Strawberry & Blueberry Scones

I have tons of beautiful, fresh summer Berries hanging out in my fridge. I wanted to make a dessert that wasn't super sweet and recipe test for some family that I am having this weekend. These were just right. I have made scones before, and sometimes they turn out dry. These were perfect. I think they would work with any fruit. I used Blueberries and Strawberries. The key to keeping the water content of the fruit from creating soggy scones is to freeze the fruit before adding to the dough. I sliced the Strawberries into bite sized pieces and froze them in a bowl with the Blueberries for probably 20 minutes while I made the dough.  I think you could even use frozen fruit if you wanted to- making sure to keep it frozen until ready to bake.

Ingredients:
8 tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, frozen whole (you are going to grate it into the dough)
1½ cups (7½ oz.) fresh blueberries (I used 1 cup Blueberries and 1/2 cup sliced Strawberries)
½ cup whole milk
½ cup sour cream
2 cups (10 oz.) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the work surface
½ cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
2 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted (to brush on top prior to baking)
Directions:
Adjust an oven rack to middle position and preheat to 425˚ F. Place the blueberries (fruit) in the freezer until needed.
Whisk together the milk and sour cream in a medium bowl; refrigerate until needed. Combine the flour, ½ cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and lemon zest in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Grate the butter into the bowl using a box grater or a food processor.  Toss with fingers until thoroughly coated.
Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and fold with a spatula just until combined. Transfer the dough to a generously floured work surface. Dust the top of the dough with flour, and knead with well floured hands, 6-8 times, just until the dough holds together in a ragged ball. Add small amounts of flour as needed to prevent sticking.
Roll the dough into a 12-inch square. Fold the dough into thirds like a business letter (a dough scraper really helps with these steps). Fold the short ends of the dough into the center in thirds, to form an approximate 4-inch square. Transfer the dough to a plate lightly dusted with flour and chill in the freezer for 5 minutes.
Return the dough to the floured work surface and roll into an approximately 12-inch square again. Sprinkle the blueberries evenly over the surface of the dough, and gently press down so that they are slightly embedded in the dough surface. Roll the dough up to form a tight log. Lay the log seam side down and press the the log into a 12 by 4-inch rectangle. Using a sharp, floured knife, cut the rectangle crosswise into 4 equal rectangles. Cut each rectangle diagonally to form 2 triangles. Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet.
Brush the tops of the scones with melted butter and sprinkle lightly with sugar. (If freezing ahead of time, flash freeze on the baking sheet for 20 minutes, then wrap individually and store in a freezer bag until needed.) Bake until the tops and bottoms are golden brown, 18-25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool at least 10 minutes before serving.

 Entertaining from Cook’s Illustrated, Spring 2009

Pumpkin Waffles

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spice, I used one ts. of each)

4 large eggs

2 cups milk

1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin

3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted

Vegetable oil for brushing waffle iron or cooking spray


Preheat oven to 250°F and preheat waffle iron. Sift together flour, brown sugar, baking powder and soda, salt, and spices. Whisk eggs in a large bowl with milk, pumpkin, and butter until smooth. Whisk in dry ingredients just until combined
Brush waffle iron lightly with oil and spoon batter into waffle iron. Drop lid and cook until golden brown. 
Transfer waffles to rack in oven to keep warm and crisp, while making the rest of the waffles.

French Toast Waffles

Okay fine, I stole 2 recipe ideas from Tyler Florence's new Cookbook, Family Meal. This is brilliant to a busy mom! French Toast Waffles.
I'm going to post my french toast recipe:
4 eggs
1/4 c. milk
2 Tbs. melted butter
1 ts. vanilla extract
1/2 ts. cinnamon
Beat all ingredients until well combined.

I used Wheat Sandwich Bread, but you can use any bread! I imagine a day old French bread would be amazing.

Preheat your waffle maker. Spray with Pam, or wipe with oil to prevent sticking.
Dip the bread in the batter and place on your waffle iron. Once each "square" is filled with bread (Mine makes 4), drop the lid as if you are making waffles.
Cook until brown and crispy.

These were great! I love how crispy the bread gets! No more soggy French Toast in this house, yum!
Please excuse this picture, it's from my phone, and snapped in a not so pretty manner as ravenous children were attacking me.

Baked French Toast with Berries

This is another one of my favorite Breakfast recipes. This is often served at our MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schooler's) Brunch. It is seriously delicious! It's French bread, soaked overnight in a mixture of eggs, milk and vanilla. Then topped with a streusel like crumb topping, fresh berries and baked. Then again topped with Fresh sliced Strawberries and finished with a dusting of Powdered Sugar. Come on! Yum!

This recipe serves about 6-8, Double if making for a large crowd.

1 French Bread Loaf (Cut into 1 inch squares)

3 Eggs

3 Tbsp. Sugar

1 Ts. Vanilla

2 1/4 cups milk (Sometimes If I'm feeling naughty, I will do 1 1/4 cup milk, and 1 cup half & half)

1/2 cup Flour

6 Tbsp. Brown Sugar

1/2 Tsp. Cinnamon (If you have "Pumpkin Pie Spice, try using it instead, it's delicious!)

1/4 cup Butter (cut in small slices for topping)

1 1/2 cups Fresh Berries (I use Blueberries, Raspberries and Blackberries)

1 cup Fresh Sliced Strawberries

Powdered Sugar for dusting

Directions:

Grease a 9x13 baking dish.  Place bread squares in the dish.  It's ok if they overlap.

In Medium bowl, lightly beat eggs, sugar, vanilla and milk (and/or half and half if using)

Pour mixture over bread squares, toss lightly.  Make sure if the slices are overlapping that you spoon the liquid in between and all around the pieces.  You want every piece soaked!

Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven 375.

In small bowl, combine flour, butter, brown sugar and spices.  Cut in butter slices until mixture resembles course crumbs.  Scatter mixed berries (EXCEPT STRAWBERRIES) over bread and sprinkle  evenly with crumb mixture. 

Bake 30 minutes, covered with foil, and 10-15 minutes un-covered until golden brown.

Top with fresh sliced Strawberries and a dusting of Powdered Sugar.

The photo was from Taste of Home website, although the recipe slightly different.

I don't know who to give credit for the recipe because it's in our MOPS group. I found many similar recipes on the web.

Back-to-School Breakfasts: French Toast Sticks

I had some time this morning, so I broke out the thick cut bread. The plan was to make a big batch and freeze whatever was left. I think I ended up freezing 5. So, the batch wasn't quite big enough for my 3 kiddo's and me.

French Toast Sticks

8 slices of thick cut bread

2 T butter

4 eggs

1/4 cup sugar (or if using sugar substitute, cut in half again)

2/3 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla (I always use a little more. i love that stuff!)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 T orange juice

Preheat oven to 375, place the butter on a baking sheet in the oven to start warming.

Cut the bread into 3rds.

Combine the rest of the ingredients in a mixing bowl (i always end up pouring it into a shallow bowl - easier to dip the bread in) and beat well to combine.

Dip the bread sticks into the egg mixture and place on the warm baking sheet (make sure to swirl the butter around the whole baking sheet).

Bake for about 30 minutes, flipping the sticks over halfway through the cooking process to toast both sides.

TO FREEZE: allow the sticks to cool thoroughly, place in a freezer bag. To reheat, place in a toaster oven or oven at 375 for approximately 8 minutes. They can be microwaved for a couple of minutes, but may be a bit soggy...

Back-to-School Breakfasts: Yogurt & Fresh Fruit

This morning I hit a home-run. My Kindergartner loves yogurt. Today, I simply put a few pieces of fresh fruit on top. Raspberries, Blackberries and banana's. Try some granola on top, too.

For the last 6 months, I've been buying greek yogurt. It has a higher protein value as well as less sugar than regular yogurt. All of which makes you fuller and last longer in your body. Most resources say to get the low-fat or non-fat version, because it can be high in saturated fat. I never paid much attention to the brand I buy, but it turns out mine is full fat. I'm not too worried for my kids, they all need to put on some weight, but you may care. So think about that when your standing in front of the yogurt aisle.

Greek yogurt is also richer and thicker than traditional yogurt. All of which adds to the texture and flavor. The kids find it tastes more like a dessert than a healthy snack or, in this case, breakfast.

Back-to-School Breakfasts: Birds Nest

For this mornings try-out, I made Birds Nests...

With a piece of whole wheat bread, make a cut-out with and shape cookie cutter you have. Try to make sure the cutter fits within the perimeter of the crust, so your nest stays pretty.

I buttered the toast and put it on a pan that was warmingover a medium heat. Then crack your egg and let it cook for a couple of minutes. Then flip it over (i had to use 2 spatula's this morning to make sure it flipped cleanly) and let it cook for a couple of more minutes.

The finished product. A fried egg inside a lightly toasted (and buttered!) piece of toast.

The yolk was still soft, too!

I'm scoring big with my 3 year old, but the Kindergartner is still wanting cold cereal. ~sigh~

Back-to-School Breakfasts: Whole Grain Waffles & Banana's

School is starting back up in a week! The summer has flown (and crawled) by. My 4th grader and I are trying to get back into the routine of things - going to bed early, waking up early(ier), and finding breakfasts that my 5 year old (and Kindergartner!) will eat, besides cold cereal.

This morning I saw a bunch of oh-so-ripe banana's in the fruit bowl and a vision of whole grain waffles with sliced banana's on top flashed before my eyes.

So I popped a few waffles into the toaster, sliced some banana's on top and drizzled with agave syrup (if you haven't tried agave, you HAVE to! i love it in place of sugar or honey, or in this case, maple syrup). Agave has less sugar than syrup, a lighter taste than honey and adds the right amount of sweetness.

It's so easy and so good. Enjoy!

Incredible Potato-Bacon Torte

This dish was simply incredible!! This was the best, flakiest pie crusts I have ever made. It was super easy,  just about as much work as any 'add water' pie crust you would buy at the store. I would suggest that you try it!  A nice, hearty lunch when served with a green salad, or a light dinner when it's warm outside.  This is seriously yummy!!

Ingredients:
4 strips bacon
3 sprigs fresh thyme
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 Pie Crusts, recipe follows
3 medium baking potatoes, peeled
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup grated Gruyere cheese
1 egg yolk, whisked with a splash of water

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
In a skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until just crispy. Drain on paper towel lined plate and set aside. Crumble the bacon when cool to the touch.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat the thyme and cream over low heat to a bare simmer. Turn off the heat and let steep for about 5 minutes. Remove the thyme sprigs.
Remove the pie pan from the refrigerator. Slice the potatoes in half lengthwise and then finely slice the potatoes. Working in circles, arrange the potato slices in the pie crust, stopping to season each layer with salt, pepper, and about 1/4 of the crumbled bacon. Continue layering until the pie pan is nearly full. Top with an even layer of the cheese and gently pour cream around and over the entire pie, allowing it to seep down between the potato slices. (You may not use all the cream.)
Roll out the remaining disk of refrigerated dough. Cover the pie with the dough and crimp the edges closed. Brush the top and edges of the crust with egg wash. Make a few slits in the center of the top crust, for the steam to escape, and put the pie pan on a baking sheet. Bake the torte until the crust is browned and crispy and the potatoes are cooked through, about 50 to 60 minutes. If the crust edges get too brown, cover them with some strips of aluminum foil. Remove the pie from the oven and let rest at least 15 minutes before cutting into wedges and serving.
Pie Crust:
1 cup butter (2 sticks), cubed and chilled
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
8 to 10 tablespoons ice water
Put the butter, flour, and salt in the food processor, and pulse lightly just until the mixture resembles wet sand. Add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing briefly after each spoonful of water. Keep adding water until the dough just begins to gather into larger clumps. Transfer equal amounts of the dough into 2 resealable plastic bags and pat each into a disk. Let rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Remove 1 of the disks from the bag to a flour coated surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out to a 10-inch round. Gently fit the rolled dough into a 9-inch pie pan, and refrigerate while you prepare the torte ingredients.
Yield: 2 (9-inch) pie crusts
Recipe: Melissa d'Arabian, Food Network, 10 Dollar Dinners
Photo: Flickr

Brunch Stuffed Peppers

These peppers are so impressive! I am having an Easter Brunch, and I will be fixing these little cuties.

These are fun, and super easy to serve to your guests, or make for your family. Each person gets a beautiful pepper all filled with goodness, I just think it's a warm, thoughtful way to present your guests with breakfast. Enjoy!

4 (any color) bell peppers
1 cup frozen country style hash browns, thawed
1/2 (16-ounce) package bacon, cooked and crumbled
3 large eggs
3/4 cup shredded Cheddar-Monterey Jack cheese blend, plus more for garnish
3/4 cup whole milk
1/2 cup biscuit mix (Bisquick works just fine)
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped green onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
note: I would add a few dashes of hot sauce into my scrambled egg mixture for some heat. Chipotle Tabasco is really good in eggs.
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Remove the top 1/2-inch of each pepper. Discard the tops and seeds. Arrange the peppers, cut side up, in an 8 by 8-inch glass baking dish. (if your peppers aren't standing up, you can turn them upside down and cut the bottom, making them straight. Be careful, though, not to cut holes in the pepper, or cut the whole bottom off! You'll loose your filling!) Fill the bottom of each pepper evenly with hash browns and bacon.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, cheese, milk, baking mix, sour cream, green onion, salt, and pepper (and hot sauce if using). Whisk until combined. Evenly distribute the egg mixture into each pepper. Bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out dry, about 45 minutes-1 hour depending on size and thickness of peppers. Remove from the oven, garnish with cheese and serve immediately.
Serves 4
Recipe and Photo, Paula Deen

Baked French Toast Casserole with Praline Topping

This is another recipe served at MOPS. It's delicious!! You can also add fruit. Blueberries and sliced strawberries are my favorite. This is made the night before and soaks overnight.
1 loaf French Bread (13-16 oz)
8 large Eggs
2 cups Half and Half
1 cup Milk
2 tbs. Granulated Sugar
1 ts. Vanilla Extract
1/2 ts. Ground Cinnamon
1/4 ts. Ground Nutmeg
Dash Salt
Praline Topping, recipe follows
Maple Syrup, Optional

Slice french bread into 20 slices, 1 inch each. Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9x13 inch baking dish, in 2 rows, overlapping the slices. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half and half, milk, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Beat or wisk until blended. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly.  Spoon some of the mixture between slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. The next day, Preheat oven to 350. Spread praline topping (and/or fruit) evenly over the bread. Bake 40 minutes until puffed up and golden. Serve with Maple syrup.
Praline Topping-
2 Sticks Butter
1 cup Packed Brown Sugar
1 cup Chopped Pecans
2 tbs. Light Corn Syrup
1/2 ts. Cinnamon
1/2 ts. Nutmeg
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well.
Recipe, Paula Deen

Salsa Cheese Omelet Casserole

I love my MOPS meetings. I love the friends, fellowship and I love the food!!

Do we have readers that are MOPS Mommies? I'm always looking for dishes to bring.. and here is my favorite egg dish. I got this recipe from my leader, Jackie.. and I have no idea where she got it from, but it's delicious.. and there are never any leftovers. 

3/4 cup Salsa- My favorite salsa to make this with is Salsa Verde. I also like Roasted Chipotle

1 1/2 cup grated Jack Cheese

1 1/2 cup grated Cheddar Cheese

9 eggs

1 1/2 cup sour cream

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, diced small

chives, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray bottom and sides of a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Pour in salsa. Sprinkle about 1/2 of the jack cheese, 1/2 of the cheddar cheese and the whole amount of diced cream cheese. Blend eggs and sour cream in a blender. Pour on top. Sprinkle remaining cheese. Bake for 40 minutes, covered. Un-cover, sprinkle chives and bake until center is set and top is slightly brown, about 10-15 minutes. Serves about 12-16 cut in small squares.

Pumpkin Pie Baked Oatmeal

I loooove pumpkin pie. Looooove it. Looooove it. Looooove it.
When I saw this recipe on goodLife{eats}, I knew it was just for me. Only me.

I made this last week after my introduction to FREEZE IT, and there was none left to freeze... We ate it all!

Here's the recipe:
1 cup old fashioned oats, not quick cook
1 Tbs whole flax seeds, optional
2 1/2 Tbs brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp butter, softened
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup pumpkin puree (freeze any left overs! or... I saw on another blog to add pumpkin puree to a bowl of apple sauce - makes a yummy snack)

Topping:
1/4 cup pecans, chopped
2 tsp butter, softened
1 Tbs brown sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 4 individual sized ramekins. Set aside. (I used one 8x8 casserole dish)

Combine the oats through salt in a medium sized bowl. Stir well. In a separate bowl, combine the vanilla, butter, pumpkin, and milk. Whisk thoroughly. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the oats. Stir until combined.

Divide mixture evenly between 4 individual sized ramekins. Place ramekins on a baking sheet (this makes it easier to move in and out of the oven.). Bake at 375 degrees F for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the ingredients for the topping: chopped pecans, butter, and brown sugar. After the oatmeal has baked for 10 minutes, remove and divide topping mixture evenly between the ramekins. Bake and additional 7 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before serving. Top with a splash of milk and raisins, if desired.

goodLife{eats} Friday, September 11, 2009

FREEZE IT:

~I'm working on things I can make doubles of and then freeze one, to have 'back-ups' in my freezer. I'm thinking I would like to have some meals in there for those nights I have no idea what I am going to make, don't feel like making, or am going out on the town (it could happen!).
~So I have been searching websites - food blogs - anything that has a recipe listed. Wondering if I can adapt them to a 'frozen dinner'. Alas, because of a general dislike for casseroles, the hunt is not going well for me. And my husband is not a big fan of soup, another freezer friendly idea.
~I found a website that offers a menu for 15 dinner, 10-15 lunch and 10 breakfast iddeas. Again, the dinners are not working much for our family, but I did like some of the lunch and breakfast items.
~I thought I would post some of the recipes I did like, as well as publish the web site for the rest, in case your families are not as finicky as mine!
~Start looking for a new category labeled 'FREEZE IT:', as well as more breakfast and lunch ideas.
On the list this week are:
Whole Wheat Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Baked Oatmeal (pumpkin pie!)
Cranberry Crumb Bars (made 'em, ate 'em... gone!)
Egg Sandwiches
Pop Tarts
Bacon & Potato Pancakes
Pizza Muffins
Taquitos (Rolled Tacos to all you Californians!)
Fruit Cups
~Here's the website I found for the once a month meal plan: OAMM ~ Once A Month Mom