Easy Sour Cream Biscuits for Two
I love biscuits for breakfast but most of the time I don’t feel like going to the trouble of cutting in butter, and rolling out and cutting the dough, especially before coffee! I just want a hassle free breakfast. These biscuits are light, tender and buttery with a nice tang from the sour cream and a golden-brown exterior. I like that they make such a small batch and that’s another reason I want a simple recipe. It just doesn’t seem worth it to go to a lot of trouble for 4 biscuits. I need a recipe that’s quick and easy and this one is just that! Just stir, scoop, and bake!
Go ahead and adjust your oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Whisk all dry ingredients together in a medium bowl.
Add the sour cream and 2 tablespoons of the melted butter into the dry ingredients.
Stir everything until just combined.
Using a quarter cup spring-loaded ice cream scoop, or a greased 1/4 cup measuring cup, scoop out and drop the dough onto the parchment paper lined baking sheet spacing them out about 2 inches apart. Brush them with the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons melted butter and bake until golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet halfway through baking. Let the biscuits cool for 10 minutes.
I ate mine with butter and mango-peach preserves!
- 3/4 cup (3 3/4 ounces) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled plus 1 1/2 teaspoons for brushing on top of the biscuits before baking.
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Add the sour cream and 2 tablespoons of the melted butter and stir until just combined.
- Using a greased 1/4 cup measuring cup or a #16 ice cream scoop, scoop out and drop dough onto prepared baking sheet spacing them about 2 inches apart. Brush with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons of melted butter.
- Bake until golden brown, 20-25 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Cool biscuits for 10 minutes and serve warm.
- Use a spring loaded #16 ice cream scoop for easy portioning or if you don't have one a greased 1/4 cup dry measuring cup works too.
Fresh Succotash
If the only succotash you’ve ever had was corn and lima beans, frozen in a bag and drowned in a heavy cream sauce then you have to try this recipe! It’s so easy and quick to put together using fresh corn off the cob. You absolutely don’t want to substitute the fresh corn in this recipe for frozen or canned. The crisp kernels really make this a stand out dish that everyone will love.
I know, I know…nobody loves to take the corn off of the cob. It can be a messy job! I have a trick that makes removing the corn from the cob super simple and neat. Just place the stem of your corn cob into the hole of a bundt pan and then remove the kernels with a sharp knife. The bundt pan catches the kernels with no mess!
To keep this recipe quick and easy I’m using canned butter beans for a creamy consistency and mild flavor, reserving some of the liquid to make a light sauce. Fresh red peppers add gorgeous color along with onion and garlic sauteed in a little butter because well…corn and butter just go together! Adding a little lemon juice to the reserved butter bean liquid really brightens everything up, don’t skip it. Parsley adds more freshness to the flavors and the little kick of cayenne makes this dish perfect! It tastes like summer on a plate!
- 1 (15-ounce) can butter beans, 2 tablespoons liquid reserved, rinsed
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 small onion, chopped fine
- 1/2 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- Pinch cayenne pepper or more to taste
- 4 ears corn, kernels cut from cobs or approximately 3 cups
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- Stir reserved 2 TBSP of bean liquid and lemon juice together in small bowl and set aside. Melt butter in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and beginning to brown, 5 minutes. Add garlic and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add corn and beans. Cook, stirring occasionally, until corn and beans have cooked through, about 4 minutes only. Add the bean liquid mixture and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Remove skillet from heat, stir in parsley, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Do not substitute frozen or canned corn.
Easy Chicken Cutlets for Two with a Quick Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce
I admit it. I’ve never really liked chicken breast. My husband does however, so I set out to find a recipe that I could love too. I wanted chicken breast that wasn’t bland and dry. Cooks Illustrated had a recipe that was super simple with very little time investment and it turns out that’s the trick. Cooking chicken cutlets should only take a few minutes or you start getting into that dry territory. Having the cutlet tender was one thing but I still want flavor and lots of it! The quick sun-dried tomato sauce is THE answer to flavorful and NOT boring chicken! You can make the sauce during the weekend and just toss it in the fridge and when you’re ready to saute the chicken cutlets during the week you can have dinner on the table in nothing flat!
This sauce is loaded with flavor and only takes about 5 minutes to put together. You’ll start with oil-toasted bread and pine nuts which add richness and texture. Next you’ll add in some no-cook ingredients to build up the sauce and then finally add in fresh herbs and spices for a boldly flavored sauce.
For the chicken breast you’ll need to slice them in half horizontally and then pound them between two sheets of plastic wrap to about 1/4 inch thickness. It’s easier to slice the breast if you freeze them for about 15 minutes first. All you need for seasoning is salt and pepper and then a quick two minute saute in hot oil set over medium-high heat, don’t add the chicken until the oil is starting to smoke though. Once you place the cutlet in the pan don’t touch them for two minutes so they get nice and browned. Flip them over for a minute more. Remove them to a plate and loosely tent them with foil for 5 minutes before serving.
I’m so glad I found a chicken breast recipe that I could love! This one’s just too easy not to try, so make it for dinner and let me know what you think!
- 1/4 slice hearty white sandwich bread, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts
- 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, sliced thin
- 1/2 small tomato, cored and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1/4 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed
- 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh basil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- Salt
- 2 (6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed, halved horizontally, and pounded 1/4 inch thick
- Kosher salt and pepper
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- Heat bread, pine nuts, and 2 teaspoons oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat; cook, stirring constantly, until bread and pine nuts are lightly toasted, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer bread mixture to a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped, about 5 pulses. Add tomato, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and remaining 2 teaspoons oil to food processor. Pulse until finely chopped, 5 to 8 pulses. Transfer to bowl and let stand, at least 10 minutes.
- Pat the cutlets dry with paper towels and sprinkle each side of each cutlet with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until smoking. Place the cutlets in the skillet and cook without moving them until browned, about 2 minutes. Flip cutlets and continue to cook until second sides are opaque, about 1 minute longer. Transfer to a plate and tent loosely with aluminum foil. Let stand for 5 minutes. Serve with sauce.
- Rinse the jarred sun-dried tomatoes for the best flavor.
- Sauce can be prepared up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated in airtight container.
Quick and Easy Broiled Pork Tenderloin and Black-Eyed Pea Salad for Two
I love fast, easy meals during the week. This recipe is healthy, low in fat, diabetic friendly, and you can have it on the table in 20 minutes! I think the broiler is so under utilized. I don’t know why I don’t use it more often, it’s so quick! Toss the pork in the oven and in 10 minutes it’s done! I also love the black-eyed pea salad and could just make a meal off of that alone! I love how it doesn’t have any oil in the dressing, just fresh lime juice. I have used bottled lime juice when I didn’t have any limes and it was great! I have also substituted cilantro for the parsley when I had too much cilantro in the fridge.
The first thing you’ll want to do is to set your oven to broil and raise the rack in your oven to the top. Next you’ll remove the silver skin on the pork loin, it’s tough and can cause the pork to curl if it’s not removed. Remove any fat as well. Rub a teaspoon of oil on the meat and then season with salt and pepper. I like to line the pan with foil for easy clean up. Place the pork loin in the oven and set a timer for 5 minutes to check it and turn it if it’s brown. You’ll want to turn the pork once for even cooking.
While the pork is cooking go ahead and rinse your peas really well. Place the rinsed and drained peas in a bowl and add 1/2 of a diced avocado, 1 scallion, and 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley and fresh lime juice.
Check the pork if you haven’t already and flip it for another 5 minutes. Insert an instant read thermometer. You’ll want a temperature between 140-145 degrees. Let the meat rest for 10 min. Slice against the grain and drizzle the pork with any pan juices. Enjoy!
- 1 can (15 ounces) black-eyed peas (preferably no salt added), drained and rinsed well
- 1/2 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, and diced medium
- 1 scallion, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- Coarse salt and ground pepper
- 12 ounces pork tenderloin, excess fat and silver skin removed
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- Heat broiler, with rack in top position. In a medium bowl, combine black-eyed peas, avocado, scallions, parsley, and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.
- Rub pork with oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil. Cook 10 to 12 minutes for medium, turning frequently (an instant-read thermometer should read 145 when inserted in center of pork). Let rest 10 minutes. Thinly slice pork and serve with salad and any cooking juices from sheet.
- You can double the salad easily if you want left-overs to take to lunch the next day. I also know the pork sizing seems a bit off for two people but I can never find a pork loin much smaller than 12 ounces.
