3-Ingredient Breakfast Pinwheels

5 out of 5 dentists agree that flossing is good for your teeth. (Or maybe it's your gums?) Either way, floss is fabulous. At least to them. But fun? Not so much. Until now. : )

Did you know you can use this stuff to make an easy weekend breakfast? I keep a little package in a kitchen drawer for this very purpose.

With floss, just 3 (count 'em, three) ingredients, and 10 minutes of prep tops... you're on your way to a winning meal!

3-Ingredient Breakfast Pinwheels

Prep Time: 10 minutes / Cook Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 16 pinwheels

Ingredients

• 1 8-ounce can refrigerated crescent rolls
• 1 lb. breakfast sausage
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350*.
• Unroll crescents into four rectangular pieces, leaving two rolls connected in each piece.

• Pinch diagonal dough seams together.
• Spread 1/4 of sausage evenly over each rectangle.
• Sprinkle cheese evenly over sausage.

• Roll each rectangle into a spiral, starting on the short edge.

• Cut a 12" piece of dental floss or thread. Crisscross around center of first dough log as if you were just beginning to tie your shoes (but don't thread it).

• Tug right and left so that floss slices through dough, creating a disc.

• Repeat method, slicing each log into four discs.
• Arrange pinwheels on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until crescents are golden brown, sausage is done, and cheese is bubbling.
• Serve immediately.

Great not just for breakfast or brunch, but also as an easy appetizer!

Bang Bang Shrimp

Bonefish Grill ranks very highly on my list of favorite chain restaurants. And we don't even have one in our neck of the woods. But I love them for one reason (clearly not their real estate strategy): Bang Bang Shrimp.

I came across a recipe on Pinterest and knew I had to try it. Mom's birthday was the perfect occasion!

Bang Bang Shrimp
Original Recipe from Chef Mommy

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 60 (including refrigeration)
Yield: 4 appetizer servings

Ingredients

• 1 lb. medium shrimp; peeled, deveined and tails removed
• Sauce
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 5 teaspoons garlic chili sauce, i.e. Sriracha sauce
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
• Egg Wash
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup milk
• Breading
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup Japanese-style panko bread crumbs
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 8-12 cups vegetable oil, for frying
  

Cooking Directions

1. Combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
   
2. Mix egg wash ingredients in a shallow container and set aside.
3. Stir together breading ingredients in another shallow container and set aside.
   
4. Bread shrimp by coating first in flour mixture, then in egg mixture, then back in flour mixture.
5. Arrange breaded shrimp in a single layer on a plate. When first layer is complete, top with plstic wrap and continue to stack.
6. Refrigerate breaded shrimp for at least 30 minutes. (This will help the breading adhere to shrimp and ensure a crisp coating.)
7. Heat oil to 350* in deep fryer or dutch oven.
8. When oil is hot enough, fry shrimp in batches for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown.
9. Drain on brown paper bags or paper towels.
10. When all shrimp have been fried, toss gently with sauce mixture to coat.
11. Serve immediately.

Perfect by themselves as an appetizer or in soft flour tortillas with pico de gallo, these babies are sure to be a hit at your house!

Cheese Pennies

My husband LOVES cheese pennies. Except that he refers to them as "cheese dimes" because he thinks it's funny. Welcome to my world. : )

Regardless, they're a little bit cheese straw, a little bit cracker. All delicious!

Cheese Pennies

aka Paula Deen's Slice & Bake Cheese Straws

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 pound sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• Prepackaged grated cheese will work, but is not ideal.
• Freshly grated cheese will incorporate into the dough much more easily.
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or 3/4 teaspoon, if you want extra spicy)

Using a food processor fitted with a dough blade, combine butter and cheese. Next, sift together flour, baking powder, slate and cayenne.  Add flour mixture to cheese mixture and pulse until dough forms a ball.

Not yet.

Keep going...

Bingo!

Turn dough out onto wax paper and roll into small logs.  Aim for the diameter of a penny and about 10" long.  A batch of dough makes about 7-10 logs.

Wrap individual logs tightly in wax paper and twist each end to close.  Place into the fridge until firm enough to slice without crushing, at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.

Preheat oven to 350*.  Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or nonstick sheets (i.e., Silpat liners). When dough is firm, cut in to 1/4" slices.

Place slices 1/2" apart and bake 12-15 minutes until lightly browned.

Cool completely before storing in an airtight container. They'll keep for at least a week!

Or, since a single batch yields nearly 8 dozen cheese pennies, they can be frozen.  Place into zip-top freezer bags, then in an airtight container.  Reheat in a 300* oven for 5 minutes prior to serving.

Cheese pennies, cheese dimes, heck... cheese quarters.  Whatever you call them, you'll want to keep some on hand.  But be warned... they're addictive!

Fried Green Tomatoes

Fried green tomatoes.  What's not to love?  The movie is a southern classic and filmed just up the road from my parents' house in Juliette, GA.  The Whistle Stop Cafe actually still stands there today.  And if you've ever seen the movie, then you'll understand why my bridesmaids gave me a roll of plastic wrap.

{ Sorry, Mom. }

Now of course, the film's namesake dish doesn't exactly get all the spotlight in the movie.  Another, shall we say, recipe does.  But when my recent visit to Macon resulted in my returning with green tomatoes... well, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.


A little research and a little experimenting later... behold!  Something I always deemed too difficult to make.  Darn good fried green tomatoes!  Panko bread crumbs make for an excellent crunch, superior to the corn meal versions in my opinion.  And Cajun seasoning gives them a good bite.


PS - if you ever visit the Whistle Stop Cafe, I might steer clear of the BBQ. :)

{ I definitely ate two before taking this picture.  Oops. }

Fabulous Fried Green Tomatoes

Yield: Appetizer-sized servings for 4

Ingredients

• 2 large green tomatoes, ends removed, cut into 1/4" slices
• 3/4 cup flour
• Fresh ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 1 1/2 cups plain panko { Japanese-style } bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

Equipment

• 3 medium shallow bowls
• Cast iron skillet { or other heavy-bottomed frying pan }
• Stainless steel tongs { plastic ones might melt! }

Directions

1. Prepare yourself a dredging assembly line of sorts.  In first bowl, combine flour, both peppers and seasoned salt.  Pour buttermilk into a second bowl.  Then, mix bread crumbs and Cajun seasoning into a third bowl.
2. One slice at a time, coat both sides of tomatoes in flour mixture, then buttermilk, then bread crumbs.  Pat down to ensure adequate coverage for crunch.
3. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat to 350*.  Now if you're like me and don't have a thermometer up to the job... here's a trick.  Find a wooden spoon.  Dip just the tip of the handle in your hot oil.  If it bubbles almost immediately, you're good to go.
4. Transfer breaded tomatoes to skillet using tongs and fry in batches, 2-3 minutes per side.  Gently remove tomatoes when done and place on paper towel-lined plate to drain.
5. Serve warm, with goat cheese and a chiffonade of basil if desired.

Or you could just eat them straight of the paper towel-lined plate, like me.  And then call your neighbors to come get some so you don't single-handedly eat them all.  Not that I did.  Eat them all, I mean.  I did actually call the neighbors.

Now... what to do with leftover buttermilk.  Biscuits, anyone?