Mae's Baking Powder Biscuits

So my guy was talking about what to make for breakfast this beautiful, Saturday morning and said that biscuits and sausage gravy sounded really good.  Well, short of going to a restaurant and spending more money than we wanted to, I decided to spoil him with some made from scratch biscuits and gravy. I though that as long I was spoiling him, I should take pictures to share with all y'all.  So here ya go!

This recipe is my Aunt Mae's, my mom's sister's recipe.  She was a wonderful cook and though she has been gone for many years, her biscuits are alive and well at the Jolley home.  I love this recipe. Hope you will too!

Start by mixing all of the dry ingredients together. I didn't show the ingredients so forgive me.  Cut in the shortening until crumbly and then add the milk.  Mix until just incorporated - it will be sticky!

Pour it out onto a floured countertop.  Pat a little flour around it so you can handle it BUT DO NOT handle it too much!

Pat out the dough with your fingers to around 3/4 inch thick.  Cut into circles. I just used the top of a drinking glass. Now this picture doesn't show very many.  I only made a half batch of dough and I cut them a little larger than I usually do.

Place them on a lightly greased or sprayed pan.  Now I want you to see that little bit larger biscuit in the upper right hand corner of the picture. Well, when all of the biscuits have been cut and you have that little bit of dough left over, you just kind of work it with your hands into a loosely put together round. I'll tell you about that one in the next part!

Look how beautiful they are and believe me, they taste beautiful too.  Okay, see that loosely put together biscuit, now in the upper left hand corner. Well, this is how I remember it as a kid.  My mother used to always get that biscuit. Now I never ever asked her why she took that one but I have a couple of ideas.  I think she took that biscuit because she didn't think it might be as good as the others because it kind of falls apart.  That's what I think but let me tell you why I have dibs on that one. I am a little selfish when it comes to that biscuit.  It is my favorite.  It is the biscuit that just falls apart and that's why I love it. I take each little piece and slather it with butter and jam or honey.  MMMMM- it's the best!

Well, here's the final product.  Homemade sausage gravy over light as air biscuits.  Of course, they had to be served with hand cut home fries, Right? 

And my big, fall apart biscuit???  Well, as they say, a picture is worth a 1000 words.   Enjoy! Because I did for sure!  Happy baking!


Mae's Baking Powder Biscuits

2 cups Flour
1/2 tsp. Salt
4 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Cream of Tarter
2 tsp. Sugar
1/2 cup Shortening
2/3 cup Milk

Mix the dry ingredients together.  Cut in the shortening until it is crumbly.  Stir in the milk with a fork until just combined. Dump out onto a lightly floured counter top.  Pat to about 3/4 inch thick.  Cut into circles and put on a slightly greased pan.

Bake at 450* for 12 minutes or until golden brown.  Do not overbake.

Creamy LowFat Chicken Divan

So I really love creamy, yummy comfort food and as you know, when you are trying to lose weight those kinds of dishes don't fit into the diet. So, I made up this recipe as next to no fat and lower in calories. Then on my Weight Watchers online I fed in the recipe into the recipe builder and wah-la, it figured the points for me. This recipe is YUMMY! I am really proud of myself for coming up with it. Give it a try. You will probably like it too. I usually add a little more curry to mine cause I like it to have a kick! This recipe serves 4 and is only 6 points+ per serving.









The main ingredients. If you have never tried fat free half and half, you have to give it a try.












Mix the cornstarch with the broth and half and half. Stir over medium heat until it starts to boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the cream cheese. Add the lemon juice and curry powder. Stir til combined.












Layer in a casserole the broccoli, the chicken and top with the sauce. Cover with foil and bake at 350* for 30 minutes or until it is hot and bubbly.











After sprinkling the parmesean cheese on top I turned the oven to broil just so it would start to brown a little. MMMM This recipe really hits the spot. Even if you aren't trying to lose weight, why not try something wonderful without all the calories. You can serve with noodles, baked potato or rice-Whatever you love. Give it a try.


Creamy Low Fat Chicken Divan

Weight Watchers 6 points+ per serving
Serves 4


1/4 cup cornstarch
1-1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup fat free half and half
2 Tbls. Neufchatel Cream Cheese
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1 to 3 tsp. curry powder (depending on how hot you like it)
2 cups frozen or fresh chopped broccoli. (If you use fresh you might want to cook it part way. If frozen just add it right from the freezer)
2 cups cooked chopped chicken
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese


Mix the cornstarch, broth and half and half together and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until it comes to a boil. Continue to cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in the Neufchatel cream cheese, the lemon juice and the curry powder.

Layer in a casserole dish, broccoli, chicken and pour the Sauce over the top. Cover and bake at 350* for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Uncover and top with 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese. Bake until melted.

Serve with noodles, rice or a baked potato

Savory Crumble Topping for Chicken Pot Pie

This is comfort food to the max. I love it when the weather turns chilly and I want to start baking again. I saw this recipe on America's Test Kitchen and thought that I just needed to try it. I'm glad that I did. It really is very good. I hope you will try it. It could be used on your favorite potpie recipe. I included our favorite chicken potpie recipe incase you don't have one and I am including the crust recipe that I usually use on my potpie in case you want to try that too.








The recipe calls for a 2-1/1 quart casserole dish but I wanted to try individual servings. That was fun and would make for a fun party but for most family meals, I would just put it in the casserole. I double the recipe when I use a 9x13.






I love this potpie and I did like the savory crumble topping. I love my crust that I use on this potpie and have a feeling that's what I will use the most. I am really glad I tried this recipe, though, and who knows, I will probably make it again.



Savory Crumble Topping for Pot Pie
From America's Test Kitchen

2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
6 Tbls. unsalted butter cut into 1/2" cubes, chilled
1/2 cup grated parmesean cheese
3/4 cup +2 Tbls. cream

Preheat oven to 450*

Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper in a large bowl. Sprinkle the butter pieces in and incorporate with your fingers until it resembles coarse cornmeal. Stir in the parmesan, then add the cream and stir until just combined. Place on a lined, rimmed baking sheet and bake 10-13 minutes until becoming fragrant and browning. Cool.

Crumble into pieces and sprinkle over the pot pie. Bake until the filling is bubble and the crumble is browned.


Cheddar Chicken Potpie

1-1/2 cups chicken broth
2 cups cubed peeled potatoes
1 cup sliced carrots
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup flour
1-1/2 cup milk
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
4 cups cooked diced chicken
1/4 tsp. poultry seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

In a large pan, bring the broth to a boil. Add the vegetables and cook until fork tender. Blend the flour with the milk and add into the broth. Stir to thicken. Add the chicken, cheese and poultry seasoning. (Can add frozen peas if you want). Pour into a 2-1/2 qt. casserole. Top with crust or savory crumble topping. Bake until bubbly and crumble is brown. If using a crust bake for 15-20 minutes or until crust is browned.

Potpie Crust

1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup shortening
1 egg

Mix the flour and salt together. Cut in the shortening. Add the egg and mix together. Roll out on a floured board and place on the potpie. It usually comes up in pieces so I kind of just fit it together but it is so so good.

Easy Chicken Enchilada Casserole

So this enchilada casserole is not a new recipe. My family has loved it for a long time but I thought I would share it. This is a mutated recipe from my chicken enchiladas. I adapted it years ago for girls camp in a dutch oven. Needless to say it has become a favorite in my family and with past young women's groups. It is easy. We use chicken but you could sub out with beef if you want. Actually, you could make it the way you love it. The sauce is easy. It was introduced to me in college from a roommate and we absolutely love it. El Pato sauce is found by the tomato sauce in the grocery store and it is yum. I have tried other brands of Mexican tomato sauce but I keep coming back to El Pato-it's the best!









This is just a layer kind of casserole. I start with just a small amount of the sauce in the bottom of a greased (spray) casserole dish. The spray just helps clean up of the dish easier. Add half of the crushed chips, chicken, sauce and cheese. The next layer should stop with the sauce. Cover with foil and bake at 350* until it is bubbly into the center.










When the casserole is hot and bubbly, remove from the oven and add chips to the top and cheese. Return to the oven and leave it long enough to melt the cheese and it starts to brown. If you can't wait like me, you can turn on the broiler and get it to that point quicker.









After you scoop it up onto a plate, you can top it with sour cream and lettuce if you like. You could add olives, or chopped green onion or whatever you love. It is just Delish!





This casserole is just so good and so easy to assemble. If you love comfort food with a little kick, you will love this little dish. You can add whatever you love in enchiladas, my family just really loves it with chicken. Give it a try-you won't be sorry.





Easy Chicken Enchilada Casserole

4 c. cooked chicken cubed or shredded
Corn tortilla chips (it's a guess)
3 c. cheese shredded
1 can El Pato sauce
1 can tomato sauce
2 cans cream of chicken soup
sour cream
lettuce

Cook up the chicken or shred a rotisserie chicken. Mix the sauce using the El Pato sauce, tomato sauce and soup. Crush up some of the chips. Shred the cheese. In a casserole dish start with a small amount of sauce, add half the crushed chips, half the chicken, half the sauce and half the cheese. Repeat layers to the sauce. Bake until bubbly. At the end add some chips broken into bigger pieces and top with cheese. Return to the oven until the cheese is bubbly and it's starting to brown. Top with sour cream and lettuce if you like. YUMMY!