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:

June 7, 2024 0

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.

June 7, 2024 0

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.

June 5, 2024 0

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

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.
Add the onions and stir until the onions are golden brown, about 10 to 15 minutes.
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.
Add the garam masala, salt, and amchoor to the onions and tomatoes and fry for 3 to 4 minutes.
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.

April 8, 2024 0

Where to find professional baking supplies in Ireland

In the past I’ve talked about where to find the best food and American foods in Germany and where to find bacon in Ireland. Today I want to talk about finding professional baking items for the home baker. In addition to my online work, I started baking cakes, cheesecakes, pies, pastries, etc. and selling them to local (Irish) restaurants, cafés, news agents and private individuals. The busier I got, the more difficult it became to find the supplies I was used to working with in the U.S. So today I thought I would pass along the locations I’ve found items and what I found. If you’ve been trying to shop for baking items in Ireland, you’re probably aware of the fact that you’ll have to visit multiple locations to get what you want.

It probably would have been easier for me to find these things when I lived in Dublin, but I wasn’t do this then. My kitchen and oven were too small in the last house and I had absolutely no storage. I moved to Co. Leitrim nearly a year ago and suddenly had the space to do what I wanted.

Here is my list of “always searching for” supplies:

Gel food dyes
Wilton cake pans
Buttercream frosting decorating tips and bags (quality)
Wilton Meringue Powder
Flower nails

Of course there are many other things needed when baking, but those were the things I found it most difficult to find. For starters, keep an eye on your local area Lidl and Aldi. They don’t always have baking stuff, but when they do, it’s generally decent quality for a good price. I purchased two of my favorite and most useful spring foam pans there a couple months ago and have been kicking myself for not purchasing more before they sold out ever since.

There are many shops throughout Ireland that claim to be baking supply shops. There is a shop in Cliffoney, Co. Sligo (about an hour and a half from where we live) that claims to be the largest baking supply shop in all of Ireland. They do have a good assortment of things, but not everything. I did find my flower nails and an assortment of gel food color. Unfortunately, their Wilton products (food coloring) were very limited, so I had to go with a brand I was unfamiliar with (which also works just as fine).

There are a couple of shops in Dublin too, but lately I’ve been finding the best shops seem to be shops that carry other products and don’t label themselves as baking or cake supply shops. I do a lot of shopping at Whispy’s and Quidsworth (Q2) in Carrick-on-Shannon. Be sure to check both locations for each (each has a downtown location, as well as a larger location in a different part of town). You’ll find a lot of cheaper baking pans, fondant tools, cookie cutters and so forth.

Heaton’s in Carrick-on-Shannon is another place that has a modest, but helpful, cake decorating aisle. There you can buy a cake decorating turn table, decorating nozzles and bags, frosting spatulas and so forth. You can also check your local Tesco.

Also in Carrick-on-Shannon, you’ll find a good amount of baking supplies (pans, etc.) at Woody’s DIY.

I was shocked to find a good deal of baking and cake decorating supplies at Providers in Longford (Co. Longford). Not only do they have some Wilton products, but they also carry a line of Cake Boss products. You’ll find gel food colors here too.

In Dublin, I was impressed with a shop in Blanchardstown called Inspiring Ideas (http://www.inspiringideas.com). This is essentially a large craft shop with a café in the back. They not only have a baking section, but they carry a good amount of Wilton products. They had quite a selection of specialty fondant tools and rolling pins, gel food colors, cake decorating turn tables, pans and so forth.

I’ve also been told that there is (or was) a baking supply house in Athlone and that I should go to Enniskillen in Northern Ireland (about 40 minutes from me), but I haven’t made it to either of those yet. You’ll find some moderate supplies in little shops in downtown Sligo too.

So if you’re in Ireland and you’re looking for a place to buy baking supplies, check out these places. If you know of a place I haven’t mentioned, feel free to leave it in the comments below.

If you’re curious about what I’m doing, like me on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/AmericanDessertsinIreland) or visit my website (http://www.letseat/AmericanDesserts).

May 23, 2014 2

Toning Down Spicy Food!

So I got this great idea that I was going to make crockpot chili. It’s been a long time since I had good chili and ground beef is cheap at Lidl. I found a recipe online and followed the spice measurements exactly. I was a little put off by the 1/2 a cup of chili powder, but I went ahead and put it in anyway. I smelled the mixture and thought that I could hardly smell any spice at all, so like like an idiot, I added MORE spice and THEN I decided to try a small spoonful. Well that hairbrained idea didn’t get me far. I mean, I like I spicy, but this literally scorched my mouth. Not the kind of spice I was looking for!!

After some research and talking with Tony (a professional chef), here are some tips for other people out there battling this very common problem.

You can add sugar. Of course, adding enough sugar to completely tone down the spice may make your dish gross. You can also add more vegetables and broth to try to spread the spice out. You can also prepare the same recipe, minus the hot stuff and mix it together with the spicy batch. This will create a much larger batch, but hey, it’s better than throwing it away!

Natural acids can also help neutralize spiciness. Try lemon juice and wine vinegar. Coconut milk or other dairy products can help.

Have you had a similar experience? How did you handle it? Leave your tips and tricks below.

UPDATE

I added coconut oil and honey to the chili and it was still way too spicy. I drained it and used coconut oil and honey as the liquid and left for about an hour. It was still too spicy, so I drained it again (saving the liquid) and rinsed with cold water thoroughly. I put the meat mixture back in the crockpot/slow cooker and added one can of condensed tomato soup, water and a small amount of the coconut liquid I had saved. It seems a lot better. There is still a kick to it, but I think with crackers, shredded cheddar and sour cream to serve, it will do.

November 3, 2013 0

Homemade Frozen Dinner Idea # 1: Breakfast Burritos

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I’m putting together homemade meals and freezing them to make my own TV dinners. Unfortunately, I’m already running out of freezer space and wish I had a second freezer. It’s definitely on my list of things to search for.

I just finished making eight mini breakfast burritos and I took pictures as I went through the process. Let’s start with the ingredient list:

7 strips of bacon

8 breakfast sausage links

4 eggs 8 slices of processed cheese

Shredded cheddar cheese

8 small soft tortilla shells

Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation: I started by frying the bacon on medium-low temperature (so as not to overcook it). I chopped up the breakfast sausage into small pieces and fried it on medium-low temperature as well. When the meat is done, I remove the pans from the heat and drain the bacon on paper towel. You can drain the sausage too, but I did not. I cut each strip of bacon in half lengthwise and then chopped into small pieces or bits. I scrambled the eggs in the same pan I fried the bacon in (drain any grease beforehand) and salt and peppered to taste. I added a small amount of milk to my scrambled eggs too.

Building a Burrito:

I laid everything out on the countertop and I built them all at the same time, so that the ingredients were evenly spread between each burrito.

I tore one piece of processed cheese in half and laid one near the bottom and one near the top of an open tortilla shell. Next, I added equal portions of egg on top of the cheese. Please note that you can sprinkle a bit of shredded cheddar around at this time as well. The cheese will help keep everything together. Finally, I spread equal amounts of bacon and sausage on top and finished off with more shredded cheddar cheese.

Folding: I started by folding the bottom up first.

While holding my first fold into place, I fold the top down.

While holding my first two folds in place, I carefully roll from one side until to the other and firmly press down (without breaking the shell) so the rolled burrito stays rolled when set down.

Storage:

I wrapped each burrito with tinfoil and then plastic wrap. I wrote today’s date on each one, along with what it was. I filled out this same information on a gallon size freezer bag and placed all eight breakfast burritos in the bag and into the freezer. All of my ingredients were cooled by this time.

Serving:

These can either be microwaved or baked. To bake, heat oven to 350 degrees and bake until tortilla shell turns a light golden color. You can bake in the tinfoil, but I would remove all wrappings. To microwave, remove foil and plastic wrap and wrap in a wet papertowel. Microwave on high 5-7 minutes or until cooked through.

October 26, 2013 0

Homemade TV Dinners: It’s Cheaper, Healthier and Tastes So Much Better!

There are not very many TV dinner choices in Ireland. Stores like Iceland have a decent selection, but Iceland stores are not everywhere and they are not where I am currently living. Even the cheapest TV dinners are not very inexpensive (in my opinion) compared to what you can pay in the U.S., but we have a lot of need for something quick and easy to throw in the oven or microwave, so I decided to make my own. And I thought I’d share what I did with my readers.

To start, I need to buy some foil baking containers. I had hoped to find some smaller, rectangular-shaped shallow containers, but only found deeper ones. I bought a five-pack of the deeper ones. I also cleaned out our freezer of any of the meat products we don’t seem to be eating. I’m either making recipes out of those products or baking them off in the oven to be re-frozen for later use.

Here are some of my thoughts on things I could make and freeze:

Meatballs: Tony’s mother gave me this idea a few years ago. She made some amazing Swedish Meatballs and would cook a bunch of them off and then freeze them so when they wanted something easy, all she had to do was heat them up.
Lasagna: Although, this takes a bit more preparation than some other ideas, homemade lasagna is much better than store-bought.
Spaghetti: Very simple, because you can get away with store-bought sauce (jazz it up a bit) and pasta is cheap and easy. When you’re ready to make it, butter two sides of sliced bread and sprinkle with garlic powder, pepper, salt and a small amount of Italian seasoning and bake until golden. Add cheese for cheese bread.
Meatloaf: Meatloaf is great, because it can be heated up with mashed potatoes and buttered corn or individual slices can be frozen and thawed for meatloaf sandwiches.
Pot Pie: You can make beef, chicken or turkey. I used a mini springform pan to make my pot pies, because I didn’t have any mini pie pans. Once the pie has cooled for 15 minutes, you can separate the springform and carefully remove from the bottom.
Various Chicken Dishes: There’s a lot you can do with chicken. You can season it various ways and bake it, stuff it with cheese, bread it—any number of things. Serve with frozen vegetables, mashed potatoes or more.
Potato Wedges: I had a bag of potatoes already and picked up some garlic potato wedge spice. I’m going to bake them off in the oven and use them as sides with my meat dishes.
Burritos: Burritos are excellent for the freezer. I’m making breakfast burritos, but you can also do enchiladas, baked chicken wraps and more.
Pizza: Who doesn’t love pizza? I guarantee your frozen homemade pizza will knock store-bought frozen pizza out of the park!

Since I don’t have enough baking dishes for everything, I’m going to create five meals using the aluminum pans, a few pot pies, homemade pizza and some breakfast burritos. I’ll be taking pictures of the food I make and posting recipes, so check back for more.

October 26, 2013 0