Probably not. You probably don’t care because uh, hello… you have a real life.
But I don’t have any friends and need to tell someone, so you’re out of luck today.
I went on a hunt for a new scent for my husband. Basically, because I have NO IDEA WHAT TO GET HIM FOR CHRISTMAS (even though you gave me some excellent ideas last week) and have almost considered buying Hickory Farms beef sticks for his stocking. Not joking.
I thought maybe I could get him some new cologne, although it is safe to say that I am obsessed with what he currently wears – Burberry Touch – and can hardly think straight when I smell it. Take that as you will.
Anyhoo. I joined the throngs of shoppers and since it was com-pah-letely insane out there in shop world, there were no little paper tester thingies to spray cologne on and place below your sniffer. Uh, problem!
So I sprayed it on myself. My arms… my hands… my neck… my elbow. That little crevice thing between my thumb and fore finger. About 13 different kinds. Not entirely sure why I found this to be a wise idea since I can barely stand in Bath and Body Works without sneezing my actual face off. Yes, my actual face. But I did it anyway. Me = loopy.
I was just soooo desperate.
After about 10 minutes I started to feel pretty ill. And I smelled like a man. Not a good man either. Like one of those dirty old men that drenches himself in cologne then puts on a fedora and heads to the nearest college watering hole hoping to pick up girls 40 years younger than him.
And just so you know, all these times I’m typing cologne? I’m saying it out loud like CO-LOG-NEE.
Then it gave me a migraine. I scrubbed my body down with soap and loofahs but to no avail – I could NOT get rid of the scentseses. I had to scrap all plans of exciting stuff I had going on at night, which was precisely nothing. I came home giftless but with one major decision: Mr. How Sweet will never wear anything but Burberry Touch for as long as he lives. Ever.
Even though I was on the verge of upchucking thanks to the manly fumes lingering on my body, I was starrrrrved. Holidays do that to you. So I ate an egg on top of one of these biscuits.
Oh… My… Gawd.
I made the biscuits earlier in the week – nervously, I should add, since they were a bit out of the flavor box even for ME. But the minute they came out of the oven, I inhaled three. THREE! Before I even snapped a shot, I gobbled them. Well, I gobbled 2 1/3 of them. Note picture #4.
Is it too wild to declare this my favorite thing I have made in all of 2011? Because I’m pretty sure it is. The flavor… OMG the flavor. Can’t even explain. Out of this world. So in love. One of my personal goals for 2011 was to challenge myself and bake more bread type things. I’m trying to experience as much bread making as I can in hopes that soon enough I’ll be able to develop my own yeasted bread recipes because that’s like, sort of hard. Do you want a fun goal for 2012? Do this.
I’m pretty sure that these biscuits and butter would make an excellent addition to your holiday cheese plate. And I’m ever surer that they’d make a fabulous side dish.
And a really good snack. (I should know.)
And even a nice little mouth for a mini sandwich. (Hello egg.)
And the best part of this whole thing? I opened a bottle of wine at 1 o’clock in the afternoon just to snap these photos for you. Oh… and to make butter. BUTTER. Butter with WINE in it. Butter made with wine! I have a TON of this butter left. I could not be more excited because the next thing it is going on? A thick, juicy piping hot filet. I may just die on the spot.
Ooooh and make sure you use some wine that you actually like to drink. I used La Crema because that’s what I drank in Sonoma with Christina, and it tasted gooooood. But you don’t have to listen to me. After all that time in wine country I still don’t know jack, and drink Riesling with tomato sauce and put ice cubes in my Merlot. Sorry.
Soooo yeah. No doubt, you gotta make these. Today please.
Blue Cheese Biscuits
[slightly adapted from my cranberry biscuits, which were adapted from bon appetit]
makes about 20 round biscuits
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) cold butter, cut into pieces
1 1/4 cups milk (whole or 2%)
6 ounces gorgonzola cheese (or your favorite blue), crumbled
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and soda, and whisk until combined. Using a fork, pastry blender or your hands, add butter pieces to the flour and mix until coarse little crumbles remain. Add in crumbled gorgonzola. Pour in milk and stir with a spoon until just combined, not overmixing. Use your hands if needed to bring the dough together – I did.
Use a 1/4 cup measure to drop batter onto a nonstick baking sheet, or press dough on a sheet of parchment paper or cutting board, then using a biscuit cutter to shape the dough into rounds. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until biscuits are golden brown.
Pinot Noir Butter
[slightly adapted from Bobby Flay's Bar Americain]
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 1/2 cups pinot noir
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
pinch of black pepper
Bring the wine to a boil in a saucepan (be careful so it does not boil over!) and cook until reduced to just under 1/4 cup – this took me about 15 minutes. Let cool completely.
Once wine is cool, combine with softened butter, salt and pepper, and mix thoroughly to combine. I had some issues with the butter absorbing all of the wine, so what I did was place the entire bowl in the fridge, and pop it out every 15 minutes or so, mixing really well with a spoon until all of the wine mixed in. Once mixed completely, chill in the fridge for about 5 minutes, then form into a square or log with your hands and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until ready to use – best if used after 2-3 days so the flavors can mesh!
K thanks bye.
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