7-up biscuits

Yep, I've made them too. YUM!

There are a ton of recipes out there, all a little different. Of course, all have Bisquick. I had no Bisquick in the house. Bummer. So, to Google I went to find a way to make my own Bisquick from scratch. Yes, I wanted the biscuits that bad. Again, there are a million recipes out there, all a little different. So, I decided to just wing it and see what happened.

Homemade Bisquick:
http://www.food.com/recipe/homemade-bisquick-mix-69051

I also added 2 TBSP sugar, as most of the other recipes used sugar. Although, not sure it matters. I will probably omit it the 'next' time I make this - assuming there is a next time. Yes, it's good, but it takes time. Just depends on how desperate I am.

I used my food processor to cut the shortening into the flour. You have to do this in stages, unless you have a massive sized machine. Then I just kind of mixed it all together.

Biscuits:
4 cups Bisquick
1 cup 7-Up
1 cup light sour cream
1/4 cup butter

Preheat oven to 400 deg F. Put butter in a 9x13" pan. Put pan in oven to melt butter. Don't over cook this, burned butter is no good. :)

Mix everything else together. The dough will be wet. Put some flour on the counter. WARNING: the next part is messy. Grab about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of dough (I just guessed here). Roll dough in flour lightly and form it into a ball. Place in the pan. Repeat to make 12 biscuits.

Bake until golden brown approximately 10-15 minutes, depending on your oven.

And when they come out, you really should wait a FEW minutes so you don't burn your mouth. But, if you are anything like me, have a glass of water on hand and just bite and swig at the same time. Yeah, I am not very patient.

I will be working on a slightly healthier version - to see if I can keep the same great taste and texture but reduce the calories and fat while increasing the good stuff.

Until next time, increase your exercise to help counteract these little lovelies.

Jill

Cake Pops and Chocolate

Yes, I have posted before about the cake pops I have made here. Everyone seems to enjoy them. After the last party, I had a ton of left over cake. I did NOT want to be eating cake forever, so I made cake balls. This time I stepped it up a notch and dipped in chocolate. This could be a good Mother's Day dessert!

A chocolatier I am NOT. But, these were SOOO good. I just used chocolate melts, half milk chocolate and half dark chocolate. Melt in the microwave (50%power) and then dip chilled cake balls. I placed them into mini cup cake liners to help limit the mess. I think it makes the presentation nice too - not that anyone around here cares about presentation! I had to freeze them so I didn't eat them all super fast. These were an even bigger hit that the plain cake balls.

What is your favorite way to deal with left over cake? I probably should just throw it out, but I have yet to be able to bring myself to do that.

Later.

Pumpkin Carrot Cake

Who doesn't like cake? I LOVE it!  And, since yesterday was my birthday, I just HAD to make one. There are times it would be nice just to have one show up in my kitchen - poof. But, I am pretty particular about my desserts - I don't like most store bought cakes. I would LOVE the cakes from the bakery, but the budget does not allow for that (and really I am too cheap to not feel guilty about spending that kind of money on a cake). Good thing I like to bake!

This year I wanted something other than white or chocolate cake. Time for something different. But, I was not in the mood to spend tons of time baking. Off to Google and Pinterest I went, in search of cake, exactly what kind I was not sure. It did not take long for me to decide  - pumpkin cake. YES! But not just any pumpkin cake. I wanted stuff in it. A roll would have been good - but too putsy for the day. Then I cam upon this recipe. Yes, this is what I wanted to try.

Jumping Cow

So, Monday went relatively well. Lucy and I did our exercise together. It was only 20 minutes, but that is better than nothing. And - she decided it needed to be ballet style! I giggle to myself when I picture what we must have looked like running, hopping, twirling, and jumping (you get the picture) around the house. I probably looked something like a jumping cow - not exactly graceful. But, I don't care and the sounds of laughter filled the house - which made the experience wonderful.

Tuesday, also a good day. It started with a weigh-in - and guess what I was down another pound! YIPPEE! Now, I don't expect the weight to keep dropping at this rate. I think my body is just in SHOCK. It wants to know why I keep making it move and am not feeding it crap all the time. My muscles are still screaming at me - but it doesn't bother me. They too will learn the new ways and enjoy them. Already I notice I have way more energy! Which I TOTALLY need to get through my long days - without a nap. :)

 

picture from Chocolate-Covered Katie

I did break down today a little - I craved sugar!!! So, I decided to make some fabulous chocolate chip cookie dough dip from a recipe I found online. Thank you Katie! At least the calories I consumed were not completely empty! My kids love this one too. Please visit Katie's site for the recipe and MANY other 'healthy' desserts.

'Just keep swimming, Just keep swimming...' (can you hear Dory??)