Do you like to cook? I do. Even with my busy schedule, I still manage to make homemade meals more than I buy take-out. One of the things I like is to try new recipes-especially recipes for one-dish meals.
I normally write four columns a month. I want to take one column a month and dedicate it to cooking and food and local area restaurants. I am very interested in ideas that can help the busy cook prepare meals faster and save time. Now in order to make this work, I am going to need feedback. That means you might want to drop me a line here at the paper and let me know if you liked or didn’t like something. Also if you want to share a favorite recipe, so much the better.
One of the first recipes, or tricks of the trade, I want to share is one my friend Diane J. shared with me years ago. How many of you like canned biscuits? I’ll be truthful. I’m not a huge fan of them. But using her method, I have turned what was once a last resort bread product, into one that we fight over. Best of all, it’s so simple you can teach it to the kids.
Here’s what you do. Heat your oven according to the instructions on the can of biscuits. For each can of biscuits, melt at least a half stick of butter. Don’t try this with margarine, as what you will get is an oily mess. After melting the butter, open the can of biscuits and dip each piece of dough in the melted butter, coating all sides. Place the buttered biscuits on a cookie sheet, or in a biscuit pan. Pour the remaining butter over the biscuits and let them sit on top of the warm stove for about 3 to 5 minutes. Bake according to the package directions.
In 8 to 10 minutes, your golden brown biscuits will be ready and the taste is so much better because of the butter. When doing my biscuits like this, I found that the cheaper brands work just fine.
So the next time you fix your biscuits, try it this way and let me know what you think.
Now the perfect thing to go with biscuits for me is jelly and bacon. I have a favorite jelly, but I’ve been very disappointed with the quality of bacon I’ve been getting. So I’m looking for someone to tell me where to find the best kind of bacon. I’m looking for bacon with a good hickory flavor. Unless there is an usual store brand, I am familiar with the major brands like Oscar Meyer, Corn King, etc.
If you have some really good bacon, why the next thing is to have a recipe in which to use it. I know many of us get tired of having potatoes as a side dish. So I will give you my recipe for a Wild Rice Casserole:
2 boxes, Uncle Ben’s Long Grain and Wild Rice
4 to 6 slices of bacon
½ chopped green pepper
½ chopped yellow onion
1 15-ounce can of stewed tomatoes
Cook the rice according to the package directions, but using about ¼ cup less water than the directions say.
In the meantime, fry the bacon until it’s crispy. Set aside. To the bacon grease, add the green peppers and onions, sautéing until the peppers are soft.
Pour the cooked rice into a casserole dish. Stir in the onion, green pepper, crumbled bacon and can of stewed tomatoes. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes depending on how brown you want your casserole. Enjoy.
CONTACT: www.arlenejones.blogspot.com
