Smoky Cheddar Drop Biscuits

I love a good biscuit, but sometimes they are a huge pain. With all the rolling and cutting, I just don't have the patience for that. The solution: drop biscuits. No rolling, no cutting, just drop them on the pan and go! This recipe was born from a lack of parmesan cheese. I wanted to make biscuits to go with the smoked sausage skillet, but my go to recipe calls for parmesan cheese. Imagine my dismay when there was none in my fridge. Suddenly, my eyes fell on the family pack of cheddar sitting in the bottom drawer. It was like a 2x4 smacked me upside the head and I thought, "SMOKY CHEDDAR BISCUITS!!!" All I had to do was make a couple adjustments and these beauties were born. Light, fluffy, easy, and full of smoky, cheesy flavor.

Pardon the mess, a few things still don't quite have homes. Here are the ingredients.

Preheat the oven to 400, line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, and then start by mixing the cheese and dry ingredients

Then, grate (yes, grate, not cut) the butter. This makes sure that it gets evenly spread and the biscuits have that perfect flakiness

Use a pastry cutter or two forks to incorporate the butter fully. It should look about like this

Finally, add the milk and mix until it is a sticky mess

For some reason, I didn't get pictures of it on the baking sheet before or after baking. Sorry about that. Use two large spoons to dollop about 1/3 cup for each biscuit. Stick those lovely things in the oven for 15-20 minutes and then try to refrain from burning all your taste buds by eating them as soon as they come out of the oven.

Smoky Cheddar Drop Biscuits

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 tablespoon smoked paprika, not regular or it won't have the smoky flavor
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon italian seasoning or oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick (8 tablespoons or 1/4 pound) salted butter
• 1 cup milk

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 400 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
2. Mix the flour, cheese, paprika, baking powder, sugar, garlic powder, salt, and italian seasoning in a large bowl
3. Use the small holes of a grater to grate the butter directly into the bowl
4. Combine the butter with the dry ingredients using a pastry cutter or two forks until it resembles large crumbs
5. Add the milk and stir combine, add more milk if it looks dry
6. Use two large spoons to scoop the dough onto the baking sheet
7. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned on the top

Roasted Cabbage

Before I dive in and tell you about this recipe, I have to celebrate a little. I RAN A 5K YESTERDAY!!! My time was 36:20, which is by far my fastest for a three-ish miler. For a long time I didn't think I could run because of some lung issues from pneumonia when I was a kid, but now I can run for three full miles! Ok, now to get back to the real purpose of this blog, delicious food.

I don't think I can ever stop saying how much I love roasted veggies. It is my favorite way to eat just about any of them. Yesterday with our salmon we had roasted cabbage. It gets sweet and a little nutty when you roast it. Cabbage is not a huge hit in our house, but I love that it is cheap and filling. The Hubby eats it because it is in front of him, but the kids are not interested. More for me!

Start with about half a head of green cabbage. Red or savoy would work as well, green is what I had on hand. Slice it and remove the core. My slices were about half an inch thick.

Drizzle with olive oil and add salt, pepper, and whatever seasonings you enjoy. I used garlic powder and smoked paprika.

Roast it is a 425 degree oven for 20-30 minutes or until cooked through and a little browned.

Plate it up and enjoy the cabbagy goodness!

Easy Roasted Cabbage

Serves 4 as a side

Ingredients

• 1/2 head green cabbage
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Other seasonings you enjoy to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Slice the cabbage into 1/2 inch slices and remove the core.
3. Place on a lightly oiled baking sheet.
4. Drizzle with olive oil and add seasonings
5. Roast for 20-30 minutes or until cooked and lightly browned

The Best Broccoli

I know, the best broccoli? Sounds like a pretty ridiculous statement. Not so! Roasted broccoli will change your life. It has certainly changed ours. The Hubby is not much of a veggie man. He'll eat them if they are part of the meal, but he won't ever really go back for seconds. Then I found roasted broccoli. Frozen broccoli, olive oil, and seasonings. The Hubby could eat a whole pan of this stuff by himself, without any prodding from me. He LOVES it. I think the smoked paprika could be a big factor. The regular stuff just isn't good enough for us anymore. Once you go smoked paprika, you never go back.

Step one: Preheat the oven to 450. Open a one pound bag of frozen broccoli and put it in a big old bowl. Pardon the bad picture.

Step two: Odd the olive oil, I used 1/4 cup for the pound. Add seasonings and toss.

Step three: Dump the bowl out onto a baking pan and roast for 30-40 minutes. Keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn.

Roasted Broccoli

Serves 4 as a side

1 pound frozen or fresh broccoli

1/4 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 tablespoon smoked paprika

1. Preheat oven to 450. 

2. Combine broccoli, olive oil, and seasonings in a bowl.

3. Pour broccoli onto a baking sheet and roast for 30-40 minutes, until cooked through and slightly browned.

4. Try to not eat the whole pan by yourself.