Red Lobster's Cheddar Biscuits

Let me just start this post by saying these biscuits are wonderful! I found this recipe in our local newspaper, and they give credit to food.com. as there source. The recipe starts with Bisquick baking mix and to it are added cheddar cheese, butter and garlic to make a tender and rich biscuit in short order. I've served them this week with clam chowder; the recipe to be posted tomorrow, hopefully. Blessings...

Recipe:

2-1/2 cups Bisquick baking mix
4 tbsps. cold butter (1/2 stick)
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
3/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

To brush on top:
2 tbsps. butter, melted
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. dried parsley flakes

1. Combine Bisquick with cold butter in a medium bowl using a pastry blender or a large fork. You don't want to mix too thoroughly. There should be small chunks of butter that are about the size of peas.
2. Add cheddar cheese, milk and 1/2 tsp. garlic powder. Mix with spoon until combined. Don't overmix.
3. Drop approximately 1/4 cup of the batter onto an ungreased cookie sheet using an ice cream scoop or a 1/4 cup measure.
4. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until the tops of the biscuits begin to turn light brown.
5. In the meantime, melt 2 tbsps butter in a small bowl in the microwave. Stir in the garlic powder and parsley flakes. Brush on the top of hot biscuits with a pastry brush. Serve warm or cool completely on a wire rack.

Yield: 11 biscuits

White Chocolate Snowdrift Cake

A number of years ago, in 2006, actually, I went to the Better Homes and Gardens website and made a copy of this recipe and stuck it away for a future time. Well, the time was right this week when I came across it again and decided to give the recipe a try. I'm sure glad I did! The white chocolate-cream cheese frosting alone would be worth the effort in making this dessert. The cake is a dressed-up white cake mix, so it goes together very easily. Even if I never made the cake again, the frosting is one I will use on my carrot cakes in the future; it is delicious. Better Homes and Gardens website is http://bhg.com if you would like to check it out. Blessings...

Recipe:

3/4 cup whipping cream
8 oz. white baking chocolate, chopped, or 8 oz. white chocolate chips
1 pkg. 2-layer-size white cake mix
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar

1. For frosting, in a medium saucepan combine whipping cream and white chocolate. Cook, stirring, over low heat until chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Transfer to a large mixing bowl; cover and refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 2 hours.
2. Meanwhile, grease and flour two 9 x 1-1/2-inch or 8 x 1-1/2-inch round cake pans; set aside. Prepare cake mix according to package directions using egg whites. Spoon about 1-1/2 cups of batter into each cake pan. Stir cocoa powder into batter remaining in bowl; stir until blended. Spoon on cake mix in pans; swirl gently to marble and to spread batter evenly in pans. Bake according to package directions except check cakes several minutes before minimum time indicated on package because the cocoa makes the cakes bake in a shorter time. Let cakes cool on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans; cool completely on wire racks.
3. Continue with frosting by adding cream cheese, in about 1 tablespoon-sized pieces to white chocolate mixture on low speed of electric mixer. When cream cheese is all blended in, gradually add powdered sugar, beating until sugar is completely combined. Mixture should hold soft peaks; do not overbeat. Use immediately.
4. Place one cake layer on a serving platter. Frost with about 1 cup frosting. Top with second cake layer. Frost top and sides of cake.
5. Serve immediately or cover and chill until serving time. I removed the cake from the frige about an hour before serving time because we aren't crazy about chilled cake. Cake will last in the frige for several days.

Yield: 12 servings
458 calories

Pineapple Mallow Coleslaw

We love coleslaw for a change of pace from green salad, so I am always looking for new ways to prepare cabbage to keep this side dish interesting. One of my favorite ways to dress up cabbage is to add fruit which helps to cut the strong taste of this vegetable that sometimes can be a bit over powering. In this coleslaw there is the added sweetness of honey and marshmallows for a very real change from a traditional coleslaw. I adapted this recipe from a Taste of Home reader-contributed recipe. Blessings...

Recipe:

2 cups shredded cabbage
1/4 cup pineapple tidbits, drained
1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise
2 tbsps. apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp. honey
1/8 tsp. celery seed
2/3 cup miniature marshmallows
1/3 cup dried sweetened cranberries

1. In a bowl, combine the cabbage and pineapple.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, honey and celery seed until smooth.
3. Stir the dressing into the cabbage and pineapple; cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
4. Thirty minutes before serving, stir in the marshmallows and cranberries.

Yield: 4 servings
125 calories per approximately 1/2 cup salad
1.4 gms. fiber

Zesty Shepherd's Pie

The picture for this dish isn't very good in that it looks like a pile of mashed potatoes and tomato sauce, but the dish is very good and excellent for a weeknight meal. Shepherd's pie is a way of making a one-dish meal that goes back many years. When my siblings and I were growing up a favorite was a hamburger pie with green beans and topped with mashed potatoes, although it wasn't called shepherd's pie back then. There are many variations of shepherd's pie, and I've made many over the years, but I had never made one with a Mexican flair. So, I decided to try my hand at it after trying a recipe that was a dismal failure. I'm sharing my creation here, and hoping for the best! My hubby and I liked it; maybe you will, too. Blessings...

Recipe:

1 lb. ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper
1/2 tsp. Southwest seasoning
1 cup frozen corn
1-1/2 cups picante sauce
1-1/2 - 2 cups mashed potatoes
2/3 cup shredded Mexican four cheese blend, divided
chopped fresh parsley or cilantro, if desired

1. In a large skillet, cook beef, onion, garlic, green pepper and red pepper until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are tender.
2. Stir in corn, picante sauce and Southwest seasoning. Simmer for 5-10 minutes. Stir in 1/3 cup of the cheese. Taste and add salt and pepper, if needed. Pour into casserole dish and top with mashed potatoes; sprinkle with remaining 1/3 cup of cheese.
3. Bake in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley or cilantro.

Yield: 4-6 servings

German Chocolate Coconut Bars

If you like German chocolate cake, you might like these bar cookies that were created, it seems, with the original cake in mind. They also resemble the old Magic Cookie Bars using sweetened condensed milk and chocolate chips on a cookie base. Whichever the case might be, they are a very easy cookie to make and very tasty. They are especially good served with a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream. This recipe comes from an old Taste of Home Cooking School Recipe Collection Magazine. A friend and I use to love to go to Taste of Home's Cooking School presentations every fall. I have many fond memories of those times with Judy years ago in Modesto. Blessings...

Recipe:

1 pkg. (18-1/4 oz.) German chocolate cake mix
1/3 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1-1/3 cups flaked sweetened coconut, divided
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, divided

1. Pour cake mix into a large bowl; cut in butter and 1 lightly beaten egg with a pastry blender until crumbly. Press onto bottom of an ungreased 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan.
2. Combine sweetened condensed milk, remaining egg and vanilla in a medium bowl; beat until well combined.
3. Stir in 1 cup coconut, nuts and 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Spread mixture evenly over base. Sprinkle with remaining coconut and chocolate chips. Lightly press down.
4. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-32 minutes or until center is almost set. Center will firm when cool. Cool in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars.

Yield: 24 bars
266 calories each
1.7 gms. fiber if using semisweet chocolate chips of good quality

Creamy Orange Gelatin

I made this delicious orange gelatin salad to go alongside our barbecued salmon, recipe posted on 5/13/2010, and some leftover potato salad, recipe posted on 8/29/2013. The salad was a simple combination of cabbage, sliced almonds, green onion and sweetened dried cranberries dressed with a strawberry balsamic vinaigrette, recipe posted on 2/13/2013. For the vinaigrette, use the basic recipe and add 1/2 cup strawberry jam and 1 tsp. dried basil, crushed. This makes a wonderful salad dressing for any type of greens. The gelatin recipe comes from Taste of Homes 2009 Annual Recipes. The original recipe was twice this recipe to feed a large crowd; as it is, my husband and I will eat the salad for 6 dinners. Thankfully, it is delicious, and not a problem at all! Blessings...

Recipe:

2 pkgs. (3 oz. each) orange gelatin
2 cups boiling water
2 cups vanilla ice cream, softened
3/4 cup orange juice
1 can (11 oz.) mandarin oranges, drained

1. In a 8 x 11-inch pan, dissolve the gelatin in boiling water. Stir in ice cream and orange juice until blended. I used a whisk to help make this easier. Chill until partially set; about 20-30 minutes. Watch carefully.
2. Fold in mandarin oranges. Refrigerate until firm, about 4 hours or overnight.

Yield: 12 servings

Apples With Honey Cream Cheese Dip

I found this recipe in our local newspaper a few weeks ago and decided to give it a try in order to compare it with a recipe that I posted on 8/26/08 called Taffy Apple Dip. We really like the Taffy Apple Dip with apples or peaches for a light dessert or snack. This recipe made with honey is also delicious for a bit of a change in flavor. The mildness of the honey combined with the lemon works great with the apples. This recipe comes from the Washington Apple Commission, with a bit of a change from me. Blessings...

Recipe:

4 apples of your choice cored and sliced, or chopped (I used Gala's)
1 tsp. lemon zest
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened (I used low-fat)
1/2 cup honey
ground pistachio nuts (I did not use the nuts so I don't know how they would taste)

1. In a small bowl, combine lemon zest, juice, cream cheese and honey until smooth.
2. Sprinkle with nuts, if desired.

Note: The original recipe was written with the apples being tossed in the lemon juice to prevent browning while they sat at room temperature. I blended everything together for our dinner needs and then stored the remaining dip in the refrigerator for later use. I also cut the recipe in half for two of us with enough leftover for two more meals. A great kid-friendly recipe to make an apple a special snack.