Welcome to Southern Maryland Cooking!

My photo
Southern Maryland is a beautiful piece of country nestled between the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River. Our area is rich with farmland, Amish and Mennonite communities, farmer's markets, roadside stands, beautiful waterways and seductive scenery. Southern Marylander's are famous for crabs, oysters, rockfish, and "Southern Maryland Stuffed Ham." Although we are very proud of our famous dishes and relish every opportunity to get together to enjoy them, not everything we eat is seasoned with Old Bay. We do eat "regular" food too. :o) Many families have been here for generation upon generation, each of them blessing the next with many treasured recipes. Our region is populated with several military bases, giving us the added benefit of diverse recipe collections. I hope to share with you our true food heritage, our famous recipes, and some of the diversity we've picked up along the way.

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Biscuits for a Crowd

Makes about 45-50 Biscuits (depending on the size you cut 'em)
  • 8 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup baking powder
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 cups very cold butter
  • 4 eggs
  • 2-2/3 cups milk

DIRECTIONS

  1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. One handy trick is to freeze the butter and grate it or you can use a knife to cut it into smaller chunks. The colder it is, the flakier the biscuits. If you're worried that your butter got too warm while mixing it, simply place the bowl in the fridge for a few minutes.
  2. Beat egg with milk; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. It should look soupy and gloppy. (heavy duty terminology there!)
  3. Turn onto a well-floured surface; sprinkle flour all over the top. Pat the mixture gently to form a rectangle. Carefully, fold the rectangle like a tri-fold letter. Sprinkle with a little more flour if it gets sticky. Form it into a rectangle with your hands again and repeat the tri-fold. And do it one more time. In other words, you will form a rectangle three times and fold it into a tri-fold letter three times.
  4. Roll to 3/4-in. thickness; cut with a floured biscuit cutter. I use a drinking glass or an old jelly jar. Arrange the biscuits on the baking sheet so that the sides are touching. Bake at 450 degrees F for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.
These make yummy sandwich biscuits! Also, a note on the butter: you can use one cup shortening in place of the butter OR you could even use half butter/half shortening. Just make sure it's cold.

Don't need to feed a crowd? Just a family?

Here's the family size ingredient list (mixing/prep instructions are the same):
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3 teaspoons sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
  • 1 egg
  • 2/3 cup milk

  • All I want for Christmas is you...

    Oh baby.... come to mama!



    THE KITCHENAID 600 -

    6 Quart Stand Mixer in Nickel Pearl Grey


    Isn't that the most beautiful thing you have EVER seen? *sigh*


    6 qt. Professional 600™ series model mixer with 575 watt motor



    Mixes up to
    14 cups of all-purpose flour per batch


    Soft Start™ speed helps prevent splattering with a slower beginning speed
    Multi-purpose attachment hub powers optional attachments to simplify food preparation
    Electronic speed sensor monitors operation
    67 point planetary mixing action for quick, complete mixing
    PowerKnead™ spiral dough hook, flat beater and wire whip included
    10-speed control from very high to a very slow stir
    Churns through yeast bread dough and triple batches of cookie dough.

    Monday, November 17, 2008

    Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup - Magic in a pot!


    Yummm!  Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup!!

    Between working full-time in a busy office, parenting a crew of "young adults" (21, 20, 19, 16) and a 9 nine year old little man, raising a feisty little Jack Russell named Lucy, trying to pay attention to my husband, cooking, homework, cleaning (AUGH! "Calgon take me away" as the commercial says!)  I am incredibly busy - all the time!  I know, who isn't, right?  Well, sometimes this means ordering food on the run, a lot of "fend for yourself" nights, and just overall stress trying to get everyone fed something healthy and home cooked while meeting all of the demands of the day.  So whenever life allows it, I try to stock up on some home cooked meals that are quick grabs during the work week.

    Now, making this chicken noodle soup is not quick by any means.  This one takes a little work but I assure you... I promise you... it is well worth it!  This soup has been known to heal marriages, bring back that lovin' feeling, shorten the duration of the common cold and other "feeling ucky" ailments, and make everyone you love and miss come flocking to your kitchen to give you hugs, praises and smiles.  No kidding.  It's that good.

    Today's Accomplishments:

    • Reserved 1 quart homemade chicken stock to keep in the freezer for future recipes
    • Stored two large containers of homemade chicken noodle soup in the freezer
    • Stored four serving size portions of chicken noodle soup in the freezer for quick one-person meals
    • Stored one large container of homemade chicken noodle soup in the fridge for tomorrow
    • Made every member of my household come emerging from their respective corners, pulling themselves away from video games, the computers, from the phone, from texting, from sleeping in the recliner, from watching t.v., from playing around outside - from everywhere - to the kitchen where they all said "Oh my God that smells so good!" while they looked around with eyes like saucers trying to find the goods.
    • Made my husband treat me like a newlywed - he kept telling me how beautiful I was, putting his arms around me, and looking over my shoulder into the pot to see how it was coming.  He also kept telling me "God, you are a good woman." and "I'm the luckiest man alive." (I'm telling you, this stuff is powerful!)

    You are probably sick of me rambling by now, if you are still here.  So I guess I better tell you how it was done... let's get cookin'!  

     

    Ingredient List 1 (starting the broth):

    3   TBSP butter

    2   TBSP minced garlic

    2   medium onions, peeled and quartered

    5-6   stalks of celery (just using the ends/tops in this section)

    5-6   carrots (just using the tips/bottoms in this section)

    1 1/2   gallons water

    1 3-5   pound whole chicken

    1   TBSP salt

    1   very large pot

    Ingredient List 2 (Make the soup!):

    2-3   medium onions, peeled and chopped

    8      chicken bullion cubes

    2-3   TBSP poultry seasoning

    1       TBSP Thyme

    1-2   TBSP Salt

    1-2    tsp pepper

    5-6   stalks of celery (using the middle parts in this section)

    5-6   carrots, peeled/sliced (using the middle parts in this section)

    Noodles – At the very end!


    You will need a very large pot.  I used my 22 quart canning pot.  In this section, don't worry about how pretty the vegetables are cut because you are going to strain them out and toss them.  At this point, they are being used to flavor your broth.

     

    Start the BROTH

    1. Add 3 TBSP butter to pot.  Turn the pot on medium heat.  
    2. Add about 2 TBSP of minced garlic to the butter.  
    3. Peel and quarter 2 medium onions and add to the pot.  Stir it around a bit.
    4. Cut the tops and bottoms off of 5 or 6 stalks of celery.  Rinse the celery and add to the pot. 
    5. Cut the tops and tips off about 5-6 carrots, rinse and add them to the pot.  
    6. Reserve the remainder of the celery and carrots for later.  
    7. Stir this around for about 3-5 minutes.  
    8. Add 1 1/2 gallons of water to the pot.
    9. Wash one whole chicken in cold water, remove innards, wash inside and out.  Add whole chicken to pot.
    10. Open the pouch of innards, rinse with cold water and add to the pot.
    11. Leave the pot on the stove cooking at a simmer, not a boil and WALK AWAY.  This is going to cook for 3-4 hours.  

    See how the chicken is sunk to the bottom when you start out?

    Before I made it to step eight, four members of my family came looking for me in the kitchen to find out what it was and wanted to know if they could eat it right now.  


    After about 3-4 hours, your chicken should be done.  In fact, it should be floating to the top by now and beginning to fall off the bone.  Perfect! 

     

    See how the chicken rises to the top after it's cooked?

    1.  Very carefully, remove the chicken from the pot and set aside. 
    2. Strain all the veggies from the pan, leaving only the broth (toss the veggies you removed from the pan). 
    3. Let the juices in the pan settle for a few minutes so all the fat/oils float back to the top.  Use a ladle to gently push down around the edges on top of the broth to remove the layer of fat/oils.
    4. While the chicken is cooling a bit, add 5 or 6 peeled sliced carrots, 2-3 medium (peeled/chopped) onions, 6 stalks of celery (sliced). 
    5. Add 8 bullion cubes to the broth (we are making a LOT here).  Add 2-3 TBSP poultry seasoning, 1-2 TBSP salt, 2 tsp pepper, 1 TBSP thyme.
    6. Cook at a simmer until the vegetables are fork tender.
    • A note on seasoning:  Start out with half of the seasoning called for in the recipe.  Put a little of the broth in a dish and do a taste test.  If you think it needs more, gradually add more, repeating the taste test until your tongue is doing a happy dance in your mouth.
    • ** A note on how to cut the vegetables:  My daughter always asks me "how do you want them cut?" and my answer is "Imagine this food on your fork or spoon and cut it to the size you would like to eat."  It's that simple.  So cut yours however you like it.  We like ours country style, meaning slightly large uneven chunks.

    At the very end:

    1  16 ounce package noodles of your choice

    Add package of noodles to pot and cook until done to your liking.

    I used a brand called “Grandma’s homestyle noodles” (found at Walmart), and so far I think they are the best I’ve tried.  Often times, I will make dumplings and drop them in.  Since I found these noodles, I make dumplings less often.  Another trick, in place of pre-packaged noodles or homemade dumplings, is to use a can of flakey biscuits.  Cut the biscuits in half or quarters, then peel some of the layers apart, and drop them in.  Don’t stir them or they will dissolve.  Drop them in and walk away for about 10 minutes, come back and use the back of your spoon to push them down and walk away again for another 10 minutes – keep doing this until you are happy with what it looks like.

     

    Saturday, November 8, 2008

    Deep Dish Cream Cheese Danish


    Deep Dish Cream Cheese Danish

    2 cans crescent rolls

    2 8 oz. blocks cream cheese (softened)

    1 cup sugar, plus 1 TBSP for later

    1 stick of butter (softened)

    1 tsp vanilla

    1 tsp cinnamon, plus ½ tsp for later

    Spread one can of rolls in the bottom of a 9x9 square baking dish.  It doesn’t have to be perfect but try to lay them so you can’t see the bottom of the pan peeking through.  It’s ok to overlap them.  Really.  It is. 

    Mix 2 blocks cream cheese, 1 stick of butter, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp cinnamon and 1 cup sugar.  Beat well. Give the beaters to your favorite 9 year old.  :o) smile.

    Spread half the mixture over rolls.  Spread the other can of rolls on top of the cream cheese mixture.  Spread remaining mixture on top. Mix 1 TBSP sugar and ½ tsp cinnamon together and sprinkle all over the top. 

    I had plenty of crescent rolls in my pan, so I kept two pieces out and saved them to lay on the top.

    Pause.  Take a minute to reassure yourself that you are NOT going to eat the whole pan, therefore it’s ok.  It’s O – K!

    Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.  Allow to cool for about 10-20 minutes so it sets up well.

     

    Variations

    • Replace Vanilla with Maple flavoring or Almond extract or Butter Rum extract or whatever flavoring you’d like to try. When I make these with maple flavoring, my kids like to drizzle a little maple syrup over them at the table.
    • Replace Cinnamon with pumpkin pie spice or mulling spice or whatever you would like to try.
    • Instead of splitting the cream cheese mixture into two layers, you can spread the entire mixture over the bottom layer of crescent rolls, then top with the other can of crescent rolls.  If you do it this way, omit the butter from the cream cheese mixture.  After you top the cream cheese layer with the second can of crescent rolls, pour the melted stick of butter all over the top and then sprinkle your cinnamon/sugar mixture (or whatever you pick) over the top and bake.

     

    Thursday, November 6, 2008

    Cherry Crisp Pie











    The name of this should be "Easy Peasy Super Fast Cherry Crisp Pie" or "Whoopee! No kids tonight pie!"  This is so quick and easy and yummy!  Okay, so I use the term "pie" here very loosely and really only because I make it in a pie pan.  But that doesn't really matter - it's just GOOD!

    I make another version of this with granola cereal that I actually like better but the name of my game is always to try to use what I have on hand and make it work.  This is what I do when I'm out of granola cereal.  I promise when I get some granola cereal to post the other recipe.  ;o)

    Ingredients:
    1 1/2 cups Quick Oats
    1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
    3 TBSP melted butter
    2 TBSP all-purpose flour
    1 can cherry pie filling (21 oz)
    1 pretty pie pan

    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

    In a medium bowl, add the oats, brown sugar and flour and mix it up.  

    Drizzle the melted butter all over the oatmeal mix and mix it up again.

    Pour half the mixture into your pie plate.

    Pour cherry pie filling on top of the oatmeal mixture in the pie plate.

    Spread the remaining half of the oatmeal mixture all over the top of the cherry pie filling.

    Bake in the oven at 350 for 35 minutes.


    Spoon some out onto some cute little dessert plates and let it get all mixed up...yummo!


    Wednesday, November 5, 2008

    Italian Chicken Noodle Casserole

    We bought some of those pre-marinated chicken breasts and had them for dinner one night. They are pretty yummy! There were 2 breasts leftover and already cooked - so I decided to create something to stretch 2 chicken breasts out to feed a family of 7. I usually fly by the seat of my pants in the kitchen, so here's what we came up with:

    2 chicken breasts (I used the pre-marinated kind and pre-cooked)
    1 pkg angel hair pasta
    1 can cream of mushroom soup
    1 can cream of chicken soup
    1 large can of sliced mushrooms
    1 small can of sliced black olives
    1 soup can of milk
    2 tsp soy sauce (or teryaki sauce)
    2 Medium Onions
    2 cloves garlic
    Italian Seasoning
    Bread crumbs
    Olive oil

    Preheat the oven to 375

    Start a pan of water and cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and pour into 9x13 casserole dish.

    While the pasta is cooking, add about 2 TBSP of olive oil, 2 cloves of minced garlic, and 2 diced onions to a skillet and saute until the onions are almost done.

    Pour the contents of the skillet into the casserole dish on top of the noodles.

    Dice the 2 pre-cooked chicken breasts and add to the casserole dish.

    Add drained mushrooms and olives.

    In a separate bowl, mix together the cans of cream of mushroom and cream of chicken soups, 1 can of milk, 2 tsp soy sauce, and about 2 TBSP of Italian Seasoning. Mix it up until smooth :o)

    Pour the soup mixture over the casserole and mix it all up.

    Sprinkle about 1/2 cup of Italian Seasoned bread crumbs all over the top of the casserole.
    (I had plain bread crumbs - so I put my breadcrumbs in a sandwich baggie, added a generous sprinkling of Italian Seasoning and some salt - shook it all up and sprinkled that on top of mine)

    Drizzle about 1/4 cup olive oil over the top of the bread crumbs.

    Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes uncovered.

    This turned out so yummy and creamy!

    If I had parmesan cheese, I might have added that in too - but like I said, I was flying by the seat of my pants and trying to figure out how to feed 7 people with 2 chicken breasts and NOT have to go shopping. :o) And feed the crowd I did. They loved it!

    To spice it up, you could make a side of tomatoes, olive oil, and diced onions to sprinkle on top, add some fresh shredded parmesan cheese, and serve with garlic bread.