My dad is a huge NASCAR fan.

Don’t judge.

When I moved to Charlotte, I made my dad a promise:  if he (hater of all things urban) made the trek down to the Queen City, I (the darling bribing daughter) would take him to the Charlotte Motor Speedway for the NASCAR racing experience.  Honestly, the thought of my dear dad whipping around the racetrack at speeds of over 150 miles per hour was borderline gut-wrenching, but I figured if seeing his daughter wasn’t incentive enough to come to Charlotte, surely NASCAR would get him here.

Watching dad jump through the window of the race car (yup, the race cars do not have doors) and peel out of pit row is a moment I’ll never forget (as if the 237 photos and 3 video clips would allow me to anyway).  Dad thought the experience was “pretty cool.”  He also said he “didn’t feel like a caged animal in Charlotte” as he had expected.

Translation:  Charlotte is the bees knees.

While in Charlotte, I took the family to sample some southern cuisine.  I’m talking North Carolina barbecue, naturally.  My dad ordered one of my favorite sandwiches in the city:  the pulled pork Cuban sandwich at Midwood Smokehouse.  AMAZIN’, I tell ya.

It has taken a bit of time, but southern food is really starting to grow on me.  Barbecue at every corner.  Sweat tea.  Macaroni considered to be a vegetable.  And biscuits, of course.  Other than barbecue, nothing says “ya’ll is eating in the south” like a nice hot buttery biscuit.

I’ve been searching high and low for a good biscuit recipe, and I had my heart set on concocting a made-from-scratch yogurt biscuit.  After a handful of attempts and about five handfuls of failed biscuits, I realized no yogurt biscuit recipe could beat this one from Taste of Home.  It is simple, and the resulting biscuits are moist, soft, and the perfect vessle for a bit of butter and a slather of blackberry jam (which happens to be the best jam of all, trust me).

Yogurt Biscuits

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons light smart balance (or butter)
• 1/2 cup plain fat-free yogurt
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Step 1:  Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt n a medium sized bowl. Stir to combine. Add the cold butter, and use your fingers to crumble the butter into the flour mixture.

Step 2:  In a separate bowl, combine the yogurt and sugar. Add the yogurt mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until combined.

Step 3:  Turn dough onto floured surface and knead 4-5 times. Coat a muffin tin with cooking spray, and divide dough evenly into five muffins.

Step 4:  Bake at 450 degrees for 12 minutes or until the tops are golden. Serve with butter and/or jam.  I recommend jam.