pasta w/ meat sauce

This is an old staple that everyone probably already knows how to make, but I'm sharing because you never know. It's also awesome because this recipe will feed you (as a single person) for literally a week, and it's great reheated. You can play around with the individual ingredients, but here's a basic recipe for you:

• 1 lb. ground beef (I go with the 80/20)
• 2 large cans of San Marzano diced tomatoes
• 2 tiny cans of tomato paste
• 2 cups of arugula
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Sprinkle of red pepper flakes

buttermilk biscuits

This post combines two things you rarely see here on Bon Chap - baking and breakfast. Despite being the most important meal of the day, I'm not that big on breakfast. Give me a coffee, a banana, some cereal and I'm set. Occasionally I've made leftover omelets, but I so rarely have leftovers that it doesn't happen too often. While I was back home in Pittsburgh this summer, I decided to take advantage of common ingredients around the house that I don't keep in my apartment (not to mention an actual working oven). I made these biscuits exactly as seen on NYTimes.com, and they were amazing - both in ease and in taste. They're a whole mean in and of themselves. Definitely give them a try. Here's what you'll need:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 
• 1 tablespoon baking powder 
• 2 teaspoons sugar 
• 1 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 9 tablespoons butter, chilled and cubed 
• 1 cup buttermilk, chilled