Tag Archives: biscuits

October 1, 2012 · 6:00 AM

Texas Brew Salsa, a hearty breakfast and a GIVEAWAY; what a morning!

UPDATE: Congratulations to Wen, winner of our Texas Brew Salsa giveaway. Enjoy! Special thanks to Brenda Craig of Texas Brew Salsa. I very much appreciate her generous offer to make a reader’s salsa dreams come true.

Good morning, y’all. At least I hope it’s a good morning for you. If it isn’t, then maybe you should have one of these beauties for breakfast:

A Texas Howdy Breakfast with Texas Brew Salsa

Nothing gives your day a swift kick in the pants like a rib-sticking breakfast smothered in salsa, am I right? And not just any salsa – Texas Brew Salsa from right here in the heart of Texas. Created and run by local salsa magnate Brenda Craig (she’ll get a kick out of that title), it’s a great example of Texas ingenuity and creativity. And honey, Texans know salsa.

Texas Brew Salsa ingredients are roasted over an open fire for exceptional flavor. Better yet, they’re all natural. That ‘little something extra’ you’ll taste is honey. Varieties include Honey Roasted Chipotle, Honey Roasted Peach, Honey Roasted Pineapple, Honey Roasted Mango, Honey Roasted Apple Cinnamon, Hot Iron Habanero, Fire Roasted Poblano, and Fire Roasted Black Bean & Corn. Texas Brew is slightly sweet, and yet not too sweet and it’s highly addictive. We’ve tried it on just about everything – eggs, fish tacos, burgers, bean burritos and bag after bag of tortilla chips. Like I said, it’s addictive.

I took this photo; that’s why the bottom right jar has some missing. Yum.

I was introduced to Texas Brew Salsa via a blog giveaway hosted by Jen of Juanita’s Cocina. Like most of you, I enter these things thinking “I’ll never win, but what the heck; may as well try!” Well, it’s a good thing I did. A few days later, I received an e-mail from Jen saying ‘Congratulations!’ which was quickly followed by an e-mail from Brenda saying “You’re a winner – which varieties would you like to try?” In a few days, I had a big heavy box of salsa at my door. Now that’s great customer service. Here’s what I was inspired to make for you:

NanaBread’s Easy Green Chili, Cheddar & Bacon Biscuits:
1 1/2 cups buttermilk baking mix (I use Pioneer; Bisquick will work)
1/2 cup medium cheddar cheese, grated
1 Tablespoon roasted Hatch green chilies, minced
1/4 cup cooked bacon, crumbled (reserve the bacon fat)
1/2 Tablespoon bacon fat
pinch of cracked black pepper
pinch of garlic salt
2/3 cup milk
2 Tablespoons butter

Filling:
bacon, fried to perfection
sausage, fried to perfection
eggs, soft fried to perfection
salsa, fire roasted to perfection
(see the pattern here?)

Pre-heat your oven to 450F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set it aside. In a bowl, combine the baking mix, grated cheese, green chilies, bacon, pepper & salt; stir to combine. Gradually stir in 2/3 cup milk and blend just until the dry ingredients are incorporated; do not over mix. Using an ice cream scoop that has been lightly oiled, scoop biscuit mix onto the parchment paper. Place a pat of butter on top of each biscuit. Real butter, pretty please.

Biscuits just before they go into the oven


Bake for 15-18 minutes (depending on the size of your biscuits) or until they turn a pale golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool before slicing to prevent them from falling apart. Biscuits can be tricky like that.

Biscuits as big as your head, just out of the oven. Pretty!


Carefully slice the biscuits in half and top each half with a schmear of butter, a generous helping of bacon or sausage (or both – your choice), and a soft fried egg or two. Slather the entire pile in Texas Brew Salsa (I used the poblano).

A bacon, egg & cheese biscuit is good, but salsa makes it so much better!

This recipe makes two very large or 4 small biscuits. But this is Texas, so we make them big. Of course. I’m digging in. Would you like to join me?

You’d better be hungry; this is one big biscuit!

Now, who would like to try Texas Brew Salsa? Brenda Craig has generously offered to give away a box to one lucky reader. For a chance to win:

Leave a comment telling us what you’d make with Texas Brew Salsa or if you’d eat it straight out of the jar with a big bag of chips.

For extra entries, you may:
1. Follow Texas Brew Salsa on Facebook
2. Follow Texas Brew Salsa on Twitter
3. Follow me, NanaBread on Twitter
**NOTE: You MUST leave a separate comment stating that you have done each or any of these three things.**

This giveaway is for one variety pack of Texas Brew Salsa, including free shipping right to your door. This giveaway is open to Continental US residents only. It will run from Monday, October 1st, 2012, to 9:00 p.m., CST on Friday, October 5th, 2012. At that time, one winner will be chosen by random draw and notified by e-mail. He/she will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen. Now get to entering! You can’t win if you don’t!

Texas Brew Salsa – getcha’ some!

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June 27, 2011 · 7:48 AM

Mom’s Raw Peach Pie – Two Ways

Mom's Raw Peach Pie - on brown sugar biscuits or cinnamon sugar pie crust

Summer reminds me of fresh fruit – strawberries, blueberries, watermelon and peaches – and hot summer weather reminds me of my mother’s raw peach pie. It’s what I call a “freestyle” recipe. She made it every summer when peaches came in season. It’s a family favorite and a perfect summer treat because it’s easy, light, refreshing and delicious. Mom always made hers with pie crust, but for the sake of shortcake lovers, I’m giving you TWO versions to choose from. One is made with cinnamon sugar pie crust and one is made with brown sugar biscuits. I have a personal favorite, but I’ll let you decide which one sounds best.

There are only a few basic ingredients:
fresh peaches – peeled and sliced
sugar – to sweeten the peaches
whipped cream – I prefer homemade
your favorite biscuit mix OR pie crust recipe
cinnamon sugar to sprinkle on your biscuits/pie crust
brown sugar (optional, if you’re using the biscuit method)

To prep your raw peach pies, begin by peeling and slicing your peaches. Sample a few slices to determine how sweet your peaches really are. If they need it, add a few tablespoons of sugar, give them a good stir, and place them in the refrigerator to macerate for at least one hour. If you don’t need extra sugar on your peaches, e-mail me immediately and let me know where you’re buying yours. Our peaches smell fabulous, but they’re not very sweet.

The next step is deciding which crust appeals to you – are you a biscuit guy/gal or a pie crust person? If you’re making pie crust, simply use your favorite recipe, roll the dough into a rectangle and place it on a baking sheet. Brush the pie dough with melted butter and sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar. Bake at 425F until the crust turns a beautiful shade of light brown, as if you’re baking a pie. Remove from the oven and allow the pie crust to cool to slightly warm or even room temperature. Can you cheat and use that store-bought brand that comes in a box and rolls out? Absolutely! Who’s going to know except you?

If you are a biscuit lover, grab your favorite biscuit mix. I prefer Pioneer Buttermilk Baking Mix, but if you are a loyal Bisquick user, that works, too. Depending on how many people you’re serving, measure the biscuit mix into a bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of brown sugar for extra flavor (this is dessert, after all), stirring to combine it with the biscuit mix. Then add enough milk or buttermilk to form a nice biscuit dough. Place it on a floured surface and roll it to approximately 3/4″ thick. Cut into round biscuits, placing them on a baking sheet. Brush the tops with melted butter and sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar. Bake at 425F until they are fluffy and light brown. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool to slightly warm or even room temperature.

While your pie crust or biscuits are baking, beat up a batch of homemade whipping cream. I like to use one pint of really cold heavy cream, 1/4 cup of granulated sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste. You can use vanilla extract. It works just as well, but I love those vanilla bean flavor flecks you get with vanilla bean paste, so if you can find it, use it. You’re worth it.

To assemble, grab a serving bowl or plate and begin with a layer of pie crust or biscuit. If you’re using biscuits, I like to split them in half. If you’re using pie crust, just grab your slab of cinnamon sugar crust and break it into serving dish size pieces. Top your crust of choice with a big spoonful of sweet peaches and a dollop of whipping cream, then create another layer. You can stack them as high as you like; the sky and gravity are the limits. Or you can just pile cut biscuits or pie crust into the bottom of a bowl and top it with peaches if presentation is not high on your priority list. It’s your bowl; do whatcha’ wanna do. Now for the big flourish – top with a generous blob of whipped cream and you’re done. Grab a spoon and a glass of ice tea and enjoy the best summer and my Momma has to offer. Thanks, Mom.

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