Ethereal Cheese Biscuits

This recipe is courtesy of my dear friend Thea's Mom. I was by myself last week when I made them for the first time, and I was sitting on the couch, clutching at my heart with tears in my eyes, they were that good.

Seriously.

Oven to 450˚.

2 cups flour, 4 teaspoons baking powder, 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 1 cup milk, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1 cup cheese.

I mixed the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt together in a bowl. Separately I mixed the milk and oil. I mixed the wet into dry until just combined and then gently added the cup of raw milk, aged cheddar. I turned the dough out onto the counter and patted into a disc and then cut it into 8 pieces. I decided to shape them into circular biscuits instead of wedges. I just folded the point around to the side and patted it into a fat disc. The trick is handling them as a little as possible! Don't grip these biscuits up or you'll regret it!

Bake on a greased sheet for 8 minutes until golden and perfect.

Wait at least 2 minutes after they come out of the oven or the melted cheese will burn your tongue.

I learned that the hard way.

Enjoy!

Simple soup, simpler.

I couldn't get enough of the last soup that I made, but the last time I made it, I was hungrier and didn't have time to make stock.

A few hours before dinnertime, I got two chicken breasts ground and mixed them with 4 cloves garlic, a good piece of ginger, a few green onions, cilantro, and some fresh chilies, all minced. I added a good splash of each soy and fish sauce. I mixed this well and then put it in the fridge for a couple hours.

I used store-bought stock for this soup and it was just fine. I really like the Pacific brand, both the chicken and the beef broth are delicious and not too salty. I brought the mixture of the two to a boil in a large stock pot. I reduced the heat to medium (still bubbling, but not violently) and started dropping in the chicken in small balls. In the original recipe of this soup, I took the time to roll each of the chicken balls. It was time consuming, they looked impressive, but if you're in a pinch, drop them in by the tablespoon into one palm, shaping it into somewhat of a round shape and then toss them into the hot broth. They will float to the top when they are done cooking, usually about 8 minutes. I like to do it in two batches, removing the cooked ones before starting again. I set these aside and then added a couple of thinly sliced onions to the stock, as well as a splash of soy sauce.

Adjust the seasoning to taste, pepper and salt make the world go around. Serve the chicken at the bottom of the bowl with the hot broth and onions over top.

Hellllllloooooooo delicious!!