Homemade Tender, Delicious Southern Biscuits

Homemade Biscuits are so incredibly easy no one should ever have to buy 'canned' biscuits from the store!

I remember my first attempts to make biscuits as an 18 year old new bride. They weren't pretty. I had only 1 real 'cookbook' at the time, given to us as a wedding gift by a friend. Using the cookbook, I kneaded the dough like it said to... and ended up with hockey pucks. Rock hard inedible pucks.

I only tried to make biscuits a couple more times over the years and they were disheartening. They were edible for the first 5 minutes out of the oven but as they cooled, they hardened.

In 1996 I stumbled on this recipe for biscuits and noticed this one said NOT to knead the dough. You 'pat' it into a rectangle but after mixing, there was no kneading.  And? I've been making them ever since.


BISCUITS

2 c flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 T sugar
1/4 c butter, cold
3/4 c milk

Place the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl and stir or whisk together. Add the butter in pieces (I grate mine with a cheese grater) and 'cut in' until crumbly using your fingers. Stir in the sugar and add the milk all at once. Mix with a fork until it holds together. Remove the dough and pat into a 1 inch high rectangle or circle with your hands on a lightly floured surface. Using a biscuit cutter or a circle cookie cutter cut straight down, do not twist! You can use a knife and slice the dough into squares if you don't have a cutter. Place on an ungreased pan. Brush with melted butter if you prefer and bake 12-15 minutes at 450.

These biscuits are so tender they can wrapped and reheated the next day.

Quick Sugar Cookies

Needing to have a 'quick snack' for the kids and their friends one day I whipped up some quick and simple flower cookies.


Use your favorite sugar cookie recipe and roll out. Using a flower shaped cookie cutter I cut out the flowers.

The trick of course is in the decorating. To make the perfect centers I used an apple corer! A 2 pc. apple corer is the metal circle with a wooden handle and a wood dowel to push through. I gently placed the metal circle on the cookie dough and dropped a bit of orange sugar into the cylinder. Wha-la! Instant quick and simple centers! Pinching a bit of yellow, pink and red sugar around the centers the cookies were ready to bake (and eat) within minutes.

Cinnamon Rolls

1.5 lb. of bread dough (homemade or store bought, thawed)
2 T butter
1/4 c sugar (can mix brown/white)
2 t cinnamon

Spread the butter on the bread dough
cover with a mixture of sugar and cinnamon

Roll up tightly starting from the long end
Seal edge by pinching
Using a very sharp knife slice into rolls about 1 - 1.5 inches thick
This recipe makes 2 pans of rolls

Place into a round pan that has been greased.
If you prefer caramel rolls mix about 1/4 brown sugar with 2 T butter
and line the pan with the butter/sugar mixture before placing the rolls
on top.

Bake 375 for 25 minutes until golden.
Let cool about 4-5 minutes and turn upside down
on greased foil or a serving plate.

Crab Stuffed Sole

A beautiful way to serve stuffed fish. Delicious too, it's been a staple in our home since 1994.


Crab Stuffed Sole

6 sole fillets
1/2 lb. real crabmeat
1 T onion, diced fine
1 T chopped fresh parsley
1 T celery, chopped fine
6 T butter
1/2 c cracker crumbs
1 egg

Cream Sauce
2 T butter
1 T flour
1/2 t salt
1/8 t white pepper
1/8 t paprika
3/4 c milk
1 T lemon juice

Preheat oven to 375. Sprinkle each fillet with salt and pepper. Coil each fillet into a buttered muffin tin. Sauce the onions, parsley and celery in 3 T butter. When tender, remove from heat. Add the crumbs, flaked crabmeat and the egg. Mix and season to taste. Spoon into the center of each fish fillet. Brush with the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter. Bake 20-30 minutes or until your fish is done. Meanwhile make the sauce by microwaving the butter until melted; add the flour and seasonings, then the milk and lemon juice. Microwave 4-5 minutes, stirring after each minute. Carefully remove each coil of fish and top with a drizzle of sauce. Serve immediately with more sauce to pass.

Sesame BBQ Wings

One of our favorite 'sweet' wings when we aren't in the mood for 'hot' wings.

Sesame Wings

1/2 c teriyaki sauce
1 1/2 T cooking sherry
1 T toasted sesame seeds

In a large ziplock baggy combine the above marinade and add 1-2 lbs. chicken drumettes/wings. Refrigerate for up to 24 hours.

Grill or bake wings in a 400 degree oven for about 25 minutes.

Mix;

2 T bbq sauce
2 T honey
dash of oil

and brush over the wings/drumettes heavily. Bake or grill another few minutes until golden brown and done.

Potato Salad - Perfect for hot summer days!

Just like grandma used to make...

Potato Salad

4 large potatoes, any kind will do
2 hard boiled eggs, cooked and chopped
2 stalks of celery, diced fine
1/4 c onion, diced
1 cup miracle whip or 1 c regular mayo mixed with 1 T sugar/splenda
1 T yellow mustard
1 T white vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Mix together and chill at least 2 hours to blend flavors. Taste after 2 hours and season accordingly with more salt, pepper or sugar.

Salmon Cakes

This is almost embarrassingly simple!


12-16 oz. leftover cooked salmon OR 1 can salmon
2 eggs
10-20 saltine crackers
salt and pepper

Mix together the salmon, eggs and enough crushed crackers to hold shape. Salt and pepper to taste. Shape into a large walnut sized ball and smash into a patty. Place on plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes till firm.

Fry each patty in a thin layer of oil over medium high heat until golden brown on each side. Drain on paper towel or napkin covered plate and serve hot with your choice of a sauce or tartar sauce.

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About Me

The name "American Housewife" stems from an idea for a cookbook I'd love to put out. Somehow I never felt the time was right or I didn't have the funds to make it happen... but then the internet came along and the chance to have a recipe website presented itself to me. 

The name American Housewife was a natural. As for the url of the site; housewifebarbie - well, that stems from a joke that I kind of regret now.

Back in the late 90's I was a full time Mommy with three children under the age of 5. I loved cooking, baking, sewing, crafts and everything to do with babies and children. My friends dubbed me the Original Housewife Barbie... after the Barbie doll that had done everything from being an astronaut to a doctor to a teacher, but never 'just a housewife'.  

During some joking conversation one day, I was deemed the original Housewife Barbie and when I had to think of an original url for a blog in 2006, it seemed only natural to use it since it was just a personal little blog for myself and who cares?  Right?

This site is a collection of recipes I've gained over the years since I was in Junior High. Some from the 1,000 recipe books and magazines I have, some from the internet, some from friends, family members, my grandmothers old handwritten school notebook from cooking class and various other places. It's a collection of recipes that also includes those that I've made up myself for my own family.