Butter Swim Biscuits and Bomb Cyclones

If you were anywhere near a news outlet today (and hopefully not stranded in an airport), you undoubtedly heard about our "bomb cyclone".

Remember that snow globe I recently told you about that I live in?  Well, someone shook it with a vengeance and kept shaking, and shaking, and shaking today!

The wind is still continuing to howl tonight and it is so cold and dreary with snow everywhere.  We all learned yesterday that it was headed our way, so last night I packed up all my work from my desk, brought it home, and was able to work from home today.  My husband tried to brave it and went to work at 6:30 am...he was home by 10am!  All roads were being shut down in every direction.

He then had the unfortunate and daunting task of snow blowing all afternoon, to try and stay ahead of it, but it just won't stop blowing.  We have had 30 mile an hour winds here all day and night.

So, while he tasked in the snow I did what I always do for comfort...baked.  For breakfast, I tried this new recipe I found on Pinterest (of course).

I can't even begin to explain how amazing these biscuits are...and so, so easy!  My husband, who isn't even a big fan of bread said, "forget all the other recipes, only bake these biscuits from now on."

Warning, these biscuits are loaded with everything bad (which is probably why they are so darn good), so enjoy these in moderation.

Butter Swim Biscuits
Courtesy of Instrupix.com

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups buttermilk
1 stick butter
4 tsp baking powder
4 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Combine all of the dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl.

Next, add the buttermilk to the dry ingredients, and mix all of the ingredients together until a moist dough is formed.  Set aside.

Melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl, and then pour it into an 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish (make sure your pan is not too small or shallow so that the butter doesn't drip out of the pan while it's baking).

Place the dough right on top of the melted butter and use a spatula to spread it out evenly across the pan until it touches the sides.

Cut the unbaked dough (it should be swimming in butter at this point) into 9 evenish squares.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Enjoy for breakfast, lunch or dinner!  These biscuits are the perfect companion to any meal.  They are perfect with a little jam or preserves.

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Chicken, Artichoke and Cannellini Bean Spezzatino

I am still amazed how many recipes are out there that were either faxed or printed 10+ years ago, that still somehow make it to me to this day...that I have never heard of or tried.

Recently, one of my sister-in-laws gave me this Giada recipe.  WOW is this good.  A fair amount of ingredients, but goes together rather quick and easy.  Makes great leftovers as well.  Even though there is no pasta, it is still very filling and satisfying all in one bite.

Chicken, Artichoke and Cannellini Bean Spezzatino

Courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis

2 Tbl olive oil

1 (4-ounce) piece pancetta, diced into 1/4-inch pieces

2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

2 celery stalks, thinly sliced

1 onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, halved

1 tsp kosher salt, plus more for seasoning

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning

2 (14-ounce) cans low-sodium chicken stock

1/2 packed cup fresh basil leaves, chopped

2 Tbl tomato paste

1 tsp dried thyme

1 bay leaf

2 skinless chicken breasts (about 1-1/2 to 2 pounds total)

12 ounces frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and chopped into 1-inch pieces

1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

In a heavy 5 or 6 quart saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat.  Add the pancetta and cook, stirring frequently, until brown and crispy, about 6 to 8 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, remove the pancetta and drain on paper towels.  Set aside.  Add the carrots, celery, onion, garlic, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper and cook until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the chicken stock, basil, tomato paste, thyme, and bay leaf.  Add the chicken and press down to submerge.  Bring the liquid to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, turning the chicken over and stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes.  Add the artichokes and the cannellini beans and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the liquid has reduced slightly, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Remove the chicken and let col for 5 minutes.  Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces.  Return the meat to the saucepan and simmer for 5 minutes until warmed through.  Remove the bay leaf and discard.  Season the spezzatino with salt and pepper, to taste.

Ladle the spezzatino into bowls and garnish with the cooked pancetta.

* I also added a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

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