Monthly Archives: December 2012

Goat Cheese Paprika Drop Biscuits

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goat cheese paprika biscuits

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not someone who simply looks forward to Christmas. Nope, I allow Christmas to color my whole world for an entire month. The anticipation, the sparkly things, the music, the food, the MAGIC – I eat all that right up. Yes, I’m that girl, and you probably hate me.

Like a little kid, I could barely sleep on the eve of Christmas Eve this year. I knew the boy and I would wake up and kick off our Christmas festivities with a cinnamon-swirl french toast breakfast, Bailey’s-spiked coffee, and the big reveal of whatever that mysterious box in the office held for me (note: in that order, but reversed – I have no patience).

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I had my suspicions/hopes/dreams about that box, but those didn’t stop me from being knee-slapping, perma-smile, angels-singing happy when I saw the beautiful Kitchen Aid logo beneath the ripped wrapping paper.

The boy gave me the kitchen appliance to change all future kitchen experiences. Life would be different from now on. Life would be better from now on.

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After using my new mixer to whisk up the french toast batter, I knew I needed more mixer bonding time before heading over to my parents’ house. My mixer obsession collided with my new-found biscuit obsession, and magical things happened. I usually try to healthify my carbs, but these were Christmas biscuits, and you just don’t mess with Christmas. So in honor of the season I set the whole wheat flour aside, made some fatty fatty Christmas biscuits, and did not look back.

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I realize the irony that I chose biscuits, since you can technically make biscuits with no mixer at all, but let’s not scrutinize petty details. Instead, let’s talk about how easy drop biscuits are. Like other biscuits, there’s no rise time, but you also don’t need to roll out the dough, or cut out the biscuits. You really just mix and DROP. Bam, biscuit deliciousness.

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The flaky, buttery biscuits have a nice dose of smoky-yet-sweet paprika, and tangy goat cheese bits throughout. Although I love whole wheat carbs, the all-purpose flour really gives these a lightness that makes them melt in your mouth. They’re the perfect side for a special dinner. Take Christmas, for instance.
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Banana Peanut Butter Coffee Cake

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banana peanut butter coffee cake

Let’s talk about what happens around Christmas. Namely, let’s talk about how sugar is EVERYWHERE. Cookies, truffles, and Bailey’s-spiked cocktails line tables at Christmas parties. Families get together to make traditional goodies while licking fingerfuls of frosting. Coworkers bring treats into the office to spread the holiday cheer (guilty…).

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With sugar sprinkling its love all over the place, ’tis the season to add a bit of sweetness to every meal. For instance, my dinner on Saturday consisted of tortilla chips, cashews, and frosted sugar cookies. Yesterday my planned breakfast of oatmeal sat rejected next to the large caramel roll my boss brought in for me, and today I started my day off with this magical coffee cake.

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I love that coffee cake’s name even implies that it belongs at breakfast. When do you drink coffee? In the morning. When do you eat coffee cake? In the morning. Logic.

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This cake brings together some of my favorite breakfast foods: banana, peanut butter, and, well, cake. Banana and peanut butter play off each other perfectly while keeping the cake moist, the cinnamon and brown sugar filling add just enough sugar and spice, and the walnuts add a bit of crunch. Totally legit breakfast.

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Whole Wheat Oatmeal Bread

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pb jam whole wheat oatmeal bread

During a high school parent-teacher conference, my science teacher decided to be straight with my folks. He said, “Katie is always on time to class. She asks for help. I can tell she does her homework. Honestly, with this stuff, some people just get it, while others don’t.” You can guess which side I fell on. Sure, sometimes in chemistry class the flame would change a different color when on a different type of substance. Cool. I had no idea why, but I appreciated the color change.

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As you may have guessed, I was more of an English and Art kind of girl in high school, and still am. When my friend George and I partnered for a bridge building Physics project senior year, our teacher literally came up to us and said, “Don’t forget that you can earn quite a few points for aesthetics. You don’t have to focus on trying to make your bridge hold a lot of weight. Just something to consider…”

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Fast forward several years, and I can honestly say that science never enters my ridiculously random stream of thoughts. Or it usually doesn’t, unless I’m trying to make bread. The process of bread, with the yeast interactions and the rising and the kneading and the waiting…is downright intimidating, not to mention time-consuming. Usually I just opt for some no-knead flatbread. Low-labor, not confusing, and relatively quick; that’s my style.

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Fortunately I found myself with lots of time and little to do on Sunday, when Minnesota was hit with the first big snowstorm of the season. During the lovely day of hibernation, I decided to give sliced bread a go for the first time ever. The result was a hearty early-evening snack of thick-sliced bread with butter and honey. What’s cozier than that?
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