Biscuit #1 & Awards

Maria, Erin, Hennifer, Lindsey and Donna all recommended this biscuit. Every comment I received about this biscuit, further convinced me to make them. Thanks ladies!

I have to say of the 3 different biscuits that I made (which I'll post later in the week) these were by far the easiest. They were extremely simple and came together in a matter of minutes. Measure, mix, scoop, bake, cool, eat. Simple and delicious.

I think of the 3 biscuits, these were my least favorite. That does not mean they weren't good, because they were, but in order of preference these were last. Please don't let that talk you out of making them, I just happened to prefer the texture of the other biscuits I made. That being said, they also required more effort and time.

These biscuits were definitely fluffy, crumbly and fall apart tender. I slathered mine fresh from the oven with butter and plum jam. I think honey would have been better because you could let it drizzle over the biscuit rather than trying to spread anything on them. Because of their soft interior, these don't hold up well to biscuit sandwiches, instead they're great for sopping up gravy.

Best Drop Biscuits from Cook's Illustrated

- makes 12 biscuits -

• 2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1 cup cold buttermilk
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly (about 5 minutes), plus 2 tablespoons melted butter for brushing biscuits

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 475°F. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in large bowl. Combine buttermilk and 8 tablespoons melted butter in medium bowl, stirring until butter forms small clumps.

2. Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients and stir with rubber spatula until just incorporated and batter pulls away from sides of bowl. Using greased 1/4-cup dry measure, scoop level amount of batter and drop onto parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet (biscuits should measure about 2 1/4 inches in diameter and 1 1/4 inches high). Repeat with remaining batter, spacing biscuits about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake until tops are golden brown and crisp, 12 to 14 minutes.

3. Brush biscuit tops with remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter. Transfer to wire rack and let cool 5 minutes before serving.

NOTE: My only recommendation when baking these biscuits is to bake them on a light colored baking sheet. Mine got a little darker than I would have liked on the bottom and I attribute that to the color of the pan since darker pans cook faster/hotter than lighter ones.

Want a bite?

Alright, while you enjoy your biscuit I'll tell you a few things about myself. Kathy and Delectable Dining both passed this Premio Blog Award on to me. When I receive an award, I like to what it's for. I traced it all the way back to a few Spanish blogs then got lost along the way. I don't know what this award is truly for, but I absolutely appreciate it. Though I don't know it's origination, I think it's meant to honor and highlight "prize" blogs. So thank you.

With the acceptance of this award, I'm also supposed to tell you 7 things about myself that you may not know.

1. When I buy greeting cards at the supermarket or at Hallmark, I ALWAYS switch the envelopes. I never think the envelopes the manufactures pick match worth a damn. So if you should ever get a card from me, know the envelope was hand selected just for you :-)

2. I have a fascination for elephants and penguins. I collect them both. I love penguins because they are incredibly loyal to each other and to their offspring. Family is important to them and it's their everything. Elephants because they're highly intelligent, they're strong and they're just amazing creatures.

3. My husband is my high school sweetheart. And I'm still madly in love with him.

4. I can taste raw onions in anything. You can't hide them from me, no matter how small they are- gag!

5. When I was little I wanted to be a prosecuting lawyer and I wanted to drive a white convertible Mercedes Benz. Boy, things have changed.

6. One of the first things I ever baked homemade were peanut butter cookies. I was probably 10 years old and got the recipe off the half gallon container of government peanut butter. They were so damn good- just like the ones I remember getting in elementary school.

7. I love crafting- I like to paint, knit, assemble, create. I'm pretty modest about most things, but I do believe I am very creative. If it can be purchased, I want to make it. I just painted a butterfly house over the weekend.

A lot of you have already been tagged for this award, so choose these bloggers to pass it along to:

Sophie, Debby, Anna, Hennifer, Kristen, Rachel, and Kerstin

This award was passed on from Lissaloo. It's to call attention to passionate bloggers. I'm also supposed to tell you 5 things I'm passionate about. Thank you Lissaloo so much!

1. My husband and our marriage is my passion. It has to be. I think that loyalty and honestly are extremely important and our union together starts with that. I (we both) work really hard at maintaining our love and keeping it fresh.

2. My boys- They may not be with me, but that doesn't mean that I don't think about them every single day. It's not the natural order for most mothers, but I go to the cemetery often to clean their headstones and to take them toys or fresh flowers. I try to honor them everyday in the best way possible. I am proud to be their mother.

3. My family is also really important to me. Like most families, we get on each other's nerves and we have our own fair share of quirks, but I wouldn't trade any of them for the world. It's weird when you think about extended families, but they're the ones that make up the holidays, birthdays, backyard bbq's-- all our memories. I just love them.

4. Photography- I usually always have my camera within arms reach. I don't just photograph food. I also photograph my husband, my pets, nature, sunsets, babies. I just love it. I've been known to fill up a memory stick, upload the pictures and go back outside. It's calming for me.

5. Baking. While I like cooking and coming up with new recipes, baking is my passion. I like to try new things and bake for almost every event. Why not? You don't need a special occasion to have cake. On my days off, you can usually find me in the kitchen whipping up something yummy, planning my baking days or surfing blogs to get more ideas.

I'm not going to tag anyone in particular for this award. I think you're all wonderful and are passionate about what you do. Proof is in your blogs and your cooking/baking. Thank you all for the daily inspiration.