barbecue cups (thing)

In my childhood a time that I always looked forward to would be when my mother would prepare barbecue cups for dinner. They're a delicious mouthful of flavorful meat, melted cheese, and crisp crust all in one bite. Barbecue cups were one of the first foods I learned to cook, and even today they are still a weekly staple of my diet. They also contain three of the food groups: meat, dairy, and starch. Of course, seeing as how I can't digest certain things, I prepare mine with lactose-free products and so forth. But, for everyone else, here's the original recipe that I learned so long ago. I recommend serving them with a side of french fries.

Here's What You'll Need...

• Pillsbury Hungry Jack biscuits (although most any prepackaged biscuit would work - you want the kind that come as a tube of dough that splits into biscuit-sized and -shaped pieces)
• ground sirloin or chicken breast (your choice)
• barbecue sauce (I recommend mild)
• cheddar cheese, sliced
• a muffin pan - be sure to have a slot in the pan for each biscuit
• a skillet

And Here's What To Do With It...

1) Cook the meat in a skillet until it's done. Alternatively, you can use one of those George Foreman Grills for a less greasy final product. I do.

2) Cut up the meal into small bite-size pieces. If you're using the ground sirloin, this is already done for you. If you used the chicken breast, then slice it up good. Now, in a bowl mix the meat with barbecue sauce. Be sure to coat it all. Set it aside for a moment.

3) Spray a muffin pan with your favorite nonstick spray. Take the uncooked biscuits and push the centers down to create a cup shaped dough piece. Place each dough cup into a muffin pan slot. Fill the empty muffin slots with water to prevent pan damage. Now bake it in the oven for about five minutes at 400° F.

4) After time is up take the pan from the oven and stuff the sauced meat pieces into each dough cup. Don't be afraid to push the dough cups back into cup-shape, as the dough will have risen some during baking. Do not overstuff, or else the meat will spill out of the cup when the dough rises further during the next baking step. Cover the top of cup with small piece of cheese. Ideally the size of the piece should cover the meat, but not much of the dough cup.

5) Put the whole thing back in oven for another three minutes or so until the cheese melts and the biscuits finish baking.

Serving size: Most people tend to eat 3-5 cups along with a side dish.

Enjoy!