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Farmhouse Barbecue Beef Muffins

April 28, 2013 by · 5 Comments

Farmhouse BBQ Muffins

This is a fun little recipe and a yummy weeknight treat.  Great with a side salad and your whole family will enjoy!

Kids can definitely help with this one.  I cooked the ground beef and then Taylor and Grandma put the biscuits in the muffin pans and added the ground beef mixture and cheese.  How easy is that?

Enjoy!

Source:  Taste of Home

Farmhouse Barbecue Muffins
 
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Ingredients
  • 1 tube (10 ounces) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • ½ cup ketchup
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Separate dough into 10 biscuits and flatten into 5-in. circles. Press each onto the bottom and up the sides of a greased muffin cup; set aside.
  3. In a skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain.
  4. In a small bowl, combine the ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar and chili powder; add to beef and mix well.
  5. Divide the meat mixture among biscuit-lined muffins cups, using about ¼ cup for each. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.

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Dill Pickle Wraps

April 22, 2013 by · 2 Comments

Pickle Wraps

This is a great lunchbox idea for pickle-loving kids. Although, as a pickle-loving adult I am not a opposed to making one of these for myself at lunch.

These were inspired by my mom, who is actually here in North Carolina visiting from New York.  I may have some other recipes of hers on the blog soon.

Some other recipes from my mom include:

Turkey Rolls
Fresh Strawberry Pie
Zucchini Bread
Easy Picnic Chicken
French Potato Salad

Pickle Wraps
 
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Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons cream cheese
  • 1 polish dill pickle – cut into quarters (You can use half of a pickle if you prefer.)
  • 1 fajita sized tortilla
  • 2 slices of deli ham

Instructions
  1. Spread cream cheese on tortilla and lay ham slices on top.
  2. Lay the pickle spears across one end of the tortillas.
  3. Roll the tortilla tightly starting on the side with the pickles.
  4. Place the rolled tortilla on the cutting board with the opening down and slice in half with a sharp knife. Wrap tight in plastic wrap until ready to eat.

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Easy Baked and Grilled BBQ Babyback Ribs

April 10, 2013 by · 2 Comments

Baked and Grilled Ribs

This is more of a method for baking and grilling bbq ribs vs. a recipe.  I like preparing bbq ribs this way because you do not need to have your grill running for hours on end.  This is also great because many people don’t have a smoker to make traditional BBQ.  Purists won’t necessarily like this method because of the baking at the beginning, but for people looking for great make-at-home-on-a-Sunday-afternoon-ribs, this is a great way to do it!

You need to start these a day ahead so a little (not much) planning is involved.  You will also want to give yourself a little time the day of to let these bake and get nice and tender.  However, don’t let the pre-planning fool you.  This is so easy!

I used a rub and bbq sauce from the Neely’s.  I added a little liquid smoke to the BBQ sauce for good measure.  If you are buying your sauce from the store we love Sweet Baby Ray’s and Trader Joe’s has a great BBQ sauce with some nice kick.  I actually think the two are pretty similar.

We use wood chips to get some smoky flavor into the meat on these ribs.  To do this, you can buy some wood chips at most stores where they sell grilling accessories (Lowe’s, Home Depot, etc.)  Soak about three good handfuls of chips in water for about 45 minutes before you are going to grill.  Divide the chips between two good-sized pieces of heavy-duty aluminum foil and wrap them up so they are well secured in the pouches.  Turn the pouches over to the flat side and poke about 8-10 small holes for the smoke to escape.  Place the pouches on the flame shield on your grill.  Jim also uses the bigger chips of wood and places them directly on the shield without soaking or wrapping.  You just need to watch these chips for flare-ups.  A spray bottle is handy if you use this method for smoking.

It is really important to keep the lid closed on the grill when you are smoking your ribs to infuse the smokey flavor into the meat.

I hope you will try this method for serving BBQ ribs this spring or summer.  It really is a pretty foolproof method.  They key is cooking them long enough in the oven so they get nice and tender and then you really are just finishing them off on the grill.  They are already cooked at that point so you are just giving them that nice grilled/smoked flavor.

Drink a nice cold beer while you are grilling and relax out back while the kids play in the yard.  Enjoy!

Easy Baked and Grilled BBQ Babyback Ribs
 
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Ingredients
  • 1 Rack of Pork Babyback Ribs
  • Your favorite BBQ Spice Rub
  • Your Favorite BBQ Sauce
  • ¼ cup Cider vinegar and ¼ cup water mix (optional)

Instructions
  1. The night before, cut membrane from the back of the ribs with a sharp knife and then liberally spread the BBQ Spice Rub all over the ribs. Wrap in tin foil and place in the refrigerator overnight.
  2. To bake the ribs, set wrapped ribs directly on a baking sheet and place in a preheated 300 degree oven. Bake for 2-2/12 hours. Alternatively, you can unwrap the ribs and place directly on the baking sheet. Pour ¼ cup cider vinegar combined with ¼ water over the ribs. Cover the baking sheet tightly with aluminum foil so no heat will escape. Bake for 2-2/12 hours.
  3. When ribs are finished cooking, heat your grill to medium/low heat – about 300 degrees. Place ribs on the grill over indirect heat. You can place some hickory wood chips on the flame shields under the grate for some added smoky flavor (see info above.) Close the cover of the grill and cook for 10 minutes. Turn ribs and cook with lid closed for another 10 minutes. Turn again and spread BBQ sauce over the ribs. Cover and cook 5 minutes more. Turn and spread BBQ sauce on the other side. Cover and cook 5 minutes more. Total time on the grill is about 30 minutes.
  4. Enjoy!

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