Shout-out to Plain Chicken Food Blog and Their Cheesy Grits!
Plain Chicken Food Blog
A few days ago, I was on the hunt for a good cheesy grits recipe and came across one on the Plain Chicken blog. I’d visited the site before, but this time I spent a bit more time browsing. The recipe, called Mississippi Sin Grits Casserole, sounded exactly like what I was looking for, so I decided to give it a try!
You can find the full recipe on Plain Chicken, so I won’t reprint it here. I made just half of the recipe, which was still more than enough for two people. The full recipe serves 12—and there are only two of us! We had leftovers for a couple of nights, and even though we’re not usually big on leftovers, we enjoyed every bite of this one!
Adjustments
The only change I made, aside from halving the recipe, was adding a bit more liquid before pouring it into the greased skillet. The mixture seemed a little thick, so I added a splash of buttermilk since it’s what I had on hand. You could also use a bit more chicken broth if needed. Mine might have been thicker because I possibly overcooked the grits a bit or mismeasured somewhere, but it just needed a little thinning.
It tasted great and no doubt I’ll be making it again soon. I might leave out the ham next time too, especially if I’m going to use it as a side dish.
This morning, I was browsing the Plain Chicken site to check how many servings the full recipe made… and I stumbled across this! Don’t you just love exploring food blogs? 😊
2-Ingredient Cream Biscuits
Well, these biscuits sounded too easy and delicious not to try! I had heavy cream in the frig for another recipe but at 6:30 in the morning….biscuits took priority! The header above contains the recipe, just check it out on Plain Chicken.
I combined the two ingredients and added a bit more heavy cream, as my mixture seemed a little dry. Once it reached the right consistency, I rolled the dough out to about 1/2″ thickness. Then I realized my biscuit cutter was nowhere to be found—which probably shows how long it’s been since I last made homemade biscuits!
Does anyone remember these old metal drinking cups? This one is a classic from years ago, with that shiny, vintage look and retro style that brings back memories! These cups were so popular back in the day, often in sets with vibrant colors like gold, red, and blue. They were sturdy, kept drinks cool, and were a staple in so many kitchens. I found this one hiding in the back of my cabinet, and it made the perfect biscuit cutter in a pinch!
Frozen biscuits have spoiled us all! It’s just so easy to grab a couple from the bag and pop them in the oven. I even use them in my chicken and dumplings! I only wish they’d been around when we first got married—over 50 years ago!
My Grandmother’s Biscuits
My first attempts at making biscuits were pretty pitiful—especially for a Southern girl who started learning to cook at around eight years old!
I had watched my mother and grandmother make biscuits countless times. My mother would usually roll hers out by hand, though she often used canned biscuits too.
Not my grandmother, though. She had a dedicated “dough bowl” in her cupboard, always filled with flour and covered with a dish towel. When she made biscuits, she’d mound up the flour—adding a bit more if needed—then create a well in the center for the Crisco and milk, either buttermilk or sweet milk. It was a beautiful, old-fashioned way of baking that I’ll never forget.
She would gently mix the shortening and milk, slowly pulling in a bit of flour at a time until it formed a smooth ball, all within the well she’d made. The flour around it stayed perfectly clean, with no stray bits of shortening—she was so precise!
She would pinch off pieces of dough, gently flatten them, place them on the pan, and bake. Biscuits were usually made for breakfast—unless, of course, you were having a supper of fried salmon, biscuits, and gravy.
Now, this wasn’t the kind of salmon you’d find in a restaurant. It was canned salmon, mixed with a few ingredients, shaped into patties, and fried up in a skillet. But that’s a story for another day… back to the biscuits!
Leftover Biscuits
My grandmother would place any leftover biscuits on top of the stove, covered with a dish towel—usually an old one made from feed sack or flour sack material. Her biscuits were almost as delicious cold as they were hot, and it wasn’t unusual to grab one during the day to eat plain or spread with a little jelly.
My mother, on the other hand, would split leftover biscuits open, add butter and a sprinkle of sugar, then toast them in the oven until they were lightly browned. They were such a treat!
My Biscuits
When we were first married, my leftover biscuits could have doubled as rocket launcher ammo! It honestly took me years to get the hang of biscuit-making. Then, when frozen biscuits came out, that was almost the end of my homemade attempts.
One key lesson I did learn, though, was not to overwork the dough. Mix the ingredients just enough to bring it together, then dump it onto a floured surface. It’s okay if it’s still a bit sticky—just sprinkle on enough flour so you can roll it out without it sticking to the rolling pin. Roll lightly, cut, and place them in the pan! And only re-roll the scraps once for the best texture.
No, I never mastered the knack of my grandmother’s biscuit-making.
Plain Chicken
My biscuits turned out a bit thinner than the ones on Plain Chicken, but they were so tender! We loved them. I don’t mind a thin biscuit at all! Sometimes I’ll scoop out the middle when biscuits are too fat.
I had added a bit of extra cream to my mixture, which might have made a difference, or maybe I rolled them slightly thinner than 1/2 inch. Either way, we loved how they turned out!
The Plain Chicken recipe said to bake at 500° My oven only goes to 480° and I thought that would still be too hot. But I set the timer for ten minutes, just like the recipe called for, and presto…..they were done!
Be sure to check out Plain Chicken. It’s a great food blog with simple down-to-earth recipes. I know I’ll be going back for more!