Easy Biscuits and Butter

If this blog was to be called something else . . . I would seriously consider calling it Biscuits and Butter! I highly question if there is something better than warm biscuits out of the oven with butter . . . or jam . . . or both. 

I am neither a Grandmother, nor am I from the South so I don't blame you if you are skeptical about my biscuit knowledge, but I am going to break the southern grandmother stereotype and this Canadian Girl is going to share her easy and delicious biscuit recipe! haha

2 cups Flour
3 Tbsp Sugar
3 Tsp Baking Powder
1 Tsp Salt
1/4 Cup of Cold Butter (or shortening)
2/3 Cup of Cold Buttermilk  (if your dough is too dry add a splash more milk)
        * You could substitute regular milk if you don't have any buttermilk
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

Sift all dry ingredients into a large bowl. Cut in Butter with a pastry cutter or if you work quick enough not to melt the butter use your fingers.
Add Milk and stir until the dough combines, add more milk if it's still too dry. 

Roll out dough until it's 1/2" thick. 

Using a round cutter cut out your rounds . . . if you like them more rustic then just cut them into squares.

Then you arrange them on an ungreased baking sheet. Now, if you like crispy biscuits, like I do, arrange them about 1" apart on the sheet. If you like softer biscuit arrange them so that the edges are just touching each other, I thought that was pretty cool . . . my granny taught us that!

In a 425 degree oven, bake them for anywhere from 10-13 minutes. Keep an eye on them!!

There you have it . . . biscuits worthy of any Southern Grandma.
Always served with some warm Sour Cherry Jam!!!

Lastly, I am in LOVE with these ceramic berry containers from Anthropologie!! I love it when ordinary, disposable items are made permanent. So cute and odd at the same time. I love items with a little bit of quirk to them . . . like my white ceramic gnome.

I hope you'll try this simple biscuit recipe, they may have you say'in:

"Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit, that girl can bake!!"  :) haha

This post has EVERYTHING!

Normally I wouldn't make such a BOLD statement on the blog. But this post might embody all that Mini Manor is about. It has organization, it has DIY, it incorporates cooking, and it saves money. (I am trying to figure out a way for this project to be considered green, but I haven't been able to come up with one yet.)
I started making my own seasoning blends . . . things like Taco Seasoning and Cajun spice, even seasoning salt and curry powder. The pre-made store bought seasoning packets are FULL of extra sodium and other weird preservatives.

I started to make my own, only putting in the necessary salt and no extra preservatives. The mixes last approx 6 months in the cupboard (not quite as long as the store bought ones but still a respectable shelf life). And honestly they taste way Better!!!!

 Taco Seasoning: 

8 tbsp Chili Powder

4 tbsp Onion Powder

2 1/2 tbsp Cumin

2 1/2 tbsp Garlic Powder

2 1/2  tbsp Paprika

2 1/2 tbsp Oregano

2 1/2 tbsp Sugar 

1 tbsp Kosher Salt

This makes more than enough to last us 6 months. 

Montreal Steak Spice: The only thing we put on our steaks

 2 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons crushed black pepper

2 tablespoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon granulated garlic

1 tablespoon granulated onion

1 tablespoon crushed coriander

1 tablespoon dill

1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes 

* Recipe from Here. 

Italian Seasoning: 

6 tbsp Dried Basil

2 tbsp Dried Parsley

3 tbsp Dried Oregano

2 tbsp Dried Rosemary

2 tbsp Dried Thyme

1 tsp Dried Garlic

Seasoning Salt: 

6 tbsp Salt

1/2 tsp Thyme

1/2 tsp Marjoram 

1 tsp Garlic Powder

2 tsp Paprika

1 tsp Dried Mustard

1/4 tsp Onion Powder

1/8 tsp Dried Dill

1/2 tsp Celery Salt

Curry Powder: 

If you are going to make your own curry powder this takes some dedication because there are a lot of ingredients to buy. It's best to get a group of friends together and each make a batch. Otherwise it's a lot of money to put out at the beginning (unless you already own these spices).

1/4 cup Ground Coriander

2 tbsp Ground Turmeric

2 tsp Ground Cumin

2 tsp Ground Ginger

2 tsp Ground Allspice

1 tsp Ground Cinnamon 

1 tsp Baking Powder

1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper

Creole Seasoning: 

1/4 cup Ground Cayenne Pepper 

1/4 cup +1 tsp Kosher Salt

2 tbsp Garlic Powder

2 tbsp Onion Powder

2 tbsp Chili Powder

1 tbsp Ground Black Pepper

Last is my recipe for a Veggie Dill Dip, I make this dip a lot so I mix the ingredients up and keep them ready at hand: 

3 Tbsp Dried Parsley

3 Tbsp Minced Dried Onion

1 tsp Dried Dill

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Seasoning salt

To make dip: Take 3 tbsp + 1 tsp and mix it with 1 cup sour cream, 1 cup mayo and 1 tsp fresh lemon juice. Keep in the Fridge for 2 to 4 hours then serve!

Those are the recipes I've made and tweaked and made again ;). You'll definitely have to adjust them to your own taste. We like spicy food so if you don't . . . you might want to watch the cayenne pepper! 

Next on my Spice to do list will be to make my own Chili Powder . . . it's a little more work because you have to buy dried chilies and grind them up yourself, but with the amount of Vegetarian Chili we make around here I think the effort will be well worth it.

I will add, that the one down side to making your own mixes is that you have to buy all the ingredients, all of the powders and original spices. But what I will say is that you use many of the ingredients in multiple recipes and when you are buying 'pure' spices like cayenne pepper and onion/garlic powder they are just what they say they are (there shouldn't be any other ingredients added to them). We store our ingredients in containers in our Spice Cabinet right beside the stove.

 We also store our Oils and Vinegars in the same cabinet.

And we store the seasoning mixes like Taco, Cajun etc . . . on the door in glass jars with snap lids!  There it is Spice Cupboard revealed . . . with recipes! ;)

It's a win win win, they taste better, they are better for you and they save you money, compared to buying pre made mixes you are spending Pennies instead of Dollars! 

Does anyone have a spice mix recipe I'm missing or maybe one that's better??? I would LOVE to hear it!!!!! 

*The plastic containers the cupboard are from Ikea and are the perfect size for Spices and the glass jars on the door are from Dollarama!

A Peck of Pickled Peppers

Peter Piper isn't the only one who can pick a peck of pickled peppers!
This isn't one of our quick recipes but it is one of our BEST recipes. We make it in huge batches and they never last longer then a week or two in the fridge.
We eat them straight out of the jar, or with a little cheese on a cracker. But our favorite way is topping a burger!

Ingredients:
2 red peppers
1 green pepper
2 yellow peppers
2 orange peppers
3 jalapeno peppers
1 very large onion
1/4 cup kosher salt
12 ice cubes
2 cups sugar
1 cup vinegar
1 tbsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp celery seeds (optional)

1) thinly slice peppers and onions using a food processor, it's the fastest and most effective way to slice that many peppers.

2) In a large bowl combine peppers, onions and salt. Toss. Top with ice cubes. Let sit on the counter for 2 hours.

3) After 2 hours, rinse in water. Use a salad spinner to dry the peppers off or blot with a clean kitchen towel.

4) in a saucepan combine sugar, vinegar, and mustard seeds. Heat on stove while stirring until the sugar dissolves into the vinegar. Once it comes to a boil, remove it from heat,

5) Fill jars with the sliced peppers and onions.

6) Pour the warm vinegar into the jars over the pepper mixture.

7) Leave the lids off while the filled jars cool on the counter (about 30 min). Screw lids on and store in the fridge for up to 3 months.

I don't bother canning them as they rarely last an entire month in the fridge, they're Lee's favorite so making sure they get eaten before they go bad has never been a problem!

I hope you'll try them! In the words of Tony the Tiger "They're . . . . . . .GREAT!"