Red Lobster Biscuit Mix VS Homemade Biscuits

So a little bit ago I posted a review on Red Lobsters Cheddar Bay Biscuit Mix. I had a friend leave me a homemade recipe version in a comment on that post. I thought it was a great idea to compare the two. So tonight I made the homemade version. Its super easy and tastes VERY similar. I'd say the biscuit mix tastes about 98% the same as the real deal while the homemade version is about 95% alike. I just think there is something missing. I can't place it now, but maybe in the future I'll figure out the special ingredient (I think its in the melted butter topping). Even with me thinking something is missing these will definitely satisfy those cravings for Red Lobster's biscuits. The light and airy texture is the exact same for both versions. I have included the homemade recipe, provided by Susie Rayburn, for those who want to give these a try.

Biscuit mix on the left and homemade on the right.

Homemade Cheddar Bay Biscuits

Ingredients

• 2 cups Bisquick
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp parley flakes

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
2. Mix Bisquick, cheese and milk until a soft dough forms
3. Beat dough vigorously for 30 seconds
4. Drop dough onto ungreased cookie sheet
5. Bake 450 degrees for 8-10 minutes
6. Mix melted butter, garlic powder, and parsley flakes together
7. Brush melted butter mixture on top of warm biscuits 

 All the ingredients you need!

Mix Bisquick, cheese and milk until a soft dough forms. Beat dough vigorously for 30 seconds.

 Drop dough onto ungreased cookie sheet

 

Mix melted butter, garlic powder, and parsley flakes together.

 Brush melted butter mixture on top of warm biscuits.

Recipe: Cream Cheese Danish

So for the past year I have heard Curt talk about those cheese danish's that you can buy at the store. You know the really delicious ones that you know are so terrible for you, but you eat it anyway. I have made these three times and have turned out great from the beginning. Curt and I even think these are waaaay better than the store bought ones. These only have 200 calories compared to the 400-500 that the ones at the store are. I also enjoy knowing everything in the recipe. I look at the labels of food at the store and don't know what some ingredients are....that's probably not good. A step by step directions with pictures will follow the recipe and nutrition facts.

Cheese Danish

Ingredients

• Puff pastry sheets, thawed but still cool
• 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs, divided
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar, for frosting
• 2 tsps milk or cream, for frosting

 Directions

1. Make sure your puff pastry sheets are thawed but still cool. The best way to do this is to place them in the refrigerator overnight. you can also place these out at room temperature for 30 minutes to defrost as well. 
2. Cream together cream cheese and sugar in a medium bowl.
3. Add vanilla and egg yolks and stir until combined. It may be lumpy and this is okay. I will try to get the bigger lumps out. 
4. Take defrosted puff pastry sheets and roll them out slightly (to a 10x10 in square).
5. Cut the puff pastry sheet into 4 equal pieces. Do this for both sheets.
6. Place a heaping spoonful in the center of each square. 
7. Brush all four edges of each pastry with an egg white wash (2 egg whites combined with 1 Tbsp of water). 
8. Fold each corner in till they are all touching. 
9. Put parchment paper on a baking sheet then set pastries on the baking sheet.
10. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. While these are in the fridge preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
11. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
12. While they are baking you can go ahead and make your icing. I normally put 1/4 cup of powdered sugar in a small bowl and slowly add small amounts of milk or heavy cream until you have a thick consistency that you can still drizzle on your danishes.

 Cream together cream cheese and sugar in a medium bowl.

 

Add vanilla and egg yolks and stir until combined. It may be lumpy and this is okay. I will try to get the bigger lumps out. 

 Take defrosted puff pastry sheets and roll them out slightly (to a 10x10 in square). Cut the puff pastry sheet into 4 equal pieces. Do this for both sheets. I like to turn each square over because the bottom of the sheet will be stickier than the top. If you don't flip your squares over they will bake and open up. If you do flip them over they will bake and stay closed. I will show pictures of both later on. I recommend trying both to see which you prefer. We kind of like the open ones more just because you can really taste the cream cheese filling.

  Place a heaping spoonful in the center of each square. 

Brush all four edges of each pastry with an egg white wash (2 egg whites combined with 1 Tbsp of water).

Fold each corner in till they are all touching. 

Put parchment paper on a baking sheet then set pastries on the baking sheet.  I normally put four on a baking sheet just so they are crowded. You never really know how these will puff up either.

Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Don't forget to drizzle your yummy icing on them. If you want a healthier version leave the frosting off. This drastically reduces the sugar amount in this recipe.

 This is what they look like if you do not flip over the pastry sheets after cutting them into fourths. You can see the delicious cream cheese filling just waiting for you to eat it.

 This is what they look like if you do flip the pastry over. Just as delicious. This way you taste more of the puff pastry sheets.

 Enjoy!

10 Reasons Why I Love Him

So I just randomly decided I wanted to write this post. It's even more appropriate since Valentine's Day is tomorrow. Here are ten reasons why I love Curt. I could write a bunch more, but who wants to read a blog that long?

1. He can make me laugh even when I'm mad at him. It's beyond annoying, but good at the same time. :)
2. He always makes sure that I know he loves me and is thinking about me. He even sent me my Valentine's Day flowers a day early just so I'd be surprised! 
3. He watches my shows on HGTV and the Food Network. He even watches The Bachelor/The Bachelorette with me. It's such a crazy show, but I love watching it. It's something fun we can do together. The note that came with my flowers even ended with "Kendra Pogue, will you accept this rose?"
4. He goes along with my ideas for the house, vacations, etc. I can't even tell if he truly thinks its a good idea or just goes along with it because it makes me happy. Either way its awesome.
5. He spoils me whenever he can. It can even be as simple as taking the dogs out because I'm all comfy on the couch under a warm blanket. Plus he has taught me that I can spoil myself and buy something for myself instead of saving every last penny.
6. He loves everything about me. I even think he thinks I'm cute when I'm grumpy and want to be left alone. What a weirdo....When this happens he normally decides that it is the perfect time to annoy the crap out of me.
7. He lets me play Call of Duty with him. I started playing it in college and love it. Now we will get online and play together. I'm not that good at the new one yet, but I am working on it!
8. We help each other out. If one of us mentions that the other person is thirsty or wants a snack then we will go get it for them.
9. He always tries the food I make. I have been trying a lot of new recipes this year and most of them have been successful! I'm just glad he is willing to try them with me.
10. He looks at me with that look. You know the one were you can tell the person loves you. That is one of the best looks to get ever.

I love these and they made my desk area smell amazing just after an hour or two!

Product Review: Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuit Mix

At work my co-worker, Paula, was telling me about this mix. She told me that they really tasted like Red Lobster's biscuits. I definitely had to try them after she told me about it. She was even awesome enough to get me a mix! You can get this mix at Wal-Mart in Rensselaer surprisingly. Anyway, let me say these biscuits taste almost exactly like Red Lobsters. I was very impressed and they were super easy to make. 

This is what the packaging looks like if you decide you want to try them too!

 So all you have to do is combine the mix, water, butter, and cheddar cheese. Take about 1/4 cup and scoop them onto a baking sheet. You bake them for like 15 minutes or until they turn golden brown.

While they are baking you mix melted butter with a pouch of garlic seasoning. After the biscuits come out of the oven you brush this on top.

I could have made them look prettier, but its gonna taste the same no matter what right? I recommend trying this mix whenever you are in the mood for Red Lobster or just want cheddar biscuits!

Chocolate Lasagna

The inspiration for this blog came from my works Christmas party. I decided to get a dessert so the chocolate lasagna is what I chose. I honestly didn't know what I was getting, but chocolate sounded delicious at the moment. Well it ended up being delicious....p.s. Earl's in Brook is fantastic. So the other day I wanted chocolate and that chocolate lasagna sounded soooo good. I looked on Pintrest and found a recipe! Let me say this is beyond good. If you think it looks fantastic its taste is a billion times better. Trust me you want to try this!

Ingredients

• 1 package regular Oreo cookies (not the double stuff)

• 6 Tbsp butter, melted

• 1 package cream cheese (8 ounces)

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 2 Tbsp cold milk

• 1 - 12 ounce tub Cool Whip, divided

• 2 - 3.9 ounce package Instant Chocolate Pudding

• 3 1/4 cup cold milk

• 1 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions

• Begin by crushing 36 Oreo cookies. I used my food processor for this, but you could also place them in a large ziplock bag and crush them with a rolling pin. When the Oreos have turned into fine crumbs, you are done. 

• Transfer the Oreo crumbs to a large bowl. Stir in 6 tablespoons melted butter and use a fork to incorporate the butter into the cookie crumbs. When the butter is distributed, transfer the mixture to a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan. Place the pan in the refrigerator while you work on the additional layers. 

• Mix the cream cheese with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add in 2 Tablespoons of milk, and sugar, and mix well. Stir in 1 and 1/4 cups Cool Whip. Spread this mixture over the crust.

• In a bowl, combine chocolate instant pudding with 3 and 1/4 cups cold milk. Whisk for several minutes until the pudding starts to thicken. Use a spatula to spread the mixture over the previous cream cheese layer.

• Allow the dessert to rest for about 5 minutes so that the pudding can firm up further. Spread the remaining Cool Whip over the top. Sprinkle mini chocolate chips evenly over the top. Place in the freezer for 1 hour, or the refrigerator for 4 hours before serving. 

 Unfortunately Curt and I finished this and we don't have any left. Its probably good because could eat it every day!