Commence Holiday Weight 2011!

It has been brought to my attention by numerous individuals that I haven't been posting on my blog! I can't believe I let 3 weeks pass by without a single post! I apologize for being E.I.A. (Eating In Action). Actually, a lot has been going on. Between Thanksgiving madness, my birth-week (that lasted 2 weeks), trying new eateries, creating a special holiday card and prepping for a job that I have coming up, the time totally flew by! I also have a pulled neck muscle and can't turn my head to the right. Driving has turned into an act of congress. This experience has shown me how much I take my neck for granted!

This Thanksgiving, I made quite a few items but my favorite were the Cheddar-Parsley Biscuits and Apple-Cranberry Pie. It isn't Thanksgiving without it! I've been baking up so much stuff recently, that it would put the Keebler Elf to shame. Unfortunately, I don't always have the time to have a proper foodoshoot. Slowly but surely, new pictures will make their way up!

Friday, the 25th, was my birthday! I spent the morning hitting up the Black Friday sales and treating myself to a $4+ Gingerbread Latte from Starbucks. On Saturday the 26th, I made my way to Valley View Casino for their lobster buffet. Definitely worth visiting especially since your first visit is FREE! That's right! You heard it here first: FREE! They have a ton of fresh seafood: mussels, lobster, shrimp, etc. Also, the cutest desserts I have ever seen! Everything is miniature, which I love: tarts, French macaroons, cheesecake lollipops, ice cream bars dipped in chocolate, truffles and tons of other goodies! They also make their own ice cream and they have an ice cream bar set up so I asked for a cone to go filled with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream and Mango Sorbet. Whenever I visit a buffet, I have a set of golden rules for myself. That being said, I think it's time to pass the torch.

1) Don't load up on fillers (i.e. bread).
2) Only order water to save room for food. Let's be honest, you didn't stand in that long line to fill up on soda.
3) Go for the good quality stuff like seafood and meats, first.
4) On the first round: taste everything, eat nothing. Too early to commit to a dish.

5) If you are with another person, assuming it's not a first date, visit each station together. Each of you fill your own plate and use a third "communal" plate and load it with items you both would enjoy trying. One person holds the third plate and the other serves.

And lastly...

6) Take your time! It's not like they're going to run out of food.

For this post, I would like to share the recipe for the Cheddar-Parsley Biscuits I made for Thanksgiving. They are super easy to make and they taste just like the biscuits from Red Lobster! I found the recipe on BigOven.

Cheddar-Parsley Biscuits

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups Bisquick baking mix
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
3/4 cup whole milk
2 tbsp butter, melted
1/8 tsp garlic powder

1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried parsley flakes

Directions

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees - conventional.
Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, combine Bisquick with cheddar cheese, milk, 2 tbsp of butter and 1/8 tsp garlic powder.
Once completely combined, drop large spoonfuls of the dough onto prepared baking sheet.

Combine 1/4 cup butter (melted) with 1/2 tsp garlic powder and parsley flakes.
Brush this mixture over the tops of each unbaked biscuit.

Bake for 14 to 16 minutes or until the tops of the biscuits begin to turn light brown.
Serve warm.

These biscuits are also great the next day for making miniature sandwiches! A slice of good quality deli meat, a slice of tomato and some spicy mustard and you have yourself a delicious snack! Enjoy!