Biscuit Bar Brunch

Biscuit Bar Brunch

When it comes to brunch, you can almost always bet I’m going to go for something savory (and probably with eggs), but I know not everyone feels the same way.  This weekend, my family was in town, so I thought it might be fun to whip up a last minute brunch.  I wanted a savory and sweet option, so when the idea of a Biscuit Bar hit me, I knew it was perfect!

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Really, you can top biscuits with just about anything – Bacon + Egg, Sausage + Gravy, Honeycomb + Butter + Jam… it’s a really fun opportunity to get creative!  You could add avocado, tomato, and a variety of meats and cheeses if your guests want to make little biscuit sandwiches, or you could feature ice cream, berries, chocolate and whipped cream if you want a dessert biscuit bar.  There are so many possibilities that are great for an easy get-together.

I went with items I had or could quickly acquire:

– biscuits (I use Alton Brown’s recipe)

– eggs (I did scrambled – with a splash of milk and chopped chives- but poached would be good too)

– bacon

– turkey bacon (for a healthy option)

– sausage patties

– sausage gravy (why not, you’re already making sausage!)

– berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries)

– honey (I used Tupelo, which we sell in the store)

– honeycomb (also sold in the store)

– gourmet jams (I get mine locally from Kelle B and they are delicious!)

– butter (regular is a must of course, but flavored butter would be fantastic too)

You’ll want to assemble your bar fixings in order – first plates, then biscuits, then toppings.

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Side note:  the flowers came from my mom, who always brings me a bouquet from her garden when she comes to visit.  Since she just gave them to me, I thought they would be a fun addition to the barscape.

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(By the way, I’m in love with my new honey dipper.  It’s made from olive wood and we just started carrying them at Barque)

After the biscuits and fixings, you’ll also want beverage options.  I did orange juice, milk and water ,with different size glasses, so each guest can have as much or as little as they want.

I’ll never forget when I realized that I could have milk AND orange juice with breakfast.  It’s such a sweet memory of my great grandmother, offering  me both at the table in her tiny kitchen.  She totally rocked my world – I had never occurred to me that BOTH was an option!

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Although this was the first time I’ve ever done a Biscuit Bar Brunch, it definitely won’t be the last.  (And while the classic biscuit with gravy was still my favorite, I enjoyed the one with butter, honeycomb and strawberry lemon jam too)

Happy Brunching!

 

Football Mantle

Football Mantle

As soon as September arrived, I felt an itch to put up festive mantle decorations, but I wasn’t quite ready to deck it out for Halloween… so I went with a football theme!

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For this project,  I started with the framed artwork on the mantle- normally, it’s a painting of bicycles – but since I enlarge a photo at Christmas to change it up, it made sense to try the same trick here too.  Mom scanned in my dad’s sophmore football photo and I had it printed at FedEx Office, then mounted it on foam core. (cost approximately $15)

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I try to utilize items that I already have, but it’s fun to toss in a few new pieces too.  Since I couldn’t find a loving cup, I improvised with my champagne bucket and a vintage football that I found at the antique store last weekend.  The clipboard came from at an estate sale awhile back, and I just printed out the Texas Tech football schedule to put on it.  (The books I already had, of course, because I have book addiction – more evidence of that here and here.)

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For the other side, I found a few treasures on ebay:  a youth football helmet ($11), a personal chalk board ($4) and a Texas Tech pennant (from concessions stand sales in the 70’s, brand new condition, $12).

UPDATE:  I had to correct the chalkboard play, as my football coach father was embarrassed that it wasn’t even “a real one”.  For the record, I asked him to send me a play to use, and he DID… they just weren’t very pretty.  My brother drew out a new play, and I think we’ve got a good compromise now:

A fresh coat of red paint on an old megaphone (who knows how long I’ve had that thing, maybe junior high?) add a nice pop of color to the left side of the fireplace.

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For the right side, a folding stadium chair (from an estate sale for $5) and my bucket of fireplace tools (yes, it’s almost time for fires in the fireplace!) make themselves at home quite nicely.

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So here I am, all ready for fall, and especially ready for football season!

How do you deck out your mantle for fall?  I’d love to hear!

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Garlic Truffle Fries

Summer burgers on the grill are good, but homemade fries 20140901-190933-68973163.jpgmake them better… and when they’re garlic truffle fries, well then they’re BEST!

In honor of Labor Day, I’m sharing my recipe for Garlic Truffle fries.  I only recently added the truffle oil, so if you’re not into it, no big deal, just omit the oil.  And while I’d rather have a super crunchy, deep-fried french fry (sigh), I always feel a little better making homemade fries when they’re baked.  Enjoy!

Garlic Truffle Fries

approximately 1 Russet potato per person

cloves of garlic, minced and smashed

kosher salt

parsley

1-2 T. butter

cooking spray (Pam)

black truffle oil (optional)

 

Trim potatoes into a rectangular shape by removing the four rounded sides.  I leave on the ends because I like the skin, but if you don’t you can lop those off too.  Slice fries to desired thickness.  Coat with cooking spray and toss on a baking sheet.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes, tossing occasionally.  When they are golden on all sides, remove from the oven.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter and add garlic.  Toss fries to coat in the buttery garlic and add truffle oil if desired.  Remove from heat and sprinkle with parsley and salt.  Serve immediately.

*Note:  A quick toss is all that’s necessary – if you cook too long, the fries will get soggy*