Red Lobsters Cheddar Biscuits

I don't go to Red Lobster often but when I do, I usually eat so many of their biscuits that I don't have room for my food and end up taking it home in a box for later. I've never really been much of a biscuit person, and when I do eat them, it's mostly at breakfast, but these are not your normal biscuits. I've wanted to attempt to make these biscuits and I've saved several recipes for them over the years, but never made them.

The November Challenge on BakeSpace was to make soup and bread. Well I'm not much of a bread baker...I make quick breads and have made yeast breads in the bread machine, but that's as far as it goes. I knew I would be making my recipes for the challenge while I was at Michael's and he doesn't eat much bread, so I didn't want to go to the trouble of attempting to make a yeast bread. After looking through my recipes, which is a daunting task in itself, I came across the recipe for Red Lobster's Cheddar Biscuits from the cookbook, Top Secret Restaurant Recipes by Todd Wilbur. Since I already knew I liked these biscuits and it looked easy enough, I chose this to make along with Texas White Chili.

Red Lobster's Cheddar Biscuits
from Top Secret Restaurant Recipes by Todd Wilbur

2 1/2 cups Bisquick baking mix
3/4 cup cold whole milk
4 tablespoons cold butter (1/2 stick)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Bush on Top:
2 tablespoons butter -- melted
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 pinch salt

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Combine Bisquick with cold butter in a medium bowl using a pastry cutter or a large fork. You don't want to mix too thoroughly. There should be small chunks of butter in there that are about the size of peas. Add cheddar cheese, milk, and ¼ teaspoon garlic. Mix by hand until combined, but don't over mix.

Drop approximately ¼-cup portions of the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet using an ice cream scoop.

Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until the tops of the biscuits begin to turn light brown.

When you take the biscuits out of the oven, melt 2 tablespoons butter is a small bowl in your microwave. Stir in ½ teaspoon garlic powder and the dried parsley flakes. Use a brush to spread this garlic butter over the tops of all the biscuits. Use up all of the butter. Makes one dozen biscuits.

I know it's hard to tell, but this is after cutting the butter into the Bisquick...there are little pea size bits of butter in there.

Milk, cheese and butter have been added and lightly mixed.

Micheal doesn't have an ice cream scoop so I just used the 1/4 cup measure and my fingers to drop the biscuits.

Before buttering

Brush with butter, garlic, parsley flakes and salt....Yummy!

Michael and I both liked these. They didn't taste exactly like the Red Lobster biscuits that I've had at the restaurant, but they came very close. The difference in the taste could be that I substituted Reduced Fat Bisquick for the regular and used low-fat cheddar cheese. They are definitely worth making again!

Texas White Chili

The first time I had this chili was several years ago when my cousins, Jayne and Jill and I got together for a day of catching up....which of course, also included food. Jill provided the house, bread and drink, I baked my famous Turtle Brownies and Jayne made this delicious chili. I had never had a white chili before so was happy to have the opportunity to try it. It was so good that I asked Jayne for the recipe so that I could make it...unfortunately, I just now got around to it...a few years later. The November Challenge on BakeSpace  was soup and bread so I decided this was the perfect time to make this chili...I also made a copycat version of Red Lobster's Cheddar Biscuits.

Texas White Chili
Print Recipe

1 lb. dried Great Northern white beans -rinsed and picked over
2 lbs. boneless -- skinless chicken breasts, diced
5 T olive oil
2 medium onions -- chopped
4 large cloves garlic -- minced (I add a bit more)
1 T ground cumin
1 t dried marjoram
1 1/2 t dried oregano leaves
1 T jalapeno peppers -- chopped, with juice
1/2 t cayenne pepper
6 C chicken stock
3 C shredded white cheddar cheese (12 oz.)
Garnishes: sour cream -- tomato salsa, chopped fresh cilantro

Place beans in large pot. Add enough cold water to cover by 3 inches and soak overnight. Heat 3 T of the oil in large pot over medium high heat. Add the chicken and sauté for 5 minutes. Remove chicken with a slotted spoon to a side dish, cover and reserve. Add remaining oil to pot. Stir onions, garlic, jalapenos, cumin, marjoram, oregano and cayenne and sauté 5 minutes. Add beans and stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 2 hours, or until beans are very tender. Check and stir occasionally. Add chicken and 1 C cheese and stir until cheese melts. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with remaining cheese, sour cream, salsa and cilantro to sprinkle over the top.

Pre-soaked Great Northern Beans...covered with water.

After soaking overnight

Chopped chicken....the next time I make this, I'm cutting the chicken up a little more.

 Oregano, Cumin, Cayenne and Marjoram

Brown chicken then remove from pan

Add onion, garlic, jalapeno and spices...saute 5 minutes

Add beans and stock, bring to boil then simmer for 2 hours or until beans are tender

Add chicken and 1 cup white cheddar.....cook until cheese has melted.

Season to taste and enjoy.

I already knew that I liked this chili but wanted another opinion so made this while I was visiting Michael. Once I was able to drag him away from his recliner and the TV, where he had been "coaching" his beloved Ohio State Buckeyes, he finally gave it a try.....he gave it a thumbs up. He told me he actually preferred this over our regular chili. So looks like I'll be making this again.

Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage

This is a recipe I discovered while looking for something to prepare for the BakeSpace Challenge for October. We were supposed to prepare something made from local produce that is in season for October. Being from SW Ohio, finding a variety of local produce this time of year is a challenge in itself…I knew we had apples and pumpkins but wasn’t sure what else. Danielle (Cooking for My Piece of Mind and another BakeSpace regular) found a link to NRDC....Eat Local which contained lists of seasonal produce for different parts of the country. Well, unfortunately, there isn’t a lot to choose from this time of the year….in my opinion. I’m not a fan of cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage), and that is what is available, along with peppers (I like them a little but not enough to use as a main ingredient), along with the before mentioned apples and pumpkin.

I decided to try to find something using apples and/or pumpkin, but didn’t want to use them in a way that I normally do….cookies, pie, cake, candy, muffins, etc. I wanted to try something different….savory instead of sweet. While searching for a recipe, I received the Food Network Newsletter in my email and it contained links to pumpkin recipes. I found several pumpkin pasta recipes and decided on this Rachel Ray recipe.

Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage
Print Recipe
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil -- plus 1 tablespoon
1 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage
4 cloves garlic -- cracked and chopped
1 medium onion -- finely chopped
1 bay leaf -- fresh or dried
4 sprigs sage leaves -- cut into chiffonade, about 2 tablespoons (4 to 6)
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup pumpkin
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg -- ground or freshly grated
Coarse salt and black pepper
1 pound penne -- cooked to al dente
Romano or Parmigiano -- for grating

Heat a large, deep nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and brown the sausage in it. Transfer sausage to paper towel lined plate. Drain fat from skillet and return pan to the stove. Add the remaining tablespoon oil, and then the garlic and onion. Sauté 3 to 5 minutes until the onions are tender.

Add bay leaf, sage, and wine to the pan. Reduce wine by half, about 2 minutes. Add stock and pumpkin and stir to combine, stirring sauce until it comes to a bubble. Return sausage to pan, reduce heat, and stir in cream. Season the sauce with the cinnamon and nutmeg, and salt and pepper, to taste. Simmer mixture 5 to 10 minutes to thicken sauce.

Return drained pasta to the pot you cooked it in. Remove the bay leaf from sauce and pour the sausage pumpkin sauce over pasta. Combine sauce and pasta and toss over low heat for 1 minute. Garnish the pasta with lots of shaved cheese and sage leaves.

Brown sausage

Onions and garlic

Bay Leaf, Sage and Wine

Add Pumpkin and Broth

Add Sausage, seasonings and cream

I served this with a whole grain pasta...I felt the pumpkin would go well with it.

I have to admit that I was a little concerned about this recipe. Never having pumpkin as a savory dish, I wasn't sure I would even like it...but I did. Michael wasn't quite as impressed...kept referring to it as hamburger helper....hmmmm. I think he really would have preferred a red sauce instead.

I will make this again, but maybe not when Michael is around.

Crepes -Strawberry Banana - International Taste Tour Crepes

Ok, the recipe is actually called Strawberry Banana Crepes, but a few days ago I noticed that all of the recipes that I've posted in September have started with a C, therefore, I decided to change the title a little in order to carry on with the "C" theme.

The project that I am undertaking for the International Taste Tour (formerly known as Coast to Coast Cooking) on BakeSpace, is making crepes. Unlike the last challenge I participated in, Saltimbocca,  I know what crepes are and have eaten them as well, but have never made them before. I have watched enough cooking shows to have seen them prepared so had a bit of an idea on what I was supposed to do......of course, watching and doing are two different things.

I checked out a few recipes and decided to "attempt" to make a dessert crepe.....I'm much better with desserts than actual cooking, so thought I would have a better chance of having them turn out edible. I looked around and found the recipe for these Strawberry Banana Crepes. Looked like something that, not only would I enjoy preparing, but also eating.

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 1/2 cups milk

2 eggs

1 tablespoon butter

Filling:

1 package cream cheese (8 ounce) softened

1 container frozen whipped topping (8 ounce) thawed

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Topping:

2 cups sliced fresh strawberries

2 firm bananas, sliced

1/4 cup sugar (optional)

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, milk and eggs; mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

In an 8-inch nonstick skillet, melt 1 teaspoon butter. Stir batter; pour about 2 tablespoons into the center of skillet. Lift and tilt pan to evenly coat botom. Cook until top appears dry; turn and cook 15-20 seconds longer. Remove to a wire rack.

Repeat with remaining batter, add butter to a skillet as needed. When cool, stack crepes with waxed paper on paper towels in between.

In a mixing bowl, combine the filling ingredients. Spread 2 rounded tablespoonsfuls on each crepe; roll up. Combine topping ingredients; spoon over crepes.

I followed the above recipe for the most part...the only changes I made were:

non-fat milk in the crepe batter

sugar free Cool Whip

low fat cream cheese

I didn't use the sugar that is mentioned in the topping.....just placed the fruit on top of the crepes

The crepes were delicious....even with the lower calorie/fat ingredients that I used.

The dry ingredients: fllour, sugar, cinnamon, milk and eggs

Mixing the milk and eggs with the dry ingredients

The batter after it's hour long rest in the fridge.

The crepe before my attempt at turning it over....it took me a few tries to figure out how much batter to put in the pan, at first I was using too little and then finally got the right amount.

This is the crepe after I turned it over....believe me doing this isn't as easy as the professionals on TV make it look. I think I lost four crepes before I got it right...see the little boo boos on this one? The others didn't even make it this far, before they tore apart. I did finally achieve success and managed to end up with four crepes.

The filling: cream cheese, Cool Whip and confectioners' sugar

These were delicious! Adding cinnamon to the crepe batter was a great addition...loved the flavor, and the filling light...not too heavy on the stomach.  Even with the lower fat and sugar free changes that I made these were great....I imagine the full fat and sugar version is even better. I am definitely making these again.....as the saying goes, "practice makes perfect."

Note: The filling makes and excellent fruit dip. I guess losing some of my crepes wasn't too bad....I had fruit and filling left over for dipping. I think I may even fill strawberries with this and then dip them in chocolate.....yum!

Click on the map below to view more crepes in the International Taste Tour

Chicken Saltimbocca with Lemon Sauce - Coast to Coast Cooking

This is my first time to participate in Coast to Coast Cooking on BakeSpace although, this the third time this has been done. I've enjoyed reading the previous threads on this topic and finally decided to throw caution to the wind and join in this time.

To begin with, I had no idea what Saltimbocca was, so I Googled it and found several recipes, some using veal, which I understand is the traditional way of making Saltimobocca, some using chicken and even several made with pork. I decided to prepare mine using chicken....it was interesting to see how many varations there were....I'm sure that will be the case here once we've all prepared our dish. I was happy to see that most of the recipes for Saltimbocca looked fairly easy....a plus for me since, even though I like to cook,  my cooking skills are limited......I'm actually a better baker.

The most difficult time I had in purchasing the ingredients and making this dish was the wine....I don't know much about it (actually, I know very little) and have never developed a taste for it, even though I've tried many times. So, while in Kroger I went into their wine section.....they seem to have a fairly decent selection of wines (at least that's how it looks to someone with my limited knowledge)....must be because it's in a college town. I was looking for a dry white wine.....dry wine.....what does that mean.....how can a liquid be dry? I don't know.....I'm confused already...not a good sign. Anyway, I read the label on almost every bottle of white wine until I found two or three that mentioned dry....whether these wines were good, I have no idea, but chose a bottle of, Woodbridge Sauvignon Blanc, mostly because it was the least expensive (neither Michael nor I drink wine, and I didn't want waste the better part of a $20 or higher bottle).....the whole time praying that it was a wise choice.

Before I begin, I want to apologize for the lack of pictures....I get busy cooking and forget to take a photograph so I don't have an image of each step of the recipe. I guess if I do this enough, I'll get the hang of it......

4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
8 large fresh sage leaves
8 thin prosciutto slices (about 3 ounces)
1/2 cup plus 2 teaspoons all purpose flour
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons dry white wine
1/2 cup low-salt chicken broth

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Place chicken between 2 sheets of plastic wrap on work surface. Using mallet, pound chicken to 1/3-inch thickness.

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.

Place 2 sage leaves atop each chicken breast half.

Top each chicken breast with 2 prosciutto slices, pressing to adhere.

Spread 1/2 cup flour on plate. Turn chicken in flour to lightly coat both sides.
Melt butter with oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, prosciutto side down; cook 4 minutes.

Turn chicken over and cook just until cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer to platter and cover to keep warm; reserve skillet.

Whisk wine with remaining 2 teaspoons flour in small bowl. Add broth and lemon juice to same skillet; bring to boil.

Add wine mixture; whisk until sauce thickens slightly, about 30 seconds. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Spoon sauce over chicken.

This was very good! I was afraid that the chicken might be too dry, but it wasn't and the sauce had a subtle tartness from the lemon.  I think the only thing that I would change in making this again would be that I wouldn't bother with the 2 T of wine when making the sauce....I'll use chicken broth in the future. Since we don't drink wine, we have almost a whole bottle of wine left over.

Michael, the take out king, was watching me (he also helped some - was a big help except for when tossing my wine/flour mixture down the sink just when I needed it.) and asked if making this meal was worth all the trouble. It really wasn't that difficult and the result was definitely worth it. I asked Michael what he thought of the dish, and he said it was good, but then he isn't a picky eater....I did notice that he went back for seconds. I guess actions do speak louder than words.

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Pittsburgh Cookover

The weekend of June 26, 2009, Michael and I went to Pennsylvania to a Bakespace meet-up. Last year a few of us from the Breakfast Club forum got together in Richmond, IN and had a wonderful time. This year Karen was kind enough to offer her home for the weekend for a gathering of BakeSpace members. Members from the Breakfast Club and Happy Hour met at her house on Friday night and Saturday afternoon for good food and conversation. We came from Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey. I saw a few people I had met last year; AnnMarie, her husband Jim, DD, and Jennifer. This year I got to make some new friends, some from the Breakfast Club and some from Happy Hour, Karen and Dan (our hosts), her mother Margaret (we all loved her), Marguerite, Martha, Cara and Michele. Jennifer brought her sister Kathy, DD brought her husband Jim and Michael came with me.

Friday afternoon, after several delays, Michael and I arrived at the Comfort Inn in Washington, PA , unpacked and rested a bit then headed out for Karen's house. After stopping along the way to purchase some Coke and Diet Coke, we easily found Karen and Dan's lovely home. We were supposed to be served pizza but they had gone all out and prepared a delicious meal, including some recipes of BakeSpace members who couldn't join us. Since most of us had to travel such a long distance, we didn't prepare any food but each of us gave Karen a hostess gift. I gave her some Ohio wine, a box of Cheryl & Co. Cookies and a box of Buckeyes....all Ohio companies. Michael and I had a great time seeing my old friends and meeting new. After we ate and visited for a while, we helped clean up and then went back to our hotel.

Correction, most of us didn't make anything. DD out did herself once again and made a beautiful cake for our gathering. It was too lovely for me to describe. For more on her cake and her posts about the Cookover, check out DD's blog - DDPiesSlice

Saturday, before going to Karen's, we went to Cannonsburg, Pa and stopped at Sarris Candies. Ann and Jim had told us about this on Friday so I told Michael that we needed to stop in. Oh my goodness, that place was wonderful! Michael bought a box of chocolates for Karen that were made in shapes of sewing supplies (she had made us all aprons, so he thought she would like this) and before leaving, we had some ice cream.....yummy. We decided that we were coming back before heading home on Sunday.

We arrived at Karen's that afternoon, along with the basket I had prepared for the basket swap. We had decided earlier that we would all bring a basket that was filled with items from our state or something that represented who we were. My basket consisted of food made in Ohio along with a deck of Miami University playing cards. Karen, again had prepared a ton of food, we ate and chatted, even talked to Babette and some of the BakeSpace members online and via web cam. Later we exchanged our baskets...Karen got mine and I got one from Cara, one of the girls from New Jersey. The basket swap was a lot of fun....it was almost like Christmas, going through them and seeing what each of us had received. Another wonderful time, eating and drinking too much....we hated to see it end, but unfortunately it ended all too soon. I can't wait until we get to do another one.

Sunday, we loaded up the car to head back to Ohio, stopping first in Cannonsburg for more ice cream and to purchase some candy. I definitely want to go back to PA. DD posted on her blog about visiting the strip and I feel like I missed a lot by not going there, so plan to see that if I get back that way again.

The Cookover was covered in the local paper
Post-Gazette

PittsburghCookoverPictures