quinn's place

i don’t think i need to set the scene for context here, but…in the event you’re reading this far in the future…

it is currently JUNE 2020.

we have been mostly locked in our homes for about 4 months now due to the CoRoNaViRus pandemic. there’s a whooooole lotta other stuff going on, too. the world is upside down. but, as for the whole “being locked away in our homes” thing…

this means, we have been stocking up on all the pantry/freezer/bulk items and cooking a LOT. A LOT. this excludes all the food & recipe content i have been photographing for work. i’ve had food content coming out my ears, but not a lot i can share here besides my personal meals.

really, this post is simply an ode to our obsession with the flat top outdoor griddle we bought last summer. seriously the greatest investment we’ve made in some time. i’d say 85% of the food you see here was made on the flat top.

here are some iphone photos of a lot of the repeat meals we’ve been cooking up for the last few months while at home in quarantine. not pictured: many, many other non-photo-worthy pantry meals.

PINEAPPLE, SPAM & CHICKEN FRIED RICE.

this one has been a fantastic equal use of pantry, freezer, and fresh ingredients. it sucks when we eat all the “good” fresh groceries first, and are left with sad bags of beans, rice etc. this utilizes a substantial amount of 3 categories of ingredients within the same meal. and…it makes rice for days!

SO MANY TACOS.

all the tacos, all the time.

GARLICKY RICOTTA & BURST CHERRY TOMATO TOASTS.

SOURDOUGH FRENCH TOAST.

PUFFY CREPES THAT ARE MORE LIKE A CHALUPA.

APPROXIMATELY 800 MARGARITAS.

HOMEMADE PIZZA - EVERY WHICH WAY!

^ in the oven on the pizza stone.

^ …on the pizza stone on the barbecue.

baked in a skillet…

AFTERNOON-SNACK SMOOTHIES.

we’ve gotten bored of eating bananas plain, so i’ve been making delicious chocolate, banana, peanut butter smoothies that are more liiiiiiiiike… milkshakes. heeell yeah.

RED or GREEN POZOLE.

with all the toppings. toppings are the thing.

COLD SESAME NOODLE SALAD.

that's a real recipe from my blog, here! it’s very customizable. add meat, jammy eggs, whatever veggies, etc!

AMERICAN CHEESE BURGERS.

just like our favorite from loretta’s northwesterner. almost akin to a dick’s cheeseburger.

^ this was a major win for us. haha.

CHILLING OUR BEVERAGES IN BIG BOWLS OF ICE.

cuz we need refreshments and we need them now!

POACHIES ON BUTTERED, AVO’D SOURDOUGH ENGLISH MUFFINS.

my no-vortex egg poaching skills are getting pritttyyyy good.

PANCAKES.

on the flat top, OF COURX!

we wonder if our neighbors think we are freaks for making so many of our meals outside. but we are quite pleased about it.

also very pleased to have a bit of outdoor space to spread out, a very walkable neighborhood for multiple daily powerwalks, and access to a zillion youtube workout videos, haha!

^ OUR QUARANTINE SQUAD.

couldn’t be more grateful for all these lovely people (and dog!) to be cooped up with during this time.

…it has been quite a time.

i want you back, biscuits.

i made these like a month ago. it is currently sunday morning and i am a hungry hungry sunday soul with hardly any food in the house. so basically, i'm torturing myself right now.

when these came out of the oven, i immediately shoved one in my mouth. in that moment, i dubbed these, "the best thing i've ever made in my life."

it's so funny to think about where you get inspiration from.

in this particular instance, i was inspired by some taco bell and/or kfc commercial i heard on pandora and they said something about jalapeño honey. i was like, sayyy whaaaa? and i decided i wanted to make some. what should i make alongside my jalapeño honey?

delicious loaded biscuits, of course! bless you, kfc/taco bell radio ad.

first, you're gunna need some bacon.

and sharp chedda cheese.

i coated the cheddar cubes in flour. i don't really know why. sometimes when i see recipes with chocolate chips, it says to toss them in flour before you add them to whatever you're making. i guess this is the principle i was going for.

perhaps to keep the cheddar cheese treasure troves intact and maintain composure within the biscuit. although there's absolutely nothing wrong with an extra oozy cheesy biscuit, either.

jalapeño honey!

it's easy!

puree one chopped jalapeño in the food processor. add honey and continue to blend until the texture looks good.

i wish i had left some of the jalapeño seeds in. i removed all of them because i thought it was going to be super spicy already. i could have used some extra heat!

the jalapeño honey turned out sort of runny, but i found that chilling it in the fridge for a bit helped to thicken it up. next time, i'll dry out or roast the jalapeño beforehand so there's less water content.

biscuit time!

i have the hardest time typing "biscuit." i always start typing "busi..." like "business."

i'd rather just change both spellings to "bizkit" and "biznass."

cube your semi-cold butter and mash it into the dry ingredients with a fork.

add buttermilk and combine until the dough looks shaggy.

"shaggy" is a very strange word to use when talking about food. oh wellz.

add your prepared bacon bits, cheddar, and chives. fold it all togetha!

harmony.

i just rolled up golf ball sized bizkits and plopped em on parchment like you would cookies, but you could carefully roll out the dough and use a biscuit cutter if ya mean biznass with your bizkits.

pop those babies in the oven and a little while later...

you've got some tastyass biscuits on your hands.

crispy cheesy crusters like this are toward the top my list of favorite things in life.

yum. they are warm. warm and waiting for a drizzle of jalapeño honey. and they smell so freaking good.

ooooh my cute little le creuset honey pot is making its debut! i love it so much. i actually got it at a fancy goodwill for $3. victory!

i'm so glad this recipe makes a good amount of bizkits. i had them for breakfast for like a week. peter gobbled some up when he got home, too. a positive critique from him is pretty much the highest achievement, in my mind. he is suuuper critical about food quality and he helps me a lot.

ain't they cute?

tummy. growling. at maxx power.

super savory and buttery biscuits with spicy sweetness on top.

seriously, they were so good. i ate like 4 of em right away and had to go lay on the floor for a while.

worth it!

Bacon, Cheddar, and Chive Biscuits with Jalapeño Honey

Makes 18 big ol' biscuits

Prep: 30 minutes Bake: 30 minutes Total time: 1 hour

Adapted from

Bon Appetit

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. salt
2 sticks (1 cup) chilled butter
3/4 cup buttermilk
6 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped
6 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, cubed
2 TB chives, finely chopped
1 jalapeño
3/4 cup honey

Instructions-

Jalapeño Honey:

Slice 1 jalapeño and remove as many seeds as desired. Add to the food processor and chop finely. ***(When I do this again, i will dry out the jalapeño in the oven first, because a fresh one has so much water in it and made the honey too runny)***

Slowly add about 3/4 cup of honey and continue to puree together until the combined. Add to small bowl and place in fridge to thicken. Store in an airtight container or jar.

Bacon Chedda Chive Biscuits:

Cook 6 slices of bacon in a frying pan. Set aside and later chop into bits.

Cube 6 oz. of sharp cheddar cheese. Toss in a small bowl with flour to coat. Set aside in fridge.

In a large bowl, add flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix together.

Cube or slice the butter into sections. Using a fork, mash the cubed butter into the dry ingredients until they begin to combine and the dough looks lumpy. Using your hands is most helpful here.

Add buttermilk and mix until the dough looks shaggy. Knead with hands just until mixed.

Add the cubed cheddar, bacon bits, and chives. Fold everything together until all components are evenly incorporated.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Form golfball sized biscuits and place on parchment paper on a baking sheet.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown. Drizzle with jalapeño honey over the top, or dip it right in!

Enjoyyyyyy!