Salt and Pepper Biscuits

First prepared in Autumn, 2012. Good with pea soup, and other hearty soups and stews.

4 frozen buttermilk biscuits (Pillsbury™ is good)
cooking spray
water spray
coarse salt
coarsely-ground black pepper

Preheat toaster oven to 375 degrees F (191 C). Treat baking pan with cooking spray. Arrange frozen biscuits, not touching. Spray them with cooking spray. This keeps the crust tender. Spray tops lightly with water. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake 20 to 22 minutes, until tops are nicely browned. Let cool 5 minutes before splitting;  serve with softened butter. Good alongside stews, soups, and hearty salads.

F --> C Temperature Conversion Table for Cooks

Temperature Conversion Table
 Fahrenheit   Celsius    C(Approx)
    175          79          80
    200          93          95
    225         107         110
    250         121         120
    275         135         135
    300         149         150
    325         163         165
    350         177         180
    375         191         190
    400         204         205
    425         218         220
    450         232         230
    475         246         245
    500         260         260
    525         274         275
    550         288         290

Roasted Cauliflower and Pepper Soup

The vegetables ready for roasting

Prepared October 15, 2012. Can be prepared as a conventional, vegetarian, or vegan dish.

large head of cauliflower, trimmed, cored, and cut into florets
1 large sweet red pepper, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 jalapeño peppers, membranes and seeds removed, and coarsely chopped
2 medium yellow onions, coarsely chopped
2 t garlic, chopped
olive oil, as needed to coat the vegetables lightly
4 sprigs of fresh thyme (or 1 T dry)
1 T salt
1/2 T sugar
1 t ground black pepper
3 c water
3 c chicken or vegetable stock
juice of a large lemon
3/4 c half and half, or light cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (204 C). Place vegetables in an open roasting pan. Drizzle on oil, and toss lightly to coat. Add the thyme, salt, sugar, and pepper. Roast until lightly colored and softened, about 40 minutes. About half of original volume will remain, concentrated in flavor. Transfer to a heavy 6-qt pot. Add the water and stock. Simmer covered until tender, about 20 minutes. Discard thyme sprigs, set half the vegetables aside in a bowl. Blend the rest until smooth with an immersion blender. Lightly blend the reserved vegetables and return to the pot. Stir in the lemon juice, and adjust the salt and pepper. Stir in cream, if desired. Yields about 3 quarts.