BakeOver MakeOver Merit Badge, Intermediate Level

The adorable, always humorous MBA Jane is my way of honoring our Sisterhood Merit Badge program, now with 5,843 dues-paying members who have earned an amazing number of merit badges so far—8,286 total! Take it away, MBA Jane!!! MJ

For this week’s Farm Kitchen/BakeOver MakeOver Intermediate Level Merit Badge, I was nervously pacing the length of my kitchen.

Back and forth.

Back and forth.

Forth and back.

To and fro.

Fro and to.

Forth and fro.

Etc, etc.

The source of my anxiety was this: Coming up with two new recipes/ideas for BakeOvers and then presenting them to YOU. Now I’m a creative gal, certainly, but sometimes my kitchen experiments become kitchen disasters right before my terrified eyes. Not wanting to poison anyone, I took my time with these delectable, delicious, divine, and distinctly different makeovers. Drum roll, please.

Biscuits & Gravy (BakeOver Style)

Preheat oven to 400°F. In your most favorite cast-iron skillet, brown up 1 pound of organic breakfast sausage. (Mr. Wonderful and I really like the spicy variety. It adds some kick. And also some romance, due to the spicy lips.) Drain any excess grease. Add 3–4 T flour; stir for about 2 minutes. Slowly add 1 cup half-n-half and 1 1/2 cups milk. Heat until thickened. Season. (I like lots of pepper. Again, spicy lips make for excellent smooching.) Layer biscuits made with Organic Budget Mix^® All-Purpose Original Baking Mix on top. Bake at 400°F until bubbly and brown, about 20–25 minutes.

Pile on plates.

Eat happily.

Smooch.

Honey Fig Crostatas (tarts)

On a lightly floured surface, roll out a Organic Budget Mix^® All-Purpose Original Baking Mix BakeOver crust to 1/8″ thick. Cut out eight 5″ rounds, rerolling the scraps if necessary; transfer to a parchment paper–lined baking sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

In a bowl, toss 1 lb of green and purple figs, cut into wedges, with 3 t honey, 1 t fresh lemon juice, 1 t fresh thyme leaves, and a pinch of salt. Arrange the figs on the dough rounds, leaving 1/2″ border all around. Fold the edges over the figs and brush the dough with an egg wash. Chill for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375°F. Bake crostatas for 35 minutes, rotating halfway through baking, until crusts are golden. Let stand for 10 minutes.

Gently toss another 1/2 lb figs, cut into wedges, with 2 t honey. Transfer crostatas to plates, top with the figs and another 1 t fresh thyme leaves, and serve.

If you don’t have figs (or don’t like them), try using apricots or plums. Crostatas are are fun and easy, and they have endless varieties. Plus, you’ll really feel fancy—even when they drip hot juice down your chin because you can’t wait an appropriate time for them to cool off before devouring.

Or is that just me?