I love spending some quality time with Pinterest. (Also known as shamelessly ignoring the laundry and piles of dirty dishes, just to gawk at perfect pictures of genius ideas.) One of my boards is dedicated to food that has caught my eye, and when I came across a biscuit recipe that used 7-up, I knew I was making it a.s.a.p.

I wasn’t sure what would make these biscuits so different than all the other recipes I’ve tried, but I just had a gut feeling that this was “the one”. I was right! These biscuits are slap-you-silly good. They’re fluffy and tender, and just have a plain awesome texture in all the right places. They don’t even need butter.

Well, that’s not completely true….every biscuit needs a little butter….and honey. I adapted the original recipe a bit so they are completely from scratch. (I can’t bring myself to buy Bisquick when it’s so easy to make yourself, and cheaper too!)

7-Up Biscuits


Yield: 9 biscuits  Printable Recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/3 cup vegetable shortening (I use non-hydrogenated coconut oil shortening)

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup 7-up (room temperature, and the real stuff! Not Diet)

1/4 cup melted butter




Directions:


Preheat oven to 450. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, then cut in the shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Cut the sour cream into biscuit mix, then add the 7-Up. This makes a very soft dough.

Sprinkle additional biscuit mix on board or table and pat dough out. Melt 1/4 cup butter in a 9 inch square pan. Place cut biscuits in pan and bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Recipe Notes: The original recipe calls for 2 cups of Bisquick, so if you want to use Bisquick just omit the flour, baking powder, salt, and shortening.

Every kid has a favorite food. Some kids go for the pizza, some for the mac and cheese, mine has a soft spot for biscuits – or “bikscuits” as he calls them. Can you blame him? There’s something so comforting and satisfying about a soft, warm biscuit fresh from the oven. Whether you slather yours in butter and honey, douse it with creamy sausage gravy, or eat them plain, you can’t go wrong with a biscuit.

These biscuits are a step above your average biscuit. Covered in Swiss cheese slices and crumbled bacon, then scattered with additional cheese for good measure…oh yeah, don’t forget the fresh herbs. These babies are goooood. 

Easter is just two days away and I’ve got some thigh-scaring, tummy-terrifying dishes planned. Can’t wait to share!

Cheesy Bacon Pull-Aparts
(adapted from Tasty Kitchen)

serves: 6   Printable Recipe

1 can (16.3oz) refrigerated Grand's biscuits

4 slices Swiss cheese

1 package (2 oz size) pre-cooked bacon

1/2 cup grated triple cheddar blend

1 tsp chopped fresh herbs (thyme, oregano, basil, etc)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325ºF. Grease a 9″ pan or skillet. Place biscuits in the pan and top each biscuit with half a slice of Swiss cheese. Coarsely chop the bacon and sprinkle over the Swiss cheese. Top bacon with shredded cheddar cheese. Sprinkle your choice of herbs over the shredded cheese.

Bake for 20-30 minutes or until cheese is melted and biscuits are cooked through. Depending on how much cheese you pile on top, this may take a little longer to bake through. Serve immediately.

Note: If you have more time, you can easily make these from scratch for added deliciousness!

Since today is the start of National Pancake Week, I thought these pancakes would be a good start to kick it off. I’ve had this idea rambling around in my head for a while now, and what better time to try them out than a week dedicated to every kind of delicious pancake you can imagine? You’ve probably seen a ton of Cinnamon Swirl Pancakes making the internet rounds, but I had something different in mind.  I love raisin bread, with the yummy cinnamon streaks and plump raisins filling every bite, and I just had to see if I could make a pancake version.  Of course, if the raisins were rum-soaked and the pancakes were topped with a giant pat of Maple Butter, it couldn’t hurt right?  These were so good, whether you drizzle them traditional syrup, or go with a powdered sugar glaze, they’re sure to please any crowd!

Cinnamon Rum Raisin Swirl Pancakes

(Yield: 6  pancakes)   Printable Recipe

Pancakes:
3/4 cup milk
2 tbsp white vinegar
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tbsp white sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp butter, melted

Cinnamon Swirl:
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon flour

Rum Soaked Raisins:
1/2 cup raisins
2 tsp rum extract
water to cover

Maple Butter:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup maple syrup

For the Rum Raisins: Place raisins into a glass bowl. Add enough warm water to cover all the raisins, add 2 tsp rum extract and let sit for at least 30 minutes. (Alternatively, you can cover the raisins with 1/2 cup of rum.)

For the Maple Butter: Mix the butter and maple syrup with an electric mixer until blended. Set aside.

For the Cinnamon Swirl: In a small bowl combine ingredients for the cinnamon swirl, and pour into a plastic ziploc bag or a disposable pastry bag. Snip a tiny triangle off the end of the bag for piping. Set aside.

For the Pancakes:

1. Combine milk with vinegar in a medium bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to "sour". Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk egg, melted butter and vanilla into the "soured" milk. Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and whisk until lumps are gone. Drain the raisins and gently fold them into the batter.
2. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Grease with butter, if desired, and pour on a 1/2 cup of batter. Use the pastry bag to make a swirl of the cinnamon sugar mixture on top of the batter. When the bubbles on the surface of the pancake begin to pop, and then no longer fill in with more batter, flip, and cook for 30 seconds more. Repeat with remaining batter.
3. Top with the Maple Butter and drizzle with syrup or a powdered sugar glaze.

How are you usually woken up in the morning? Lately, my day starts with the pitiful voice of my 5 year old whispering in my ear, “Mommy, I’m staaarving….I’m about to die.” No, I don’t spend the day lounging in bed while I let my child starve. It just so happens my son has the appetite of a lumber jack lately. My empty cabinets and the quickly growing pile of his too-short pants can attest to that.

This morning, I decided to treat him to something outside his usual oatmeal, scrambled eggs or pancakes. I thought cinnamon rolls sounded good, but when you have a kid hanging on your elbow begging like Oliver Twist for food, you have to act fast.  I found this recipe for Cinnamon Roll Muffins and decided to give it a try. I gambled that it didn’t matter how good they were, my half starved monster would eat just about anything at this point.

The process for making these rolls is just like cinnamon rolls, without the hassle of yeast and rising time. Slathered with butter, brown sugar and cinnamon, then drizzled with a vanilla glaze, these are a pretty good substitution when you’re short on time. Don’t expect them to be as light and fluffy as a regular cinnamon roll – that yeast is meant for something – but the little guy liked them enough to eat three!


Cinnamon Roll Muffins
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg
3 to 3 1/2 cups flour

Filling:
5 tbsp butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
2-3 tbsp milk
1/4 tsp vanilla

In a medium bowl, mix together the brown sugar, baking soda, salt, vanilla and egg. Add the buttermilk, then the flour. Stir until thoroughly combined. Note: the recipe calls for 3 to 3.5 cups of flour, I only needed to use 3 cups.)


Roll the dough into a log beginning with the wide side. Stretch the log slightly as you roll to keep a tight seam. Cut the log in half, then each half in half again.



At this point I scored each quarter with three cuts, to make sure my rolls would be even. Continue slicing until you have 12 rolls. Place them in a greased muffin pan, or muffin tins lined with cupcake papers.



Bake at 375 F for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Allow the muffins to cool for about 5 minutes, then remove them from pans to a cooling rack. If you’re feeling extra naughty, you can drizzle some more melted butter over the rolls before the icing (I won’t tell.) Combine ingredients for glaze and drizzle over the top
.

Are you feeling neglected? I think my kitchenaid mixer is.  My blogging neglect had a good reason though…I promise. I kinda-sorta got the itch to redecorate my kitchen at the last minute.  My house has very little light (a constant headache in my photo taking world); add to the mix the dark colors that my walls were painted, and you get the idea – dark and gloomy. I wanted bright and cheery. I wanted wake-you-up-make-you-feel-good-put-a-sparkle-in–your-smile colors.

So I embarked on a journey.  A journey filled with numerous trips to the paint store, a selection of what I thought was the perfect color, and a realization that is was NOT the perfect color.

This led to another trip to the paint store, another paint color selection, and repainting the walls – again. Did I mention my husband had the patience of a saint?

My kitchen walls are finally done, and I love the final color. Now we’re tackling the living room today.  Don’t worry – I picked up THREE paint sample jars to make sure we (when I say we, I really mean my husband) get the color right the first time.

To reward my husband for his patience and hard work, I made these Cinnamon Bubble Buns for him this morning. A miniature version of monkey bread, made in muffin tins.  They are delicious and just the right size.

Cinnamon Bubble Buns
(Prep: 1 hour 45 min; Bake: 20 min; Yield: 12 buns)

For the dough:

• 1 package active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 3 tbsl unsalted butter, melted
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda

For the cinnamon-sugar coating:

• 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

For the vanilla glaze:

• 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

1. In a large mixing bowl, sprinkled the yeast over the water and let it stand until bubbly, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in the butter, sour cream, sugar, egg, and vanilla.

2. Beat in 2 cups of the flour, the salt, and the baking soda until combined.

3. Add the remaining 1/2 cup flour and continue mixing until a smooth, soft dough forms.

4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly flour surface (keep your mixing bowl handy) and knead it until smooth, about 3 minutes.  As you knead, add more flour if the dough is sticky, no more than 2 tbsp though. Place the dough back in the mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

5. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin pan, then flour the cups and tap out the excess.

6. In a small bowl, blend the sugar and cinnamon for the coating. Place the melted butter in a small dish and set aside.

7. Gently punch down the dough to deflate it. Form it into a long cylinder and divide it into 12 equal portions. Using kitchen scissors or a sharp knife, divide each of the 12 portions into 6 equal pieces, then roll each piece into a ball.

 

8. To make a bun, dip six of the balls in melted butter (be generous with the butter), then roll them in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Arrange five of the balls in the bottom of a muffin cup. With your fingertip, make a small well and press the sixth ball in the center. Repeat with the remaining dough balls. Loosely cover the buns with plastic wrap and let them rise in a warm place until they’re puffy and double in size, about 40 minutes. Preheat oven to 350F.

9. Bake the buns on the center rack until golden, about 20-22 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack placed over a sheet of waxed paper or aluminum foil to cool for about 5 minutes. Now tilt the pan and gently tap it on the counter to release the buns. If needed, you can use a knife to release them from the pan. Place the buns on the wire rack.

 

10. In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the glaze and stir until smooth. If the glaze is too thick, you can thin it out by adding 1 tsp water at a time. Brush each bun with the glaze. Serve immediately or at room temperature.


Eat and enjoy!  I’m off now to start painting the living room, oh yeah, and I’m going to buy my first sewing machine and attempt to tackle some kitchen window treatments…eeek

Today has been a day out of the ordinary. It started with this statement from my son:

"Mommy, I really need some quiet time today."

I tried to hide my grin and smother my chuckle, and went on my way thinking nothing of it. A little while later, he comes to me and says:

"Mommy, I need a bath". 

O.K, now I'm starting to think something is weird. I tell myself that if he starts asking for green vegetables and a nap, I know I'm losing it.

I think the weather has affected him. We had 70 degree weather a few days ago, which turned into pouring rain and hail yesterday, and now it is snowing today. I feel like I've stepped into the twilight zone, although everyone who lives in the Ozarks will tell you, if you don't like the weather -  just wait 5 minutes and it will change. Let me tell you, after 10 years of living here I've found this to be absolutely true.

What do all of these random things have to do with food you say? Nothing really:) Except that each of these out-of-the-ordinary events led me to make this tasty recipe. Chocolate Chip Streusel Bread.

I have a confession to make. This post actually started out as Apple Pie Bread. However, after putting my loaf in the oven and forgetting about it, I made a mad dash for the kitchen to rescue it, only to dump it upside down on the floor. The result.

Not exactly attractive is it?

So, with the patience of a saint, I began working on another loaf.  I was so mad at myself for ruining my first bread, that I decided to experiment with the ingredients and came up with this Chocolate Chip Streusel Bread.  It turned out really good, and I love the combination of the crunchy streusel with the chocolate chip bread.

Don't worry though, I promise to post (a successful) Apple Pie Bread soon:)

Chocolate Chip Streusel Bread
prep: 35 mins  bake: 1 hour  servings: 14 slices

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 milk buttermilk
2 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Streusel Topping
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tbsp butter
1/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and 3 tbsp of flour. Using a fork or your fingers, cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the 1/3 cup of chopped nuts. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium-high speed for 30 seconds. Beat in sugar until combined. Add the buttermilk and baking powder; beat until combined. Add the eggs and vanilla; beat until combined. Add the flour, cinnamon and salt; beat until combined. Now stir in the chocolate chips and nuts.

4. Spoon the batter into the greased pan, and spread evenly. Sprinkle the Streusel topping over the batter.

5. Bake for 60 to 65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully remove from pan, and cool completely on wire rack.

1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon shortening
1/2 cup water

I've been wanting to make scones for a while now.  They are a comfort food for me and remind me of home.  Today was a good day for me to make this particular comfort food, as it is the anniversary of my brother's death.  It has been 17 years, and although it seems like a lifetime ago, it can also be very fresh at times.  As a twelve year old girl it was the hardest thing I had ever had to deal with, but now that I am a mother I can truly feel empathy for my what my parents went through.   So this recipe today is for them, to let them know that I'm thinking of them:)

Back in Wales, a scone (pronounced "Scon") is a little round affair served with a slather of butter, or a dollop of clotted cream and fresh jam.  They are not the dry, crumbly, triangle shaped mountains you see at certain coffee franchises and book stores.  These are the Americanized scones - which are good - but they are not your classic British scone.  I'll have to save "The Classic" for another day, because the scones I made today are very flashy and American:)

I've had a bag of fresh cranberries sitting in my fridge for a while, and I couldn't decide what to do with them.  I also had a couple of limes, resting quietly on the cranberries, minding their own business.  Little did they know that my brain was churning, and they were about to be zested and squeezed to within an inch of their life.  Poor little fellows.  This is how I decided to make Cranberry Lime Scones, filled with plump fresh cranberries and tart lime zest, then drizzled with a little lime glaze.  They are NOT dry, and they ARE delicious.


Fresh Cranberry Lime Scones
Prep: 15 min;  Cook: 15 min;  Servings: 10

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar (plus 3 tbsp additional for fresh cranberries)
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbsp unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces
2 tbsp freshly gated lime zest (about 2-3 limes)
1 1/4 cups fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 cup heavy cream

Lime Glaze:
2 limes, zested and juiced
1 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 400F, and grease a large baking sheet.  Zest the limes and set aside.  Coarsely chop the cranberries and place in a small bowl with 3 tbsp of sugar.  In a large bowl combine the flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder and salt.  Cut in the butter with a fork or pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Stir in the lime zest.  Stir the cranberries into the flour mixture.  Combine the egg, yolk and cream, then add to the flour mixture, stirring just until combined.


On a well-floured surface with floured hands, gently pat dough into a 1-inch-thick round (about 8 inches in diameter).  With a sharp knife cut the round into thirds one way, then make perpendicular slices the other direction to make  diamond shaped scones.  Depending on how you slice them, you should get about 10-11 scones.  Use your hands to gently shape any leftover scraps into scones. Do NOT roll dough out.  Place scones onto a greased baking sheet.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly golden.  Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.

For Lime Glaze:  In a small bowl combine the lime juice, lime zest and enough powdered sugar to reach your desired consistency.  Drizzle glaze over warm scones and allow to cool.


Tips: When making scones, it is best to handle the dough as little as possible.  Stir just until the wet ingredients are incorporated into the dry.  Use your hands to pat the dough into a circle, don't roll the dough out.

I have a confession.  I am addicted.  I should probably preface this by saying, "Hello.  My name is Amber, and I'm a TJ Maxxaholic."  If you're lucky enough to have one of these stores near you, you probably know what I mean.  It is my weekly crack.  My shameful obsession.  On any given day (OK, maybe not EVERY day) I can be seen slinking from my car and making a dash for the front doors.  My mission:  The feeling of glee when I find my treasure - er- great deal, and take said treasure home.  Some TJ Maxxistas may head for the purse section, others the clothing department, but I make a beeline for the housewares department.  It's like walking into a candy shop, with rows of shiny dishes, gleaming utensils, and gadgets galore.  I can always find something I need, and not blow my budget either.

What does this have to do with biscuits you say?  Well, I happened to pick up a giant tub of Herbes de Provence on their clearance shelf the other day, and since I have been wanting to buy this seasoning for a while, plopped it in my cart.  I didn't know at first what I wanted to do with it, but I ended up roasting a chicken with sweet potatoes and apples, and rubbed the chicken with this seasoning.  I also whipped up some buttermilk biscuits, and added the Herbes de Provence into the batter.   I used my favorite buttermilk biscuit recipe, which I've posted about before here, and they turned out so tasty!

Herbes de Provence & Cheddar Buttermilk Biscuits

1 1/4 cup cake flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp Herbes de Provence
1/4 cup butter, cut into small chunks
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
3/4 cup buttermilk

Set your oven to 500 degrees. It is important to have everything set up before you make your biscuits: Cut your butter into small pieces, place in a bowl and return to the fridge. Put your buttermilk in a measuring cup, and set aside. Lightly flour your work surface and keep a little extra flour aside for your biscuit cutter and hands. Set out your biscuit cutter and an ungreased baking sheet.

**In a medium-large bowl, whisk flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt until well blended. Cut in butter with a fork, pastry blender, or your fingertips, until you get coarse crumbs.  Stir in the shredded cheese.  Add the buttermilk to the flour mixture and stir lightly until the dough just comes together in a ball. It will look shaggy and uneven.


**Turn dough out onto floured surface. With floured hands, gently knead the dough a few times to finish mixing. Pat into a 3/4-1 inch thick circle. Cut biscuits my pressing straight down, do not twist the cutter. Form any scraps into extra biscuits using your hands. Don't re-roll the dough. Place the biscuits on a baking sheet so that the sides are touching. Optional: Brush melted butter over the tops of biscuits before baking.


**Put the baking sheet on the middle rack of your preheated oven. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown. Mine took about 9 minutes. Remove biscuits to a cooling rack for a few minutes. Eat warm and enjoy!
 
Tips: My mom always taught me to handle your biscuit dough as little as possible. Also, my grandfather (who was a baker) said to never twist the biscuit cutter while pressing down, this pinches the dough and they will not turn out as fluffy. Make sure your butter is cold. Do not bring it out until you are ready to cut it into the flour.





(adapted from Pinch My Salt)

My oven is possessed.  It tried to attack me tonight, which resulted in two huge red burns on my arm.  I think it has been harboring evil intentions, but I will get to this in a minute. I've made my own biscuits for a while now.  I mean, why buy the canned variety, when you can make a much better tasting homemade biscuit in just a few minutes?  In the past I've used the basic biscuit recipe from my red and white checkered cookbook...you know the one, it's probably sitting on almost every cook's shelf.  While it produces a perfectly tasty biscuit, it's not the melt-in-your-mouth kind that has you closing your eyes and saying "mmmmmmmmmmm".

I recently came across the perfect biscuit recipe, one with the aforementioned criteria.  It is worth your while to head over to Pinch My Salt to read the full post, since it has many tips and tricks to help you get the optimal results.  One thing that stands out in this recipe is the 500 degree oven it calls for, this high temperature and the evil shenanigans of my oven, are what resulted in my near third degree burns.  The other major difference is the flour.  I won't go into full detail, you can read that in the original post, but this recipe uses a mixture of cake flour and all-purpose flour.  This results in a lower protein content which helps with a tender, fluffy biscuit.  Try these....trust me you won't be sorry.

So Good Buttermilk Biscuits      
                  
1 1/4 cup cake flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter, cut into small chunks
3/4 cup buttermilk

Set your oven to 500 degrees.  It is important to have everything set up before you make your biscuits: Cut your butter into small pieces, place in a bowl and return to the fridge.  Put your buttermilk in a measuring cup, and set aside.  Lightly flour your work surface and keep a little extra flour aside for your biscuit cutter and hands.  Set out your biscuit cutter and an un-greased baking sheet.

**In a medium-large bowl, whisk flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt until well blended.  Cut in butter with a fork, pastry blender, or your fingertips, until you get coarse crumbs.  Add the buttermilk to the flour mixture and stir lightly until the dough just comes together in a ball.  It will look shaggy and uneven.

**Turn dough out onto floured surface.  With floured hands, gently knead the dough a few times to finish mixing.  Pat into a 3/4-1 inch thick circle.  Cut biscuits my pressing straight down, do not twist the cutter.  Form any scraps into extra biscuits using your hands.  Don't re-roll the dough.  Place the biscuits on a baking sheet so that the sides are touching.  Optional: Brush melted butter over the tops of biscuits before baking.

**Put the baking sheet on the middle rack of your preheated oven.  Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.  Mine took about 9 minutes.  Remove biscuits to a cooling rack for a few minutes.  Eat warm and enjoy!

 Tips:  My mother always taught me to handle your biscuit dough as little as possible.  Also, my grandfather (who was a baker) said to never twist the biscuit cutter while pressing down, this pinches the dough and they will not turn out as fluffy.  Make sure your butter is cold. Do not bring it out until you are ready to cut it into the flour.

(Recipe from Pinch My Salt)