Charcuterie Plate, Sighing and Almost

Recently, I auditioned for a nationally televised cooking show. (I'm under contract to keep my trap shut as to the name of said show.) For the audition, each of us had to bring a dish that exemplified our cooking skill. I brought a charcuterie plate.

"Charcuterie" comes from the French word for pork butcher. A charcuterie plate is a dish of selected meat items with accompaniments. It demonstrates the chef's skill in preparing meat.  What better dish to bring to this audition?

Going clockwise from the top left, the items in my charcuterie plate were Chicken Liver Pate Mousse with Onion Marmalade, Creole Mustard in Citrus Bowl, Pink Pickled Egg with Pink Peppercorns and 18 - Month Aged Cheese, Cactus Pickles, Baguette.  I made everything in the photo except the glass jar and cutting board.

Yeah.  I seriously considered making the cutting board, too. (Who you callin' obsessive???)

At the audition, the chef who tasted my dish loved it! They gave me a callback! However, they never called again. Almost, but not quite. *Sigh*  Their loss is your gain, my friends. I'll be posting recipes for your culinary enjoyment.  Nyah. So there, Ms. Casting Director.

Maybe I should have made the cutting board, after all. Drat.

Cracked Pepper – Bacon Biscuits

Cracked Pepper – Bacon  Biscuits

3 cups Heart Smart Bisquik Mix
1 (4.5 ounce) package real crumbled bacon*
½  tablespoon cracked black pepper
1 cup skim milk

Place mix in large bowl.  Add in bacon, being careful to remove moisture-absorbing packet.  Add pepper.  Mix well.

Add milk.  Stir just to combine.

Drop by spoonfuls onto parchment lined baking sheets.  Bake 8 minutes or until top is golden brown.

Makes about 75 small biscuits.

* Alternately, fry one pound of bacon until crisp.  Drain and crumble.

The best garlic bread you'll ever eat!!

Oh, you're going to love me for this one!!  Do you roast garlic in the oven? Do you think it's ridiculous to heat an entire oven for one head of garlic? Well, Auntie has come to save the day.

Simply poke a fork all around the garlic head. Then microwave at 50% power for about two minutes or until soft.  Voila! Roasted garlic without the roasting.

While you're at it, you might as well make the very best garlic spread you'll ever eat!


Garlic Spread

1 head garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup butter, melted
Parmesan cheese (optional)
Paprika (optional)
One Baguette French bread

Poke garlic all around with fork. Microwave at 50% power for two minutes or until soft. Peel off skin and cut off tough root.  Place cloves in bowl of food processor. Add salt, oil, and butter.  Process until smooth.

Slice bread horizontally. Spread with garlic spread. Top with Parmesan cheese and paprika to taste, if desired.

Close bread together, wrap in foil. Bake at 350º until warm and toasty. Serve hot.

You may omit foil, leave it open and place on baking sheet, if you prefer to have it toasted.

The best garlic bread you'll ever eat!!

Cornmeal Pancakes

Make these for breakfast. Try them with melted jelly instead of syrup. Do not question me on this.

Cornmeal Pancakes

(4 servings)

1 cup cornmeal
1/3 cup flour
Pinch salt
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 eggs - beaten
¾  cup milk (or buttermilk)
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

In a medium bowl, dry ingredients.

In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, vegetable oil.

Add liquid mixture to dry mixture.

Drop by heaping tablespoons on a greased hot skillet or griddle on medium heat. Cook until edges are brown and bubbles are in the middle. Turn and cook on other side. Serve with butter and maple, sorghum, molasses or other syrup.

Easy Yeast Dinner Rolls

You need this recipe. Even if you never bake bread, you can make these rolls. They don't require kneading. A quick mix is all that's needed. A word of caution -- don't over bake. (Don't ask me how I know this.)

Easy Yeast Dinner Rolls

1¼ cup water or milk
¼ cup butter
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 pkg dry yeast
1 egg beaten
3½ cups flour


Combine water, butter sugar and salt in small saucepan. Cook stirring constantly until butter melts. Let cool to lukewarm (105º to 115º). Dissolve yeast in mixture. Add egg; mix well. Stir in flour.


Spoon dough into greased muffin pans, filling half full. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85º), free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled. Bake at 425º for 12 to 14 minutes or until golden brown.

P.S. Use a thermometer to check the temperature of the liquid mixture. If it's too hot, it will kill the yeastie-beasties.  If it's nice and cozy warm, they will do their thing and make the rolls nice and fluffy. :-)

Apple Fritters, Loretta and Giggling Girls

You think it's easy being a food blogger? Not on your nelly, honey.  Stove Lady challenged me to participate in NoJoMo - November Journaling Month.  I've got to write something everyday in November.

Last night, after I finally pried myself away from the computer (sometime around 1:32 am), I realized I had two problems. There was nothing to write about and nothing for breakfast.

Scrounging around the kitchen produced a bowl of granny smith apples.   Have you ever wondered who was Granny Smith?  She must have been one heck of a cook.  No matter the recipe, her apples retain their firm texture and sweet-tart taste.

Seeing that bowl of granny smiths took me right back to my college days.  Apple fritters were a regular treat for my roommate Loretta and me.  Apple fritters must have been invented at a slumber party.   They seem happiest among giggling girls.

Problem solved. I mixed up the batter and let it rest overnight.

The next morning, the fritters were a snap to make.  Good thing, too. A food blogger must also photograph every thing she cooks.  Today was one of those diamond days - a day when everything sparkles.  The fritters deserved a chance to go outside. So there I was, ladies and gents, outside in my jammies taking pictures of fritters on my iPhone.

I had to endure the ridicule of the neighbors to bring you this recipe, so you'd better darn well make 'em.

Apple Fritters

Wet ingredients:
2 egg yolks
2/3 cup milk
1 tablespoon oil or butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Dry ingredients:
¼ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup flour

2 cups chopped apples
2 egg whites

Combine wet ingredients. 

Sift together dry ingredients.

Combine liquid and dry ingredients. Cover and refrigerate overnight or at least two hours.  Remove from refrigerator and stir batter. Stir in apples.

Beat egg whites until stiff, but not dry. Fold into batter.

Have a pot of deep oil heated to 375º.  Carefully drop batter by spoonfuls into hot oil, making sure not to splash oil. Do not crowd pan. Cook until brown on one side. Turn and cook on other side. Total cooking time should be around 3 – 5 minutes.  Drain on paper towels.  Dust with powdered sugar.