Sour Cream Bisquick Biscuits

Sour Cream Bisquick Biscuits

This is total comfort food. 

Bisquick. 

Sour Cream.

Old school recipe. 

After all that happened this month so far, I needed comfort food and these are the ticket.

My mom used to make these biscuits when I was little. My cousin makes them small and I think they are better that way (and you can eat more).

My cousin has an index card written by her mom. I'm sure you can make this all from scratch, but Bisquick has a special place in my memory and it's foolproof.

On Sunday, I went to my parent's house and made some little ham and egg biscuits.

This is super easy to make. Just some Bisquick, sour cream, a bit of sugar, baking soda and an egg.

I made mini biscuits with a one-inch (or so) circle because they are cute and you can eat a bunch. Sure, if you count the calories, it's all the same, but I'm always more satisfied if I can eat four small ones instead of only one big one.:)

By the way, I only had my cell phone camera to take these photos. Sorry about the quality. But the quality of the biscuits? Yummmmmmy.

Sour Cream Bisquick Biscuits

Mix together in one bowl:

2 1/2 cups Bisquick

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Mix together in a small bowl:

1 cup sour cream

1 egg

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Pour the wet mixture onto the Bisquick bowl. 

3. Stir until just combined. Don't overmix.

4. Knead dough 5-7 times on a flour or Bisquick covered surface.

5. Pat or roll out and cut into desired shape.

6. Bake at 400 degrees until golden brown on top and bottom (depends on how big you make them - around 12-20 minutes)

Sour Cream Chocolate Cake Bundt

It has been so hot in Los Angeles that I can only bake at 4 am. Crazy, yeah. But look at the cute result! Of course, it's a Bundt. This is an old Nordic Ware Bundt...the Fiesta Party Pan. That is a strange name. I called it my "Tree Bundt".

Since my last post was all about Jury Duty, I wanted to update you. Whoo hoo! I'm free. Los Angeles has a one day or one trial system. If you make it through one day without being sent to a trial, you are home free. So I sat in a room with over 100 other citizens for hours. They started the day with five possible trials. At 11:45 am, they said they were down to two trials (never been so happy for a plea bargain or continuance). At 2:30 pm, they finally called about 20 jurors. My fingers were cramping because I was trying to use my iPod Touch and I was crossing my fingers all day! :)

Finally, at 3:00 pm, they were going to call 35 jurors, and if you weren't on the list, you were going home! Tension filled the room like the set of "American Idol" (only in reverse...don't pick me, Ryan Seacrest!) When she said, "Mary..." I gasped. But it was a different Mary. Whew. Then she said, "Mary..." again! And, would you believe it, there were at least three Mary's in that room? Lucky for me (and unlucky for them), it wasn't me!

Whew! This calls for a celebration...and the Bundt is perfect for that!

I saw this cake on Jessica's What's Cooking in the Orange Kitchen? blog. Jessica found it on the back of the Bakers & Chefs brown sugar package from Sam's Club! Don't you just love those "back of the bag" recipes?! This recipe's technique is similar to the Cinnamon Chocolate Bundt and Texas Sheet Cake. Both of those recipes melt and boil ingredients, and this one melts the chocolate and butter in boiling water.

I placed 3 oz unsweetened baking chocolate (chopped up) and 1 stick of butter (cut into pieces) into a bowl. Pour 1 cup of boiling water over the top. Stir until melted.

In my Kitchen Aid mixer, I placed 2 cups packed brown sugar, 2 cups flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking soda, and 1 tsp salt. I used the paddle and let it spin on low to mix the dry ingredients. With the mixer on low, slowly add the melted chocolate mixture. Once the batter is well blended, add 2 eggs, 1/2 cup sour cream and 1 tsp vanilla. Then raise the speed to medium and beat for one minute. And that's it! Easy peasy, no?

Grease and flour the Bundt pan (or spray the heck out of it with Baker's Joy or Pam with Flour). I suggest a 10 or 12-cup Bundt. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Rest 10 minutes then depan and cool completely. I dusted mine with powdered sugar. Jessica added a chocolate ganache drizzle. Yum!

I used my Nordic Ware Fiesta Bundt (I don't see it on their website...I've had it for years). I believe it is about 9-cups and that why it is a little too full for this recipe.

Can you see a face profile in this slice?! See that little eye? Yeah...I've looked at too many Bundts and the heat has fried my little brain!

Have a great holiday weekend! Be safe and have fun!

Recipe:
Sour Cream Chocolate Cake from What's Cooking in the Orange Kitchen?
From back of the Bakers & Chefs brown sugar package from Sam's Club

Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Sour Cream Coffee Cake

When I saw this cake on Blue is Bleu's blog and instantly knew I had to make it! Audrie is so great! I've enjoyed her blog for a long time and you should definitely check it out! Audrie said she got the recipe from Smitten Kitchen's blog.

Not much to say...besides MAKE IT.
It's big. It's chocolate. It's cake. It's good. It's rich (1 stick of butter and 16 ounces of sour cream!) but not crazy, oozing rich. And my middle layer of cinnamon, sugar and chocolate chips didn't end up on the bottom! That's a good thing.

My co-workers really liked this when I brought it in last week. It an easy treat to make and really delicious. Definitely give it a try!

And thanks to everyone for your well wishes about my Dad and our lengthy Father's Day visit to Urgent Care! I so appreciate it! He tells me he is feeling a bit better now...it's such a pain (literally) to get old. Dad now uses a cane to help him around, and I've nicknamed him (with love): The Turtle. He has a backyard full of summer crops (I'll profile those soon), and luckily my mom is helping him out!

Recipe:
Cinnamon-Chocolate Chip Sour Cream Coffee Cake
from Smitten Kitchen

National Library Week Begins! Day 1 with Double-Ginger Sour Cream and Bundt Cake

Double-Ginger Sour Cream Bundt Cake...with the Librarian Action Figure!

Let's celebrate National Library Week with some food, library facts, and giveaways!

The "Food" in the Food Librarian today is the Double-Ginger Sour Cream and Bundt Cake with Ginger-Infused Strawberries that appeared in the April 2009 issue of Bon Appétit. Be sure to visit your library to read a bunch of magazines - free!

This recipe uses 1 cup of crystallized ginger - serious yummy! Sugar in the Raw coats the pan...but most of my sugar baked into the cake (bummer). Look at Bon Appetit's photo - it is quite pretty and shiny.

Here's the recipe. The cake is quite delightful and rich. It gingerific with three types of ginger: ground, crystallized and fresh!

The "Librarian" in the Food Librarian is the Librarian Action Figure! [I'll wait while you giggle]. It's made by the same company that presents us with the Lunch Lady, Jesus and Deluxe Jesus action figures. She's modeled after librarian Nancy Pearl who you may have heard on NPR dispensing reading recommendations. There is a button that lifts her arm in a "Shushing" motion...oh, the stereotype! (But I doubt there are many other occupations that have their own action figure...so I'm not complaining!)

Each day this week, I'll have a giveaway! I want to celebrate libraries and thank the readers of my little blog.

Day 1 Giveaway:
One lucky winner will receive:
a. Cool 3-tier mini-cake set with tray. This is a 4", 3", and 2" pan made by Southern California family-owned company, Parrish/Magic Line (purchased at Surfas)
b. Beaded Bookmark - Mark your favorite cookbook or novel with this bookmark handmade by the Food Librarian and friends!
c. Book bag - Stroll into your library with this super light bag from the happiest place on Earth, Disneyland! The library is very environmental because it's the ultimate reuse center!

Just leave a comment below (one entry per person) and I'll pick the winner from a hat. Deadline for all the giveaways this week: Monday, April 20, 2009 at midnight PDT. If your comment isn't linked to a blog where I can find you, please leave your email or check back on Tuesday, April 21st to see if you won. Shipping to U.S. addresses only (sorry, I'm buying all this stuff myself and international postage is too expensive).

Librarian Action Figure is not included. I borrowed all these from my co-workers! ;)

To enter the drawing, leave a comment. You don't have to write anything special...but if you want to tell me about your library or a library story, that would be fantastic! Don't forget to visit and support your local library! See you tomorrow from some Tuesdays with Dorie yum and more giveaways! thanks for coming by - mary the food librarian