Cheddar Cheesy Easter Goodness

When my mom asked me to bring dinner rolls to the Easter meal at her house, I figured I'd pop over to the grocery store and pick something up at the bakery. But then I went to the bakery and they had plenty of sandwich type rolls, but nothing you could smear butter on and eat alongside ham and deviled eggs. And the freezer kind of rolls seemed...not good enough.

So finally I decided to make some from scratch and had the fantastic idea to make the Red Lobster cheddar biscuits knock off from Food Network magazine. But then I actually looked at the recipe and thought, "Vegetable shortening? As in, trans fat? Solid at room temperature? Ugh!" But if you've ever had those biscuits....mmmmmmmm.....

So I did some research (and by that, I mean I cheated and used Google) and decided to sub canola oil instead. The original recipe is here, and below is my version.

Cheddar-Garlic Biscuits That Won't Give You A Heart Attack
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons canola oil
4 tablespoons cold butter or spread (I used Smart Balance)
6 ounces grated cheddar cheese (about 1 1/4 cups)
3/4 cup whole milk
3 tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic, smashed
1/2 tsp dried parsley

In a bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Add the oil and stir until combined. Add the butter and mix with a fork until well combined and crumbly. Add the cheese and milk; stir until just combined.

Turn dough onto a clean surface and knead by hand until smooth. Do not overknead!

Break into pieces and form into 1 1/2 inch balls, place on a baking sheet and bake at 425 for 12-15 minutes.

Melt butter in a bowl in the microwave, add garlic and parsley. Brush over warm biscuits and serve.

Happy Easter!!

Menu Plan: Spring Break

I'm considering renaming this blog "The Great Menu Plans of Baltimore," because it seems that's about all I can post these days. We've been plenty busy, but not doing anything worth blogging about.

It's Spring Break, otherwise known as the week in which I try to keep us as busy as possible so the children don't bicker so much that I go completely crazy. (Yeah, yeah, too late, har har har.)

And somewhere in there I still have to go to work and go to the dentist and go to the eye doctor because there is tree pollen all over everything and pretty soon I'm going to be tearing my eyes out of my head from the itching if I don't get my drops. So this week's menu is brought to you via Food Network Magazine, which my mom gave me for Christmas, because I'm feeling too lazy to come up with meal ideas on my own.

Here's what we'll be eating.

**Chicken with Pickle Sauce--It sounds weird, right? But according to the mag, pickle juice can be used in sauces like vinegar. And I love pickles, so I'm going to give it a try. Veggies and salads to go with it.
**Ricotta Dumplings with Marinara Sauce--These Italian dumplings are made with ricotta instead of potatoes. And they are called gnudi, which I think is funny. Garlic bread and some kind of veg on the side. Maybe salad?
**Tilapia Marsala with Basmati Rice--One of the week's meatless meals. It looks pretty easy and the kids will like the rice. Bread to go with it and some kind of fruit?
**Pork Chops with Smashed Potatoes and Chimichurri Sauce--I keep seeing recipes for "smashed" potatoes instead of mashed. Will someone tell me if there is a difference? Or is that what all the cool kids are calling mashed potatoes these days? Anyway, pork is always a hit and the sauce looks easy.

What are you eating these days?

Don't forget to pop over to Potluck! This week I'm talking about basting oil!

Menu Plan: Momma's Got A Brand New Job

Given the state of the economy, I wasn't sure how things were going to go when I lost my job in January. But luckily, I found a new job and started a couple of weeks ago! It's going great, I'm very happy, but the change in schedule means we all have a little adjusting to do. My mom babysits one day a week, so I have been prepping dinner the night before so she doesn't have to cook. Plus, softball practice starts next week, and I'm up to my ears in organizing the effort to paint Maureen's preschool classroom. So, as usual, I'm looking for meals that are fast, easy and tasty. What else is new?

Here's what I have planned for the coming week:

**Spinach Lasagna Roll-Ups---These easy roll ups can be prepped the night before and refrigerated. If there are leftovers, I like to freeze individual portions for easy lunches. Veggies and maybe bread on the side.
**Roast Beef and Mashed Potatoes with Gravy--I prefer to make roasts in the crockpot, partly because I can walk away from it and go about my day, and partly because it makes the meat so tender. Mashed potatoes and gravy to go with it, of course, and maybe green beans.
**Tortellini--I love me some tortellini. Besides the fact that they are so stinking cute, they cook in 6 minutes. Garlic bread and salads to go with it.
**Dilled Beef Stroganoff--We have some steak in the freezer from a past meal, so I'll chop it up and make a variation of this stroganoff recipe. The dill gives it a nice flavor. Salad and veg on the side.
**Spaghetti and Meatballs--A request from the H. Guess who makes the meatballs ahead of time (clue: not me. I hate making meatballs.) All I have to do is cook them and boil the pasta. Easy peasy!

What are you eating these days?

In case you missed it, I'm talking about almonds and salads at Potluck this week. Check it out!