Herb & Cheese Ugly Biscuits

I know I'm no great chef, but I'd like to think I have some skill in the kitchen after all these years.

But I'm beginning to doubt my skills.  Not that the recipe I'm about to share is bad or anything...but after cooking two dinners in someone else's kitchen, I feel like a....well, I feel like an idiot.

Isn't that funny?  I am just so comfortable working with my own tools in the kitchen and as soon as I'm placed in a new one and asked to perform it's like I loose all dexterity.

WHAT?! You want me to chop an onion? How do I do that without my Wusthof Chef's knife and nasty old cutting board? 

I end up performing like my hand has been cut off and replaced with a wooden peg.  Without my familiar tools and setting, I have no flow.  No style.  No juju.

Top that off with the fact that I have to get used to cooking with someone else's ingredients and I might as well be baking blindfolded.

Is it okay if I keep those bones for broth?

Do you keep any herbs or spices in here?

Is there any yogurt to soak this in?

*Crickets*

Fuh-get-about-it.

I never realize how differently we eat from others until we venture out of little kitchen.  I now realize it's not normal to keep scraps of bone and cartilage in the fridge for future broth making (though it is for us).  Nor is it normal for the average family to have a five gallon bucket of oats sitting next to their refrigerator.  Or have another bucket lounging around that is fermenting a batch of kombucha.  Or a line of Mason jars on their counter with a variety of soaking grains, flours, and fermenting dairy products.

Does this make me weird?

Even though I'm working in someone else's space, I haven't let this new-kitchen-cooking-handicap stop me.  I still was happy to whip up some pastured fried ham, fried pastured eggs and fruit this morning.

And for dinner?

Grilled organic turkey.  Sweet potato casserole.  Homemade stuffing.  And fresh herb & cheese biscuits.

It was like Thanksgiving in October.  And it was awesome.

I can't believe I haven't shared this biscuit recipe with you yet.  I make it about once per week - because it's that convenient and that wonderful.

When I'm in a time-crunch, out of our soaked whole wheat bread, and in need of some form of bread to have with dinner, this is always my go-to recipe.

So, since the guys are sitting out on the porch smoking their pipes...

...and since I'm already showered for the night, wrapped up in my comfy pajamas, and Georgia is sleeping...

...here we are.

For your consumption pleasure.

Herb & Cheese Ugly Biscuits
You will need: 
 - 2 cups of flour (I usually use one cup of organic rice flour and one cup of organic white flour - sprouted whole wheat flour would also be ideal for this recipe)
 - 1 teaspoon of sea salt 
 - 3 teaspoons of aluminum-free baking powder
 - 1 teaspoon of thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
 - 1 teaspoon of rosemary (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
 - 1 teaspoon of basil (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
 - 1 to 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese (you can supplement in other cheeses, but I like cheddar the most in these)
 - 1 cup of organic milk
 - 1/4 cup of high-quality olive oil

Step One:  Mix all of the listed ingredients together in a bowl.  I usually add the cheese after I've mixed the first ingredients so that I can make sure to get the baking powder evenly distributed through the flour.

Step Two:  In a separate bowl, mix together the milk and the olive oil.

Step Three:  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Step Four:  About fifteen minutes before you're ready to eat some fresh biscuits, mix together the flour/cheese mixture and the milk/olive oil mixture until just combined.  Then, shape them into ugly biscuits using your fingers or a fork and place them on a baking sheet.  No need to oil the baking sheet - I've never had a problem with them sticking.

Step Five:  Bake for 10-13 minutes or until nice and golden.

That's it.  See, I told you they were easy.

They are also delicious.

And if you have any leftover after dinner, might I suggested making some fried egg & cheese sandwiches with them in the morning?  I just warm them up in the oven a bit and gently use a fork to split them down the middle.  They can be a little crumbly but they're still wonderful.

And even better - they're pretty easy to throw together in someone else's kitchen.  Even if you are totally out of place and can't even find a measuring cup.

That can be awkward.  But I'd recommended pushing through the discomfort and baking these ugly biscuits anyway.

Speaking of ugly biscuits, I'm not sure if baking ugly biscuits completely discounts me from ever entering a higher-Southern-society.  Old school Southern women would no doubt glare at my ugly, lazy-man biscuits.

But who cares.

Maybe ugly is my style.

Plus, I'm from the West anyway.  And as much as I love the South, I'll never be a real Southern woman.  Girlfriend still says words like 'gnarly' and 'rad' (which I've learned totally discount me from all Southern acceptability).

But I digress.  Ugly or not, I'd recommend adding these biscuits to your kitchen routine.  Play with them.  Switch up the herbs.  Experiment with new flours.  Make them your own. 

Just eat them.