Meal Planning with Connie

My blogging buddy, Mub , asked about substituting butter for the shortening in my Square Biscuits recipe from Tuesday. Mub hails from “up North” and now lives way over in the Netherlands. So, bless her heart, I am sure she has no idea how much controversy this innocent question can spark amongst a group of Southern cooks! You may ask, is there really a big difference in using one fat over the over? In a word, yes. It is all about texture versus flavor. Shortening = tender, crisp and dense biscuits Butter = flaky, flavorful and light biscuits What accounts for the difference in texture? Water! Butter is about 17% water. Shortening contains no water. So, what did a little water ever hurt? The more water there is in dough, the more active gluten created. The more gluten present in dough, the tougher the dough. Again, it is really a trade off: Butter = Flavor Shortening = Tenderness There are generally four camps in the Butter vs. Shortening in Biscuits Debate: Camp One: These folk...

Our family, like many other Southern clans, enjoys having breakfast for supper. We usually do this once a week, especially during the winter months. I rarely cook a full breakfast during normal breakfast hours, so we all look forward to eating these dishes at night. There are several benefits to the breakfast-at-night meal. Not only are these foods tasty, they are generally fairly economic and easy to prepare. We keep it simple. Most nights Larry makes omelets, and I make a pan of Weeknight Square Biscuits, which we enjoy with a bit of butter alongside our omelets and as “dessert” with jelly or syrup. My Weeknight Square Biscuits are quick and easy to make. There's no rolling or cutting out required! And, there's no leftover dough scraps! Pat dough into a square on lightly floured surface.  Use a large spatula to lift dough into prepared pan.   Cut dough into squares. Brush hot biscuits with melted butter!   Weeknight Square Biscuits The secret to baking ligh...

blue cheese  n.  A semisoft cheese made of cow's milk and having a greenish-blue mold and strong flavor.  Also called  bleu cheese . Blue Cheese Chicken Mac-n-Cheese  Blue Cheese Chicken Mac-n-Cheese  For a great side dish, just omit the chicken! 1 (8-ounce) package macaroni noodles 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons flour 1¾ cups milk 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded 1 (4-ounce) package crumbled blue cheese kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste 2 cups shredded, cooked chicken ½ cup panko bread crumbs 2 tablespoons butter, melted Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray. Cook noodles according to package directions. While noodles are cooking, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1-2 minutes. Slowly add milk; cook, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens. Add cheeses, stirring until cheese is melted. Season cheese sauce with sa...

This recipe is one that my blogging buddy, Emily, posted on her blog, Marvelous Recipes , a couple of weeks back. When I saw it, I knew I had to give it a try! Emily is a genius at coming up with recipes that use ingredients that most of us keep on hand. So it is with Simply Marvelous Cookie Bars. I found all the needed ingredients right in my fridge and pantry! You'll find tons of yummy, easy recipes on Emily's blog. Be sure to click over and pay her a visit! Simply Marvelous Cookie Bars Simply Marvelous Cookie Bars These easy-to-make bars have nice chewy texture, and the combination of chocolate and toffee is deletable! 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk 1 egg, slightly beaten 1 (18.25 oz.) box yellow cake mix 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans 1 (12 oz.) package semisweet chocolate chips 1/2 of an 8-ounce package Heath Bits ‘O Brickle Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. In a large mixer bowl, stir together the sweetened con...

Rotini is a short (about 1½ inches), corkscrew-shaped pasta. Its name derives from the Italian word for twists. These tight twists help rotinin cling to sauces at bit better than some other pasta varieties. Mac-n-Cheese Soup Mac-n-Cheese Soup We actually prefer this with rotini noodles, which are a bit firmer than macaroni. If using macaroni, be careful not to overcook the noodles, or they will become mushy. 1 (13 3/4 ounce) cans reduced-sodium chicken broth 1 cup elbow macaroni ¼ - ½ cup finely chopped or grated onions 3 tablespoons butter 3 tablespoons flour 1 teaspoon mustard powder 2½ cups milk 1½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese Garnishes: Shredded cheese Cooked and crumbled bacon Chopped green onions or chives Bring chicken broth to boil in 2-quart saucepan. Add macaroni; boil 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. While macaroni is cooking, sauté onion in butter in a 3-quart saucepan until tender, about 3 minutes. Whisk flour into onion mixture. Gradually add milk to flour m...

Gifts from the kitchen are a real treat! Everyone's time is so limited. I truly feel special when someone makes something homemade for me! This year I want to try to share a neat gift idea from the kitchen on the week of the 25 th  each month. The holidays are always so busy, and I don’t always get to share a lot of ideas during that time. We’ll see how it goes… My friend, Donna, brought this big container of cocoa mix to our house just as it began to snow one afternoon a couple of weeks back. What a treat! We made cups of this delicious beverage immediately. Donna probably hadn’t even gotten out of the drive when we started! I do believe this is the best cocoa mix I’ve ever tasted. Yummy! Donna got the recipe from a mutual, sweet friend of ours, Jennifer. I just love how a great recipe gets shared from friend to friend to friend! A container of this mix makes a perfect gift for Christmas, Valentines, Hostess Happy, or National Hot Cocoa Day, which is celebrated each year on ...

When I opened my fridge Saturday afternoon to see what I could find to make for Sunday school this week, I found two rolls peanut butter cookie dough that were very near their “use by date.” Doing a quick Google search for a recipe that would work with ingredients I had on hand, I found this one on Pillsbury’s site. With a little tweaking to accommodate the ingredients I had in the pantry, I came up with Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookie Bars! Don't be afraid to play around with recipes! You never know what delight dish you might create. Even if you flop, as I so often do, you'll learn something from trying - even if it is just what not to do! It's like peanut butter and chocolate. Each is great, but they're better together. ~ Richard Whitehead Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies Bars Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies Bars Cut into small squares. As you can image, these are very rich. 1 jar (18-ounce) peanut butter 1/2 cups powdered sugar 1 teaspoon va...