May 29, 2021

Jalapeño Cheddar Biscuits

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Jalapeño Cheddar Biscuits

May 29: National Biscuit Day

Living in Texas, we enjoy the Southwest flavors at local restaurants that serve Tex-Mex and downhome country cooking. On a road trip to Gonzales and Shiner, somewhere between San Antonio and Houston, we stopped for lunch at a saloon-looking café. The free appetizer included jalapeño cheddar biscuits. Like the free Cheddar Bay biscuits given at Red Lobster, we got full just eating them before our meal! They were so carb-o-licious that we wanted to bake a batch of these biscuits as soon as we got home. They taste terrific on their own as a snack or as a side dish when we cook oven fried chicken or chicken fried steak. Turn up the heat and add a little spice to life on National Biscuit Day by baking jalapeño cheddar biscuits!

Recipe

(Adapted from Fox 11 News)

 

Ingredients

  • 2 cups self rising flour
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • ½ cup (1 stick) butter, cold, cut into small pieces
  • 1, 2 or 3 jalapeños, seeded, deveined and chopped finally (depending on preferred heat level)
  • ½ – 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1 cup buttermilk, cold
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter for the top

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour and sugar. Use a pastry blender to cut in the butter pieces until there are pea-sized crumbles.

Add the jalapeños and cheese. Pour in the buttermilk and gently stir until moist.

Dump on a clean, floured surface and press the dough together. Roll out to 1 inch thickness. Use a 2 inch round cutter to cut out the biscuits. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush the tops with melted butter. Bake in a preheated oven at 450 degrees F for 15-17 minutes or until the tops are golden. Remove from the oven. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Notes

  • We like White Lily brand self rising flour because it is light and soft. Be careful about overworking the dough, though, or the biscuits will get hard.
  • When cutting the round shapes, avoid twisting. Just lift the biscuits out of the dough and place on the prepared baking pan. This helps the biscuits rise higher.
  • For softer and less crisp biscuits, place the cut outs close together and pull the biscuits apart after baking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

May 4, 2021

Basic Boba (Fett) Tea

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Basic Boba (Fett) Tea

May 4: Star Wars Day

Not only is Islander a fan of Star Wars, but she is a fan of boba tea (specifically jasmine green milk tea with golden tapioca pearls)—so much so that she gave it up for Lent one year, which was a challenge because there are several boba tea places around town! Her Taiwanese ESL student taught her how to make boba tea at home, which is cheaper, and we can control how much ice and sweetness levels to put in our boba beverage.

Boba in the tea sounds like “bubble” because of the bubble-like tapioca pearls. Boba Fett, a bounty hunter, is the name of one of the favorite characters in the Star Wars film franchises. He was the muse for our traditional Taiwanese drink recipe for today. Add a few drops of grayish-green food coloring to match Boba Fett’s outfit and it becomes a more festive food for Star Wars Day!

Recipe

(From YaJu Y.)

Ingredients

  • 6-8 tea bags (jasmine, green, black, oolong, chair tea—any strong tea)
  • 1 cup quick cooking golden tapioca pearls
  • Water (to steep the tea and to boil the boba)
  • Sweetener (sugar, honey or simple syrup-see Notes), to taste
  • ½ cup milk (half-and-half, cream, soy, nut or non-dairy creamer)
  • Ice (optional)

Directions

Boil 4 cups water for the tea. Steep the tea in a large bowl for 10-20 minutes (depending on personal desired strength and taste of the tea). Remove and discard the tea bags and cool to room temperature. In a large pot, boil the water and cook the tapioca pearls according to the package directions. Drain and rinse in a colander.

Add sweetener to the tea bowl to taste (more or less a tablespoon). Stir in the milk. In two tall glasses, add ice and tapioca pearls. Pour in the milk tea. Serve with tall spoon or fat straw.

Notes

  • To make simple syrup, boil equal parts water and sugar until dissolved. Let cool completely. May be stored in a bottle in the refrigerator until ready to sweeten the boba tea.
  • Avoid cooking the tapioca pearls too early or they will harden and dry out when cool and not be chewy. Always use freshly cooked boba for the tea recipe.
  • Be careful not to choke on your aspirations when slurping up the pearls in the straw.
  • Hunt for a bounty of other Star Wars-inspired recipes under our Theme Menus page. May the 4th be with you—and with your spirit!

 

May 1, 2021

Salata (Afghani Salad)

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Salata

(Afghani Salad)

May: National Salad Month

As the weather begins to get warmer, we like to have a refreshing, cooling salad as a side dish to our main meal. This Afghani salata is simple and so quick to make with ingredients we frequently have on hand already: tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, cilantro and lemon. It reminds us of a lighter tabbouleh and a milder pico de gallo. During National Salad Month, make this Afghani style salata.

Recipe

(Adapted from Yep Recipes)

Ingredients

  • 2 tomatoes, diced
  • 1 cucumber, peeled and diced
  • 1 small red onion, chopped
  • Handful of cilantro leaves, finely chopped
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Diced the tomatoes. Peel and dice the cucumber. Chop the onions and cilantro leaves. Place in a bowl.

Squeeze the lemon juice over the bowl. Mix everything well. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately or within 12 hours to retain its freshness. Refrigerate if desired.

 

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