In the Kitchen / Principal Chef

Peppercorn Cream Sauce (Au Poivre)

When I go to a steakhouse, I love getting some kind of sauce with my steak. It could be a mushroom sauce, a red wine reduction, or a peppercorn sauce. The French call that sauce au poivre. And sorry, but I don’t even know why the o, the I, the r and the e are in that spelling. It kind of wears me out. I much prefer calling it a peppercorn cream sauce.

Enough of that. I found this great recipe, and it’s super easy. If you’re a real chef (spoiler alert – I’m not), you make the sauce after you sear the steaks in the pan. Because I usually cook my steaks on the Big Green Egg and/or the grill, that doesn’t work for me. So if you have a few extra pieces of fat that you’ve trimmed from the steaks you’re cooking, that would be useful, but you don’t need it.

This recipe was adapted from the Don’t Go Bacon My Heart website – great name! – at www.dontgobaconmyheart.co.uk

Ingredients

2 oz Steak pieces/Trimmed Fat(Optional – but it does add flavor)

1 Large Shallot – Finely diced

4 cloves Garlic, Finely Diced

2 tbsp Butter

¾ cup Beef Stock

¾ cup Heavy Cream

1 tbsp Course Black PepperTraditionalists have you crushing peppercorns, but I keep it easy)

1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

½ tsp Salt

1 tsp Herbes de Provence

Directions

In a small to medium (2-3 cup) saucepan, sauté the steak/fat pieces for 3-4 minutes. I cheat and add a little more butter, because, why not? Remove the pieces when they look cooked. Keep all of the fat and juices in the pan.

Saute the shallots and garlic

In the same saucepan, melt butter, and add shallots. Saute 7-8 minutes until soft.

Add chopped garlic. Saute for 1 minute until golden. Do not overcook.

Optional step: add sautéd veggies to blender/chopper with 1/2 of beef stock. Blend so that pieces are no longer noticeable. Not long at all.

Cooking down the sauce

Return veggies to sauce pan, add the rest of the beef broth and all of the heavy cream, along with the course black pepper.

Keep on low heat, stir frequently, and let it cook down. At least 30 minutes.

Add salt, and herbs, and set aside until you’re ready to serve!

Prik King (Green Beans with Thai Red Curry)

This is always one of my favorite dishes to order in Thai restaurants. Spicy red curry and green beans, mixed with some kind of protein. I got the recipe from the New York Times cooking site – it’s fantastic. You have to get red curry paste. While you can buy the Thai Kitchens brand in most grocery stores, I order the Maesri brand from Amazon. This can be a side dish or a main course.

Ingredients

Sauce Ingredients

3 tbsp Red Curry Paste(I prefer Maesri from Amazon, but there are many good ones)

2 tbsp Oyster Sauce

10 cloves Minced Garlic(Cut it in half if you're not a garlic fiend like I am)

2 tsp Corn Starch mixed well into 3/4 cup water

2 tsp Brown Sugar

½ tsp Salt

2 tsp Neutral Oil (Avocado, Canola)

Vegetables and Protein

12 oz Green Beans, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 lb Protein (Tofu, Chicken, and Shrimp all work well)Cut into bite size pieces. If using tofu, wrap in clean dish towel with a pan on top for 30 minutes to drain)

Last Minute

1 Zest of one Lime

3 Green onions, finely sliced

Directions

Making the Sauce

Saute the green beans in a little bit of neutral oil until they are the way you like them. I recommend at least five minutes, but basically you want to pull them off when you think they’re perfect. Remove from pan and set aside.

In a little bit of neutral oil, cook protein until browned and cooked through. You can add a little spice to it, but the sauce will more than spice these babies up. Remove from pan and set aside.

Saute garlic for 30 seconds in oil, then add curry paste, press and crush for 2 minutes, letting it toast a little. This may make the air a little spicy, so I recommend turning the fan on.

Add the remaining sauce ingredients into pan, stir frequently, and cook until you have a nice thick sauce.

Add vegetables and protein. All you need to do is mix the sauce so that all ingredients are coated with red curry sauce goodness, and so that all veggies and proteins are reheated properly.

Add lime zest and stir in for 30 seconds and turn heat off.

Serving

Serve with our without rice, sprinkle with green onions and you have a beautiful dish!

Kale Salad with Roasted Chickpeas and Avocado

There are still plenty of people who are not kale fans. I get it. It’s a little chewy, and very unlike crisp romaine or iceberg lettuce. But this is a dish that gets rave reviews at potlucks in our neighborhood, and believe me, you better be on your A-Game when you bring food to potlucks around here. We are surrounded by amazing cooks. Jill adopted this recipe from one on the NYT cooking site, and it is a year long favorite.

Ingredients

Dressing Ingredients

⅔ cup Olive Oil

⅓ cup Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

1 tsp Salt

5 Garlic Cloves, gently pressed with the flat end of a knife

Chickpeas

14 oz Chickpeas (1 Can), drained and rinsed

2 tsp Olive Oil, or olive oil spray – enough to coat the chickpeas

2 tsp Seasoning – We use Penzey’s Turkish Seasoning, but a mix of salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic will always be good!

Salad Ingredients

4 cups Kale leaves, removed from stems, chopped, and massaged. There is some debate about massaging kale, but vigorously squeezing the kale leaves a few times makes them a little more approachable. I'm a fan.

2 cups Sliced Unsalted Almonds, Toasted

1.50 cups Grated Parmesan Cheese (Optional – Omit it to make this vegan)

2 Avocados, cut into bit sized pieces or slices

So many other ingredients can be added – Quinoa, tomatoes, fresh peas, you name it!

Directions

Roast the Chickpeas

We use our air fryer for this, but it’s easy to use your oven too. Lightly coat the chickpeas with olive oil, add Turkish Seasoning or Spice Mixture. Cook at 400 degrees for for 15-20 minutes, turning at least once, until browned and crispy.

Make the Dressing

Mix Olive Oil, Lemon Juice, Salt, and Garlic Cloves. Remove garlic cloves after 20-30 minutes.

Preparing the Salad

Mix dressing and kale. Add all remaining ingredients and mix again. You may want to lay the avocado on top, as people may argue they did not get their fare share of avocado. This may or may not have happened in our house a few times.

Enjoy!

Charlie Bird Farro Salad

I originally saw this recipe in Ina Garten’s Cook Like a Pro cookbook, but I have since seen it on Food Network and on the NYT Cooking site. They are all copying a recipe from the Charlie Bird restaurant, and it’s worth it. Chewy farro pasta (and you sound like quite the culinary expert when you say you’re cooking farro in your house), fresh herbs, and lemony goodness. You have to try it! (Picture from Barefoot Contessa – https://barefootcontessa.com/recipes/charlie-birds-farro-salad)

Ingredients

Farro

1 cup Dried Farro (You’ll find it in the pasta or the rice section of your grocery store)

1 cup Apple Juice or Cider

2 Bay Leaves

2 tsp Salt

Dressing

½ cup Olive Oil

¼ cup Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Black Pepper (Table Grind)

Salad Ingredients

1 cup Fresh Parsley, destemmed and and chopped

1 cup Fresh Mint Leaves, Roughly chopped

1 cup Cherry Tomatoes, chopped or quartered

4 Radishes, as colorful as you can find, sliced thinly. (Adjust number based on your appreciation of radishes!)

⅔ cup Pistachios, slightly chopped

2 cups Arugula, chopped

½ cup Shaved Parmesan Cheese

Directions

Preparing all ingredients

Cook the farro in 1 cup of apple cider and two cups water, adding two tsp salt and two bay leaves. Cook until all liquid is absorbed. Remove bay leaves and cool. The apple cider is key to this recipe. It adds depth and sweetness to the salad.

Make the dressing by mixing all ingredients together, and set aside.

Chop all salad ingredients.

Take a wedge of Parmesan cheese and create slices. I use a vegetable peeler for this.

Making the Salad

Restir the dressing, then mix it in with the farro. The dressed farro will soon spread its goodness to the rest of the salad.

Mix in all ingredients except arugula and shaved parmesan.

Fold in the arugula, and then lay the parmesan slices on top.

Enjoy!

Arugula and Quinoa Salad

One of the few restaurants we can actually walk to is Kristy’s Village Cafe. When we do, we usually start by splitting a Quinoa Salad that is just fantastic. I like it so much that I’ve copied it, and we now eat it three or four times a month at home. Here is a not-too-complicated copy cat recipe for four people. The quinoa makes it a potential meal in itself, especially when you add a protein on top or on the side. This recipe calls for a balsamic vinegrette, which you can make yourself or purchase.

Ingredients

The Quinoa

1 cup Quinoa – any kind will do. We typically use tri-color. This is more than enough and will leave you leftovers if you want it.

Dressing

½ cup Olive Oil

¼ cup Balsamic Vinegar

1 tsp Dijon Mustard

¼ tsp Salt and Pepper

Greens and Stuff

6 cups Arugula

2 cups Cherry Tomatoes, cut in halves or quarters

6 oz Fresh Mozzarella cheese, cut into small pieces (You can use other cheeses, but the Moz works well)

1 Avocado, sliced into bite size pieces (1/2 inch or so)

⅔ cup Pistachios – chopped

Directions

Cook the quinoa according to the directions on the box. We cool it down in the fridge before mixing it into the salad. My friend Laurie spreads it on a baking sheet and browns it to provide some extra crunch. I have not yet tried that, but I will!

Make the dressing by mixing all ingredients, or simply use your favorite store-bought balsamic dressing. We love the Stonewall Kitchens Balsamic Fig dressing.

Mix the arugula and quinoa together. Start with 1 cup of quinoa, and add more until you get the mixture you would like.

Add dressing to this mixture and mix in.

Plate and top with cheese, tomatoes, avocado pieces, and pistachios. We do it this way so that everyone gets an even share of topping goodness, so there is no topping envy at the dinner table.

Enjoy!

Coconut Fish

What a fantastic, fancy, and relatively easy recipe this is. It’s our new favorite. This is adapted from Yewande Komolafe’s New York Times recipe, and we just love this it. Sweet, mild, with a little spice. It works great with rice, which soaks up the extra delicious sauce. Crusty French bread would work well too. I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients

Marinade/Sauce

14 oz Coconut Milk (1 Full Can)

1 stick Ginger (2″ long or so, diced or cut into small matchsticks)

4 Garlic Cloves, peeled and chopped

1 tsp Tumeric

1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes

1 tbsp Honey

1.50 tsp Kosher Salt

1 Lime, Squeezed and Zested

½ cup Cilantro, stemmed and chopped

Fish

2 lbs White Fish (Chilean Sea Bass and Halibut both work beautifully)

3 cups Cherry Tomatoes

Directions

Mix all of the marinade ingredients together.

Add fish to the marinade, as fully submerged as possible, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or until ready to cook.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Have a center shelf for baking, and a top shelf if you want to broil it for color at the end.

Prepare a casserole dish. Remove fish from marinade, placing filets in the casserole dish, with at least 1″ of space between each filet. You want the fish to nearly fill up the dish.

Pour marinade over fish, leaving at least one half inch of the fish rising above the marinade.

Add tomatoes, filling in the spaces in between the filets.

Add dish to the oven. The length of time depends completely on the thickness of the fish. 8-10 minutes a good estimate. I am a big fan of using my Thermapen thermometer, and getting the fish to reach 135 to 145 degrees.

if you want a little more color, remove the fish when it is ready. Place the oven on low broil. After 5 minutes, place the fish on the top shelf and watch carefully. When the browning starts, it’s time to remove it. I don’t believe this step is necessary, but the NY Times loves what it does to the fish and tomatoes. I’ve done it both ways, and there is a little more show-stopping look with the broiler.

Ramen

We went to Tokyo, Japan in February of 2024. Our youngest son was studying over there, and we felt we were obliged to at least try to understand a little of what he was experiencing. It was cold, a little rainy, and absolutely wonderful. We restricted our visit to Tokyo, but the largest city in the world has plenty to offer. We loved the food – the sushi, the gyoza, and the ramen. We even took a Ramen and Gyoza making class. This ramen recipe is a version of what Chef Andrew Baba Rowe (www.babaramen.com) taught us to make. It’s a little less complex than his version, but after trying it several times, I’m very happy with it. Let me know what you think!

Ingredients

Men-Dare Ingredients

1 cup Soy Sauce (I prefer low sodium)

1 cup Filtered Water

¼ cup Sake

¼ cup Mirin

4 Cloves Garlic (Sliced)

1 2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced

1 tbsp White Granulated Sugar

12 tsp Red Pepper Flakes

2 tsp Bonito Flakes (Optional)

Ingredients for Ramen

2 cups Broth – Chicken, Pork, Beef, Veggie (That’s the amount per person)

1 Medium-Boiled Egg (6 minutes in boiling water, then cooled down)

⅓ lb Protein – Ground pork, sliced chicken, fried chicken (boneless), salmon, shrimp, tofu

½ cup Cooked veggies (Bok Choy, Mushrooms, Broccoli)

¼ cup Cilantro, de-stemmed and chopped

1 Green Onion, sliced

½ tsp Aroma Oil for the top – I recommend chili oilOne of the final touches of a ramen is to put some kind of oil on the top that the eater will smell mixing in with all of the other flavors. It's why ramens may seem a little fatty, but it's just a little bit for flavor on the surface. My favorite is chili oil, but you can also use some rendered chicken fat, or anything else you would like.

Directions

Making the Men-Dare

The key to all of this is the Men-Dare – a secret sauce that you store like a sourdough starter in your refrigerator. Make it once, and it will last you for a while. I think there’s enough in this recipe for 25-30 servings of Ramen.

Mix all of the ingredients together, and let them sit for a while. (1 hour, 6 hours, or best, up to 24 hours)

Then slowly bring the mixture to a boil for, turning off the heat once it has reached boiling point.

Let cool, then strain liquids into a jar. Seal and store in the refrigerator until you ready to use it. You will use about 1/8 cup per serving. The Men-Dare will last a long time. I plan to either use mine in a year or get rid of it and make a new batch. I will be disappointed if I don’t use it all!

Assembling the Ramen

Ramen can be anything. What’s in your pantry? What’s in your refrigerator? The main thing you have to figure out is the broth. True ramen-makers spend three full days making the broth. I spend three full seconds opening a box of it. Sorry, purists.

Our go-to broth these days is Organic Imagine Vegetarian No-Chicken Broth. We use it for everything. Find (or make) a broth you love.

Next – Figure out your noodles. They can be anything. Our current noodle of choice is Trader Joe’s Thai Wheat Noodles. They are precooked and vacuum sealed in single serving pouches. Super easy! But anything will do. I loved the udo noodles in Japan – big thick chewy noodles. And I have some frozen ones, but so far, I don’t like them as much as the ones from TJs.

Preparing Ingredients

Ramen can be simple – just noodles and broth, or it can be an artistic masterpiece full of ingredients. My favorite ingredients are:
Medium Boiled Egg cut in half (The recommended eggs are cooked, peeled, placed in a bowl with hot Men-Dare mixture poured over them, refrigerated for 24 hours, then served. I haven’t done that yet, but I will!)
Ground Pork – cooked and seasoned with soy sauce, black pepper, and garlic. Though I must say – we had fried chicken thighs in our cooking class, and it was outstanding.
Bok Choy – Cooked
Cilantro – chopped and de-stemmed
Green Onions – Chopped

Assembling the Ramen

Place 1/8 cup (2 Tbsp) of Men-Dare in Bowl

Add 1.5 to 2 cups of broth to Bowl

Lay in cooked noodles

Sprinkle the aroma oil (chili oil or other) on top of the broth.

Place other ingredients on top, as artistically as possible!

Eating the Ramen!

I was told the proper ramen etiquette is to first smell the ramen, then taste one spoonful of both, then go to town with chopsticks, and slurping the noodles in considered a sign of respect. I wish I had known that as a kid – I could have corrected my mom when she told me to stop slurping my spaghetti!

Alternative Quantity

One last note – if you wanted to make a Men-Dare for just one meal – you could use these proportions for two servings
– 1.5 Tbsp Soy Sauce
– 1.5 Tbsp Water
– 1 tsp Sake
– 1 tsp Mirin
– 1 Garlic Clove, Sliced
– A little ginger, sliced
– 1/2 tsp white granulated sugar
– 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

Lentil Loaf

Ingredients

1 cup Dry Brown Lentils (or 2.5 cups precooked Lentils)

1 Small to Medium Yellow or Sweet Onion, Finely Diced

4 Stalks Celery, finely diced

3 Yukon Potatoes

1 tsp Garlic Powder

0.50 tsp Salt

1 tsp Black Pepper

0.25 tsp Red Pepper Flakes

2.50 cups Vegetable Stock (just two cups if using precooked lentils)

1 tbsp Soy Sauce or Tamari

2 tsp Poultry Seasoning

1 tsp Hot Sauce (Cholula or your favorite)

0.75 cup Bread Crumbs or Crushed Crackers

0.50 cup Shredded Cheddar (Sharp or Medium)

5 Eggs, Beaten

Tomato Sauce

1 cup Ketchup (Blend in a little BBQ sauce/Gochujang/Other Favorite if you wish)

2 tbsp Brown Sugar

1 tbsp Yellow or Dijon Mustard

0.50 tsp Hot Sauce (If not already blended in above)

Directions

Making the Lentil Loaf

If using dried lentils, soak them in hot water, while you dice and prepare all vegetables.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Add a little vegetable/canola oil to large dutch oven. Add chopped onion, celery, carrots, and potatoes. Stir in garlic powder and pepper flakes after a few minutes. Cook until veggies start to soften.

If soaking the lentils in hot water, drain them. Add lentils to the veggies, along with vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat, cooking until most of the liquid is absorbed. It will take about 1 hour for dried lentils, and about 30 minutes for precooked. Rest and cool for 30 minutes. (You don’t have to let it rest that long, but it will make putting in the eggs a little less tricky.)

While you are waiting, prepare the loaf pan. Put some parchment paper into the loaf pan, pushing it down, then cutting off the excess so there’s about one inch rising above the edge of the pan.

Mix in soy sauce or tamari, poultry seasoning, hot sauce, and crackers. Then stir in eggs and cheddar. (if the mix is still hot, making sure you are stirring quickly when adding the eggs. Mixing in a little of the lentil mixture into the eggs first can make that easier.) The consistency should be like oatmeal or grits or macaroni and cheese before baking. Thick, and glopping, not pouring off the spoon as you spoon it into the prepared pan.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan.

Bake for about 90 minutes. I know. It’s a long time. The internal temp should be around 190, and it should be firm to the touch.

While you are cooking it, make the tomato sauce by mixing all of the ingredients together and heating to combine them.

In the last 15 minutes of baking the loaf, spread 1/4 to 1/2 of the tomato mixture on top.

Cool slightly, slice, and serve drizzling more tomato sauce on top. At the Sweet Melissa Café in Laramie, Wyoming, they make this ahead of time, and heat it up by letting it sizzle on the flattop grill. It’s a Guy Fieri DDD-approved dish and recipe. Check it out!

Biscuits with the Boss

If you haven’t yet seen Ted Lasso on Apple TV, you’re missing out. One of the gazillion fun parts of the show is Ted’s “Biscuits with the Boss” start to his day. He loves it, but the Boss (Rebecca) only puts up with it because the biscuits are so damn good. It’s a secret recipe, but this online guess that I found is pretty darn good!

My thanks to those who found this recipe. It’s “just” a shortbread recipe, but I like there’s a sort of sleuthing New York TImes authenticity about it. You can see some of the story here.

Ingredients

2 cups White Flour (All Purpose is fine)

1 cup Cold Butter (2 Sticks)

½ cup White Granulated Sugar

1 tsp Salt (The recipe recommends fine crystal. I use Kosher Salt, as I love the bigger bites of salt in bites)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Take a small casserole dish (I used a 10″ x 8″) and butter it up. Then take parchment paper (this is essential!) and press it into the pan, leaving an inch or two above the rim of the pan.

You want that oven ready, as the cold butter is key.
Mix together all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Add the cold butter chopped into relatively small pieces.

Using the paddle attachment, mix until the pieces of butter are mixed in, but stop before it becomes a thick batter. I made that mistake the first time and they were still tasty, but stopping when it’s crumbly makes them WAY better.

Add the crumbly mixture to your prepared pan.

With a spatula, press down those crumblies until it’s nice and flat. Take a fork and puncture it throughout. Then, pre-cut the dough into the pieces your biscuits to be. The lines fade away with baking, but I can still find them, and I do think it makes the final cut easier.

Cook about 35-40 minutes until they are a light brown on top. If you’re using a bigger pan, the biscuits will be a little thinner, so less time. And if you’re using a smaller pan . . . (I think you can figure that out)

I may invest in some pink boxes like Ted eventually, but for now, it’s serve and eat! Best served enthusiastically while watching a Ted Lasso episode!

Belgian Waffles

Waffles for breakfast! Chicken and waffles for dinner! Invest a few bucks in a waffle iron and you are ready!

Ingredients

2 cups All Purpose Flour

2 tbsp Sugar, Granulated

2 tbsp Baking Powder

1.50 tsp Kosher Salt (1 tsp regular salt)

2 Eggs, Beaten

1.50 cups Milk, Warmed

6 tbsp Butter, Melted

1 tsp Vanilla

Directions

Mix dry ingredients together.

Add milk and eggs and stir in.

Add Melted Butter and Vanilla

Stir together and let it sit for 5 minutes. The consistency should be like of a thick batter, but still thin enough to pour without clumping. It should slowly ooze to fill in the bottom of the waffle iron. If you need a spoon to spread it, it’s too thick. If it quickly fills, it’s too thin. Add milk as needed.

Follow your waffle iron’s directions. Use as little batter as you can while still filling the bottom. When it comes out, if the batter is right, it will be crispy on the outside and a little airy in the inside.

There’s so much butter, I don’t add more, but I get if if you want it. Add syrup, pecans, fruit or whatever floats your waffle!

Dawson’s Favorite Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

It’s a great day for all of us when Jill makes these amazing muffins for Dawson. There are two uses for old bananas in our house. Most of them get peeled and put in the freezer to use in a smoothie. But some of them, the lucky ones, live to a ripe old age, and get privilege, nay, the honor, of being the start of Dawson’s favorite Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins. Old bananas, we salute you!

Ingredients

3 Ripe Bananas

⅓ cup Butter, Melted

1 tsp Baking Soda

¼ tsp Salt

½ cup White Granulated Sugar

1 Egg, Beaten

1.50 cups All Purpose Flour

½ cup Chocolate Chips (More does’t hurt – make it a rounded 1/2 cup!)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 (I prefer 325 convection), and spray muffin pan with oil.

Melt butter in Microwave. Let it cool for a minute or two.

Add bananas to the buttery goodness.

Mash until smooth.

Mix in baking powder, vanilla, beaten egg, and salt.

Stir in sugar and flour.

Stir in chocolate chips.

Using a spoon, get enough batter to make them 2/3 to 3/4 full (12 muffin cups sort of evenly), and scrape into muffin pan with small spatula.

They are ready to go into the oven!

Bake for 20 minutes at 350 (or 325 Convection), take out when it looks perfect and a butter knife comes out clean!

Biscuits with Black Pepper and Cheddar Cheese (or without!)

The Arkansas kid in me still loves biscuits. I have tried a variety of recipes, but now I have the one I’m sticking with. Yes, it has an obscene amount of butter in it. But maybe you just shouldn’t worry about it for this one thing? I adapted it from Joanna Gaines Magnolia Table cookbook, and I just love it. The black pepper and cheddar cheese make them savory additions to breakfast, brunch, or dinner. You can make the dough ahead and cut the biscuits up to 3 days ahead, then pop them in the oven when you absolutely need to have them. I think you’ll love them!

Ingredients

4 cups All Purpose Flour

4 tbsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Baking Soda

1.50 tsp Kosher Salt (or 1 tsp regular salt)

2.50 Sticks Cold Salted Butter, each stick sliced into 8 pieces then quartered

2 Eggs, beaten

1.50 cups Buttermilk

1.50 cups Cheddar Cheese (or mix of Cheddar and Parmesan)

2 tbsp Black Pepper, Course Ground

Directions

Mix together all dry ingredients.

Add cold butter pieces.

Using a pastry blender (or a couple of forks if you don’t have that), blend the butter into the dry ingredients until the butter is in pea-sized pieces.

Add in shredded cheese and black pepper and stir in.

Add beaten eggs and stir in.

Add buttermilk and stir in, then mix with hands. It should be sticky, but not wet. Add flour or buttermilk to dry out or moisten. Refrigerate from 1 to 24 hours.

Spread some flour on a clean surface. Take dough out of the fridge and flatten with hands until you have a circle/square/rectangle/odd shape that is a little more than 1/2 inch thick.

Cut with biscuit cutter/glass/measuring cup/knife.

Cook at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until tops are golden brown.

Take out and serve immediately! We you see how much butter goes into these, you know you don’t need to addd butter. But just a little bit won’t hurt, will it?