First, my biscuit history: I was introduced big time to this no-fail comfort food as a freshman at Rick’s College, 1967. This was a small two-year college in rural Idaho and four of my five roommates were straight off the farm. And did they know how to cook!

We’d stay up late talking, studying, and laughing and someone would always say “I’m hungry. Let’s have some biscuits.” Then one of my farm girl roomies would whip up a batch in no time flat. We’d continue our late-night chats/laughs devouring these biscuits slathered with honey and butter. I’m drooling just writing about it. (This could be why the term “Freshman 15” was coined. I waddled home at the end of the year a little heavier than when I’d started it.)

Skip ahead a few decades and I rediscovered a new version on this favorite treat when dining out at the Red Lobster®. They know a good thing and serve it as their meal standard. No exaggeration, their cheesy biscuits are amazing.

Biscuits have been around as long as ground flour. Some clever cook needed a bread to round out her meal and came up with this very quick substitute to the traditional yeast roll. Over time biscuit-making has evolved into almost an art form, and more and more variations on the standard baking powder biscuit pop up every week.

For instance, at the Captain Fairfield Inn in Kennebunkport, Maine, you can lock a lip around their famous Sea Salt, Black Pepper and Chive Biscuit. And a friend who just returned from a cruise, told me about a biscuit they served that was filled with chopped pineapple and topped with whipped cream—baking powder biscuits disguised as dessert!

Then there’s the smarty pants that came up with a quick version of a cinnamon roll. She rolled her dough out to a ½-inch thickness and spread it with melted butter, cinnamon, and lots of brown sugar. She added raisins and some chopped nuts. Once rolled up and cut in rounds, these baked up lovely and tasted even better than they looked.

And I discovered how to make a fast and delicious breakfast orange bubble loaf with my baking powder biscuit dough. I fill a well-greased Bundt pan with golf-ball-sized balls of my dough. I pour melted butter and orange juice concentrate over it all, then top it off with a heavy sprinkling of brown sugar. I bake this at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes or so. It’s been a spring brunch favorite in our neighborhood for years.

Finally, how about going back to the aforementioned cheesy biscuit? Still tops on my FAVORITES list, I’ll go to Red Lobster® just so I can have a basket of these. I’ve tried all sorts of homemade variations, and probably the very best recipe around for this mouth-watering meal- maker is found on the site, chefmom.sheknows.com. It originated with the bakers at the Woodlands Inn in Summerville, South Carolina. It’s my go-to for cheesy biscuits, and the addition of herbs gives a terrific flavor punch. See if this doesn’t hit the spot!