Blog - biscuits and such
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Drop Biscuits

Last weekend was Dan’s 30th birthday (!!) and when I asked him how he wanted to celebrate he said that he wanted to spend the weekend making and eating great food with great friends.  We invited down some of our closest friends– Brit and Aaron and Kellie and Corey— for the weekend and we did just that. We cooked and baked and sat around the fire and enjoyed each other’s company. It was an incredible way to spend a birthday weekend.

drop biscuits 5

drop biscuits 6

I asked Dan to come up with the menu for the weekend and his request for Saturday morning breakfast was bacon, egg, and cheese on buttermilk biscuits. I’d been looking for an excuse to add a drop biscuit pan to my cast iron collection, and this was the perfect opportunity.

drop biscuits 4

Drop biscuits are the kissing cousin of traditional buttermilk biscuits. Meant to be simply “dropped” into a pan or onto a baking sheet they aren’t kneaded and folded and are thus a little more crumbly and free form when baked. My drop biscuit recipe calls for a bit more buttermilk and the result is a moist and flavorful biscuit.

drop biscuits 3

Those were the first of many biscuits I made that weekend at the request of my house guests. On Sunday morning we served them with my new favorite honey- Bee in Your Bonnet (I’m especially loving the vanilla bean and hibiscus), sausage that Dan and Aaron made and smoked, cheese, peach jam, and salted butter.

drop biscuits 7

drop biscuits 8

I spent the weekend being incredibly grateful for two things. I cannot believe my fortune that Dan counts the partners of my closest friends as some of his closest friends. It was so wonderful for me to spend the weekend with Brit and Kellie, and it was even more incredible to watch the men in our lives hang out and bond. I’m also very glad that we’ve finally reached the point in our lives where hanging out at home with our friends, eating biscuits and smoking sausage is something everyone unanimously agrees is the best choice. There is no way I would rather spend my time.

drop biscuits 1

Drop Biscuits
makes 7-8 biscuits

4 cups flour

2 tsps baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsps salt

2 sticks butter

2 1/4 cups buttermilk

Heat oven to 400F.

Mix together dry ingredients. Cube butter and work in with your hands, breaking the butter up into small pieces and mixing in with the dry ingredients, until the texture resembles cornmeal. Stir in the buttermilk.

Use a spoon to drop the dough into a drop biscuit pan or onto a lined baking sheet.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

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Lovely Internet 1.16.15

1. A formula for love.

2. A shark giving birth caught for the first time on camera!

3. Don’t soak your beans!

4. The new Nordic diet. (this sums up how we eat 100%)

5. YES THIS EXACTLY.

6. When I started this blog six years ago I made a decision to focus on Southern food and to stay strict with myself about what sorts of recipes and methods fit into that niche. I’ve never regretted that decision, but it was validating to read an argument supporting my commitment to staying within my genre.

7. I knew she looked familiar!

8. When I was a kid I sliced my foot on barnacles trying to get onto my Uncle Bill’s jet ski. It was 1) my birthday 2) one of many times I fainted at the sight of my own blood and 3) the only time I’ve ever been stabbed by a delicacy.

9. Dan and my cousin Sean are reenacting the Battle of Fort Fisher this weekend and HOLY SMOKES am I excited! I have requested that Dan die tragically in at least one of the battles.

10. I’ve never been particularly good at makeup (this is where everyone who knew me in high school and college and most of my 20s snorts in agreement), but every once in a while I make a small effort. I was recently sent some em cosmetics and I have to say, they’re pretty awesome. I’ve been using them for the past few months and never had I had such success in looking very put together with very little effort on my part.

For more tidbits from Elena the person, follow me on twitter (@elenabrent or @biscuitsandsuch), instagrampinterest or facebook. Subscribe to my bloglovin’ feed to make sure you never miss a post. Follow along with MissElenaeous for thoughts on everything other than Southern food.

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Meyer ’15

As I get older I’m learning to focus on the things in my life that are fulfilling, that make me a happier and more well rounded person. I’ve learned to say no to certain things and hell yes to others. It’s a daily practice of focusing on what actually brings me joy and eliminating what doesn’t.

meyer lemon cocktail 1

This shift has changed the way that I think about many things, but in particular it’s changed how I feel about the ways that I socialize and enjoy time with our friends. Over the past few weeks we’ve had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with some of our very best friends, just relaxing. We cooked and ate amazing food, talked and told stories and listened and laughed and enjoyed each other’s company in the comfort of our homes. It has been lovely.

meyer lemons

I count myself very lucky to have the friends that I have, from childhood, high school, college, our time in Baltimore, and now our friends in Wilmington. Spending the first two weeks of the new year with some of the most important people in my life has been a gift, and it’s given me a pretty good feeling of what this year could be.

meyer lemon cocktail 3

Before Christmas I made a few batches of candied meyer lemons, and I brought the meyer lemon infused syrup with us for cocktails. For New Year’s Eve we tried a spin on a French 75, mixing gin, syrup, and prosecco, which was delightful! Meyer lemons have a lovely marmalade flavor that paired nicely with the gin and dry prosecco. I dubbed it the Meyer ’15- a cocktail that is the perfect balance of tartness, sweetness, and bubbles. A great way to start a new year!

meyer lemon cocktail 4

Meyer ’15

makes 4

4 oz gin

4 oz meyer lemon simple syrup

16 oz prosecco

Lemon for garnish

Fill each glass with 1 shot of gin and 1 shot of simple syrup, and top with prosecco. Give it a good stir and garnish with a lemon slice. Serve and enjoy!

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