Favorite Fall Recipes

Today I have been working on giving this shabby old blog a facelift! I've added a new background and a couple of new pages at the top - "About" and "Recipes". The About page is exactly what it sounds like - a description of who I am and what biscuits and honey is. I'm very excited about the Recipes page. This will give everyone a much easier way to access all the recipes I've posted here. It's a work in progress, so bear with me as I update it and categorize everything. It has been really fun working on it, though. I've loved going back and re-reading posts, looking at the evolution of my blog. In some ways, it's a little like ready a diary I wrote as a child. It's endearing yet a little bit embarrasing in a way. I've had such lofty goals and desired such big things for this little place on the web, but it seems they've never been fulfilled. But still, I am going to press on and try my best to keep it up, little by little, if I can.

So since I've had this nostalgic time of re-living recipes and blog posts, I wanted to re-visit some of my favorite fall recipes. I just adore fall - the changing of the leaves, the crispness, the flavors, football, and gatherings of family and friends. It's the ushering in of sweater weather and the busyness of the holiday season. I hope one of these recipes gives you an idea and makes it a little easier for you to get dinner on the table this week.

Chicken Corn Chowder - I love this soup. It's easy and light, with a hint of cayenne to warm things up a bit. It tastes like something from Atlanta Bread Company or Panera, so it's sure to impress.

Taco Soup - Who doesn't love Taco Soup? It's super easy to make and perfect for any gathering. I love to make this in the Crock Pot on Mondays and then we have it for lunches for the rest of the week.

Spicy Chili with Cornbread Waffles - Now this is a great recipe! I never would've thought to pair waffles and chili, but it's such a great combination. This would be absolutely perfect for a football party. Your guests will be so impressed with the creativity and deliciousness of this recipe, and you will love how easy it is!

Changes & A New Challenge

Hello again. Is there anyone out there? I would definitely be surprised if anyone was still aware of my little blog out here. Life got in the way, and my posting ceased. I've been mulling over what I wanted to do with this blog for a long while, and I've missed writing in it terribly.

After much thought, I've kind of settled on making biscuits & honey a blog not just about food, but about my life. Since I stopped writing, we've made some changes in how we approach food at my house. I've always been a proponent of homemade and gourmet, but now we are trying to incorporate as much natural, organic, and local food into our diets as we can. It hasn't been easy, especially on our budget, but I am thoroughly convinced it's more than worth it.

Also, as you may or may not know, I made the decision not to participate in the same local farmer's market that I sold baked goods at last year. I've missed it, but I have to say the break has been nice. I've been cooking and baking mostly for my family, friends, and church, and it's been really nice. And so many times, I've wanted to share those things with you.

I had the opportunity to meet with a local business owner here in town who has her own restaurant and catering business and has been in the food business for over thirty years. While I don't think the timing is right to open my own business right now, she suggested a project I had actually thought about and had been wanting to tackle for a while: to cook my way through a cookbook. And since baking is my thing, I am going to try to bake 1 recipe a week from a cookbook from now until whenever I finish. This is going to be a huge challenge for me, since we lead such a busy life, but I really am going to try hard to do it! The book I've chosen is Ready for Dessert: My Best Recipes by David Lebovitz. He is very well respected in the pastry world, and I believe the book is the right skill level for me - just the right mix of challenging and fun recipes. I am really looking forward to tackling this!

In other news, we got a puppy. Her name is Tallulah Mae (we call her Tallulah, Lulah, or Lulah Mae), and I couldn't imagine my life without her. She is the cutest little red and white basset hound. You'll probably be hearing a lot more about her on here.

I am so excited to return to the world of blogging! I can't wait to share my stories and creations with you.

Where I've Been

This past month, biscuits & honey has kind of fallen off the food blogger map (so to speak), so I wanted to let you all know I am not giving up on this blog. I've been really busy the past month or so with baking for the Farmer's Market each weekend (see previous post), a couple in our small group had their first (adorable) child, two of my best friends got married (Congratulations, Matt and Sarah!), and I'm in the process of starting my very own bakery delivery service (see theflourgirl.wordpress.com), so I've been super busy. I've done a lot of cooking, but it's been so hurried there's been no time for pictures. I hope to return this month with lots of delicious recipes to for you to read about and try. So stay tuned!

Crispy Salmon Cakes with Lemon Caper Mayonnaise

So it would seem I have fallen off the food blogging universe. My posts are basically non existent in the month of May. That's what an extremely busy month will do! Between all of our commitments and family gatherings every weekend, my hubby and I also celebrated our one year wedding anniversary. It's hard for me to believe we've already come to the one year mark! We celebrated by taking a trip to the beautiful Florida gulf coast and of course, enjoying some great food. Our anniversary meal was shared at this wonderful bistro..... there truly is nothing better than fresh seafood caught right off the coast. It was one of the best meals I have ever had.

This seafood meal is by no means 5 star restaurant worthy, but it is definitely a wonderful meal for a busy weeknight, and I think it is even special and delicious enough to entertain with. It's a good one to keep on file because it uses simple ingredients that can easily be found in your pantry. You could even substitute the salmon for tuna if you do not have canned salmon on hand. I served these alongside roasted brussels sprouts, but any fresh vegetable side would be wonderful.

Crispy Salmon Cakes with Lemon Caper Mayonnaise
recipe adapted from Robyn Webb, Cooking Light, APRIL 2001

Ingredients

Flavored Mayonnaise*:
*I did not have capers on hand, so I left them out. I also added a few dashes of Texas Pete in lieu of the cayenne pepper, and it turned out great.

• 6 tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons capers
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 
  Salmon Cakes:
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, divided
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/4 cup finely chopped celery (I subbed carrots)
  
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 3/4 cup crushed fat free saltine crackers, divided (I subbed these with panko breadcrumbs)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 (7.5-ounce) cans salmon, drained, flaked, and bone pieces removed
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

Directions

To prepare flavored mayonnaise, combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl; cover and chill.

To prepare salmon cakes, heat 1 teaspoon oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and celery; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Combine onion mixture, 1/2 cup crackers, mustard, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, salmon, and egg in a medium bowl. Divide salmon mixture into 4 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick patty. Coat each patty with 1 tablespoon crackers. Cover and chill 20 minutes.

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Add patties; cook for 5 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Serve the salmon cakes with flavored mayonnaise.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 306 (32% from fat)

Fat: 11g (sat 2.6g,mono 3.4g,poly 3.9g)

Protein: 22.8g

Carbohydrate: 27.3g

Fiber: 1.1g

Cholesterol: 55mg

Iron: 3mg

Sodium: 1214mg

Calcium: 215mg

where i've been....

You may or may not have noticed, but posts have been sparse this March here at biscuits & honey. The reason for this is that my dear husband has been on a business trip to Japan for the past two weeks, and decided to take our one camera with him! So, whatever little cooking I did do was never photographed. Just wanted to let you all know where I've been and to expect lots of new posts within the next week or so!

I can't wait to go pick my hubby up from the airport tonight... I am very excited and have a special meal and planned for him (and breakfast tomorrow morning, too!). Yesterday I even got a surprise from him in the mail - a beautiful Japanese tea set! He's the best!

I'll see you soon with lots of delicious recipes! Thanks for hangin' in there with me!

coming soon....

Hi everyone! As you can probably tell from my lack of entries, the holidays really got in my way of posting here. I have a backlog of recipes to share with you, so hopefully I can get those up soon. The only problem is we are dog sitting for my in-laws this week (and staying at their home) so my camera and everything else is at home! So, for now, I will give you a little preview of what's coming soon....

• Newer, Healthier Recipes. This is something that I'm going to try to make a priority this year. My husband and I really need to get better about eating healthier and exercising, which is really hard for me given that 1) I LOVE to cook and it will be a challenge trying to make my favorite dishes delicious and healthy; and 2) we are so busy, which makes a healthy lifestyle that much harder. But I hope we can do it! Of course, I will still be baking and making desserts and everything; they just may get sent promptly off to my work instead of sitting around our house. I need to lose a few pounds after the holidays!
• Daring Bakers Challenge. Last month, I told you about the Daring Bakers. I had really, really looked forward to my first challenge, but due to the busyness of that month, I was unable to complete it. However, this month, I fully intend on doing so and I am completely excited about it! Look for that post near the end of the month.

I hope you and your families had a wonderful holiday and have a blessed and happy 2009!