Last minute party food

I'm sitting here wracking my brain for a bright food idea.  My husband just told me this evening that we should bring food to a baby shower the day after tomorrow when the next two days are more-than-full workdays.  There really isn't much food in the house so a trip to the store is definitely in order.  Oh, and we still need to buy a baby gift.  Yikes!

What shall I cook?  It will have to be very quick to prepare and all ingredients have to be available at our local grocery store.  It also needs to be a little more hearty than most finger food appetizers because so far people are bringing either doritos and beer or salad.  So....I'm thinking Rosemary Biscuits.  Simple ingredients, quick to make, and can be served warm or cold.  I'll bring a Spiral Ham and 2 Mustards to accompany.

The biscuits are headily scented with rosemary.  They can be flaky and more scone-like or sturdier so they can provide the basis for a little biscuit sandwich.  Either way they go really well slathered with fresh strawberry jam, but I don't have any of that to bring along so the ham and mustards will have to do.

The original recipe (Shaker Rosemary Biscuits) comes from my time long ago at The Herbfarm in Washington State.  Back then everything was located on the original farm, including a restaurant and shop. The farm grew and sold every imaginable herb from medicinal to culinary.  I learned a lot in those days and wish I had a green thumb to grow all that I love to cook with.

Roberta's Rosemary Biscuits (adapted from The Herbfarm's Shaker Rosemary Biscuits)

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup very cold butter cut into small chunks
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons fresh chopped rosemary (or 2 teaspoons dried)
• 3/4 cup milk (or 1 egg and 1/2 cup milk)

Preparation

Heat oven to 425F degrees.  Sift dry ingredients together and stir in rosemary.  Cut in butter until most chunks are the size of english peas.  Make a well in the center and add milk (if using milk/egg combo beat the egg slightly before adding to the flour mixture).  Stir wet and dry ingredients together until just combined.  Turn out onto a floured board and knead lightly 10-12 times.  Cut or roll into golf-ball size pieces.  Place on an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake 15-20 minutes.

Notes: If you use the egg/milk combination the biscuits are a little sturdier whereas with just the milk they are very fragile and flaky -  more like a scone.   In the picture the biscuits on the left are made with the milk/egg combo. Those on the right are made with only milk.

Almost any herb can be substituted for rosemary such as sage or thyme. The key is using fresh herbs if you can.