Biscuit Bake-Off

There will never be a day when I stop loving Red Lobster. In fact, Andrew and I were just there a couple months ago! Naturally, I chowed down on those melt-in-your-mouth mounds of buttery garlic heaven the waiter so graciously bestowed our table with until I was stuffed. Which of course happened before the food we actually ordered got to the table. I assume that's how everyone plays the Red Lobster game, right? At least that's how I've done it since I was a kid!

Last month I was introduced to the prepackaged Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuit Mix sold at Sam's Club. It comes with enough powder and herb packets to make a few batches, and it's less than $6. Not bad if you're in a pinch, but you know me—I love making things from scratch.


And there are countless recipes out there, you guys! Like, wow, the people have spoken and clearly we all really love these damn biscuits. A lot. I found tons for sprucing up Bisquick but I opted to pit the prepackaged mix against a fully made-from-scratch recipe from Brown Eyed Baker.


The difference in texture was obvious, but nothing was more recognizable than the smell! The prepackaged mix was completely odorless, while the homemade batch smelled so amazing I wish I could have bottled it.


While the biscuits baked, I prepped the butter toppings for each. The herb packet is where the prepackaged mix really shined. I'm not completely sure what was in it, but BEB's combination of garlic and parsley didn't stand a chance!


Once out of the oven I could see how much the prepackaged mix spread outward whereas the homemade batch rose, as biscuits should (though I'm no drop biscuit expert—these were actually the first ones I've ever made!). So, which was best??

Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuit Mix
Brown Eyed Baker's Cheddar Bay Biscuits
The Brown Eyed Baker's recipe, hands down! The fantastic biscuits were flaky on the inside and just crispy enough on the outside. And as much as I loved that herb packet, the prepackaged mix was just too doughy to compete. Both were excellent the next day (and the next) after being reheated in the oven. I even made grilled cheese out of them with the leftover cheddar I used in each recipe! We literally have biscuits for days, you guys. It's intense.

Brussels Sprouts Dip

Time for a food post! Truth be told, I haven't been doing much cooking lately... I've been a bit busier than normal with the handful of events I've attended recently, as well as with my trip to New York. So, I figured now is as good a time as any to share this delicious dip I made a little while back. It was to die for and I'll probably make it again tomorrow because the memory of it (plus Andrew's photos) is already making my mouth water.


I originally found the recipe for this dip online which, of course, I can't locate now... Luckily, I revamped it as I went along and my scribblings have been hanging on our fridge ever since!


Before you even introduce any of the creamy/cheesy ingredients into the mix, the Brussels sprouts are totally worth eating. Often times we'll eat them just like that, with shallots and garlic alone, as a side.


Ingredients
16 oz Brussels sprouts, quartered
2 shallots, thinly chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
6 oz sour cream
6 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup shredded Gruyère
1 cup shredded mozzarella
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

Directions
1. Over medium heat, cook shallots and garlic in a cast iron skillet for 1-2 minutes.
2. Add Brussels sprouts, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, and cook till bright green - up to 7 minutes if you like your greens a lightly charred (like me).
3. Combine sour cream and cheeses in a mixing bowl, add additional salt and pepper to taste, and stir. Add Brussels sprouts and shallots to the bowl and mix.
4. Scoop dip back into the skillet and bake at 375° for 15 minutes or until browned on top - you can also stick it in your broiler for an additional minute or two.
5. Serve with tortilla chips!


It was so deliciously creamy and you know I'm all about creamy-cheesy goodness. I promise we eat more veggies than just Brussels sprouts. We just love them so much!

The Battle of the Gratins

While thumbing through an issue of Real Simple I grabbed out of the recycling bin at work, I came across a real simple (lol) recipe for a Spinach and Gruyère Gratin. I've never made (or eaten) a gratin other than scalloped potatoes, so I figured why not? I mean, there's cream, wine, eggs, shallots, and Gruyère in there! All of which I love.


After buying almost 50oz in frozen chopped spinach, it hit me: we were about to be inundated with spinach! Maybe I should halve the recipe?? Of course this is was after I purchased all my ingredients. Luckily, I had everything I needed to try Ina Garten's Spinach Gratin, too. Let the battle begin!

Real Simple's on the left and Ina Garten's on the right.


Real Simple's was much heartier due to the eggs and reminded me more of a frittata than anything. The wine-cooked shallots were delicious and my addition of garlic was smart (duh). Ina's was definitely creamier and more dip-like, but I wish it had a little more flavor. Honestly, I still don't know which one I enjoyed more. We ate both with toasted pita wedges the first day, spread atop a pizza the next, and tossed with capellini pasta, tomatoes and garlic for the next two meals. Surprisingly, we weren't completely sick of spinach by the end of the week!

The Sandwich to End All Sandwiches

I mean, really... This sandwich will murder any sandwich you've ever loved. Hands down. It isn't entirely my own creation, I found and modified the recipe from theKitchn.com, however, I am completely confident mine is better.


I soft boil two eggs and set them aside so they can cool. As a rule after boiling eggs, I crack the shell to make sure the peeling process isn't a pain after I've placed them in a bowl of cool water. It always helps.

I cut my asparagus into slices length–wise using a paring knife and place them in a skillet over high heat with oil and minced garlic. After searing the asparagus spears for about 6-8 minutes, they should be charred and delicious.

Earlier in the day, I dice about half of a red onion and put it into a container with vinegar so it can pickle as much as possible. I suggest an hour or more if you have the time! I've tried it with both apple cider and red wine vinegar, both were great.

I cut one large baguette in half and remove the center so all of my toppings won't slide out while eating. Once the bread is hollowed out, I spread mayo and dijon mustard generously.

Each sandwich is topped with one sliced egg (careful if you soft boil yours, they will be gooey), 1/2 of the asparagus, 1/2 of a sliced avocado and a generous amount of your pickled red onions. Season with a dash of salt and fresh pepper.

Andrew and I have eaten these sandwiches for lunch and dinner about 10 times in the last two months. They're that good. Plus, avocados just make everything better.

Slightly obsessed, kind of addicted...

The smell of fresh bread filling the apartment has become addictive. This past weekend I baked two loaves using bread flour and whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose. They were delicious but for some reason no where near the awesomeness of my first loaf.

Love the different shades
The whole wheat definitely had an earthy taste. I liked it but I think it would have done better with some honey mixed in and oats sprinkled on the crust. Maybe next time... Andrew came home from work the other day and told me his coworkers had been pining for his bread during lunch. Hah! Apparently now I'm taking bread orders? It's actually pretty awesome yet scary because I can't taste it before I give it away ;( I really hope it's good! Since I was making a loaf for other people, I decided what the hell and made another one for us. This time with cheddar mixed in. That's five whole loaves under my belt and I've blogged & tweeted about all of them. For this, I am sorry.


Thanks to this super easy recipe, I also made schiacciata last night! Even though it's supposed to be used for making sandwiches, it replaced the crust for our "pizza" tonight. With proper planning, I would have baked everything at once, toppings and all but whatevs. It was so light and airy and mmm. I never knew I'd love baking/bread making this much. Although, I HATE how hot it gets in the apartment when baking at 500° for hours. It is not fun. At all. Forgive the crappy iphone photo, all other cameras were out of commission.

Before & after resting for an hour!



mmmm
I used garlic, tomatoes, onions, yellow peppers, parmesan & mozzarella for toppings. It was kind of like a sicilian style pizza but without any sauce. Totally delicious. Andrew said when he was in Italy, they'd serve it sliced in half and pressed like a panino. That'll definitely be the plan next time I make it.

Being KNEAD-y

I've been kind of obsessed with bread this week. I think the sourdough we picked up from Dill Pickle Food Co-op is to blame. It was so amazing, I probably got it in my head that I could and should be making my own. I found an awesome pizza dough recipe that was SO easy I can't believe I hadn't tried it before. I topped it with grated parmesan, fresh mozzarella, shaved asparagus I'd tossed with a clove of garlic (minced) and red pepper flakes, scallions, a touch of truffle oil, squeeze of lemon AND eggs (I know, I put eggs on everything). Andrew & I died. One bite and it was over, pizza heaven. We don’t even own a pizza stone or pan, just used the back of two cookie sheets and it worked beautifully. Originally I'd planned to make one and share it but upon telling Andrew, he immediately informed me he'd be eating one entirely to himself. I'm so glad I made two! We had enough left over for lunch the next day :)

Even Princess couldn't resist


mmm...
I decided the next logical step would be to make a loaf. I don't have a stand mixer or a bread maker but apparently there's no need for 'em anyway! Thanks to Jim Lahey and The New York Times (way back in '06), I found this insanely simple recipe for no-knead bread. I'm a bit late to the game, oh about 4 years, but whatever... It still works and I can't believe I've made homemade pizza dough & a loaf of bread all in the same week!


Tastes surprisingly similar to sourdough!
I let it rise for an extra 6hrs, totaling a full 24hrs. It was hard to just let it sit and be patient but it was well worth the wait. I finally pulled it out of the dutch oven around 1am and allowed it to cool overnight. The moment the 7:15 alarm went off, we jumped out of bed & started slicing, not so much as a "good morning" was uttered between us.

Tonight is the opening night for category 5 racing (beginners) and I'll be watching alone because Andrew is participating!! I'm so freggin' excited I can't even stand it. I really hope it doesn't get rained out ;(