"Red Lobster" Cheddar Bay Biscuits

You know when you go to Red Lobster and you stuff your pie-hole with biscuits?

And if you're my sister-in-law, Victoria, you stuff them in your purse and politely ask for more?

Sorry I just totally outed you on the Internet.

I saw this recipe on Pinterest, and the claim was that these are the EXACT recipe that they use at Red Lobster.

While I have no idea if this claim is true or not - I thought these would be perfect to go with the Lobster Pot Pie I was serving for dinner with my parents.

They're actually incredibly easy too.

Start out by combining Bisquick and cold butter with a pastry blender until the butter is about the size of peas.

Yes.  You read that right.  Bisquick.

I have no idea what to say.

Then add shredded cheddar, milk and 1/4 tsp garlic.

Mix by hand until combined, but don't over mix.  It's going to be really sticky and wet, but don't worry - that's how it's supposed to be.

I think.

On a side note.  I really hope I don't get weirdos visiting this blog because of the sticky and wet comment. 

Then divide the batter into 9 equal portions on a baking sheet.  I would say a 1/3 measuring cup to divide the batter would be the right size.

Then bake for 15 - 17 minutes, until the tops are lightly browned.

Then make your topping.

Melt butter and stir in garlic powder and parsley flakes.

Brush onto the tops of the biscuits and let set.

These turned out AWESOME.  Really, really good.

I would venture to claim that they're even BETTER than the ones you can get at Red Lobster - those ones always seem to be super-salty and a little dry.

These ones though.  Ugh.  YOU try not to eat them all in one sitting.

They're perfect - tender and flavourful.  So delicious.

I absolutely recommend serving them warm if at all humanly possible.

Have a great day!

The Cane girl.

Luscious Lemon Pie

For whatever reason, I lately have become OBSESSED with pies.  Not fruit pies, although I would give my left arm for a Bumbleberry Pie. 

Bumbleberry.

I found this pie on Pinterest, and was immediately intrigued.

Three ingredients, plus the pie crust.

Really?

Could it actually be done?

Stranger things have happened.

But, because I'm strange, I desperately wanted to change things. 

The original recipe calls for sweetened condensed milk, bottled lemon juice, and Cool Whip.

Blech.

Maybe not, but I really prefer fresh ingredients.

Cause I'm strange.

So I switched out the bottled lemon juice for freshly squeezed lemons and the Cool Whip for freshly whipped cream.

I suppose the only concern I had was the condensed milk.  The recipe calls for a 10 ounce can - which is actually like 414 ml, but the only can size I could get is 300 ml.

I had no idea if it would come together - but I threw caution to the wind and went ahead anyway.

I'm a wild child.

I threw together a graham cracker crust with 1 1/2 cups graham crackers and 4 Tablespoons melted butter (because I BOUGHT what I THOUGHT was a graham cracker crust and it turned out to be a chocolate cookie crust - but I can use it) and pressed it into the bottom and sides of a pie plate.  Then put it in the fridge to chill.

Then get to the pie filling.

Start out by whipping the cream until stiff peaks form.

Then in a clean stand mixer bowl, combine the condensed milk and lemon juice.  It will start to thicken, but I helped the process along by whipping the mixture.  You want the mixture to be the consistency of yogurt.

Then gently fold in the whipped cream.

Pour the mixture into the chilled crust and put in the fridge to set up.

Chill the pie for at least a few hours - I made mine in the morning and it was perfectly set up a few hours later. 

And when it was served?

It was light and fluffy, with the lightest lemon flavour and a perfectly crisp crust.

Basically, it was the most completely delightful dessert I've had all week.

I have to tell you that it really is best the day it's served.  When I pulled it out the next day, I found that it had slightly separated and the crust was a little soggy.  The majority of it however, was just as it was the day before.

Just shove it down the hatch the day you make it and you won't have to worry.

And because it's like eating a cloud, you might just be able to do that.

Enjoy!

The Cane girl.

Lobster Pot Pie

Two years ago, I decided to stop boring my Mom telling her about all the yummy things I was making.  Rambling on and on about all the little details and driving her crazy. 

So I started this blog.  For the longest time, I actually kept it really private, restricting the settings so that only people who actually knew the link could find it.

The reason why?  Long and boring. 

And a while ago I changed my privacy settings so that it would just be out there in the universe.  I also started sharing on Facebook in January.

The response has been overwhelming and really exciting. 

Today marks my 2 year blogiversary.  I thought about what I could do to mark this day and I knew what would be just perfect. 

I saw this on Tastespotting and couldn't stop thinking about it.

I was somewhat intimidated by the long list of ingredients and many, many steps required.

But I put my hair up and went to it.

Before I go any further, I have to say that I was completely confounded by the leeks.  I had no idea how to deal with them.  I found this GREAT video on YouTube, and I was confounded no longer.

If you're unsure about leeks, you can check out this video here. 

After all the veggies are all chopped and ready to go, heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.

Add the leeks, carrots, celery, potatoes, garlic, and bay leaf to the olive oil.

Add the Old Bay seasoning and a little salt and pepper.  Cook for 5 minutes until the veggies are softened.

Add the butter and stir until melted.

Sprinkle on the flour and stir to combine.  Cook for about 1 minute.

Add the white wine and cook until thickened - it won't take long.

Add the seafood stock.

Add the half and half.  Stir to combine and bring to a bubbling simmer and cook for 15 - 20 minutes, stirring constantly.

This is where you want to cook the lobster tails in boiling water for 5 minutes.  There are four lobster tails here.  It took four to make the recipe recommended 1 1/2 pounds total weight.  Mine were probably super-small.

I AM in land-locked Alberta, after all.

Run under cold water then remove the meat from the shells and chop into 1-inch pieces.

When the vegetable mixture has finished cooking - it will be thick and heavenly - add the peas.

Then the lobster meat and the chopped parsley and simmer for another 5 minutes or so.

Fish out the bay leaf and pour the mixture into a casserole dish.  I was going to serve this in individual ramekins as recommended - and I thought that my french onion soup dishes would be big enough, but they were way too small.  They would only hold 1 cup of the lobster mixture.

Top with puff pastry.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the puff pastry is golden.  I would recommend two things.  Firstly, when cutting the puff pastry, cut it so that it hangs over the edges of the ramekin/casserole dish.  Secondly, brush the puff pastry with melted butter so that it cooks to be really nice and golden.

Mine pulled away from the edges.

At the last minute, I decided that I wanted to serve this over rice.

Told you I'm strange.

Truthfully, I expected this to be way more rich than it actually was.  And it was completely delicious and wonderful.  The only change I would make is to use heavy cream instead of half and half because I thought the sauce wasn't as thick as it could have been.

Yeah - just trust me and make it.

And maybe snuggle with a sweet puppy if there's one about.

Have fun and enjoy!

The Cane girl.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Yep - another Chicken Tortilla Soup.

Are you getting sick of these yet?

Too bad.

Just kidding - I care if you're bored.

But bear with me.  I'm sorting through my tortilla soup recipes and there are surprisingly few that meet my criteria.

I might get through them sooner than I thought.

On the easy scale - this soup was as easy as they come.  Really - the most labour intensive thing I had to do was shred the chicken.

I love that.

To start out with, mix the taco seasoning, water, and tomato sauce in the bowl of a slow cooker.  Crockpot, if you will.

Then add the cream of chicken soup and the milk and whisk until smooth.

Add the chicken, the drained black beans, the drained corn, and the diced tomatoes. 

I stirred mine all together.

Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.  The chicken was completely cooked at 6 hours.  Then I pulled it out and shredded it up.  I added it back to the soup and stirred it again.

I topped this bowl with shredded cheddar, which was fine.  Another bowl I topped with shredded cheddar and crushed Tostitos scoops (I happened to have some - I don't generally have Tostitos in the house!).  Know what?  Those chips added something a little extra.....

Maybe I should consider having some around all the time.

I would definitely say that this is my Number 2 runner up soup.  Super-yummy, super-easy, hearty, and warm.

And after 1 and a half feet of snow since Thursday - I really needed something warm and filling.

Goodness - isn't Winter over YET?

This is the Cane girl - signing off.