Cooking Lesson #14— Texas Cowboy Casserole

How you doin’? This is day #14 of our self-imposed exile at home. What are you doing to keep busy? Many of us are cooking up a storm and eating anything/everything in sight.
 
Do you have kids? How are you keeping them busy? You might want to consider teaching them how to cook. One problem might be that the last time you went shopping you weren’t able to grab a bag of flour at the grocery store before the shelves emptied out. But maybe, just maybe, you found a box of good ol’ Bisquick at the back of the top shelf in your pantry.
 
I must confess… I use Bisquick for several recipes especially when I am in a rush. Bisquick is a convenient baking ingredient sold by General Mills under its Betty Crocker brand. It consists of pre-mixed flour, shortening, salt, and baking powder.
 
As the story goes, according to General Mills, Bisquick was invented in 1930 after one of their sales representatives met an innovative dining car chef on the Union Pacific railroad. After the sales executive complimented the chef on his deliciously fresh, hot biscuits, the chef shared his secret—he used a pre-mixed biscuit batter he created consisting of lard, flour, baking powder and salt. The chef then stored his pre-mixed biscuit batter on ice in his kitchen ahead of time, enabling him to bake fresh biscuits quickly on the train every day, throughout the day.  When the sales represented returned to his office, he helped create Bisquick which was officially introduced on grocers' shelves a year later.
 
First promoted for only baking biscuits, Bisquick can be used to prepare a wide variety of baked goods—pizza dough, pancakes, waffles, dumplings, cookies and even fried chicken.  When I’m in a lazy mood, I use Bisquick to make a simple, but delicious Cowboy Casserole. As a food professional, friends and family alike ask how a chef like me can use Bisquick? It’s simple… it works!
 
Bisquick is comforting in these uncertain times when delving into cooking and baking not only for survival, but also just to escape. Bisquick is as safe, fast, predictable and reliable as they come. So, instead of using the little flour that you have left, grab the bright yellow box.
 
Prep time:  15 minutes
Bake time:  21-25 minutes
Yield:  6 servings
 
Ingredients
1-pound lean (at least 80%) ground beef
1-can (16 oz) baked beans
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
2 cups Original Bisquick mix
2/3 cup milk
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (2 oz)
 
Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 425°F.
2. In a 10-inch skillet, cook the beef over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly cooked; drain off the fat.
3. Stir the baked beans and barbecue sauce into beef. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Pour into an ungreased 2-quart casserole.
4. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir the Bisquick mix, milk and butter until soft dough forms.
5. Scoop and drop the dough (12 balls) onto the beef mixture.
6. Bake uncovered 18 to 22 minutes or until biscuit topping is golden brown. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake about 3 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.
7. Remove from the oven and let stand for about 5 minutes to allow the juices to set before serving.
   

ChefSecret:  Feel free to spice it up with your favorite hot sauce, or add sautéed or raw onions for a little more zip.
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