Homemade Buffalo Macaroni and Cheese

How many grown-ups actually like and desire macaroni and cheese from the box? Anyone? Anyone? Maybe for lunch, once in a blue moon, but for dinner? Nah. But the concept of macaroni and cheese is a great one. And this macaroni and cheese is easily my favorite one that you home make. And it was super easy.

Funny story. The lovely friend that I got this recipe friend accidentally put in the recipe to use 4 - 5 Tbsp. of Frank's Hot Buffalo Sauce. For those of you who are familiar with the sauce you are laughing at me right now. But I was not familiar with the sauce before. I very skeptically put in 1 Tbsp of the stuff before tasting it and it was already bordering too hot. Make sure that when you make this you use REGULAR Buffalo Sauce and NOT the extra hot stuff. They are actually labeled in the store differently. Let me show you:

Buy THIS:

Do NOT buy this (unless you have a death wish):

Okay, now that we have that out of the way... this really was a delightful dish and my hubby liked it so much that he immediately requested it again (just with less heat.) The original recipe says to steam the broccoli but I roasted it in the oven instead and boy was it delicious! Next time I think I will double the recipe so that we have more for the next day.

The original recipe and picture are courtesy of Mer's Kitchen Creations and can be found at this site here: http://merskitchencreations.blogspot.com/2011/01/homemade-buffalo-macaroni-and-cheese.html

 

HOMEMADE BUFFALO MACARONI AND CHEESE

Adapted from Mer’s Kitchen Creations

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·         8 oz. shell pasta, uncooked
·         2 cloves garlic, finely minced
·         3 Tbsp. butter
·         3 Tbsp. flour
·         1 cup milk
·         1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
·         1/8 tsp. pepper
·         1/8 tsp. nutmeg
·         1/2 tsp. garlic salt
·         1 tsp. cajun seasoning
·         1/2 cup half-and-half
·         1 “head” broccoli, cut with stems shortened (about 1 lb)
·         2 Tbsp. olive oil
·         ¼ tsp salt
·         ¼ tsp pepper
·         1 cup diced ham
·         4-5 Tbsp. Frank's Buffalo sauce

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook the pasta according to package directions and drain. While the pasta is cooking, toss the broccoli in 2 tablespoon oil and ¼ teaspoon each of salt and pepper and roast for about 15 minutes. Set aside. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and saute the garlic over medium heat until light brown, about 2-3 minutes. Add in the flour and stir until a thick roux (dough-like texture) forms. Slowly add in the milk and stir over medium heat for 4-5 minutes or until it thickens and begins to bubble, and the roux is dissolved. Add in the cheese and stir until melted and thoroughly combined. Stir in the pepper, nutmeg, garlic salt and cajun seasoning. Turn heat to low and add in the cooked pasta, broccoli, ham and half-and-half. Mix together until all ingredients are coated in the cheese sauce. Stir in the hot sauce, one tablespoon at a time, until completely incorporated. Serve warm with extra cheese sprinkled on top.

Zucchini Flat Bread

I am discovering that I have a new found love for zucchini. Who would have thought I just needed to have it prepared right? FYI - boiling it in a pot of water until tender is NOT right. This Flat Bread is SOOO good that, despite the fact that it is heading towards midnight, I want to go make it RIGHT NOW! In fact, I need to pick up some of the zucchini my neighbor promised me and whip some more of this up. I made my own crust instead of spending $5 for the Boboli crust and it was FAB-U-LOUS! This is a pretty easy and straightforward recipe. Try it and you will love it!

Picture and recipe are courtesy of Real Mom Kitchen and can be found at this site here: http://realmomkitchen.com/3059/zucchini-flat-bread/

ZUCCHINI FLAT BREAD
From Real Mom Kitchen
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• 1 large Boboli® pizza crust (14 oz.)
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 zucchini, sliced into 1/8 inch slices (you want about 2 dozen slices)
• 1 1/2 tsp. *Johnny’s Garlic Spread & Seasoning (You can buy it at Costco or Sam’s)
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese (I just eyeballed it as to what looked good)
• 1/2 of a small can sliced olives, drained

1. Place zucchini slices on a baking sheet and cook at 425 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Keep an eye on these you just want to get them tender and about 1/2 the thickness they were originally. If you cook them too long they will burn.
2. Brush top of pizza crust with olive oil. Arrange cooked zucchini slices on crust.
3. Sprinkle seasoning over zucchini followed by cheese. Then top cheese with olives.
4. Bake at 450 degrees for 8-10 minutes until cheese is nice and melted.
5. Cut into wedges or squares.

*NOTE: Do you remember my post about the Breadsticks? The garlic seasoning that I listed on that recipe is the same thing as this stuff. Make your own if you don't already have it on hand!

Grilled Turkey Reuben Sandwiches

My husband says, "If you don't know what a Reuben Sanwich is, that picture looks terrible." LOL! I guess he is right. Sauerkraut doesn't look very appealing. If you don't like sauerkraut you can stop reading right now - this post isn't for you. If you are truly devoted lovers of the awesomeness that is sauerkraut - keep reading! You don't have to love it as much as me - I eat it straight out of the jar without any added condiments - but you have to at least appreciate it.

I LOVE REUBENS!!!! They are probably my favorite sandwich. No. They are my favorite sandwich. Nothing beats a good reuben. Have you ever been to the sandwich store Schlotzky's? They have AMAZING reubens. Kneaders also makes a mean reuben as well.

Anyway, these were fantastic. You might think it is silly to post a recipe about what is, essentially, a glorified grilled cheese sandwich, but the directions in this recipe make all the difference in the world. By draining and heating up the sauerkraut and meat before you use it you help get rid of excessive water/vinegar that will make your sandwich soggy. These were delicious and will most likely become a staple in our home!

The picture and recipe are courtesy of Allrecipes.com and can be found at this site here: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Grilled-Turkey-Reuben-Sandwiches/Detail.aspx

GRILLED TURKEY REUBEN SANDWICHES

From Allrecipes.com

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·         1 cup sauerkraut, drained

·         10 ounces sliced deli turkey meat

·         2 tablespoons butter

·         4 slices marble rye bread

·         4 slices Swiss cheese

·         4 tablespoons thousand island salad dressing, or to taste

1.      Warm the sauerkraut and turkey, separately, in a microwave-safe bowls for 30-seconds; set aside. Spread butter generously on one side of each slice of rye bread, then spread the thousand island dressing on the other side. Divide the sauerkraut, turkey, and Swiss cheese on two slice of bread with the butter-side down. Stack the remaining two slices of bread with the butter-side up on top.

2.      Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Arrange the sandwiches on the skillet and grill until lightly browned and the cheese is melted, about 3 minutes on each side.

Fresh Fruit Enchiladas

Ahhhhh.... true inspiration! What better way to avoid the time consuming hassel of making crepes than to use small tortillas instead? Don't get me wrong, I love crepes, but I do not love doing ten times the amount of work for a couple of super thin and non-filling plates of dough.

These enchiladas were divine. The vanilla sauce was perfectly sweet to offset the tartness of the fruit. The tortillas get nice and soft in the oven and are easy to eat without falling apart.

And yes, they are called "fresh" fruit enchiladas. But if you don't want to spend that kind of money grab a bag of your friendly neighborhood frozen assorted fruits. They work just as well.

Breakfast? Dessert? You choose. We chose breakfast and I was a very happy girl for the rest of the day. My picky little one ate half of one of these bad boys all by herself! After trying to force her to eat ANYTHING for the rest of the week I was seriously pleased we found something she likes so much.

Take note: these weren't nearly as good as leftovers so try to consume all of them in one sitting, even if you have to share the love with a neighbor.

This excellent recipe and picture are courtesy of How Sweet It Is and can be found at this site here: http://www.howsweeteats.com/2011/07/fresh-fruit-enchiladas/

Fresh Fruit Enchiladas

From How Sweet It Is

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makes 6 enchiladas

6 tortillas [we used 6-inch]

fresh fruit of your choice, chopped, to amount to about 1-2 cups, depending on tortilla size
2 cups milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons sugar (+ more/less depending on taste)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Begin by preparing the cinnamon-vanilla sauce: in a saucepan melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour to create a roux just as you would with a béchamel/cheese sauce, then add in milk, whisking continuously. Add in vanilla, cinnamon and sugar while stirring. Let the mixture come to a light boil (even just bubbles on the edges are fine) and continue to stir while mixture thickens – about 4-5 minutes. Turn down to low and stir. You want it to lightly coat the back of a spoon, but not be too thick. You can also taste test here and see if you’d like to add any additional cinnamon, sugar or flavoring.

Place about 2 tablespoons (if you’re using small tortillas) or 1/3 cup (if you’re using large tortillas) chopped fruit in the center of the tortilla and roll. Spray a baking dish with non-stick spray, ladle a 1/2 cup of your vanilla sauce on the bottom of the dish, then lay your enchiladas seam-side down. When all are rolled cover with more vanilla sauce – the amount it up to you, but I suggest keeping a bit on hand to add on top when they come out of the oven. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until fruit in the middle begins to burst and soften. Serve immediately with extra sauce for the top.

Kneaders Chunky Cinnamon French Toast

Let me add my disclaimer from the very beginning here: I love Kneaders and I adore their sandwiches but I have never actually had their french toast. So do I know that this is exactly like it? No. BUT! I am pretty sure. Why? Because Kneaders divulged the recipe on Good Things Utah in 2005 and this is that recipe.

Disclaimer out of the way... this was delicious! I was very pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn't as sweet as I thought it was going to be. I don't deal well with too much sweetness but the caramel sauce was a perfect compliment to the toast. We just bought generic cinnamon bread from Smith's and doubled up the slices so that they would be thick. When they sit overnight they "gel" together from the egg mixture so we didn't have any problems with them falling apart. We also used an 11x17" pan instead of a 9x13".

Even though this recipe has to sit for at least an hour I would definitely recommend doing it overnight. It was super easy to throw together after dinner was over and you just stick it in the oven the next day. This one is one that we will DEFINITELY be repeating at our house!

This picture and recipe are courtesy of The Sisters Cafe and can be found at this site here: http://www.thesisterscafe.com/2011/04/kneaders-chunky-cinnamon-french-toast

Kneaders Chunky Cinnamon French Toast

Submitted by Mindy ~ The Sisters Cafe

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1 loaf Kneaders Chunky Cinnamon Bread cut in 8 slices (You could use any store bought cinnamon swirl bread but no raisins!)

8 eggs
3 cups milk
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon vanilla
2 Tablespoons butter

Butter an 11/17" glass baking dish generously. Place the bread flat in the baking dish. Mix all remaining ingredients, reserving the butter and pour over the bread. Cut butter into pieces and dot over the top. Refrigerate over night or at least one hour (I think an hour is plenty, and I didn't need quite all the egg mixture). Bake 45-50 minutes at 350 degrees. Serves 8. Serve with Kneaders Caramel Syrup.

Kneaders Caramel Syrup

From The Sister’s Café

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup heavy whipping cream 

1 cup light Karo syrup

Blend together and heat on stove top until sugar is smooth. Serve warm.

The Perfect Ribs

My brother-in-law LOVES BBQ sauce more than anyone I know or ever anticipate I will know. When he and my little sister were sealed in the temple my parents threw a big dinner party for them. We had Kalua pork, Marinated Manti Chicken and the most tender and mouth-watering ribs you have ever tasted. The ribs were so good that my brother-in-law hid a rack in the kitchen that he could have all to himself. Are you interested in how to obtain such delectable BBQ perfection? Get ready, my friends, for the process!

The picture is courtesy of Stag & Doe Restaurant and can be found at this site here: http://stagndoerestaurant.com/2010/09/from-the-grill-2/

THE PERFECT RIBS
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Step 1: After removing your rack from the container or package you bought it in, rinse the whole rack under cold water.
Step 2: Place rack on paper towels and pat dry.
Step 3: Rub rack down with your favorite rib rub of choice. You can find these rubs at practically any grocery store.
Step 4: Place rack in a roaster oven that has been lined with aluminum foil. (We do 3 racks in 1 roaster.)
Step 5: Place 1/2 of a sliced red onion over the top of the ribs.
Step 6: Place lid on roaster and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours.
Step 7: Let the ribs cool down. You can just turn off the roaster and wait or remove them to a platter to cool faster. You MUST let them cool down or Step 8 will be a nightmare for you because the ribs will fall apart. The onions are for flavor only so they can be discarded.
Step 8: Slap those beautiful babies on the barbecue. Cook on medium to medium-high heat, continuously basting with generous amounts of Sweet Baby Ray's Barbecue sauce, until ribs are cooked through, hot and to your desired amount of "done-ness."
Step 9: Lock yourself in a closet with a fork (no knife is necessary - these fall off the bone beautifully) and a roll of paper towels. Trust me - you won't want to share! 

*NOTE! A few secrets to remember about barbecuing meat: 1) Use tongs to turn. Poking with a fork will release valuable and tasty juices. 2) Don't squash the meat. Again - valuable juices will be lost! 3) Try to keep turning to a minimum. 4) Let the meat rest once it has finished cooking. This is the hardest step but try to forebear!

Breadsticks

I am on a bread making mission. I try to continually improve in every aspect of my life and I love cooking so much that I am always seeking to become better at it; however, my main ambition right now is to "perfect" the art of bread products. I have already learned quite a bit about making breads but I don't plan on reaching perfection any time soon. In fact, I will probably spend my life getting a little more perfect each time.

Have you ever experienced going to a restaurant and getting breadsticks that are just to die for - so soft and heavenly that you end up consuming a half dozen or so before your waistline starts to scream in protest? Have you ever had Fazoli's breadsticks? I haven't been there in a long time but from what I remember they definitely fit into this category. I went to look up the recipe online in hopes of replicating them only to find out that they don't "homemake" their breadsticks. They are pre-frozen. Call me nerdy or crazy or whatever but I was devastated. How can I hope to attain bread making perfection when competing with machines of mass production?

So I started searching for an alternate recipe. OurBestBites.com hasn't failed me yet so I naturally turned to them. The picture of their breadsticks (seen above) looked so beautiful that I knew I had to try the recipe.

The breadsticks were great - soft and chewy on the inside and just slightly crunchy on the outside. The recipe is only for 1 dozen breadsticks and after making them I understand why. Breadsticks don't "leave over" well. They lost the slight crunch they had by the next day and were a lot more tough and undesirable. So when you make these, because you should, make enough to consume at one time.

Thanks to OurBestBites.com for the picture and recipe that can be found at this site here: http://www.ourbestbites.com/2008/04/breadsticks-and-pizza-dough/.

I won't go so far as to say these were the best breadsticks I have ever had because the BEST ones are the pre-frozen ones that I am desperately trying to replicate from scratch - but I am continually on the hunt! If you have a tried-and-true recipe that you go ga-ga over PLEASE send it to me so I can try it out!

Breadsticks
Recipe from OurBestBites.com
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1 1/2 c. warm (105-115 degrees) water
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. yeast
1/2 tsp. salt
3-4 1/2 c. flour

In a large bowl (the bowl of your mixer, if you have one), combine water, sugar, and yeast. Let stand for 10 minutes or until yeast is bubbly.

Add salt and stir. Add 1 1/2 c. flour and mix well. Gradually add more flour (usually between 3-4 cups, depending on your elevation and your humidity) until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl and it barely sticks to your finger.

Spray a glass or metal bowl with cooking spray and place dough in the bowl. Cover and allow to rise for 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

Remove from bowl and place on a lightly-floured surface. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Roll into a rectangle and cut into 12 strips with a pizza cutter.

Roll out each piece of dough into a snake and then drape over your forefinger and twist the dough. (*SEE NOTE BELOW!*) Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining 11 pieces of dough. Try to space them evenly, but it's okay if they're close; pulling apart hot bread is one of life's greatest pleasures!

Cover pan and allow dough to rise for another 30 minutes. When there's about 15 minutes to go, preheat your oven to 425. When done rising, bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Rub some butter on top of the breadsticks (just put a ziploc bag on your hand, grab some softened butter, and have at it) and sprinkle with garlic bread seasoning (see below) or the powdery Parmesan cheese in a can and garlic salt. Or you could sprinkle them with cinnamon sugar.

*NOTE! I am ashamed to admit that this step really confused me in the explanation. Maybe I had a dumb blond moment or something or maybe it is confusing to you too and I don't have to feel so badly. When it says to drape it over your forefinger and twist what you are doing is putting your forefinger in the middle of the snake you just rolled so that you have two sides hanging on either side of your finger. Then take the two ends and twist them together. This will make those extra long snakes much shorter and give you the beautiful twisted look that makes these breadsticks so esthetically pleasing. I found that my dough continually stretched if I didn't leave it on the table to twist it instead of handing it in midair.

Garlic Bread Seasoning
Recipe from OurBestBites.com

1/2 c. powdered Parmesan cheese
2 tsp. Kosher salt
2 Tbsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. oregano
2 tsp. basil
2 tsp. marjoram
2 tsp. parsley

Combine ingredients in a jar (preferably one with a sprinkle top) and shake. Sprinkle on top of breadsticks or combine 1 1/2 Tbsp. seasoning with 1/2 c. of softened real butter and spread on a loaf of French bread (cut in 1/2 lengthwise). Wrap in foil and bake at 375 until butter's melted. If you want, you could also pop it open-faced under the broiler for a few minutes so it gets brownish and crispy.

Peaches and Cream Cake

This is, hands down, one of our new favorite desserts. Ever. Seriously. I made this twice in the span of two days. That is how good it is. It is so good that my brother even FACEBOOKED about how awesome it is. His status update, "Oh man this dessert is fantastic!!! Thanks Shay!!!" My dad ate what little was left of it the next day for breakfast.

Think of a cobbler, cake and a cheesecake all in one delightful dish. That is what you get in this dish. It is flavorful without being too rich and creamy without the cream cheese amount being too overwhelming. Man blogging makes me hungry!!!

And if that wasn't wonderful enough this dessert is so easy to make with mostly basic ingredients. I had to buy the peaches and the cream cheese both times but that was it.

Now I will have to make it again to test my theory but the first time I made this cake I made it with Whole milk because that was the only kind I had on hand at the time. It seemed to me like the first cake puffed up a lot more than the second one that I made with 1% milk. So my theory is that this cake is puffier with thicker milk. That is certainly true when you make rolls so it seems perfectly reasonable to me. But if you want to cut calories it is still wonderful both ways.

This amazing recipe and the picture are courtesy of Mel's Kitchen Cafe and can be found at this site here: http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2011/05/peaches-and-cream-cake.html

Peaches and Cream Cake
from melskitchencafe.com
printable recipe
*Serves 12

Cake:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup milk
6 tablespoons butter, melted

 Peaches and Topping:

29-ounce can sliced peaches or 1 quart home-bottled peaches
16 ounces (2 packages) cream cheese, light or regular, softened to room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons reserved peach juice
Cinnamon and sugar for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a medium or large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and cornstarch. Blend. Make a well in the center and add the vanilla, eggs, milk and melted butter. Whisk together until well combined. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.

Slice the peaches into bite-sized pieces, scattering them over the top of the batter evenly. In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and reserved peach juice together until light and creamy. Dollop the cream cheese mixture in tablespoon-sized spoonfuls over the top of the batter and peaches and then use a spatula to evenly spread together to form a creamy layer. It doesn't have to be perfect, just try to spread it as evenly over the top as possible (it's ok if peaches are peeking through in spots). Sprinkle the top of the cream cheese layer generously with cinnamon and sugar.

Bake for 45-60 minutes until the edges are puffed and golden and the cream cheese layer has bubbled slightly on top. This is a difficult cake to test for doneness because of the gooey cream cheese layer. If the middle is still jiggly, bake until it no longer jiggles and the cake batter layer is puffed and no longer runny. Serve warm or at room temperature.

*NOTE: I liked the cake better at room temperature and my husband liked it better warm. You just can't go wrong! :-)

Skillet Summer Vegetable Lasagna

I know I seem to have said it a lot lately but WOW! This was so good! It is easily one of my new FAVORITE meals. And guess what? I don't usually like squash, zucchini or tomatoes. It had the perfect amount and the perfect texture for all of the veggies and a healthy dose of ricotta and parmesan cheese. I am labeling this one as a healthier meal because of all of the veggies and the fact that the cheeses are low fat.

Another great thing about this meal is that it reheats really well too. The veggies were still slightly crunchy the next day. This dish is full of flavor and is one we will repeat again and again. In fact I may have to go buy more veggies today...

The picture and recipe are courtesy of Mel's Kitchen Cafe and can be found at this site here: http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2011/07/skillet-summer-vegetable-lasagna.html

Skillet Summer Vegetable Lasagna

Adapted so very slightly from melskitchencafe.com

*Serves 4-6

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 yellow onion, chopped fine
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28-oz.) can diced tomatoes
Salt and pepper
10 curly-edged lasagna noodles, broken into 2-inch lengths
1 small zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 small yellow squash, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1/4 cup shredded fresh basil
1 cup part skim ricotta cheese
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in a large 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Drain tomatoes into a 2-cup liquid measure. Add water to tomato liquid to make 2 cups. Add tomato/water mixture and 1 teaspoon salt to skillet.

Scatter noodles into the skillet, layer tomatoes over the noodles and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, covered, stirring occasionally (so the noodles won't stick!) for about 10 minutes.

Stir in zucchini and squash, cook, covered, stirring now and then, until noodles and squash are tender, about 8 minutes. Add basil and half of the ricotta cheese and half of the Parmesan cheese to the noodles, stirring until the sauce is creamy. Dollop remaining ricotta cheese over the noodles, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.

*NOTE: After dolloping the ricotta cheese over the noodles I used a spoon to kind of smear it around. I didn't want mouthfuls of just ricotta cheese. I really liked the distribution and thought it was a good addition to the dish.

Skillet Strawberry Cobbler

I love finding new dessert recipes that look very easy to put together. When I ran across this recipe I knew I had to try it! Strawberries + Cobbler = Heaven!

Well I was actually quite surprised. I am most familiar with peach or raspberry cobbler and I was not expecting the sour flavor that this cobbler had. You don't bite into a strawberry very often and think, "SOUR!" But something about this dish made it taste much more sour than I was anticipating.

Now don't get me wrong, paired with some ice cream it was still very good. My hubby really liked the sour taste and didn't even think it needed ice cream. And the next day the sour taste seemed to have died down a bit and I enjoyed it a whole lot more.

So in conclusion this may  not be a recipe that I would make very often or one that I would take to a get together because it really does have a surprising taste; however, we really enjoyed it and it is one that I would recommend (with disclaimers mentioned about) and will probably make again!

This recipe and picture are courtesy of How Sweet It Is and can be found at this site here: http://www.howsweeteats.com/2011/06/skillet-strawberry-cobbler/

Skillet Strawberry Cobblers

Adapted from How Sweet Eats

*This listed recipe is HALF of the original. I don't have a cast iron skillet that is large enough for the original recipe. And this was plenty for my small family.
serves 2-3

1 tablespoon butter
4 cups of strawberries
1/2 tablespoon white sugar
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 stick butter, softened and cut into cubes
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted
vanilla ice cream for serving and fresh mint for garnish

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Slice strawberries – I slice a few in half, a few in quarters, and leave others whole for a variety. Toss with 1/2 tablespoon white sugar.

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Wait for 5 minutes until the entire skillet is hot, then add 1 tablespoon butter. Add strawberries and cook for 5-6 minutes to soften.

While strawberries are cooking, combine flour, baking soda and powder, salt and 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar in a bowl and mix. Add in cubed butter and mix with a fork or your fingers until the butter is in smaller crumbles and strewn throughout the mix. Make a well in the center and pour in buttermilk. Add vanilla extract and stir until mixture comes together.

Turn off heat under strawberries. Spoon globs of dough on top of the strawberries, scattering them all around. Melt remaining tablespoon of butter and drizzle over top of dough. Sprinkle remaining brown sugar on top. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes, then turn down heat to 375 and bake for 10-15 minutes more. Serve with vanilla ice cream and fresh mint.