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This really shouldn’t warrant its own post, but I just couldn’t help myself. I love garlic knots. When I was a kid, I would go skiing at a local ski lodge {read: very tiny, nothing fancy} with an after school program. My mom would arm me {and my brother, who was in high school} with a few bucks for dinner. Typically dinner involved the lodge’s garlic knots and a cookies & cream candy bar.
When I saw this on pinterest, I had to repin it.
Then I forgot about it. I don’t even think I read the recipe.
Then I saw it again. Looked at the recipe and remembered that I had a half roll of Pillsbury biscuits in my fridge.
So I made them. And they were delicious.
{really bad photo of really yummy things}
1 tube of refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1/4 cup of canola oil
3 tbs grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp parsley flakes
Roll out the biscuits {with your hands} into about a 12 inch rope {give or take}. Make it into a knot, tucking under the ends. Place about 2 inches apart on a greased baking sheet {or one lined with foil to make life easier}. Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes.
While baking, mix remaining ingredients in a bowl. Brush on knots when they come out of the oven. {Note: I put a little bit on the knots before putting them into the oven too. I made too much of the mixture so I figured why not get the extra flavor, right?}
Then you’re done.
PS- I must confess I made these last Spring and wrote the post in July. Came in handy considering I didn’t prepare for blogging this week! 
This past summer I had most every evening of the week free as J was taking an evening class. I got sucked into quite a few summer shows, but mostly I became obsessed with Master Chef. I’ve never gotten into reality shows or cooking shows, but this one hooked me. Then, there was an episode where the contestants were required to make a cake. Ben Starr made his signature pumpkin carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and candied hazelnuts. Instantly I put it on my list of things to make.
As this isn’t my recipe, I’ll just direct you here to find it. I followed it word for word. Right down to toasting the spices. I was trying something a little different though and used two bundt cakes instead of regular cake rounds. It was suppose to look like this. But it didn’t. It’s okay, it was still delicious. Here is a quick visual of the process of making this cake. Caution: you will be drooling by the end.
1. All of the ingredients laid out.
2. Mixing all of the spices before giving them a nice toasting.
3. Stiff peaks! I messed this part up a bit. Still worked though!
4. Mixing it all together.
5. The cake that loved its pan too much to leave it.
1. Making some candy coating.
2. Covering the hazelnuts in candy.
3. Whipping that cream cheese frosting!
And finally…
Drumroll please…
THE FINISHED CAKE!
It took me nearly all day to make it. I took quote a few breaks of course, but it really was labor intensive! It was all worth it in the end, though, when it was time to slice it up and eat it!
From what I hear, the in-laws were mightily impressed.
Lately, J and I decided to do the South Beach Diet again. We are people of weak wills, so we have already completely failed, but I wanted to share one of my new favorite recipes with you from our most recent attempt.
When I saw this recipe for chicken nuggets, I couldn’t pass it up. Kalyn’s Kitchen is a great foodie blog, and she too has gone through the struggle of South Beach and often shares recipes for it. I changed the recipe up a bit based on the foods that we had, so here it is!
Almond Meal Chicken Tenders
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
(I used a package that were already cut into tenders)
EVOO
1/2 cup almond meal
(I only had almonds, so I just ground them up until I got about half a cup. Don’t grind too much or you’ll just have almond butter.)
Spices
(she calls for paprika and poultry seasoning, I just used some basil, oregano and Lawry’s Seasoned Salt)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat baking sheet in EVOO and place in oven while it is preheating. Trim fat and tenderize chicken a bit (if needed). Combine almond meal and spices in a small bowl. Dip chicken tenders in mixture until fully coated. Remove baking sheet from oven and place coated chicken tenders on it while it is still hot.
Bake 8-10 minutes, turn chicken tenders, and bake an additional 10-12 minutes until browned on both sides. (Time will of course vary between ovens, but try not to overcook!) I served them with some ranch dressing, but they tasted wonderful alone with no dipping sauce!
That’s it! I also served them with some green beans tossed in EVOO and some garlic salt (in our kitchen, veggies are always made better by some garlic salt… yum.)
Hope you enjoy these! They were certainly a hit for us and I take comfort knowing I can make some tasty chicken tenders or nuggets for future children who are begging for a less healthy version.
Hello again, everyone! It’s Brandi from Not Your Average Ordinary and I’m back with another post – a food post. Last September, I started a second blog, Pizzelles, that focuses entirely on food. I couldn’t help it – I love cooking and baking and trying new things. I could just direct you over there for some delicious recipes, but I decided to write something special for you (and Kate) today.
One of my absolute favorite things to make just as the weather starts to get warmer is grilled pizza. Honestly, I even considered pulling the barbecue inside so I could grill pizza all year round, but my understanding is that’s a bit of a fire hazard.
This is one of the easiest and most delicious recipes I know. You’ll need some pizza dough (check any local Italian bakeries – they’ll make it best if you don’t want to make it yourself) and your favorite toppings.
You’ll also need a good rolling pin to get the dough flat after you stretch it out, and a pizza peel. You might be hesitant at first to buy a pizza peel, but trust me, it’s a fantastic tool to have around, makes this whole process much easier, and will look fantastic on your wall!
Grilled Pizza
(adapted from Alton Brown)
Heat the gas grill to high. Make sure all the grill grates are clean and have no debris on them. Stretch the dough out on a floured surface and transfer it to the floured peel.
Decrease the grill heat to medium. Rub the grill grates down with olive oil. All you need is an old kitchen towel rolled up and tied with string; brush it with olive oil and use that to oil the grates.
Brush one side of the pizza with olive oil and place that side onto the grill. Leave room to roast some sliced tomatoes on one side (this is so much better than regular sauce). Close the lid and wait about 1-2 minutes, until the tomatoes soften and the bottom of the pizza is golden (or as you like it).
Pull pizza off the grill will the peel, oil side that was facing up and flip back onto the grill again, oiled side down (you’re cooking both sides). Remove tomatoes from grill and place them on pizza, smashing them down. Add mozzarella cheese on top and any toppings that may need to cook. (You can also grill additional toppings as you grill the tomatoes.) Close lid and wait another 1-2 minutes, or until bottom is golden brown and cheese has melted.
Serve immediate and enjoy.
Fantastically simple, no?
{all photos by Brandi}
It’s been quite a while since I shared a favorite recipe with you hasn’t it? Sadly, that is because I am absolutely horrible at remembering to take photos of my food before I eat it!
Whenever someone makes a pork tenderloin I absolutely love it… but I didn’t think I would be able to make one of my own. I finally got the guts to try… and I wasn’t disappointed!
Rosemary Tenderloin
1 clove garlic
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 pork tenderloin (3/4 lb)
1/2 tsp dried rosemary leaves, crumbled
Preheat to 425 degrees. Spray baking pan with cooking spray. Crush garlic. Spring salt and pepper over all sides of tenderloin. Rub rosemary and garlic on all sides. Place pork in pan. Bake! 27-30 minutes or until meat is 160 degrees (slightly pink). Easy, right? Thanks Betty Crocker!
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| (adorable little measuring “spoons” from Anthropologie!) |
Red Potato Fries
Slice them up real thin (use about a 1lb of potatoes) and soak them in cold water for about 5 minutes. Rinse and dry. Toss in large bowl is 1 tbsp of olive oil then coat with salt, garlic salt, seasoned salt… basically anything you want! Bake on cookie sheet at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. Flip slices and cook for another 5-10 minutes until crispy!
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| cut them even thinner than this… the thinner the crispier and the crispier the better! |
Serve the two together – delicious and easy dinner!
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| okay I’m not that great, a little undercooked. I put the meat back in the oven for a few more minutes! |
Now to recreate my brother’s amazing pork tenderloin that he made for us last June…
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