Cheddar Bay Biscuits (Red Lobster copycat)

Try them once and you will be disappointed the next time you eat at Red Lobster. Why? Because they are even better than the orginal! Yes, they are that good! Light and fluffy, yet the crust is crunchy and buttery. As always, let me know how you like them!  








Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits

Biscuit:

2 ½ cups Bisquick baking mix

4 tablespoons cold butter

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated

1 cup cold whole milk

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning

Pinch of Salt

½ tsp oregano

½ tsp parsley flakes

Garlic salt

Brush on top

6 tablespoons butter, melted

½ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning

¼  teaspoon dried parsley flakes

¼ teaspoon Oregano

Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Combine Bisquick and cold butter. Don't combine too thoroughly. There should be small chunks of butter about the size of peas.  Add cheddar, milk and seasonings.

Mix by hand until combined, but don't over mix. Drop 12 equal portions onto greased cookie sheet.  Sprinkle garlic salt on top of each biscuit lightly. 

Bake for 15-17 minutes or until tops are light brown.

Melt butter in a bowl. Stir in seasonings, parsley and oregano.

Use a pastry brush to spread garlic butter over tops of biscuits.

Make a dozen large biscuits.  

Simply the Best Chocolate Chips Cookies

I have been on the quest for many years to find the most perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe.  I have made hundreds of recipes!  Finally, a few months ago, I stumbled upon one that seemed to be the one. After a few tweeks, here it is!  Simply the best chocolate chip cookies, ever.  They are easy to make, even easier to eat and they turn out perfectly every single time.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!  

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp cornstarch

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugars until fluffy and light in color. Add egg and vanilla and blend in.

Mix in flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Stir in chocolate chips.

4.  Using a standard-sized cookie scoop or tablespoon, drop dough onto a prepared baking sheet.   Bake for 10-12 minutes, until barely golden brown around the edges. 

5.  Let cool, on the sheet, on a wire rack for five minutes.  Remove from baking sheet and let cool.  Makes approximately 2.5 dozen.  

Tip:  If you like a crispier cookie, flatten slightly with hand before baking.  If you like a fluffy cookie, scoop and leave as balls. 

Corn Salsa

Corn salsa that is HEAVENLY!  Don't let the cinnamon fool you.  It is so good, your lips will be smacking you in the face just to get to another bite.  Wow!  Such a flavor explosion!   And it is HEALTHY too!  The delicious salsa recipe is courtesy of Meredith Wittman by way of a Penzey's catalog from August 2011.  I have slightly modified it, to make it even better of course!  I love it with tortilla chips or served with a variety of Mexican inspired dishes.  Enjoy!


Corn Salsa

3 large ears of corn
1 large onion, chopped
2 Jalapenos (seeds removed unless you like it HOT), finely chopped
1 garden tomato, chopped
1⁄3-1⁄2 Cup lime juice
3⁄4 tsp. GROUND CUMIN
1⁄4 tsp. CINNAMON
1⁄2 tsp. GROUND BLACK PEPPER
1/2 tsp. Kosher or Sea SALT
1 small cucumber, chopped and seeds removed
1 15 oz. can black beans, drained, rinsed,  and thoroughly dried with paper towels

Shuck the corn and remove the corn from the cobs. In a large bowl, combine the corn, onion, peppers, tomato, lime juice and SPICES. Mix well. Add the cucumber and/or black beans and mix again.  For best results (and to ensure a flavor explosion) cover prepared salsa and let sit in the fridge for several hours or overnight.  Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Prep. time: 15 minutes
Yield: about 7 cups

Nutritional Information: Servings 7; Serving Size 1 cup (188g);
Calories 80; Calories from fat 10; Total fat 1g; Cholesterol 0mg;
Sodium 105mg; Carbohydrate 19g; Dietary Fiber 4g; Protein 4g.

Link to Meredith Wittmann's original recipe in the Penzeys catalog (page 42)

Shrimp Sauce or Yum Yum Sauce...

Whatever you call it, it is delicious! I found a recipe on Pinterest that claimed to be the real deal for the shrimp sauce that you find served at Hibachi type restaurants.  I made it and it just didn't have the right taste.  I made it several times and tweaked it until it was PERFECT!  

I used an electric griddle to make shrimp, chicken, onions, zucchini, mushrooms and rice.  

So simple and way more affordable than dining out!   

Shrimp Sauce/Yum Yum Sauce

1-1/4 cup Hellmann's mayonnaise *

1/4 cup warm water

2 teaspoon tomato paste

2 tablespoon melted butter

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 tsp sriracha (Korean garlic chili sauce)

1 tsp honey

1 tsp seasoned rice wine vinegar

Pinch of salt

Pinch of pepper

Melt butter in a glass bowl, add warm water, sugar, honey and mix to dissolve sugar. Add the rest of the ingredients – adding the mayonnaise last. Using a fork or a whisk, blend all ingredients together thoroughly until well mixed and the sauce is smooth. Refrigerate overnight to allow flavors to blend. Bring to room temperature before serving.

The sauce will NOT taste right if you don't let it sit overnight.

* As everyone knows, I generally prefer Dukes mayo. However, in this recipe, Hellmann’s comes the closest to replicating the taste of the sauce. Hellmann's is called "Best Foods" west of the Rockie Mountains. Use other mayos at your peril - many other brands make the sauce taste too much like mayo.

Walnut Date Bran Muffins

I fell in love with bran muffins during a trip to Canada when I was 15 years old.  I have tinkered with many recipes over the years to make the most perfectly moist and tasty bran muffin ever.  This is my most recent creation that combines ground flax, chewy dates and crunchy walnuts.  And I think it is the best yet!  Let me know what you think.




1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped majool dates (optional)
1/2 cup chopped raw walnuts (optional)
1 cup bran
1/2 cup ground flax
1 cup milk
1/2 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup molasses
1 egg, extra large
1/3 cup virgin coconut oil, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

1. Combine your dry ingredients: mix flour, whole wheat pastry flour, baking powder, baking soda       and salt.
2.  Add dates and walnuts to flour and stir.
3.  In a separate bowl, mix the bran, ground fax, milk and buttermilk together.  Let sit for five minutes to moisten the bran and flax.
4.  Stir molasses, egg, coconut oil and vanilla into the bowl with the bran/milk mixture.
5.  Pour wet mixture into the dry and stir until combined.  Be careful not to over-mix.

Spray your muffin tin with cooking spray.  Fill each muffin tin with batter.  Bake for 12 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Serve with butter and a little sprinkle of kosher salt.  ENJOY!

 
  

Pistachio Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake

Yes, the name is crazy long.  But it is so good and every word of it is necessary to describe the yummy-ness of this easy to make cake.  Everyone will think you spent hours making it!

1 box yellow cake mix

3 –3.4 ounce boxes Pistachio Pudding

1 cup water

½ cup oil

4 eggs

2 tsp. Vanilla extract

2 tsp. Poppy Seeds

1 Container Lemon Frosting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

Grease a bunt pan and set aside. 

Combine cake mix, pudding, water, oil, eggs and vanilla in a bowl.  Mix until well combined, about three minutes with an electric mixer.  Stir in poppy seeds with a spoon until evenly distributed.  Pour cake batter into bundt pan and bake for 45-55 minutes.  Remove from oven and IMMEDIATELY turn over onto a plate or cake holder/stand.  Let cool for 30 minutes.  Open container of lemon frosting and remove foil.  Put in the microwave in 10 second increments, stir and do again until it reaches a pourable consistency (took 3 times in my microwave) and pour evenly over the top of the cake.  Leave uncovered to finish cooling for another 30 minutes.  Serve or cover cake to keep it moist.

   

Ultimate Potato Soup

What is more versatile than potatoes?  They are inexpensive and filling.  Here is a recipe that turns the plain old potato into something extraordinary.  It is an easy recipe with tons of flavor that would satisfy even your most choosy foodie. 

 

1 pound bacon, chopped

3 stalks celery, diced

1 large onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

10 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed

4 cups chicken stock or enough to cover potatoes

3 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 cup milk

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (and extra for garnish)

½ cup heavy cream

½ cup Buttermilk or sour cream

2 wedges Laughing Cow Garlic and Herb cheese

1 teaspoon dried chives

1tsp Tarragon

1 tsp. dried parsley flakes

1 tablespoon chopped fresh green onions (garnish)

1 tsp. Slap Yo Momma seasoning

1 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. pepper

1 tsp seasoning salt

1 tsp onion powder

2 bay leaves

In a Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat until done. Remove bacon from pan, and set aside. Drain off all but 1/4 cup of the bacon grease.

In the bacon grease remaining in the pan, saute the celery, onions, salt and other seasonings until onion begins to turn clear. Add the garlic and bay leaves, and continue cooking for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the cubed potatoes, and toss to coat.  Season with salt, pepper and Slap Yo Momma seasoning. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes. Add enough chicken stock to just cover the potatoes. Cover, and simmer until potatoes are tender.

In a separate pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour. Cook stirring constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk, chives, tarragon and parsley.  Bring the cream mixture to a boil, and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Stir the cream mixture into the potato mixture. Puree about 1/3 the soup, and return to the pan.  Add the rest of the seasonings, Laughing cow cheese, shredded cheddar cheese, buttermilk or sour cream and heavy cream.   Adjust seasonings to taste.  Let simmer at med-low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t stick on the bottom.   Garnish with bacon, shredded cheddar cheese, chopped green onions and sour cream.