I should have known she was trouble from the beginning. She was brought into the University of Tennessee Veterinary Hospital as a stray with a badly broken leg and proceeded to jump off the gurney and run on three legs down the hallway.  

The first time I saw her she was a mangy mess sitting in a cage with that broken leg. She scooted over to me, licked my hand and I was smitten. Little did I know that she would turn out to be the world’s worst dog! I don’t think she had even been in a house before, she was scared of the vacuum and just about everything else. She quickly learned that my bed was a much better place for sleeping, the trash can was full of snacks and those big brown eyes could get her out of trouble.

For 13 years, I have never known a better friend. She was my first baby, my family when I lived far away from home, a protector when my son was born and a shoulder to cry on when my ex moved on. She’s the dog that sheds all over my house, snatches food off the counter, knocks the pillows off my bed and keeps me up at night snoring but that’s just who she is and I love that about her. She gets around pretty good for a 91 year old girl and continues do whatever she wants…and I let her.

Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits

2014-02-21 06:42:10

Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits.

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Ingredients

1. 2 cups whole wheat flour
2. 1 tbsp baking powder
3. 1 cup peanut butter
4. 1 cup milk (skim or lowfat)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Combine whole wheat flour and baking powder in a small bowl.
3. In a large bowl, using a mixer, combine peanut butter and milk until well blended.
4. Stir the flour mixture into the peanut butter mixture. It will be a stiff dough.
5. Roll out dough to about 1/4" thickness and cut out cookies in desired shape.
6. Place cookies on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and bake for 12-14 minutes.

http://lolleighcooks.com/

A batch of these peanut butter dog biscuits don’t last long. Sweet Pea sits in the kitchen until she thinks she’s eaten every last one.

For as long as I can remember, we have had what I would call ‘Christmas Standards’. A green Frasier Fir (real), red ribbons, my great-grandmother’s candy and the same holiday snacks every year. It’s just what you do…I saw a card once that said it best, “Christmas is weird…what other time of year do you sit in front of a dead tree in the living room and eat candy out of your socks”.

The Christmas of 1989 was a doozie. That was the year mother went rogue. Mother’s favorite colors have always been shades of pinks and peaches. I should have seen it coming a few weeks earlier on that Thanksgiving evening when mother, Nana and I went to see Steel Magnolias and there it was on the big screen, Shelby planning her wedding in shades “blush and bashful”.

A few weeks later, Christmas break was beginning and as mother drove us home from school she told us that there was a surprise waiting at home. I ran in the door, so excited for the surprise! I turned the corner into the living room and dropped to my knees. There it was…that 7 foot Frasier Fir…flocked. A white tree, peach ribbon and pink accents. Oh, the drama ensued, as only a 14 year girl can deliver, proclaiming that a Christmas tree was supposed to be green with red ribbons. 

After the shock of the tree wore off, Christmas continued and so did the rest of our standards.  Of course we weren’t exactly staring at a dead tree in the living room and eating candy out of socks. That year we enjoyed my great-grandmother’s candy and our favorite snacks sitting there…staring at that peaches and cream tree.

I normally wouldn’t use canned biscuits for anything but these are a ‘Christmas Standard’, trust me…I don’t mess with standards.

Bacon Tomato Cups

2013-12-22 20:06:11

Bite-sized bacon, tomato and cheese appetizer baked in a biscuit crust.

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Ingredients

1. 1 - 12 oz package package center cut bacon
2. 1 large tomato, seeded and chopped
3. 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1/3 cup)
4. 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, finely shredded
5. 1/2 cup swiss cheese, finely shredded
6. 1/2 cup Hellmann's mayonnaise (I never use anything else but Hellman's)
7. 1 - 10 count can flaky layer biscuits (must be the flaky kind)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Chop and fry bacon until crispy then transfer to paper towel lined plate.
3. Seed and chop tomato into a small dice.
4. Finely chop onion.
5. In a bowl, combine tomatoes, onion, cheeses, bacon and mayonnaise then set aside.
6. Spray a mini muffin pan with non-stick spray. This recipe makes about 2 dozen cups.
7. Peel apart the flaky layer biscuits into thirds. Only peeling in half is too thick so do your best to peel into thirds.
8. Line each muffin cup with the biscuit layer.
9. Spoon tomato mixture into the biscuit cups.
10. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
11. Let cool slightly and remove from muffin pan.
12. These are good served hot or at room temperature.

http://lolleighcooks.com/

These are delicious! Everytime I serve them or take them to a party, I’m always asked to share the recipe. They aren’t exactly on the light side but they are a ‘Christmas Standard’.

I’d love for you to follow along! 

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I am not a fan of February. It’s a dreary month, looking out the window to month old snow, flurries won’t quit and freezing temperatures make me want to relocate to a tropical locale. Instead, I find my self making pot after pot of vegetable soup and hoping for an early spring.

Last February I was 9 months big and pregnant, there was record snow fall, my 87-year-old neighbor kept me company and I watched the entire winter olympics. Needless to say, I didn’t leave the house much so I would wait for my husband to come home and beg him to go Cracker Barrel. In the twenty times we went, I ordered the same thing every time - bowl of veggie soup and a big side of those sourdough croutons that are covered in butter.

I know for sure that my Cracker Barrel dinner did not ring in under 300 calories but my version does even with a biscuit!

Recipe:

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1/2 to 3/4 lb lean stew meat

2 cups low-sodium beef broth

6 cups water

28 oz can crushed tomatoes

2 large new potatoes, diced with skin on

3 carrots, chopped

1 cup green beans, frozen

1 cup lima beans, frozen

1/2 cup corn, frozen

1/2 cup peas, frozen

1 bay leaf

salt and pepper

Heat oil over medium-high in a large stock or soup pot. Add onion, meat, salt and pepper. Brown meat quickly then add broth and water bringing to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Add carrots, potatoes and crushed tomatoes to pot and continue simmering for 30 more minutes. Meat should be getting more tender and potatoes and carrots will be softening.

Add the rest of the vegetables, bay leaf and season again with salt and pepper. Simmer at least another hour before serving. If more liquid is needed just add water. The longer the soup cooks the better it will taste. Take out the bay leaf before serving.

Recipe:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp butter, melted

2/3 cup beer, I used Michelob Ultra

1/2 cup low-fat or 2% cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Combine all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and set aside. Melt butter in a small bowl. Combine beer and sugar then add to flour mixture, then add butter and combine. Add cheese and stir well.

This will make a sticky dough. Just drop spoonfuls on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Makes 8-10 biscuits

Notes:

Using My Food Diary’s recipe builder, the soup is about 100 calories for a one cup serving and each biscuit is around 100 calories with 3 grams of fat.

One of my favorite places to shop is The Fresh Market, if you have one nearby go take a look. They have these fabulous frozen vegetables including Silver Queen Corn! Yep, Silver Queen Corn frozen and there all year round.

Is there anything prettier than a fresh batch of biscuits on a silver tray – I think not! In the south, biscuits are a way of life. Forget toast, bagels and english muffins. We want piping hot biscuits with gravy, eggs, molasses and homemade preserves. We take them so serious you can get famous if you make a great biscuit.

Case and point – growing up Ms. Carolyn was famous in our neighborhood, she got up every morning and cranked out fresh biscuits. It was not unusual for my sister and I to show up bright and early to play just so we could enjoy a biscuit. Then there was Cheryl, she was one of the wonderful cooks at Camp Monterey. She made biscuits every morning for hundreds of campers and we all loved her. Finally there was Carol Fay, she was crowned with the title ‘The Biscuit Lady’ and had worked at the Loveless Cafe for more than 25 years. Her biscuit recipe won her national acclaim and many appearances on television. In many ways Carol Fay and her biscuits were the heart of the Loveless. 

That leaves me. My three dogs hover around my feet and wait for the biscuits to start flying so I guess to them I’m pretty famous too!

Recipe:

2 tbsp butter, melted

1 cup half and half

2 cups self-rising flour

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Melt butter in a mixing bowl. Add half and half then stir in flour. Mix ingredients until just blended – it will be a little crumbly.

Turn dough onto a lightly flour surface. Knead a few times and then roll out to 1/2″ thickness. Do not overmix or over knead the dough it makes the biscuits tough.

Cut biscuits and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. I use the mouth of mason jar to cut  biscuits but you can use anything around the kitchen if you don’t have a biscuit cutter. This makes 12-15 biscuits.

Bake for about 10 minutes until light brown on top. Serve hot!

Every southerner should know how to make a good biscuit. They do require butter but I took a few shortcuts to create a more healthy but still delicious biscuit that you can proudly serve on a silver tray! 

Notes:

When I punched this recipe into My Food Diary, the nutritional calculation per biscuit was around 90 calories and 3.5 grams of fat. This is a great online tool for keeping track of calories!