Onion Pan Bread.

Here's another recipe for you onion lovers out there. This bread is impeccably moist, somewhere in texture between a very light biscuit and a somewhat heavier pancake. The onions are deceptively sweet, especially if you find yourself using all vidalia onions.  I'd actually recommend reducing the brown sugar that mixes with the onions and carmelizes them if you do use vidalias; too much sweet can, in fact, be too much of a very good thing.(Or so I'm told...) Regardless, this is delicious served warm to accompany a lighter meal, such as grilled chicken or a quick salad. It is best served warm.

Onion Pan Bread, from How to Cook Everything, by Mark Bittman

Ingredients: 

3 Tbsp Butter, or olive oil
2 large Onion, sliced ¼ in. thick
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar, use less if using vidalia onions
2 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 Tbsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Sugar
1 Egg
1 cup Milk
¼ cup Corn Oil, or any neutral oil

Directions:

Heat the oven to 350℉. Put 2 Tbsp of butter or olive oil in a med-large skillet over medium heat. When the butter is melted or the oil is hot, add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes.
Use the remaining butter or olive oil to grease a 9 in. round baking dish, pie plate, or ovenproof skillet (I used the same skillet as above and just greased the edges a bit). Sprinkle with brown sugar and spread the onions around the bottom.
Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Beat together the egg, milk, and neutral oil, add to the dry ingredients, and stir together quickly.
Spread the batter over the onions and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting into wedges. (You can invert onto a plate first if you like. Serve warm.

Cheddar Chive Biscuits.

(Bacon) Cheddar Chive Biscuits

I love these biscuits.  My husband asked me to make these this week, and, as my chive plant was getting out of control, and I do love to make yummy food for my husband, I happily obliged.

Of course, I had intended to simply whip these up on my own, as I have many times in the past. When my son learned that I was baking, however, he ran out of his room, leaving behind a half-built tower of lego duplo blocks, begging to help. And 'help' he did. First, he picked out which measuring spoon he wanted to use (the 1/8 teaspoon measure), then he proceeded to shove both hands deep into the flour and try to drop fistfuls into my outstretched cup measure. The flour exploded in a fine mist over everything sitting on the counter, coated both him and the chair he was standing on, and then finally settled in a small heap on the floor.

After we finished measuring the flour and moved on to grown-up parts of the recipe (chopping the chives,) he played 'drums' with measuring spoons and cups next to me while I worked. He also put all the dirty dishes in the sink, which included the measuring tools, ALL of them, the empty baking powder tin, and a few bowls and cups, not all of which needed washing prior to this. All in all, not the quickest of helpers, but still the most lovable, by far. :)

Originally, these were bacon cheddar chive biscuits, but my family doesn't eat bacon, so I leave that out. It affects the outcome not one bit, I think. In addition to leaving out the bacon, I also used colby jack cheese instead of cheddar, because that's what I had on hand, and also because I like it better. :) Enjoy!

Scones.

I love making scones. I used to buy this bag of 'just add water' scones mix, which was decent, but after having one expire on me, let's just say, never again. 

It was then I decided I needed to learn how to make my own scones from scratch. I've tried a few different recipes, most of which amounted in a large triangular brick. This recipe, however, only makes a small batch of round, not-quite-light scones. They are a bit denser than biscuits, but just barely. I make mine with currants in them, but the original recipe doesn't have anything added. If you like chocolate chips, raisins, craisins, or whatever else in your scones, feel free to add that. Just be sure to add a small bit of extra cream to hold the scones together if you add something.

Cream Scones, from The Winnie the Pooh Cookbook, by Virginia H. Ellison

Ingredients:

1 1/4 c. all purpose flour

2 1/2 t. baking powder

1/4 t. salt

3 T. butter

1/2 t. honey

1 lg. egg

1/4 c. light cream (I regularly use half and half, though I've used milk before as well.)

a handful of currants, chocolate chips, raisins, or nuts, if you like. (Add a bit extra cream if you do.)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt.

Cut the butter into the flour with a pastry blender or two knives until it looks like coarse meal. (The butter is smaller than peas.)

Stir the honey, egg, and cream together. Add to flour mixture and beat well, but do not overwork. If using, add any dried fruit, chocolate, or nuts and splash of extra cream now.

Pat the dough on a floured board or between sheets of wax paper until about 1/2 in. thick. Cut into rounds, squares, triangles, or whatever you like. (Or, simply skip the large rolling out and pull off chunks and shape into balls, as when shaping cookies, and slightly flatten.)

Bake on a cookie sheet for 10 minutes. Serve hot with butter and honey.

Enjoy!

Onion Sandwich.

This is not for the faint of heart. This is not a pretty dish, nor does it smell like, well, anything other than onions. No, this is not a sandwich for everyone. 

However. If you are one of those people, the people whose steaks are incomplete without sautéed onions, whose burgers are sadly lacking when not topped with this versatile vegetable, whose salads must have a bit of oniony crunch to them, well, let me say you and I are kindred spirits. And so, dear friends, I would like to share this with you.

The onion sandwich. It is beautiful in its simplicity, in its humble adornment. Bread, a touch of butter, and one whole sautéed onion. I like to toss in some greek seasoning as well, but you can season however you like. There's no real recipe to this, but the longer you sauté the onions, the sweeter they'll be. I'm not all that fond of blackened onions, but many people like to let them sauté that long, as it sweetens the onion greatly. Make this to taste, but if you are an onion lover like me, you won't be disappointed.

Enjoy!

Rice Pudding.

This recipe is so delicious, and for a made from scratch pudding, about as easy as you can get. I love raisins in this, but you don't necessarily have to use them. The original recipe calls for whole milk, but I used 1% with no problems. Also, as I'm out of lemon zest, and lemons, for that matter, I used a bit of orange zest in its place, and you know, I think I like it better! Whatever you choose, you won't be disappointed. Enjoy!

The Best Rice Pudding, Scaled for 2 servings, from Joy the Baker

Ingredients:

1 cup Water
½ cup Long Grain Rice
⅛ tsp Salt
1 Tablespoons Butter
¼ tsp Lemon Zest (or Orange Zest)
2 cups Whole Milk (or whatever's in your fridge)
¼ cup Sugar
¼ Vanilla Bean, split open (I used a splash of vanilla extract)
½ cup Golden Raisins (I used a mix of red and golden raisins)

Directions:

Bring 1 cup of water to a boil. Stir in lemon zest, salt and long grain rice and return to a boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer the rice, covered, until all of the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes.

Once rice is cooked, place it in a bowl and rise out pan. Add 2 cups of milk, butter, sugar and vanilla bean to the pan. Bring to a low boil, stirring often so the milk doesn’t burn. Add the cooked rice and raisins to the hot milk. Stir often, until the milk cooks down and the rice is creamy, about 20 minutes. Place in a large bowl or serving dishes to cool. Serve cold or at room temperature.