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Best Homemade Biscuit Recipe Ever

Jessica Nunemaker — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Best Homemade Biscuits Recipe

This is the best homemade biscuit recipe ever. Serve this one with Cabbage Soup or use in the Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings Recipe.

I found this recipe in an Easter basket full of recipes in a (now closed) Indiana antique shop.

Steps 1 – 3 are clipped from somewhere with handwritten notes. “These are good. Best biscuits ever” is penned across the top of it. They are right!

Best Homemade Biscuits Recipe Ever

Cut into pieces from some sort of printed material, handwritten comments assured that this recipe was indeed the "Best Biscuit Recipe Ever!"

I agree!

Ingredients

2 Cups Flour
4 teaspoons Baking Powder
2 teaspoons Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
1/2 cup Shortening
2/3 Cup Milk

Instructions

450* Oven.
Combine dry ingredients.
Cut in 1/2 cup Shortening with a pastry blender. It will have coarse crumbs.
Add in 2/3 cup Milk.
I use the pastry blender to combine it all together.
Dough is soft and easy to work with.
Turn out onto lightly floured surface (I use a cutting board) and knead a few times.
Roll out to 1/2" to 1" thick.
Cut into Biscuits.
Bake 450* for 10-12 minutes.

http://littleindiana.com/2012/01/best-homemade-biscuit-recipe/

Photos are the Property of little Indiana. Do Not Use Without Permission.

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Blueberry Muffins Recipe

Jessica Nunemaker — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 14:00:52 +0000

Blueberry Muffin Recipe

Blueberry Muffins fresh from the oven? I’m so there. Especially when they have just the right amount of blueberries–like these.

Blueberry Muffins

While I admit Blueberry Muffins were never my favorite muffin, after the tweaks I’ve made to this recipe? It’s right up there with my all-time favorites!

Who knew that wheat flour in anything actually tasted good? The orange peel only enhances the blueberry flavor while the wheat germ gives it a hint of nuttiness –and adds a slight boost in nutrition! I love this stuff.

little Indiana’s Blueberry Muffin Recipe

1 Cup Wheat Flour
1/2 Cup All-Purpose Flour
3/4 Cup Rolled Oats
2 Tablespoons Wheat Germ
1 1/4 teaspoon Orange Peel (to taste, start with 1 teaspoon and go from there)
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 Egg
3/4 cup Milk
1/2 cup Brown Sugar, packed
1/4 cup Veggie Oil
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
3/4 cup Blueberries (Fresh or Frozen)

How To Make Blueberry Muffins

400* oven.

Grab the paper liners or grease 12 muffins cups so your blueberry muffins won’t stick. Set aside.

Combine Flours, Oats, Wheat Germ, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, and Salt in bowl. Make a well in the center.

Combine Egg, Milk, Brown Sugar, Veggie Oil, and Vanilla Extract in another bowl. Combine with dry ingredients and stir until moistened.

Fold in blueberries.

Spoon batter into muffin cups. Fill to the tops.

Bake for 16 to 20 minutes (depending on your oven).

Cool in tin for 5 minutes. Remove from cups and serve warm.

See more pictures in Indiana on my Flickr photostream.

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Cucumber Sandwich Recipe: Simply Summer

Jessica Nunemaker — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 14:00:02 +0000

Cucumber Sandwich Recipe

This cucumber sandwich recipe is your solution to an over-abundance of fresh from the garden cukes! Been there, done that, right?

I fussed around to create this winning combination using my farmers’ market find. It’s a fast to fix filling for your cucumber sandwich.

While it is an easy recipe to whip up, try to give yourself plenty of time! The flavors need to sit in the fridge and meld together. Make the filling the night before if possible.

Cucumber Sandwich Recipe

1 8. oz block of Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon dried Dill (to taste), less if using fresh
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder (to taste)
Cucumber, thinly sliced
Bread

Mix together the cream cheese, mayonnaise, dill, and garlic powder. Place into fridge for a few hours or overnight.

If you don’t plan on waiting too long before you eat these, it isn’t necessary to salt the cucumber. If, however, that is the plan: Thinly slice the cucumber and lightly salt. This will help take out the water and keep you from having mushy cucumber sandwiches!

Eat and Enjoy

Since it is made with dairy products, you probably don’t want these fast to fix tea sandwiches to sit outside on a table all day. However, for short little jaunts or a light summer meal? I think this Cucumber Sandwich recipe is pretty much perfection.

Find photos of Cucumber Sandwiches and other pictures in Indiana on my Flickr photostream.

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Recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies: The Best Ever!

Jessica Nunemaker — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 14:00:00 +0000

Recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies

“Really, your recipe for chocolate chip cookies is the best cookie recipe ever?” To that I say, “Absolutely!” little Indiana and family are cookie connoisseurs.

Once upon a time, I wanted to become a personal chef and was hot on the trail for the perfect recipe for chocolate chip cookies. This is it.

This recipe for chocolate chip cookies is soft, buttery, and flexible. Just don’t over-mix them and you will have Perfection in a cookie. The original recipe isn’t mine but the baking directions certainly are!

Recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 1/2 c. Butter or Margarine, softened (I usually use margarine ‘cuz it’s cheaper and still tastes perfect!)
1 1/4 c. Light Brown Sugar (dark brown just isn’t the same)
1 1/4 c. Granulated Sugar
2 teaspoons Vanilla
2 Eggs
4 c. Flour
2 teaspoons Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Salt
2 c. Chocolate Chips (more or less depending on taste but for me, I like a nice balance between cookie and chips.)

How To Make Chocolate Chip Cookies

First, make sure you have absolutely everything you need. Then, throw together the butter or margarine and the sugars in your KitchenAid mixer and mix well. Chuck in one egg at a time or do like I do and throw them in at the same time. Toss in the vanilla.

Measure out the dry ingredients but hold the chocolate chips. You could dirty another bowl and stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt or, for this recipe for chocolate chip cookies, or you could save yourself a bit of time by putting it in the mixing bowl and whooshing around the dry ingredients before combining the two of them. Makes absolutely NO difference and saves you step. I’m all sorts of rebel.

Before your dry ingredients are completely combined, add in your chocolate chips. The original recipe wants you to manually add three mini chips to the top of each blob of dough but…I find that completely ridiculous. I mean, seriously?

Moving on: Grab your parchment paper because it is the greatest invention known to man (well, that and Indiana wine but that’s a different story). Pop it on your pan and using a 1 1/2 T. size cookie scoop (any smaller and they end up a little hard) space out your dough at least 2″ apart.

Send hubs and kids out of the room for Some Important Item so you can eat cookie dough without sharing. Bake at 350* for at least 15 minutes but mine take closer to 20 to get done. Let them cool on the pan for a minute or two and then pop them onto your cooling rack.

Don’t eat any cookies for at least an hour because you ate 3 Tablespoons of dough too many and feel sick. Repeat the process the next time you make this fantastic recipe for chocolate chip cookies!

Final Thoughts

little Indiana is totally okay with trying out your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. Leave me a link or the recipe in the comments below and I’ll give it a go! If it’s better (and it’s going to have to be really, really good) — I’ll be sure to post it in a future article.

little Indiana: Where to Stay, Play, and Eat in Small Towns in Indiana. Discovering Indiana’s best small towns! Now get little Indiana on your Kindle.

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Cinnamon Rolls: No Rising and No Yeast

Jessica Nunemaker — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 13:30:12 +0000

Cooler weather means I am back in the kitchen and baking up a storm! There’s no better way to start the weekend right, in my opinion, than something fresh and warm and homemade from the oven.

We usually have baked goods throughout the week: muffins, waffles, pancakes, you name it, I probably make it. The problem? I sometimes wait until the last minute. That just doesn’t work for the usual cinnamon roll recipe — enter these awesome cinnamon rolls!

I’ve been on the search for the perfect cinnamon roll for the past two years and so far — these rank high on the list with hubs (and the kid, too, of course)! The fact that they don’t use yeast and so don’t require any rising time is just an awesome bonus.

I found this great recipe at Still Waters Blog.

Cinnamon Roll Dough:

2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup buttermilk (I used the old whole milk and lemon juice sub)
1/4 cup oil

Cinnamon Roll Icing:

Frosting

3 Tbs soft butter
3 Tbs soft cream cheese
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
a few splashes of milk

Combine all roll ingredients together until dough forms. It will be sticky.

Toss some flour on your clean counter and roll out the dough into a rectangle (don’t forget to throw down the flour or it will be exceedingly sticky. Not that I did or anything).

Butter the dough generously with very soft butter (like 1/2 a cup generously).

Sprinkle on a mixture of:
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1 Tbs cinnamon (I used probably 3/4 of a Tablespoon cinnamon. I’m all sorts of precise like that)

Roll it up and slice into 12 rolls. Place them in a buttered pan with enough space in between for the rolls to expand.
Bake at 375* for 15 – 25 minutes depending on your oven. Watch those cinnamon rolls so they don’t get too dark!

Combine icing ingredients. Pour over warm cinnamon rolls. Share. Eat. Enjoy!

The Homestead Buttery and Bakery in Remington, Indiana is Homemade Heaven

Jessica Nunemaker — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 15:16:21 +0000

Remington, Indiana Homestead Butter and Bakery: Reuben Sandwich

In Remington, Indiana there’s a new kid in town.

This family owned restaurant boasts homemade food and bulk goods in a beautifully restored old building in this small Indiana town.

Remington, Indiana: Homestead Buttery and Bakery

At the The Homestead Buttery and Bakery, everything is homemade.

What a menu! How would I ever decide? Simple: I had to have my customary Reuben Sandwich . Hubs ordered the Homestead Stack.

Our sandwiches were so delicious we couldn’t stop making yummy noises (or maybe that was just me)!

I don’t know what kind of bread it was but it was so flavorful! You can kind of see from the photo on the left how it has little flecks of herbs in it. What you can’t see is how absolutely wonderful they went together!

There’s Always Room for Dessert

Remington, Indiana: Homestead Buttery and Bakery

We also had a root beer float, which was silly of us, because we had to get pie, too!

Wednesday is pie day at the The Homestead Buttery and Bakery. Who can say no to a case of nummy looking, fresh-baked pie?

I love Lemon Cream Pie and the The Homestead Buttery and Bakery’s Lemon Cream Pie was the best one I have ever had.

The crust was perfection and the filling was the ultimate complement–a perfect balance of sweet and slightly sour.

Hubs ordered the Chocolate Cream Pie and it was good, too. He devoured it pretty quickly while groaning about being full. Oh, the sacrifices we make for little Indiana.

More Than a Cafe

What’s fun about this place is that they don’t just stop at the whole bakery/cafe part. Great though it is–there’s more!

If you are looking for where to buy bulk goods in Indiana? You are in the right place!

They also sell dry goods, home decor, and have plenty of take home casseroles, cookies, and more in their freezer case. Anyone can bring home a piece of Remington, Indiana!

Lucky Indiana Town

Remington, Indiana: Homestead Buttery and Bakery Lemon Cream Pie

Remington, Indiana residents are so incredibly lucky to have the The Homestead Butter and Bakery in their town! Judging from all the people who made their way in and out while we were there–they will be in town for a long, long time.

Thanks to Rensselaer Adventures for the suggestion on this great new place to eat and shop!

See more Homestead Buttery and Bakery images and other pictures in Remington, Indiana on my Flickr photostream.

The Homestead Buttery and Bakery
36 S Ohio Street
PO Box 221
Remington, Indiana 47977
219.261.2138

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little Indiana: Where to Stay, Play, and Eat in Small Towns in Indiana. Discovering Indiana’s best small towns! Now get little Indiana on your Kindle.

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Mark This Date Down in History! It’s little Indiana’s Special Day!

Jessica Nunemaker — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 23:25:28 +0000

There's nothing better than an Indiana Spring!

Heidy ho neighbor – and welcome! Today is a very special day! It’s little Indiana’s SITs Day! For those of you who don’t know, SITs, or The Secret is in the Sauce, is a blog recognition and comment support site. It’s a great way to network – and discover awesome blogs!

Whomever says a small town is boring just doesn’t know where to go! Check out these posts about everything small town – and enjoy the best of little. Indiana is the crossroads of America – maybe some day you’ll find yourself driving through – and you’ll need to know where to stop along the way!

You can dig into actual Indiana towns, mom and pop restaurants, family owned bed and breakfasts – even recipes — by using the categories down the sidebar, but for this one? I’m keeping it simple.

Plain and Simple: Old Order Amish in Nappanee, Indiana

Small Towns: What to Know Before You Go!

Nourish Your Inner Goddess Yoplait Giveaway: Hoosier Style!

Spring into Spring with Soft Lemon Ginger Cookies

Jessica Nunemaker — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 13:30:55 +0000

Spring is in the air – and what says “Spring” better than lemon ginger cookies! These are so easy to throw together and really, really soft. This is from an old hand-written index card that I bought from a (now closed) antique shop in Rensselaer, Indiana once upon a time – as well as a few variations of my own.

These are so fast to whip up even if you get the idea to try them out at 9:00 at night you would still get to enjoy them by 9:30 — while the kids are in bed asleep, of course!

Lemon-Ginger Cookies
makes 3 dozen

1/2 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
2 teaspoons lemon extract
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
granulated sugar

1. Preheat 350* oven.
2. Cream shortening and brown sugar until fluffy.
3. Add egg, lemon extract, and lemon juice.
4. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients.
5. Mix together just until combined.
6. I use a 2 teaspoon cookie dough scoop, plop ‘em in the bowl with granulated sugar, and roll ‘em around.
7. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet (I always use parchment paper) 2” apart.
8. Bake at 350* for 12 to 15 minutes until cookies are golden.
9. Remove from sheet after a few minutes to cool.
10. Enjoy!

Guest Post: Lime Cream Cookies

Jessica Nunemaker — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:30:54 +0000

Today is another special day in little Indiana! It’s my very first guest blogger! After browsing through nummy recipes on Hoosier Homemade, I just had to beg, plead, whine until she relented to have her share.

St. Patrick’s Day is coming up. Do you make special “green” food to celebrate? I usually do a few fun treats for my family, this year I also decorated our Mantle.

Today, I’m sharing these little Lime Cream Cookies with you, they would be a sweet treat for St. Patrick’s Day or as a Springtime celebration.

Ingredients for Cookies:
1/2 cup Butter, softened (real butter, not margarine)
1/4 cup Sugar
1 Egg Yolk
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 1/4 cup Flour
1/4 teaspoon Salt

Ingredients for Filling:
1/3 cup Sugar
2 Tablespoons Lime Juice
1 Tablespoon Lime Peel, freshly grated
2 Egg Yolks
1 drop Green Food Coloring, if desired
Powered Sugar, for dusting

Directions for Cookies:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Combine butter, sugar, egg yolk and vanilla in large bowl, beat until well mixed. Add flour and salt, beat well.

Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Place on greased or parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Make indentation in center of each cookie with thumb or back of spoon.

Bake for 12 – 15 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove from cookie sheets and let cool.

Directions for Filling:
Combine all ingredients except food coloring in saucepan, mix well. Cook over medium-low heat stirring constantly until mixture turns glossy and thickens, about 6-9 minutes. Do Not Boil. Remove from heat, stir in food coloring, cool slightly, fill each cookie with about 1/4 teaspoon warm filling (I put a little extra on mine) Dust with powdered sugar.

These little cookies were just melt in your mouth — I couldn’t stop eating them. If you bake at all, you must bake these, the dough was really easy to work with.

You know how when you mix dough and you can just feel how good it is? This is that kind of dough. I also like that there are not many ingredients. I found the recipe from Land O’ Lakes.

.Liz is a SAHM of 3 teenage boys and happily married for 20+ years and lives in LaPorte, Indiana (about 15 minutes from Lake Michigan). Liz shares her love for baking, cooking and decorating on Hoosier Homemade – and hosting Cupcake Tuesday blog carnival with lots of cupcake creations.

Photos are the property of Hoosier Homemade and cannot be used without permission.

Milk Chocolate Bundt Cake

Jessica Nunemaker — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:30:26 +0000

Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate! I thought that might just get your attention. I’m a big fan of Bundt cakes. They just scream “homemade” and “small town.” Plus, Bundt Cakes provide plenty of servings so they are great to cut in half, keep some on hand for immediate use, and freeze the other half for later! This one is my favorite.

Milk Chocolate Bundt Cake
serves 12 – 14

1 (7 oz) milk chocolate candy bar
1/2 cup chocolate syrup
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk (I used whole milk)
confectioner’s sugar for dusting, optional

In a saucepan, heat the candy bar and chocolate syrup over low heat until melted; set aside to cool.

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in chocolate mixture and vanilla. Combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Add to the creamed mixture alternately with the buttermilk (or whole milk).

Pour into a greased and floured 10” Bundt pan. Bake 350* for 65 – 70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely. Dust with confectioner’s sugar.