Best Flaky Drop biscuits EVER & dry mix to have on hand!

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I would love to say I always have dinner planned a week in advance and even if I do, I would love to say that I plan my day perfectly to always start dinner on time.  Well, that is not the case most of the time.

I love drops biscuits because they are something you can throw together at the last minute, they are easy and crazy good!

Honestly, these are the best drop biscuits I have EVER had.  I love flaky biscuits and boy are these flaky!

Ingredients:
3 cups flour (your choice wheat or white)
4 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cream of tarter
1 cup milk or butter milk
3/4 cup butter- softened

Preheat over to 450 degrees

Mix all dry ingredients together.  Cut butter into dry ingredients until crumbly.  This part is REALLY important if you want your biscuits flaky.

Pour milk into dry ingredients and fork together ONLY until moist.  The less you stir it the better.

Grab a good handful of dough and flatten in your hand to about 1 inch thick.  If you want them super cute you can use a cookie cutter. Place on cookie sheet.

Cook for 10 minutes

That’s it.  Crazy easy!!

Do you want to make this recipe even easier?  This is the best part.  I do not like to use premix stuff you buy at the store.  Short answer, they are just not good for you.

This is a great way to have ready made mix.

Measure out all dry ingredients and place them in a ziplock bag, jar, or any way to store them air tight.  Make a couple of them just to have on hand.  Put a label on them that says Biscuit Mix

¾ cup butter softened

 1 cup milk

Cut in butter until crumbly

Fork in milk until just moistened

 Bake at 450 for 10 mins.

That’s it.  You know exactly what’s in there you can even pronounce everything. 

Thai Butternut Squash Soup

Finally, we actually have some winter weather.  Is there anything better to enjoy on a winter night than hot soup and flaky biscuits?

I thought I would share two of my favorite winter squash soups.

The first one was given to my from my brother in law and let me tell you it is AMAZING!  Ok, beyond amazing! It has the perfect combination of spices and heat that screams for you to eat WAY too much. I promise this one will not disappoint.

Thai Butternut Squash soup

Serves 10-12

Ingredients:
1 lg butternut squash
2 cans Coconut milk
1 lg onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp oil (I like coconut oil but any will do)
1 1/2 tsp curry powder (make sure it does not have MSG aka Monosodium glutamate)
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 cubes veggie bouillon (make sure it does not have MSG aka Monosodium glutamate)
2 tbsp sugar or ripe pear
Garnish with cayenne pepper

1.)    Peel the butternut squash, slice and scoop out seeds.  I like to cube the squash then boil it until soft or you could cube it and microwave it for 13-15 minutes.

2.)    Put squash in blender with 2 cans coconut milk, and 1 can refilled with water.  If it is too thick add another can of water.

3.)    Meanwhile, sauté 1 large onion and 2 cloves garlic in 1 tbsp oil.

4.)    Add onions and garlic to blender and puree until smooth.

5.)    Add curry powder, salt, bouillon, and pear or sugar.

Pour into individual bowls and enjoy!

*Don’t forget to garnish with ground cayenne pepper.  It makes the whole dish!!  Just a small amount goes a long way but it has a perfect heat.

This next soup is really easy and perfect for those who do not like curry/Thai foods.

Butternut Squash soup

1 large butternut squash
3-4 large potatoes
1 large onion
Broth homemade or store bought
Whipping Cream
Salt and pepper to taste

1.)    Peel the butternut squash, slice and scoop out seeds. 

2.)    Cube squash, potatoes, and onions

3.)    Place in a large pot and fill pot with broth to just over squash and potatoes

4.)    Boil until everything is cooked and soft

5.)    Pour soup into a blender and puree

6.)    Salt and pepper to taste

Pour into bowls and just a dollop of whip cream is perfect!  Enjoy!!

Thick homemade Greek yogurt

I just love good thick Greek yogurt but like most people I do not love the price.  Making homemade yogurt was nothing new to me so I knew there had to be a way to make Greek yogurt.  I just didn't know it would be soooo easy.

After trying it many different ways, I found this one turned out the best.

This may look like a lot of work or steps but really it's not. Most of the magic is done while you are playing with your kids or watching a movie.

Let's get started

Ingredients
1 gallon milk (I use full fat but any kind will work)
2 cups whipping cream (optional)
1/4 cup plain yogurt (with LIVE cultures) or 1/4 cup plain homemade yogurt
thermometer

In a large pot, pour in a full gallon of milk and 2 cups whipping cream.  Turn stove on to Med-Low.  Cook slowly until it reached 180 degrees.  If you do not have a thermometer, buy one.  No really, they are only a couple dollars and I use mine ALL the time.  There are ways to judge if you do not have one but I don’t think it’s reliable.

Once it reaches 180 degrees, remove from heat.  Let it cool down until it reaches about 108-110 degrees.  At that point take out about a cup of milk and mix that and ¼ cup yogurt into a bowl.  Then mix it with the rest of the milk batch.  I have read some believe this is not a necessary step.  I do it, but the choice is yours. 

Now if you are lucky enough to have an oven that goes down to 110 degrees, just put your pot of milk in the oven.  I am not so luck and most people I assume won’t be either. There are many different ways to work around that, but this is my favorite and it works faster than the other methods.  Pour your yogurt into canning jars (once again if you don’t have them, you are missing out!  I use them for EVERYTHING). 

I like to place the canning jars into a big pot filled 1/3 the way with water ( do not get water in the jars). Turn the stove on LOW and then place your thermometer on the side of the pot to make sure it does not go over 110 degrees.  Warm on the stove for about 4 hours.  Just check about every ten minutes or so just to make sure your stove does not spike.  Hint:  If you check your yogurt at 3- 3 1/2 hours and it still looks like milk, you are fine.  There is something magic that happens the last 30 minutes.  Sometimes I let mine cook just a little longer if it does not look thick enough yet.  Keep in mind the longer your warm it the stronger (tart) the taste will be.  I warmed mine yesterday for about 4 hours 15 minutes and it turn out amazing.  It is yummy enough to eat plain. 

Now if you wanted normal yogurt you could just take the jars and place them in the fridge for a few hours.  But if you want thick yogurt aka Greek yogurt then you have one more step.

The only difference between normal yogurt and Greek yogurt is that it is strained. 

To strain the yogurt you will need some cloth to strain it with.  Cheese cloth is just to thin, so either you put a lot of layers or just a plain cotton t-shirt fabric will work perfect!

Place your colander in a bowl and then your fabric in the colander.  Pour the yogurt in the colander.  Let it drain for about 6+ hours.  You can leave it on the counter to drain or in the fridge.  After it is done draining, scoop it into jars or any container you choose.  I like to put mine in canning jars and some in little jars or baby food jars for individual serving sizes. 

If you like flavored yogurt, here are just a few of the many, many options.

Ø      My girls like a little honey with unsweetened coconut flakes on top.

Ø      I love my topped with homemade granola, coconut flakes, chopped nuts, and chopped fruit and then drizzled with raw honey. WOW, so yummy.

Ø      Fresh fruit is always good

Ø      Pure Maple syrup

Homemade Cough and Cold Syrup

When I have pain or get sick I normally do not take anything for it, I just wait it out.  OTC drugs help with the symptoms so we can get on with life, right?  HOWEVER, I do not think that is what our body needs.  Normally it needs rest and when we feel crapy that is what we do... rest.

With that said, sometimes we just need something.  Taking OTC drugs is not something I feel OK giving my family (even our family doctor has warned against them).

Here is an alternative that I love, works, easy to make, and natural.

Homemade Cough and Cold Syrup
(For those interested I'm putting together kits containing the herbs and glass bottle. 
Let me know and I will send you more info).

1 cup freshly chopped onion
1/2 cup raw honey

Plus any of the following (optional)

1 tsp Cloves (Whole or powered)
1-2 tbsp Comfrey or Slippery Elm
1-2 tbsp chopped ginger root or 1 tsp ginger powder

Maximum 2 tbsp extra herbs total.

Put chopped onion and any herbs of choice into a small stainless steel pot (not aluminum).  Add enough honey to cover the onions (about a half cup).

Turn stove to low heat and slowly simmer.  The honey will soften and becomes liquid, make sure to keep the temp really low while allowing herbs to steep in honey.  Keep covered, taking the lid off every few minutes to give a quick stir.

Simmer for 20 minutes and then remove from heat.  Strain onions and herbs but retain the remaining honey.  I like to keep mine in the fridge in a glass jar.  When I go to use it, I heat it up for about 10-15 seconds to soften the honey.

Dosage-
1 tsp for young kids
1 tbsp for 10+ adult

 

What does each ingredient help with?

Onions are great overall for flu or cold symptoms.  This site explains it really well but they have helped people for centuries.

Honey is a great cough suppressant and helps sooth sore throat. Check out here if you want to see more.

Comfrey is good for healing.

Slippery Elm is good for soothing and coating sore throats.

Ginger increases warmth and circulation for overall effectiveness of the syrup.

Orignall recipe from -10 Essential Herbs by Lalitha Thomas

Disclaimer: The writer of Homemade Addition is not certified medical professionals of any kind and are not qualified to give you medical advice. My goal is to help to educate and inspire you to take responsibility for your own family's health and make informed choices of your own, not to consult you on medical treatment. 

Homemade Vapor Rub

I do not know about you or your house but cold season has hit our house hard this year.  I am guessing it is because we are in a new state with new germs but either way my hubby and kids have been sick.  Vapor Rub has always worked really well for chest colds, coughing, and stuffy nose for us but I am not a fan that it is petroleum based or some of the ingredients. 

I like simple ingredients with natural products.  Anyway, here is a great natural vapor rub that I do not have to worry about putting on my family.

I listed it in parts so you can make as much or as little are you want.  Not to mention this is a great way to make the right amount for whatever container size you have.

Chest Rub Salve-

2 parts coconut oil
1 part beeswax
eucalyptus essential oil (about 10 drops per ounce)
White camphor essential oil (about 5 drops per ounce) *

*Instead of white camphor, you could us peppermint essential oil.


Simply melt coconut oil and beeswax in double boiler over low heat.  Pour into container and then stir in essential oils.  Wait 10-15 minutes for it to hard, add more oils if needed. That's it!!

I like to rub on chest, throat, and upper back. 

Where to purchase?

I like to purchase my butters and coconut oil at Mountain Rose Herbs. I would just make sure the essential oil's you use are high quality oils.  Many of the oils you can find at health foods stores or other places are full of fillers even if they states 100% essential oil. 

If you need any help finding any products I reference on this site, please let me know.


Disclaimer: The writer of Homemade Addition is not certified medical professionals of any kind and are not qualified to give you medical advice. My goal is to help to educate and inspire you to take responsibility for your own family's health and make informed choices of your own, not to consult you on medical treatment. 

Whipped Chocolate Drizzled with Mint..... Lotion

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Whipped Chocolate Drizzled with Mint..... Lotion

Yes you read that right and let me just say, you will be fighting back the urge to lick the beaters!

This by far is my favorite lotion!  Not only is the smell to DIE for but it also works great on really dry skin. 

My skin really suffers from normal mom duties, (i.e. washing dishes, cleaning, diaper changes, and washing hands a million times).  But the winter they use to hurt really bad from being so dry but NOT now.  So now I will share my new found love!

Ingredients- (Where to find below)
3 oz Shea Butter
3 oz Cocoa Butter (this butter adds the chocolate scent)
3 oz Coconut Oil
3 oz Kokum Butter (Great healing butter for dry, tired skin) Optional*
Peppermint Essential Oil

*Note - if you decide not to use the Kokum Butter use 6 oz of Shea Butter instead of 3 oz.

Items Needed-
Double boiler or metal mixing bowl and pot
Mixer
Jars to store lotion in
Digital scale
Wooden spoon

Add water to bottom pan of double boiler.  Weigh all butters and oils and then add to double boiler (top pan).  Do not let water get into top pan.

 Melt butters and oil on medium heat until completely melted, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat, cool to room temperature.  Then place in fridge for 2-3 hours until mixture has solidified.

Whip using mixer for 10-20 minutes making sure to scrape down sides as you mix.

Once mixture is fully whipped, add four drops of peppermint essential oil.  Mix one more time to completely incorporate essential oil.

Scoop into desired jar and enjoy!!

Places to Shop for Ingredients-

There are lots of places that sell the butters or oils that I referred to in this recipe.  You can check out

your local health food stores or many places online but my favorite in mountainroseherbs.com.  They have

high quality products and great customer service!

Homemade Apple Juice

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Each Fall growing up my family and I would travel to Apple Hill in Camino, California.  Apple Hills is know for the BEST pies ever and don't get me started on the apple juice....  amazing!

Since we just moved to Utah, Apple Hill is just a little far for fresh pie and apple juice. 

So off to the kitchen I go!

Apple juice is surprisingly easy to make and even easier to enjoy!

Start with a box of sweet apples, not tart since they would call for added sugar.

Wash them really well before you begin.

 Next, slice and core them but you do NOT need to peel them.

 Throw them all in a heavy metal bottom pot with about four inches of water.Cover

 Start on high heat until the water comes to a boil then reduce heat to low. 

Simmer until apples are really soft.

 Now you will have to decide if you like filtered juice or non-filtered juice. 

 I love non-filtered juice but next time I will filter it it just a little!

Directions for filtered juice-

You will need a heat safe bowl, colander and lots of cheese cloth.

Place your colander over your heat safe bowl and then line with lots of layers of cheese cloth. 

The more layers the more filtered it will be but the longer it will take to drain.

Once your colander is lined, pour cooked apples over the cheese cloth.  You will need to let this drain for a few hours but coming back every so often to stir.

Directions for unfiltered juice-

You will need a heat safe bowl and a colander. 

One or two layers of cheese cloth (optional)

Place your colander over your bowl (you may line it with one layer of cheese cloth if you desire)

Pour the cooked apples into the colander.

Carefully use a spoon to stir the apples but be careful not to squash them or else

you with have really thick juice.

You can either keep the juice in the fridge and it will stay fresh for a few

days or if you have a lot than you could can it.

Enjoy!!