Chipped Beef and Gravy with Biscuits

My daddy was a pretty good cook. He would make the turkey, beans, and stews, and he was the sole griller in the family. But when he had weeknight dinner duty, chipped beef gravy and biscuits was one of his go to items. Technically, you could probably make this for breakfast, I guess. I just have never eaten it for breakfast, so now my daughter associates this with dinner too. And to save you any trouble - if you already know how to make a white gravy, you can stop reading. Just add some shredded chipped beef to your gravy, and make some biscuits and you're done. lol But if you're a newbie, read on, and I hope you enjoy this quick 15 minute dinner as much as we do!

Butter (3-5 Tbsps)

Flour (1/4 to 1/2 cup)

Milk (2-3 cups)

Jar of dried beef

Biscuits of your choice (I'm still a Bisquick girl)

First things first. Get your biscuits ready to cook. Whether you're using canned biscuits, frozen biscuits, Bisquick biscuits, or homemade, get them prepped and on a baking sheet ready to go in. This really is pretty easy and quick, so you'll need to know when to put your biscuits in the oven and have them ready to go. 

Begin by melting several tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over med-high heat. While the butter melts, open your jar of dried beef and start shredding it.

Once the butter is melted, add enough flour to create a thick paste.

Then you'll want to add enough milk to cover the bottom of the skillet, and then whisk, whisk, whisk to make it smooth and get out any lumps. This will thicken rather quickly, because you are clearly not at the right milk ratio for the butter and flour you've used.

Keep adding milk a little at a time and whisking until your mixture is smooth. Reduce heat to med-low and simmer, stirring frequently. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Add your dried beef and spread it throughout using a spoon. Serve over warm, fresh biscuits, and enjoy!

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Raisin Cinnamon Bread

I love bread. Most any bread. But definitely sweet yummy cinnamon and raisin bread. I don't eat it often, but I've enjoyed it every time I've had the opportunity to have it, so I decided to search for a recipe to try making it myself. I found a couple of recipes on Pinterest, and decided to try this one: Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread, with a few adaptations, of course. I added more raisins and doubled the cinnamon and sugar mixture. I also replaced the water that adheres the sugar mixture with butter for a richer flavor. Finally, I added a glaze at the end. I think it would be even better with a thicker icing, so I will try that next time. But even so, it was really, really good!

2 1/4 teaspoons yeast (1 package dry instant yeast)
2 1/4 cups warm water
3 tablespoons and 1/2 cup sugar, divided
1 tablespoon salt
5 tablespoons butter, divided
6 to 7 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups raisins
2 Tbsp cinnamon
2 loaf pans, greased

In a small bowl, stir together 1/2 cup warm water (105-115 degrees), the yeast, and 1 Tbsp of sugar. Let it stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If the mixture doesn’t foam, you’ll have to discard it and start over with new yeast).

Stir in the remaining 1 3/4 cups warm water. Add 2 Tbsp sugar, salt, 2 Tbsp of melted butter, 3 1/2 cups of the flour, and the raisins. Mix until smooth (either by hand or a stand mixer). Begin adding the remaining 3 cups of flour until the dough is easy to handle (not too sticky but still moist).

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Place the dough in a greased bowl, roll it around so all the dough is coated, and cover with a towel. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled (about an hour).

Combine the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and 2 Tbsp of cinnamon in a small bowl. Mix well.

Punch down the dough, divide it in half, and roll out each half on a lightly floured surface, so that each half measures about 16 x 8 inches. You may need to roll, let the dough rest, and roll again so you get the right size. (You can obviously roll one at a time). Brush each with melted butter and spread about half of the cinnamon-sugar mixture on top.

Roll the dough from the short end and pinch the seams shut. You should have an 8-inch long rolled up piece of dough. Place each loaf into a greased loaf pan. Brush the top of each loaf with about 1/2 Tbsp of melted butter. Cover the loaves and let them rise for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the loaves have a dark, golden-brown top. Remove the loaves from the pans and place on a wire rack to cool.

I went a step further and added a glaze to the bread. Add milk a tablespoon at a time to 2-3 cups of powdered sugar. Once bread has cooled, drizzle the glaze over the loaves.

Triple Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

Today I thought and thought about what goodies I was going to bake for "Monday treat" at work, and I just kept coming up blank. So, I raided my pantry and looked to see what I had. I took mental note of a few of the ingredients, and then searched the web for recipes. That's when I found White and Dark Chocolate Cranberry Almond Cookies. It sounded good, so I decided that's what I would try. Oh. My. Gosh. Best decision I ever made! lol I did adapt the recipe a bit from hers, and the results are amazing! The cookie is so soft. The mix of chocolates is divine, and the cranberry adds just a hint of fruity sweetness. You've got to give this recipe a try. 

1 cup butter or margarine

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar

1 Tbsp vanilla

2 eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp salt

6-8 ounces white chocolate chips (to taste, these are sweeter and the more you use the sweeter the cookie becomes)

6 ounces dark chocolate chips

6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

4 ounces dried cranberries

1 cup nuts (optional)

In a small bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, cornstarch and salt; set aside. In large bowl or stand mixer, beat butter and sugars until smooth.

Add vanilla and eggs and mix well. Add flour mixture, and stir until combined. Add chocolate and cranberries.

Drop by rounded teaspoon onto baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Cool on tray for a minute or two, then transfer to cooling rack.