Red Lobster-Inspired Copycat Cheddar Bay Biscuits Recipe!

My sibling family loves Red Lobster. It's our guilty pleasure when we want to get together for each others' birthdays (I'm one of 7 siblings, and here it is National Sibling Day!). It's an easy place to grab a big table, preferably tucked in a corner away from serious diners, where we can enjoy an hour or so of silly conversation, distorted memories (!), inappropriate birthday cards whenever possible, and gift-opening. There are some restaurants where you can do that easily, but none better that RL. The restaurant holds a sentimental meaning for all of us, as well, since our Mom loved to go there for our birthdays and "just because."

We always look forward to RL's Cheddar Bay Biscuits. They are served warm from the oven, tender, and so flavorful. I looked online for a copycat recipe, but most I found used a biscuit mix as the base. For our quiet Easter dinner at my daughter Katie's last week, I wanted to make them from scratch, so I adapted Alton Brown's biscuit recipe and added my own version of a hot butter and herb glazing at the end. The result - nailed it! They went so well with Katie's Easter ham and Bill's scalloped potatoes! I also made a birthday cake for my daughter Tricia - she requested retro with a strawberry cake mix with rainbow chip frosting (home-made version of rainbow chip, of course!). I made it just as she requested, and she loved it! But back to biscuits...

Here's a photo of the DEEE-licious copycat biscuits followed by the how-to:

My take on Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay Biscuit! 

COPYCAT RED LOBSTER CHEDDAR BAY BISCUITS!
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
Spray cookie sheet with vegetable spray
Makes 12+

In large mixing bowl, stir together:
2 c. all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt

Cut in to flour mixture:
 (with 2 knives or a pastry blender - or pulse in a food processor!)
4 tablespoons shortening (or 2 butter/2 shortening) until the size of small peas

Stir in:
1 cup cold buttermilk (no buttermilk? Make your own: add 1 tablespoon vinegar to a 1-cup measure and fill with milk, wait 5 minutes)

Stir in: 
1 cup very finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Stir until all the dry ingredients are well combined. Using an ice cream scoop or something that will give you about 2 good, full tablespoons (even a real spoon!), drop dough onto cookie sheet.

Bake 15-20 minutes, or until biscuits are puffed up and browning on all the little edges and nooks.

Take out of oven and immediately brush with this mixture:

2 ounces (half a stick) of butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried parsley (I didn't have any, left it out)

Let them cool a bit, and then place hot biscuits in a towel-lined serving bowl.

Now, go on and enjoy these like my siblings and I do! (as well as the rest of the family!)

Circa 1961, Saratoga Springs, NY
L-R: Anne, Danny, Ginny, Jeannie (Me), Steven, Patsy, & Michael

Love my six terrific siblings (including that one odd ball!)! And God Bless our mother, Virginia McGeehan O'Farrell. We miss her terribly. Seven children in 10 years. She surely is a saint!

Birthdays, Red Lobster, and Cupcakes

Tonight we celebrated my brother Michael's (belated) birthday with a dinner at Red Lobster in Queensbury.  My family loves Red Lobster for birthday celebrations because we can fit six siblings around a table easily (missing 7th sib,  brother Danny, who relocated back to California with his wife Suzette last March). At RL, we can enjoy a good meal (very good, actually), and sit and hang out with each other long after our check is paid. That's just what we did tonight.  It's a comfortable place for a group like us.

I've written about these birthday dinners before.  They are special.  Here we are, now realizing that we are actually getting older, and there's no denying it -- the oldest O'Farrell brother is 63, and the youngest sister, 53.  When did that happen?  It seems like just yesterday we were seven kids living together in the same house with our parents, a large, cohesive family.  So much has happened over the past 40 years or so -- college, military service, marriages, babies, dogs, moving away, moving back, babies becoming kids, kids becoming teenagers, new relationships, more dogs, kids getting married, more babies...  It's such a flash of events that pop like firecrackers in my brain, moments of life creating a collage of memories to pour over again and again, and savor.

Through all of these transitions, the one constant has been our relationship as siblings, with all that comes with big families.  Sometimes it's easy; sometimes it's not, but it's always been something we can count on.  My brothers and sisters and I have been through a lot together -- moving a lot as kids, growing up and staying connected, losing our father, and later our mother.  We were mid-life adults with no parents, with still half our lives to lead, six siblings to support each other through happy and sad times.

When you think about it, no one has known you longer or better than your sisters and brothers, the people who know everything about you, and, like the saying goes, "love you just the same."

I appreciate the fact that I have six siblings.  They are a great bunch.  Hope you had a happy, happy birthday, Michael.  I look forward to sharing many more together, and...I hope you like the cupcakes!

Birthdays and A little Red Lobstah Last Night

My six siblings and I enjoyed another one of our birthday dinners last night.  We were celebrating two birthdays, Steven's and mine.  We were born one year, one week, and one day apart from each other in 1953 and 1954, missing the "Irish twins" designation by eight days! (My mother Virginia and her sister Jeanne were Irish twins, born 11 months apart.) 

I've written about this before -- we do this birthday "thing" for each other, and it is carried on from when our mother was with us.  She loved nothing more than having dinner out and since she's been gone, we continue as much for her memory as for the time we get to enjoy with one  another. 

We usually choose a casual restaurant environment where we can sit long and linger, and last night we went to Red Lobster in Queensbury, New York.  It's an old favorite of ours.  We love the comfortable if not kitschy seaside decor.  The food is good (especially the wood-fired selections) and the service is always terrific.  Our server Kevin handled our large group with humor and efficiency. 

When I tell people that my siblings celebrate each others' birthdays this way, the response is usually, "That's so nice that you do that."  We're fortunate, now, that all seven siblings can participate.  My youngest brother Danny and his wife Suzette relocated here from the San Francisco area recently, and now our get-togethers are complete.  I sat last night and took it all in, appreciating that we have the opportunity to spend this special time with each other.  Staying connected into mid- (and post-mid-) life isn't always easy.  Inevitably, there are times with the waters are a little rough and we don't always think the same way on things, but what I appreciate about our family is that we get through them, we don't let any "thing" take precedence over our relationships with each other.  If someone is facing a challenge, we rally together.  Maybe its from all those years moving around as kids.  We were always a unit.  And we always will be.  My brothers and sisters are the best (and the KitchenAid Artisan Mixer they presented me with ROCKS!)...

XOXOX to all of you!

Photo: by Kevin the Server
L-R:  The O'Farrells: Jeannie (ADK Baker), Anne, Patsy, Danny, Michael, Steven, Ginny

Cheddar Herb Scones

This savory scone is inspired from the early morning version I usually bake, which is adapted from the Food Network's Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten. It is also pays homage to its cousin, Red Lobster's wonderful Cheddar Bay Biscuit. My family and I often have dinner at Red Lobster in Queensbury, New York. It has a nice sea-faring atmosphere and, for a "chain" restaurant, the food is always affordable and very good. It's a place where my siblings and I can sit for a long time after dinner and laugh like fools!

This scone doubles as a nice side for a hot breakfast or as a welcome replacement for the usual dinner roll or sliced Italian bread. It comes together very easily—no mixer needed. These freeze very well, too. If this recipe makes more than you need for one occasion, simply place in a freezer bag after cutting the dough apart. When you’re ready to bake, take out what you need, let thaw for a few minutes and bake as usual.

Cheddar Herb Scone

Oven 375°F

2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
8 tsp. cold butter (1/2 cup plus two tsp.), grated or chopped into small (pea-sized) pieces
¾ cup grated cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons fresh, savory herb of your choice (or 1 tbsp. dry) I like dill, parsley, or basil.
2 eggs, beaten
½ cup buttermilk (or milk soured for five minutes with 1.5 tsp. vinegar)
Egg wash (1 additional egg beaten with 1 tbsp. water)

Mix flour with baking powder, salt, and garlic powder. Stir in grated butter, cheddar cheese, and herbs. Make a well in center.

Mix beaten egg with milk and pour into center of well. Pull all dry ingredients into the wet with a fork until all is incorporated.

On floured surface, form into two disks about six inches round. Place on wax paper or parchment paper on cookie sheet and freeze for about 20 minutes. Remove from freezer and cut each disk into sixths.

Separate into individual scones on cookie sheet.

Brush with egg wash.

Bake for 20 minutes or until edges begin to brown.

Photo Credit: http://img.foodnetwork.com/FOOD/2008/02/08/IG1004_Cheddar_Dill_Scones_lg.jpg