The 2 Spoons

Soft Boiled Eggs

February 3, 2019 by Becky Spoon

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Start the desired amount of eggs in cold water in a pan large enough and cover the eggs by about 1 inch.

Bring to a boil and set your timer for 5 minutes. Immediately remove from the pan and gently tap both ends on the counter to ctack the shells, then roll for easy peeling making sure not to bust your eggs.

After peeled, slice and add a little butter, salt and pepper and serve with your favorite toast!

Popular – Creamy and Buttery Mashed Potatoes with Fried Shallots

January 30, 2019 by Becky Spoon

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Ooh! These mashed potatoes are delicious! They are always the perfect side dish and a must for fried chicken… like my Southern Fried Chicken: https://the2spoons.com/finger-licking-southern-fried-chicken/

Mashed Potatoes just make everything better! They are creamy and buttery and I quickly fried a few shallot strings to top these with which makes them even more delicious!

Popular – Creamy and Buttery Mashed Potatoes with Fried Shallots

Heres a link that will give you a little history of mashed potatoes: http://thefederalist.com/2016/12/01/enjoy-delicious-mashed-potatoes-read-origin-story/

So, here’s my recipe! Enjoy!

Creamy and Buttery Mashed Potatoes with Fried Shallots

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 25

Total Time 35

Course easy side dish, vegetable, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Servings 4 servngs

Ingredients

4 Russet large potatoes (add more if you want extras, but usually one potato per person)
water to cover
salt and pepper
1/2-2/3 whole milk, half and half, or heavy cream warmed
4 tbsp butter, or more if needed, melted and heated with the milk, cream or half and half
1 small shallot, sliced Optional

Instructions

Dice the potatoes in uniform pieces and add to a pot large enough for the potatoes to be completely covered by water. Add a little salt to the water. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are fork tender. Very important, because if you undercook your mashed potatoes will be lumpy.
Drain the potatoes and return to the pan. With the heat still on let the potatoes cook on low to medium until the water has evaporated.
Heat the butter and 1/2 to 2/3 cup hot milk, half & half, or cream. I like to mash my potatoes in my stand mixer or with a hand mixer, but you can use a potato masher or better yet a ricer. Regardless, start mashing the potatoes, then add the butter and milk a little at a time. It’s hard to say exactly how much liquid, that’s why you want to add a little at a time to your desired consistency. Continue beating, adding the butter/liquid mixture as needed, until lumps are gone. Sometimes I use a ricer and this takes this step away. You’d just rice your potatoes, add the butter and liquid, then season to taste.
After your desired consistency is reached add salt and pepper to taste. You added a little salt to the water so be sure not to over salt. Add additional butter and combine if desired, or top the final potatoes with a few pats of butter.
Heat a little oil and quickly fry the shallot rings until browned, turning about 1 minute.
Bon Appetite! Serve with my green onion cream gravy and Frank’s Red Hot Wing Sauce Southern Fried Chicken!

Keyword mashed potatoes, potatoes, easy side dish, side dish

Creamy and Buttery Mashed Potatoes with Fried Shallots

Easy – Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits with Sausage Gravy

January 30, 2019 by Becky Spoon

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These Buttermilk Biscuits with Sausage Gravy are a staple in every Southern household. We may not eat this everyday but most of us grew up eating biscuits and gravy! The cream or white gravy alone is a must for Southern Fried Chicken or Southern Chicken Fried Steak!

I used a hot breakfast sausage because we like a little heat. Use your favorite breakfast sausage in the recipe. I always use whole milk when making gravy. 2% would likely work, but I kind of think the whole milk works a little better.

Here’s the link for the southern Fried Chicken: https://the2spoons.com/?s=Southern+fried+chicken+#wprm-recipe-container-6743. You’ll love this fried chicken recipe! A must try!

The Best Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits with Sausage Gravy

The biscuits I made were are on the blog and they are delicious! Here’s the link for them: https://the2spoons.com/my-easy-homemade-buttermilk-biscuits/.

These biscuits are delicious and so tender. Be sure and complete the fold process and use a cutter that you can cut the biscuits without twisting. This is the cutter I use: https://amzn.to/2vdk0sf.

See all the layers in the biscuits? That’s because of the folding.

The Best Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits with Sausage Gravy

Here’s the recipe for the biscuits and gravy! Make them this weekend while everyone is home!! You’ll love them.

Buttermilk Biscuits With Sausage Gravy

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Course Bread, Breakfast, dinner, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Ingredients

2 tbsp Bacon drippings or vegetable oil You can use vegetable oil or butter
1/4 Lb Breakfast sausage
2 tbsp all purpose flour
2 green onions, diced (optional)
2-3 cups whole milk
salt and pepper to tasste
cayenne pepper (optional) optional

For the Biscuits

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (spoon and leveled)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
pinch of baking soda
1/2 cup butter, cold and grated or shortening
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cold buttermilk
2 tsp honey (optional)
melted butter for brushing when out of the oven

Instructions

Add the oil to a skillet, then add your sausage, breaking up with a spoon or spatula. Cook until sausage as lightly browned. Add the diced green onions and cook another minute or two.
Add the flour and cook about 2 minutes. Then add the milk and whisk to prevent lumping. Cook until thickened adding more milk if needed. Season with salt and black pepper. Cayenne pepper optional.

For the Biscuits

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Add the flour, salt, and baking powder to a large bowl. Grate the cold butter into the dry ingredients and with a pastry cutter, two forks or my favorite, your hands, cut the butter into the flour until coarse crumbs form. Make a well in the center of the mixture and add the buttermilk and the honey. Stir just to combine. Do not overwork.Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently mold it into a rough looking rectangle using your hands. Fold one side into the center, then the other side. Turn the dough so it’s long horizontally. Gently flatten. Repeat the folding again. Turn the dough so it’s long horizontally once more. Gently flatten. Repeat the folding one more time.Gently roll the dough out with a rolling pin until it’s 1 inch thick. Cut into 3-inch circles. Re-roll any scraps until you have 9-12 biscuits. Arrange in a 10-inch cast iron skillet or close together on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. (Make sure they’re touching.)Brush the tops with a little buttermilk. Bake for 15 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown on top.Brush the tops with butter. Enjoy warm! Place the leftover biscuits in a zip lock back or air tight container and store in the refrigerator for 4 or 5 days.

Keyword biscuits and gravy, buttermilk biscuits, homemade biscuits, sausage gravy

love this southern lemon ice box pie.

January 28, 2019 by Becky Spoon

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Lemon Ice Box Pie brings back memories of days gone by of desserts my Mom and Grandmother made, all from scratch including the Graham Cracker Crust. I’m making a Lemon Meringue Pie for Easter, but I ran across this and I realized I needed to post it. This is so good! Lemony at it’s best! Kind of reminds you of key lime, but of course with lemons.

love this southern lemon ice box pie.

This pie is so easy! Other than the 6 hours or overnight in the freezer, the prep takes minutes and it is a quick bake in the oven for 25 minutes. This pie is tart, creamy, refreshing….I mean just so delicious.

I make this in a spring form pan, but if you are buying the graham cracker crust already made, you may need two. I haven’t tried it, but I’m thinking they are pretty small and the amount of filling may require two crust. This is the kind of spring form pans I use. https://goto.walmart.com/c/2049504/568839/9383?veh=aff&sourceid=imp_000011112222333344&prodsku=648178784&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.walmart.com%2Fip%2FCalphalon-Nonstick-Bakeware-9-inch-Spring-Form-Pan%2F648178784

Simple to find ingredients are in this recipe like graham crackers, butter, sugar, sweetened condensed milk, eggs and of course the lemons. I use Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed milk but there are other brands too. Here’s a link for the Eagle Brand: https://goto.walmart.com/c/2049504/568835/9383?veh=aff&sourceid=imp_000011112222333344&prodsku=47237993&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.walmart.com%2Fip%2F3-Pack-Eagle-Brand-Sweetened-Condensed-Milk-14-Oz%2F47237993

Want another recipe for an Easter dessert? https://the2spoons.com/perfectly-peachy-peach-cobbler/ This Peach Cobbler is perfect for a spring dessert!

Here’s the simple recipe for this delicious dessert! Enjoy!

Southern Lemon Ice Box Pie

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Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Ingredients

For the Crust

14 whole graham crckers
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
3 tsp unsalted butter, melted and still warm

For the Filling

2 14 oz cans sweetened condensed milk
1 1/4 cups strained lemon juice (Use the zested lemons and an additional 4-6 if large or 6-8 if small
zest of 2 lemons
8 large egg yolks (you can freeze the whites for later)

For the Chantilly Cream

2 cups heavy cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

Instructions

For the crust:

Heat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Break the graham crackers into small pieces and place in the bowl of a food processor along with the sugar and salt. Pulse 8 times or so until the cracker crumbs are semi-fine (they shouldn’t be powdery but not in large shards either) and the crackers and sugar are combined. Pour in the butter and pulse until the butter is blended in and the mixture isn’t crumbly and holds its shape when you squeeze it, about twelve 1 second pulses.
Transfer the crust to a 9-inch springform pan and push and press the crumb mixture into the bottom and two-thirds of the way up the sides of the pan. Use the bottom of a measuring cup to press the crust into place. Set Aside.

For the filling:

Whisk the condensed milk with the lemon juice and set aside.
Whisk the zest with the egg yolks in a medium bowl until pale, 30 to 60 seconds, and then whisk in the lemon juice – condensed milk mixture. Place the springform pan on a rimmed baking sheet, pour the mixture into the crust, and carefully transfer the baking sheet to the oven.
Bake until the center jiggles slightly, like a soft-setting custard, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 1 hour on a cooling rack. Loosely cover the pan with plastic wrap being careful not to let the plastic wrap touch the top of the pie and freeze for at least 6 hours or overnight.

For the Chantilly Cream:

Pour the heavy cream into the bowl f a stand mixer or in a large bowl if using a hand mixer. Add the vanilla and sift in the confectioners’ sugar. Whip on low speed to combine and then increase the speed to medium-high and whip until medium,-stiff peaks form.

To Serve

Wrap a wet, warm kitchen towel around the edges of the springform pan to release the pie from the pan’s sides. Unclasp the pan and remove the pie.
Dunk your knife in hot water, wipe off the blade and slice. Top with a dollop of Chantilly cream and serve immediately, or keep in the freezer for up to 1 week.

Keyword dessert, easter, lemon, lemon ice box pie, pie

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easy chicken thighs & creamy bacon mushroom sauce.

January 25, 2019 by Becky Spoon

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I loved this Chicken Thighs with Creamy Bacon Mushroom Thyme Sauce. It is so easy for a weeknight or weekend meal or when things get back to normal, for a friends gathering. Thighs are economical and I personally prefer the chicken thigh over the chicken breast because of the juiciness. These thighs are juicy and delicious with this mushroom cream sauce.

easy chicken thighs & creamy bacon mushroom sauce.

Seasoned with just salt and pepper and Italian Seasoning these delicious baked chicken thighs yield crispy yet tender, succulent results! The Italian Seasoning gives tons of flavor to the crispy skin and moist, juicy thigh meat. This is in the oven in just minutes for a delicious (and budget-friendly!) main dish. Add the mushrooms and cream sauce, and this recipe is to die for!

I did cook these in a non stick skillet that I could slide into the oven to finish. I love the carbon steel non stick skillets! Here is a link for a carbon steel I love: https://amzn.to/2SBdOCO

I served these with sauteed spinach. Here’s the link for my recipe: https://the2spoons.com/garlicky-sauteed-spinach-red-pepper-flakes/

Garlicky Sautéed Spinach with Red Pepper Flakes

Along with this Roasted Garlic and Cauliflower Mash which is delicious. Here’s the link for my recipe: https://the2spoons.com/love-this-roasted-garlic-cauliflower-mash/

Here’s the recipe for this delicious meal. Hope you enjoy this!

Chicken Thighs with Creamy Bacon Mushroom Thyme Sauce

Chicken Thighs & Creamy Mushroom Bacon Sauce

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Course dinner, Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

Chicken Thighs

4 chicken thigs, skin on and bone in
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oilor the bacon drippings
salt and pepper
Italian Seasoning, Dried

Mushroom Sauce

5 slices bacon
6-8 oz button mushrooms or baby bella, sliced
1-2 cups heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste
Fresh Thyme
3 tbsp butter
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

For the Chicken

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Cook the bacon in a skillet until crisp and set aside.
Salt and pepper the chicken thighs on both sides and sprinkle with the Italian Seasoning. Add the chicken skin side down in the same skillet you cooked the bacon for 5-7 minutes until nicely browned. If you don’t want to cook them in the bacon drippings, you can remove, wipe the skillet clean and add extra virgin olive oil.
Transfer the chicken, skin side up, to a sheet pan and bake for about 20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.

For the Mushroom Sauce

Discard the bacon drippings and wipe the skillet clean. Add the butter and olive oil and heat adding the mushrooms. Lightly season the mushrooms with a little salt and pepper, you can adjust later. Cook the mushrooms until they are slightly caramelized, about 5 minutes.
Add the bacon that has been chopped to the skillet. Add the heavy cream, starting with one cup and add more as you need. I used about 2 cups. Add the Thyme, bring to a boil and reduce to simmer and continue to cook until the sauce has reduced. Check for salt.
Add the chicken thighs and the pan drippings to the mushroom and bacon sauce, spooning the sauce and mushrooms on top of the chicken thighs.

Keyword chicken, chicken with mushroom sauce

Love this! Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Mash

January 25, 2019 by Becky Spoon

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Love Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Mash! My win-win is my steak & potato loving, Cowboy husband likes it too! Potatoes are included, but mostly cauliflower.

Honestly, my Texas Cowboy husband is a meat and potato man. He loves his TexMex, steaks, brisket, on and on. So I am constantly trying to create dishes he will like, like this Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Mash that he will like and I can get some healthy vegetables in.

Cauliflower is a versatile veggie that can be dressed up in many ways.
From roasted cauliflower to cauliflower soup, and from cauliflower pizza crust to cauliflower rice and this Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Mash.

This recipe will be up on the blog shortly. I used the Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Mash as a side dish!

Cauliflower is not as nutrient-dense as many of the other cabbage-family vegetables. It is still power-packed with nutrition. One cup of raw cauliflower is an excellent source of vitamin K and vitamin C. Cauliflower is a very good source of fiber, potassium, phosphorus, and B vitamins. http://www.sharecare.com/health/health-value-of-foods/what-is-nutritional-value-cauliflower

This Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Mash would be perfect with Meatloaf, Chicken, Pot Roast….there are so many main courses this dish would compliment! Here are a couple of my recipes that need this recipe as a side dish: Link to Meatloaf with a Creole Sauce https://the2spoons.com/1513-2/

Sunday Pot Roast: https://the2spoons.com/sunday-pot-roast/

I hope you love this Roasted Garlic Cauliflower as much as we do! And yes your Cowboy will love it too!!

Roasted Garlic Mashed Cauliflower

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 40

Total Time 55

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Servings 6 servings

Ingredients

For the Roasted Garlic

1 head garlic
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
pinch of salt

For the Mashed Cauliflower

1 head cauliflower cut into florets
2 diced russet potatoes, medium or 1 large
1/4 cup whole milk or heavy cream
1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme or parsley
3-4 roasted garlic cloves
4 tbsp butter
1 tsp salt
pinch of black pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut off the end of the garlic head. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Wrap the garlic head tightly in aluminum foil and bake in preheated oven for 35-45 minutes or until cloves become soft. Remove 3-4 garlic cloves by scooping them out with a spoon.

For the Mashed Cauliflower

Place the florets and the diced potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for 12-15 minutes until the potato and cauliflower or fork tender.
Drain water and pat the cauliflower dry with a paper towel.
Either in the bowl of an electric mixer or with a hand mixer, beat the drained cauliflower and potatoes, along with the butter and heavy cream, 3-4 roasted garlic cloves, the thyme or parsley, and the salt, and pepper until smooth.
Check for salt and pepper. If the cauliflower mash has cooled return to the pan and heat, Serve with a sprinkle of thyme or parsley and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil if desired.

Keyword cauliflower, mashed cauliflower,