Blog - biscuits and such
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Best of 2010

2010 really was an important year for Biscuits & Such.  And an important year deserves a great roundup.  So here you have it, the best of 2010 (in my humble opinion):

Most Fun to Grow & Preserve

Pickled Okra

Best Grits

Truffled Mushroom Grits

Best Drink

Lime Fizz

Best Pie that Will Also Be Featured In Southern Living Magazine

Strawberry Rhubarb Hand Pies

Best Biscuits

Ramp & Cheddar Biscuits

Dan’s Pick

Braised Shortribs Over Creamy Grits

Best Appetizer

Raspberry, Mint, & Mozzarella Skewers

Best Potato Salad

Grilled Potato Salad

Cutest Pie

Blackberry Basil Pielets

Best Use of Figs

Pork, Fig, & Rosemary Browned Butter

Best Burgers

Bacon Blue Cheese Burgers

Best Use of Habaneros

Peach Habanero Jam

Best Sandwich

Bacon, Lettuce, Fried Green Tomato Sandwich

Best Barbeque

Eastern North Carolina Barbeque

Best Award-Winning Pie

Caramel Green Tomato Pie

Most Terrifying to Make Dish

Fried Turkey

Best Cookies

Salted Vanilla Cookie

Hope you enjoyed 2010 as much as we did!  And if there are any recipes you’re dying to see in 2011, you know who to tell.

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Apple Butter

I love toast.  I love toast with just butter and a little salt.  I love toast with jam, cream cheese, peanut butter, jelly, anything you can smear on toast (within reason) I am a fan of.  So it stands to reason that I love apple butter.  And I do, I had just never made it before.  Because I’m a fool.  When will I learn that pretty much everything I love to eat can be made easily at home?  It’s a slow lesson, apparently.  Maybe that will be my resolution for 2011.  Make more delicious food.  Hopefully that’s one I can keep.

You may be noticing that some things look different around here.  As I promised, b&s is undergoing a face lift.  The biggest change, the sidebar, is also the least permanent.  While we know we want to move in the handwritten watercolor direction, there is some heavy lifting in Dan’s future to get it the way we want it (and some heavy bribery in my future).  As always, feedback you have would be lovely!  We’re definitely a few steps closer to the way that I’m envisioning it, which is SO exciting.  Yay 2011!

UPDATE: Y’all, I am the luckiest person in the world.  Dan pulled a (insert magician name here) and got the sidebar DONE so much faster than ever imagined.  It’s perfect, I’m so incredibly happy.  I did the watercolors last night (squiggly lines included) and think it adds the perfect… something.  I love it.  Don’t you?

Apple Butter

{this makes a small batch of apple butter}

4 honeycrisp apples

3/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

Pinch of salt

Juice of 1 lemon

Core and cube apples.  In a medium size pot combine all ingredients.  Simmer until the apples are translucent, about 1 1/2 hours.  Use a food processor or immersion blender to puree the apples.  Push through a fine mesh sieve.

To preserve:

Sterilize your jars and lids by boiling them for at least ten minutes.

Ladle butter into each jar, leaving about 1/2″ at the top.  Wipe the rim of the jar and top with a sterilized lid.  Screw on the band and continue until all your jars are filled.

When your jars are filled place them in the hot water bath.  Boil them for 15 minutes.  Then remove them and, carefully, tighten the lid.  As they cool, the jars will make a ping sound which is how you’ll know they’ve sealed.

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a sweet year

This year has been a strange and wonderful one for us.

Personally we’ve:

– gotten jobs in Baltimore

– moved to a precious apartment within blocks of our alma mater

– celebrated our first wedding anniversary

– built our first fire in our apartment

– welcomed our second niece, Amelie, into the world

– learned huevos rancheros is one of our favorite foods, ever

– dramatically increased the number of awesome t-shirts in dan’s closet

started brewing beer (i use “we” very loosely here)

– learned that i can, in fact, pull of red lipstick

– welcomed my two snaggleteeth, Octavius and Jezebel into our lives. looking forward to braces, again!

– extended Christmas to a whole month, instead of just one day (best idea ever)

– continued to learn and love, together

Biscuits & Such also had an interesting year.  We:

– got photographed for Southern Living Magazine (out this may!)

– were judges’ select in the Cville Pie Fest for our caramel green tomato pie

– picked up some new followers

– smoked our first pork shoulder

– added a shop

– started a redesign

– fried our first turkey

– had our first college student write her final paper about us (weirdsies Anna Morris!)

– became the menuism “southern food expert”

– ended our relationship with iVillage

– grew our first real, outdoor garden

– canned and preserved so much that we had a 100% homemade christmas

I’m proud and happy and eagerly looking towards 2011.  2010 was by far one of our best years yet, what with an exciting move, great new jobs, and not planning a wedding. I can only hope that 2011 is even better!  As for b&s it wouldn’t be half as fun if not for y’all.  Thanks for helping make 2010 a great year!

And finally, a little video look back at 2010, set to music by Fort Christmas.

2010 In Review from elena rosemond-hoerr on Vimeo.

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