Buttermilk Biscuits and Gravy

Buttermilk Biscuits

4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup vegetable shortening, cold, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 to 2 cups buttermilk, plus additional for brushing

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Cut in the shortening using a pastry blender or your hands or a stand mixer fixed with a dough hook until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center and add 1 cup buttermilk. Using your hands, quickly fold the dry ingredients into the buttermilk until a sticky dough forms. You may need to add more buttermilk.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Gently fold the dough over itself 3 or 4 times to create layers. Press the dough out to 1 1/2-inches thick and cut with a floured 3-inch biscuit cutter. Lay the biscuits on an ungreased cookie sheet and brush the tops with buttermilk. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until risen and golden brown.

Sawmill Gravy

1 pound bulk breakfast sausage
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook sausage in a cast iron skillet. When done, remove sausage from pan and pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat. Whisk flour into the fat and cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and whisk in milk a little at a time. Return to medium-high heat and stir occasionally while the gravy comes to a simmer and thickens. (Be sure to scrape up any brown bits that might be stuck to the bottom of the pan, that's where the flavor is.) Check seasoning, add crumbled sausage and serve over toast or biscuits.

Café Rio Lime-Cilantro Rice

1 lbs long grain rice
1 bunch cilantro
2 lime’s juice
4 cloves garlic
4 C water
Salt to taste

Put cilantro and garlic on a frying pan. Then add rice, sauté for 3-5 minutes.
Add 4 cups of water and the lime juice.
Put in the rice cooker. Add salt to taste.

Café Rio dressing

1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing
1 C Buttermilk
1 C mayo
3 Tomatillos (husked and quartered)
3 cloves of garlic
1 C fresh cilantro
½ tsp cayenne pepper

Peel, quarter and microwave tomatillos for 5 minutes in a ¼ C of water. Save the water.
Put all ingredients into a blender, and blend until smooth.
Let cool.

Use this on beans and rice, or in a salad

Pulled Pork-Cafe Rio style

1 Large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 can diced green chiles
4 oz+ brown sugar
2 cans Classic Coke
2 T White Vinegar
4 C Ketchup
1 T Olive oil
1 Large pork loin

1. Brown pork loin in all sides in 1 T olive oil on a hot frying pan. Remove and put into a crock pot.
2. Saute onion, garlic, brown sugar and chiles on the same pan. Remove and put aside.
3. Deglace pan with ½ can of Coke. Add rest of the Coke and make syrup by boiling the Coke for about 45 minutes.
4. Add White Vinegar and ketchup to syrup. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the onion mixture, and cook for a few minutes more.
5. Pour the onion-syrup mixture on top of the pork loin. Cook on low for 10 hours.
6. Pull apart the meat, and cook for 2 hours more.

Divide in baggies and put into the freezer for later use. Great on tostadas, tacos etc.

Creamy Italian Chicken

2-3 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup butter, melted
8 oz. container cream cheese with chives, softened (I didn’t find one, so I bought a regular container of cream cheese and then bought some chives, and chopped them)
10 oz. can condensed cream of mushroom soup with roasted garlic
0.7 oz. pkg. Italian dressing mix
1-2 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Preparation:

Cut chicken breasts into strips and place into a 3-4 quart crock pot. In a medium bowl, combine melted butter, softened cream cheese, soup, Italian dressing mix, broth, Italian seasoning, and pepper and stir until blended. Pour over chicken in crock pot. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Stir well, then serve over hot cooked pasta or rice.

Sachertorte Cookies

Ingredients:

1 C butter, softened
1 pkg. (3.9 oz) instant chocolate pudding mix
1 egg
2 C flour

1/4 C sugar
1/2 C apricot preserves

Glaze:

1/3 C semisweet chocolate chips
1 T butter

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and pudding mix. Beat in egg. Stir in flour until thorougly combined. Shape dough into 1-1/4-in. balls; roll in sugar. Place 2 in. apart on un-greased baking sheet. Using the end of a wooden spoon handle, make a indentation in the center of each ball.

Bake at 325 F for 15-18 mins or until set. Cook for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks. Fill indentation with preserves.

For glaze, in a small microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate chips and butter. Cool slightly; stir until smooth. Drizzle over cookies. Cool completely.

Yield: 2-1/2 dozen