Author: Winded Gypsy

Passionate about writing. I've lived all over the world (Egypt, Germany, Ireland & the US), but currently in Oregon (unless you can give me a fun reason to move)! Ghost writer, fiction writer, article writer, paid reviewer---if it's writing, I've done it. Traveling is my second passion! It's hard for me to stay in one place. There is value in every human relationship, even if it's negative or only for a short time! We are all just humans.

Complete Recipe Fail: Popeyes Strawberry Biscuits


You may have seen this recipe circulating around Facebook. I was excited when I came across it. Simple ingredients and it seemed easy. 😒

The dough was perfect until you add the strawberries which are full of a heck of a lot of moisture!. it became my nightmare quick and made me so mad, that I almost threw the bowl at a passerby! 🤬

Solution? Less strawberries? Or more flour? By the way, I only used 1.5 cups of milk to get my initial dough. I did bake them. They DID resemble biscuits in a hockey puck sort of way, but in the end, I think I’ll stick with my no-fail strawberry scones!

Here is the recipe I used (copied and pasted directly from Facebook, so you can have the see the full glory of it):

Made a batch of Strawberry biscuits for a friend:) 🍓🍓❤️❤️🫶🏼🫶🏼

21/2 cups self rising flour

1 stick butter

1 pint strawberries chopped small

2 T sugar

2 cups milk

In a small bowl add strawberries and sprinkle with sugar .

Let sit while you if up the dough .

In a separate bowl add flour and shredded butter and mix til crumbly Add milk and mix just til combined! DO NOT OVERMIX!!!!

Add strawberries w juice and mix lightly til combined Roll onto floured surface knead a few times roll out evenly and cut w biscuit cutter Place on a sheet pan and bake 450 for about 12-15 min When done drizzle topping and enjoy! Topping: aka Drizzle 2 cups powdered sugar 4 T raspberry coffee creamer or just plain milk will work too:) mix well ..

Sift flour w whisk

My daughter also chopped together a little video of clips of my having a mini breakdown while I tried to make this recipe. We were going to post it as a how-to video with the others. That didn’t work out, so instead, this is what you got:

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Restaurant Style Mexican Rice


Ingredients

2 Roma Tomatoes

1/4 of a small yellow onion, chopped into small pieces (roughly)

1 Tablespoon Knorr Tomato Bouillon Powder

1 teaspoon cumin powder

To taste: salt, garlic powder, onion powder

4 cups of boiling water

2 cups of long-grain rice

2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil

Directions

To Prepare the Tomato Blend: Using a blender, combine the tomatoes, onion, tomato bouillon, cumin, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and water until smooth. Set aside.

Prepare the Rice: Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add the uncooked rice and fry until light brown in color, stirring frequently to ensure even browning.

Combining Everything: Once the rice has finished browning, add the tomato blend and stir together. Taste to ensure the seasonings are as you like them. Adjust accordingly, if needed. You may add one or more jalapenos for flavor at this point. Note: if you are only looking for flavor with no heat, the jalapeno can be removed at the end of cooking.

Finishing up: Cover the rice and reduce the heat to low-medium and cook until the rice has absorbed the tomato broth (15 to 20 minutes). Do not stir during the cooking process. Allow the rice to rest covered for 5-10 minutes off of the heat after it’s done and then fluff with a fork before serving.

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How to Make Whipped Butter


Ingredients

Note: This recipe can be cut down in half if you want a smaller batch.

2 sticks (1 cup) of butter (I use salted), softened

4 Tablespoons of milk

Directions

Mix softened butter and milk in a deep bowl on medium speed with double paddles of an electric mixer until the butter is completely whipped. Serve immediately. You may store in the refrigerator; however, the butter will re-harden.

Use immediately or within two hours. Store unused butter in the refrigerator.

Serve on baked potatoes, dinner rolls, etc.

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Old-Fashioned Strawberries & Cream Ice Box Cake


Ingredients

3 cups heavy whipping cream

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar

20 sugar cookies (bake in advance or use store-bought – you can use gluten-free, sugar-free, or whatever you want)

Approximately 1 1/2 lbs strawberries, trimmed and sliced

Directions

Place your bowl and the whisk attachment of an electric mixer in the freezer for at 10 minutes before starting the process.

Add heavy whipping cream to your chilled bowl and whip on medium speed until peaks form and your whipping cream looks like a whipped cream consistency.

Add vanilla and powdered sugar to the whipped cream and mix.

In an 8 x 8 baking dish, build your cake:

Start with a thin layer of whipped cream. Top with a layer of cookies and then add another layer of whipped cream. Add strawberries and repeat these layers until you reach the top, finishing with a layer of whipped cream. Decorate the top with sliced strawberries.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours (overnight). This will allow the whipped cream to fully set and the cookies to soften, so that you can easily cut pieces (squares) out of the cake for serving. This makes for a delicious summer treat!

Variations: You can also use graham crackers in place of the sugar cookies. Going for a red, white and blue theme? Add some blueberries!

Original Credits: Gluten-Free Strawberry Shortcake Icebox Cake

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Easy Slow-Cooked Pork Street Tacos


Ingredients

Pork Tenderloin (I prefer to use Smithfield brand. You can use any flavor for this)

Water (enough water to cover the tenderloin in the slow cooker)

Taco seasoning (your favorite brand)

Oil or grease (bacon grease works well for this) – 2-3 Tablespoons should work.

Flour or corn tortillas (whatever your preference)

Toppings: (choose your favorites, but suggestions include sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, avocado, chopped onion, fresh cilantro, diced tomato, salsa, guacamole, hot sauce, etc.)

Directions

Place the pork tenderloin in the slow cooker/crockpot and pour enough water in so that the meat is completely submerged in the water. Cook on low for 5-6 hours. Do not cook longer or the meat runs the risk of being overcooked. Pork can become tough if it is overcooked. If you have less time to cook, cook on high for 3-4 hours. Note: The tenderloin DOES NOT need to be thawed if cooking on low for for 5-6 hours. I often throw my frozen, unthawed tenderloin right into the crockpot. I find it comes out even more tender than when I thaw it out first.

When the meat is done, use tongs to remove the meat from the slow cooker, and shred the meat using a fork and/or a knife, if necessary. I sometimes find that just pulling it apart with tongs works, too.

Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Add your oil or bacon grease.

When the oil/grease is heated, dump your shredded meat in and sprinkle your favorite taco season onto the meat, so that it is heavily coated. Add 2-3 ladle-full of reserved water from the crockpot to the meat and stir. Cook over medium-high heat until the moisture has evaporated (5 minutes or so).

Remove the meat from the heat and build your tacos!

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Fresh Mozzarella, Herb, and Truffle Oil Appetizer


Ingredients

Fresh Mozzarella (either a log or a ball will work)

Fresh basil

Fresh chives

Truffle oil (black or white will work)

Baguette (French bread will work, too)

salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Use a bread knife to slice the bread into 1/2-inch slices and set aside. Slice enough mozzarella slices for each slice of bread. Finely chop the basil and chives. Layer each slice of bread with a slice of mozzarella and then drizzle with the truffle oil. Sprinkle a mixture of the chopped herbs on top of the oiled cheese (the oil helps the herbs stick). Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

The amount of oil you use is optional, however, I like to use enough oil that it runs off the cheese and down the bread. The underside of the bread will soak up the oil.

These can sit for a while before serving and will taste that much better.

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Basil White Bean Salad


Dressing Ingredients

1/2 cup packed basil leaves, finely chopped

6 cloves of garlic (you can reduce this amount to taste)

1 teaspoon whole grain/stone ground mustard

Juice of 1 small lemon or 1/2 a large lemon

1/4 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon of salt (or to taste)

1/2 teaspoon of black pepper (or to taste)

Salad Ingredients

2 (15-ounce) cans white beans, such as navy, great northern or cannellini (drained and rinsed)

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

1/4 cup grated Romano cheese

Directions

Blend the dressing ingredients until smooth and all ingredients are fully combined. Set aside.

Combine the beans, onion, and cheese.

Drizzle the dressing over the bean mixture and mix well. Chill for at least two hours before serving (overnight is best). Adjust the salt and pepper, if needed.

Original Source: White Bean Salad with Basil & Lemon Vinaigrette

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Strawberry Whipped Cream Dessert for Two


Ingredients

1 cup strawberries, washed and chopped small

2 Tablespoons granulated sugar

1 cup heavy whipping cream

3 Tablespoons powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla paste or vanilla extract

2-3 drops pink food coloring (optional)

Instructions

Sprinkle granulated sugar over the chopped strawberries and stir. Allow to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes while you make the whipped cream portion.

Whip the heavy whipping cream using a medium-speed electric mixer with a whisk attachment until stiff peaks form. Add vanilla, powdered sugar and food coloring (if using) and give a final mix, making sure not to over-mix.

Fold the sugared strawberries into the whipped cream mixture. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

If desired, thinly slice strawberries and decoratively line the inside of a clear juice glass or mason jar (or something cute). Cut the end off a piping bag and fill with the strawberry mixture and carefully fill, being careful not to disrupt the strawberries (see the image above and video below for reference). Top off with whipped cream. I use canned to make it simple, but you can also reserve some white (undyed) whipped cream from earlier if you choose to keep some and pipe it using a separate bag and decorative tip.

Yield 2 servings. Serve immediately or chill until ready to serve. If using canned store-bought whipped cream, wait to apply the whipped cream until just before serving.

Original Source: Quick and Easy Strawberries and Cream Dessert in Five Minutes

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Mediterranean Salad


Dressing

1/4 cup Olive Oil

Juice from 1 small lemon or 1/2 a large lemon

1 teaspoon stone ground mustard

1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

To taste: salt, pepper, garlic powder, ground cumin

Whisk everything together and set aside.

Salad

1 English Cucumber

1 15-oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Handful of halved cherry tomatoes

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

2-4 Tablespoons of Kalamata olives

1/4 cup of finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

1/4 cup of feta cheese (or more if you like more)

Mix everything together, but the feta cheese. Pour the prepared dressing over the top and stir. Add the feta cheese. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

Note: This recipe makes a small salad, but can be doubled if serving a large group.

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Channa (Chickpea) Salad with Onions and Dried Mango Powder


from the book Salads of India by Varsha Dandekar

Note: Video included at the bottom of this post.

“This is spicy. You can serve it as a filling for pita bread and with aloo chat, yogurt, date chutney, onions and tomatoes. You can also toss the curried chickpeas with a leafy salad to give it a different taste.” —– (excerpt from the book)

I personally do not find this recipe to be spicy at all. Although the directions say to serve it at room temperature, this is a salad I make and keep for a few days, so I store it in the refrigerator. My kitchen tends to have little ants in it and we don’t leave any food out on the counter or table. We make sure all dishes are washed and put away and we don’t leave anything lying around. The little buggers still waltz around the counter like they own the place (even with traps). I think this salad has a fantastic taste and although I’m not able to eat it at room temperature, I love it cold too.

I recommend that you chop your onions and tomatoes ahead of time and measure out your spices so that you can throw everything in the pan as you make your way through the recipe.

Ingredients

5 tablespoons soy oil

3 whole cloves

3 cardamom pods

6 peppercorns

2 bay leaves

1/2 inch piece of cinnamon stick

2 cups finely minced onion

1 cup finely chopped tomato

1/4 teaspoon garam masala

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon amchoor (mango powder)

3 cups boiled chickpeas (you can use canned)

1 medium-sized tomato, sliced for garnish (I leave this out in the video)

1 medium-sized onion, sliced for garnish (I leave this out in the video)

Directions

  1. In a heavy-bottomed pan (I used a frying pan), heat the oil and add the cloves, cardamom, peppercorns, bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
  2. Add the onions and stir until the onions are golden brown, about 10 to 15 minutes.
  3. Add the tomatoes and continue to fry for 10 minutes or until the onions and tomatoes are all mashed together and the oil separates from them.
  4. Add the garam masala, salt, and amchoor to the onions and tomatoes and fry for 3 to 4 minutes.
  5. Add the chickpeas and stir-fry for 5 more minutes, mashing the chickpeas with the spoon as you stir. When the chickpeas are coated with the spices, remove from the stove. Garnish and serve at room temperature. Serves 4.

Garam Masala

Note: You can buy this premade. You will be able to find it in an Indian or Asian market or you can order it on Amazon. If you’d like to make it yourself, here are directions:

This recipe makes 3/4 of a cup.

Ingredients

3 pieces of cinnamon stick

1/2 cup green cardamom pods

1/4 cup whole cloves

1/4 cup cumin seeds

1/4 cup coriander seeds

1/4 cup black peppercorns

Directions

Roast the ingredients in skillet separately, one at a time, for a few minutes. When they begin to get slightly brown, remove from heat. Break open the cardamom pods and grind everything in a blender or grinder. If you want a masala that is milder, use 1/2 cup of coriander and 1/2 cup of cumin instead of 1/4 cup.

If stored in an airtight container at room temperature, this will last 6-7 months without losing its flavor.

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