Biscuits and Mushroom Gravy

Growing up, I loved biscuits and gravy. Unfortunately, in the midwest there is typically only one variation of this meal and it is very meat heavy, which doesn't bode well for my grown-up vegetarian diet. Drew and I finally decided to remedy this craving with a hearty mushroom gravy and homemade biscuits. I hesitantly put Drew in charge of the gravy and it turns out he is a gravy master. I was in charge of the biscuits and discovered that making biscuits is something to be achieved. They were delicious but as you can see in the photo, flat. If you can resist really kneading the dough, you will have discovered the secret to fluffy, flaky biscuits.

Betty Crocker Baking Powder Biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup milk

1. Heat oven to 450˚

2. In medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in shortening, using pastry blender ( or pulling 2 table knives through in opposite directions), until mixture looks like fine crumbs. Stir in milk until dough leaves side of bowl (dough will be soft and sticky).

3. Place dough on lightly floured surface. Knead lightly 10 times. And I am very serious when I say need lightly. The dough should just barely come together. Much more than that and you will get very flat biscuits. They will still be delicious but who really likes flat biscuits. Roll or pat 1/2 inch thick. Cut with floured 2- to 2 1/4-inch round cutter (I used a cup). Place on ungreased cookie sheet about 1 inch apart for crusty sides, touching for soft sides.

4. Bake 10 to 12 minutes of until golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Serve warm.

On to the gravy. If you can get your hands on a flat gravy whisk, do it. Those things work wonders. Another product we found that worked very well is Gold Medal Wondra. I also suggest using baby bella mushrooms. They have a very hearty texture and give a very savory flavor to the gravy. We tried button mushrooms another time and it just wasn't the same. With button mushrooms, the gravy still had a slight mushroom flavor but the mushrooms seemed to just blend in with the sauce. This recipe really is very adaptable.

Drew's Mushroom Gravy

5-6 baby bella mushrooms

2 cups water

4 tablespoons Wondra

1/2 cup cold water

2 cups broth

1. Slice up mushrooms in 1/4 inch slices. Boil in two cups of water.

2. In another pan, stir flour into 1/2 cup cold water. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil and stir one minute. Stir mushrooms from broth. Salt and pepper as desired. Makes about 2 cups of gravy.

America's Test Kitchen Chocolate Chip Heaven

If you ever need any chocolate chip goodness to cheer you up, these cookies will take your winter blues away. I needed a little cheering up today after hearing I had to make some hefty repairs on my car. For those of you who know me well, bad news = baked goods in my kitchen. I have recently acquired America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book and have been dying to use it — since chocolate chip cookies are better half's favorite cookie, I decided to give it go. ATK usually never fails me but they have truly outdone themselves on this one. Try this one out and discover some chewy, chocolaty goodness.

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1. Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and together in a medium bowl.

2. In a large bowl, beat the melted butter and sugars together with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Beat in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla until combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down the bowl and beaters as needed.

3. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the flour mixture until combined, about 30 seconds. Mix in the chips until incorporated.

4. Working with 2 tablespoons of dough at a time, roll the dough into balls and lay them on the prepared baking sheets, spaced about 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, until the edges are set and beginning to brown but the centers are still soft and puffy, 15 to 20 minutes, rotating the baking sheet the baking sheet halfway through baking.

5. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then serve warm or transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.