Coq Au Vin

This is based on the recipe in my 1975 edition of Joy of Cooking, but I have made changes and simplified it over the years.

1/2 lb. bacon, diced
6 chicken thighs, skin removed
1 small onion, diced (about a cup)
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 carrots, sliced (about a cup)
2 T flour
1 t. dried parsley
1/2 t. dried marjoram
1/2 t. dried thyme
1/4 t. pepper (I don't add salt because the bacon is salty enough)
2 cups red wine
8 oz. sliced mushrooms (1 package)

Cook bacon pieces in pan until almost crispy. Push to one side and brown chicken pieces on both sides. Push chicken to one side and saute onions and garlic until they just start to brown. Add carrots. Stir in flour and herbs/spices*, add wine, stir, and distribute chicken evenly in pan. Cover and simmer on low heat for about 45 minutes (turn chicken at about 1/2 an hour). Add mushrooms and simmer another 15 minutes or until mushrooms are done and chicken is tender. If the sauce is too thin, you can thicken it with a little more flour or cornstarch (dissolved in liquid first). Serve with egg noodles.

*amounts are approximate, you can add more or less to taste. If you have fresh herbs, add a lot more!

Cheddar Bay Biscuits, Two Ways

I've only been to a Red Lobster once, but I did have a box of their Cheddar Bay biscuit mix from Costco. It was good. So I improvised a recipe from Bisquick only to find that on the new Bisquick box, they had a recipe too.

The key is the garlic butter poured over the biscuits after they come out of the oven.

Bisquick's Recipe:

My Recipe (Makes 12 LARGE biscuits)
I know, it has a lot of butter.

Biscuits:
3 c. Bisquick
1 cube butter
1 T. Old Bay Seasoning
1 c. grated cheese
1 1/4 c. milk

Topping:
1 cube butter, melted
2 T chopped parsley
3-4 cloves garlic, minced

Preheat oven to 425°. Cut butter into Bisquick with a pastry blender, like you would for pie crust.
Mix in Old Bay and cheese, then add milk. Mix till it holds together, you can knead it a few times if necessary. Drop onto cookie sheet and bake for about 15 minutes.  Meanwhile, mix together the topping ingredients. When you take the biscuits out of the oven, immediately spoon the garlic butter over them. It will soak in and make them ultra delicious.