MONDAY RECIPE POST - GREEN CHILE CHEDDAR BISCUITS

I haven't made any biscuits in a long time but when I made last week's 'soup', I thought something other than the regular bread choice would be a nice change and I made these the next day.  They are now a definite favorite.

Last week’s soup and the biscuits I ended up making, came out a lot differently than I expected but I needn’t have worried as they were light and very yummy, and if you read my soup challenge, well you know what happened there  

I found today's recipe here at Cooking on the Front Burner, and our host Deb goes into greater detail than I do, plus the fact her photos are splendid and shows what the biscuit should look like!

I made a mistake in making these too but the finished result did not detract from the taste.  They turned out flatter - but still fluffy - than the ones at the website because I added a little too much buttermilk to the mix.  It was one of those days where I enjoyed making them but maybe did not have as much concentration available as I normally do. So that old saying, when life gives you lemons make lemonade comes to mind, especially when looking at the finished results of last week's recipe and this one.   

It is a sticky dough and I made it stickier with too much buttermilk.  I ended up adding more flour and though they didn't rise as much and were more like a cookie shape, they were still delicious.  So who knows, maybe I discovered a new variation on making our biscuit.  Both last week's soup and this week's biscuits turned out exceedingly yummy even though the results were different than the original recipes intended.  Lemonade out of lemons!  I look forward to making both again throughout the colder months, and will be a little more careful with the correct amount of ingredients next time.  Ramble, ramble, ramble, that’s me!  Let’s get down to the recipe.

Green Chile Cheddar Biscuits - makes 12

Serving size: 2 biscuits

Calories per serving: approximately 388 (just a guideline, not sure how accurate this is as you will see from reading what's on the host’s blog post)

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 18 minutes 

Total time: 33 minutes 

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons cold butter

1 cup cold buttermilk

1 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese

1/3 cup diced green chilies (rinsed well)

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

Additional shredded cheddar for top of biscuits

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper

In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, pepper and salt.  It is helpful to use a whisk to make sure everything is evenly distributed.

Dice the cold butter and add to the flour mixture; use a 2 inch pastry cutter until it resembles course crumbs (I used two cold knives (the type we eat with, and used a crisscrossing motion).

Add the buttermilk and mix until combined.

Add in the cheese and green chilies; mix until just combined (dough will be sticky).

Move the dough to a lightly floured surface and sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of flour on top

Knead the dough 5-6 times and pat into a 1/2" thick circle

Use The 2 inch biscuit cutter, cut and place on parchment paper (leave 1" between biscuits).

Reworking any dough scraps, shape again and cut more circles.

Sprinkle about a teaspoon of shredded cheese on top of biscuits.

Bake for 15-18 minutes until raised and golden brown.

For all its 'flatness' we gave this biscuit a ten out of ten.

I thought next time chopped green onion would be a nice addition, maybe crumbled crispy bacon also.

The cheese in some areas oozed out of our biscuits onto the baking sheet, and there were small discs of cooked, crispy cheese. If this happens to yours,  don’t  make the mistake of throwing them away. When you slide the biscuits onto your plate, scoop those up too and let cool enough to pop them into your mouth, but while still hot. Oh yum!

Have a great week everyone

and 

 Bon Appétit!

MONDAY RECIPE POST - CHEDDAR GREEN ONION DROP BISCUITS

It has been a few weeks since my last Monday recipe post, but we haven't been cooking much.  Eating a lot of light meals put together easily, and also lots of salads.  I can't say I will be keeping this up every Monday, but I hope you enjoy this one.

Cheddar Green Onion Drop Biscuits

(This recipe makes 2 biscuits and worked out to 336 calories each if you're counting.  If adding the extra butter you need to add that to your calorie count.)

I can't remember where this recipe came from, but have read and tried various versions.  This is a  mixture of them all and the final version we preferred above any of them.  

Also, it is a small amount and just enough for one biscuit each.  They are that good but no chance to over indulge.  I made it for a late breakfast/brunch yesterday.  And yes, I added that bit of greenery in my photos as I didn't have anything 'green' in my fridge and it all looked a bit bare on the plate.  A graphic of fake parsley, ha!  I need to put it on my grocery list for next time.

1/2 cup of biscuit mix (I used Bisquick but there are two substitute/copycat recipes below this one if you prefer)
2 tablespoons of butter
Pinch of Cayenne Pepper

1 green onion, thinly sliced 

1 oz Cheddar Cheese or favorite

Place the oven rack in the center of oven.  Preheat to 450 degrees F.

Thinly slice the green onion

Lightly oil a small sheet pan (I used cooking spray on top of non-stick aluminum foil).

In a large bowl add the biscuit mix, butter, sliced green onion, 1 oz. of grated cheddar cheese (or your favorite), pinch of cayenne pepper and between 1 to 1-1/2 tablespoons of water.  Use a pastry cutter or two knives criss-crossed to cut the  butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.  Mine seemed too dry after only one tablespoon, and I added another tablespoon which made it a bit sticky, but they turned out great. You be the judge of how much water you use.

Stir to combine but don't overmix, until you get a soft dough.

Divide into two equal-sized portions, forming a round.  Place on your prepared pan and flatten slightly.

.

Bake 14-16 minutes until the biscuits are cooked through and a nicely golden brown  (Mine were done after 14 minutes.)

These are good on their own but you can mix 2 tablespoons of softened butter with either a little honey or maple syrup.  It would be very good on warm biscuits!  You can also use plain butter.  

I sectioned a hard-boiled egg and a Campari tomato.  It was a tasty addition and made a nice meal.

The next time I make soup I will bake these biscuits.

If you prefer not to use Bisquick, you can use either of the two recipes below.  I would suggest going to the comment section to see what people have to say at each link given.

Bisquick Substitute

The recipe came from here.

1 cup all-purpose flourNote: Recipe directions are for original size.
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Ready in: 10 minutes
Servings: 4 biscuits
Calories per biscuit: 140

Sift flour into a bowl.  Add baking powder and salt and whisk until fully mixed in. Cut butter into flour mixture using a pastry cutter until evenly combined.

Notes:

Shortening or oil can be used in place of the butter if preferred. 

Homemade Biscuit Mix for a larger quantity
(can be stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 months)

This recipe can be found here.

Ready in 50 minutes
Yields: 7 cups

6 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 cup of vegetable shortening

Directions:

Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl.

Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until mixture resembles fine crumbs.

Use whenever your recipe calls for "Bisquick mix".