Blueberry Orange Scones (2010.2)

My friend Sarah and I went to a bummer of a cooking show last year. Neither one of us were impressed. The two best parts of the evening were the free magazine subscription and eating out at Old Spaghetti Factory that night in dtown Ville.

One of the recipes I got from Healthy Cooking over the summer was this one. Here are my thoughts: healthier than most scones, easy, doesn't look at all like the picture, not too muc orange flavor, love the picture that I took. Pretty with blueberry layers! I overcooked them a bit, but SBTS PhD students didn't seem to mind and they are all gone.

2 cups flour

3 T sugar

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp grated orange peel

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp soda

1/4 tsp cloves

1/2 stick cold unsalted butter, chopped up

1/2 cup skim milk (I didn't feel like making buttermilk, so this worked fine)

1/4 cup fresh squeezed naval orange juice

1/2 cup frozen blueberries (I picked these this summer)

Mix all dry. Cut in butter. Combine juice and milk. Fold in berries. Knead a little. Cut into 8 triangles and cook on greased cookie sheet for 12 minutes at 425. Take out and enjoy warm.

200 c, 6 fat, 1 fiber (use whole wheat flour if you want more).

2010 New Year's Meal: Greens and Cornbread

Happy New Year. This is my food post for the new year, the food blog goals for this year will be coming later today. But...had to post my lunch (sans pictures because I am away from my own kitchen).
I am definitely Southern. Most people would argue whether Florida is a southern state. I guess it all depends on your perspective and how you were raised. I was raised by a Dad who was born in AL and a Mom who is from (her family) S. GA. I was born and raised in the middle of the state in Polk County. I moved from there to St. Augustine for about 5 years, then moved to North Carolina. I do not consider my current place of residence (louisville, KY) a southern city. But, today, for my new years lunch - I cooked Southern.

Greens and Cornbread

2 bunches fresh mustard greens
6 slices ham or bacon
1 onion
evoo

Saute onion and pork product in olive oil. Tear greens away from inner light colored stem. Rinse very well. Cook in a big pot, cover greens with water, boil for about 25 minutes. Put the onions and bacon in there too. You can even drink the liquid.

Southern Cornbread (not sweet)

1 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 1/2 cup self-rising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup lowfat buttermilk
3 1/2 T unsalted butter, melted
1 T unsalted butter
8 in cast iron skillet (better to use 9, but I didn't have it, so not all of batter would fit)

Mix dry. Combine wet, stir together. Take 1 T butter, heat skillet over medium heat - until butter is melted. Make sure all of bottom is covered.
Bake in 375 degree oven for about 28-30 minutes (if 8 inch).
Serves 8.

Take a bowl. Place cornbread in bottom. Take big scoop of greens and place on top. Eat. Yum!
Happy New Year!

Honey Cranberry-Pecan Cornbread (Quick Bread)

I've tried a couple new recipes these week: one turned out good, one was trash worthy. You win some you lose some. Joy the Baker definitely has some winners on her site - you can't go wrong with any of the ones (that I've tried).

Cornmeal with fruit is an acquired taste. I tend to like it - some of my family doesn't. So, maybe they will like this one tomorrow.

1 cup flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup cornmeal (or stone ground corn)

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

1/2 cup honey

1 1/4 cup buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

1 1/4 cup fresh cranberries

1/2-3/4 cup chopped pecans (I changed it to pecan from walnuts because that is what I had)

Combine dry. Mix wet together. Combine. Fold in berries and nuts. Spray 4 smaller loaf pans (or 2 large). Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until done (for smaller pans).

I like the texture - and these would be great warmed up for breakfast with a little bit of maple syrup drizzled on top!

Anadama Bread

I heard about Anadama bread this past weekend in Paintsville. I had never heard of it - but we had everything at the house to make it. So, that was the first thing we made for this Thanksgiving meal.

It was much better than I thought it would be -much better than plain rolls.

1/2 cup warm water

2 1/4 tsp yeast

3/4 cup boiling water

3 T butter

1/2 cup yellow corn meal

1/4 cup molasses

1 T sugar

1 tsp salt

3 1/2 cup bread flour

Mixed warm water and yeast - stir to mix, set aside. Mix everything but flour. Mix with the yeast. Mix in flour. I would probably use a little less flour next time.

Knead till smooth. Put in buttered bowl, with top of bread buttered - covere and let sit about an hour. Punch down, knead about 3 minutes, cut 3 slits, let sit covered again for about 30 minutes.

Grease and corn meal a loaf pan. Bake at 375 for about 45 minutes.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Banana Bread - 2009.44

Tyler Florence definitely has a winner on his hand! This tastes like a brownie in bread form. So good.
Wasn't too rich, you could see chunks of banana in it. We didn't have any vanilla, so substituted coconut extract - and it made it taste very "tropical". So yum. We made it in 8 little loaves so Mom could give them away!
From Tyler Florence's Ultimate.

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted (used Hershey's Dark)
2 eggs
3 ripe bananas
1 tsp vanilla (or coconut like we used)

Grease loaf pan (350 degrees).
Mix dry. Cream wet. Add together - don't overmix.
Bake for about 55 minutes (for regular pan) or 40 for small pans. Just check it.
Very good!
For 12 slices: 283 calories, 12 fat, 2 fiber. This would be good for a special dessert with cool whip or ice cream and sliced bananas, maybe some shaved chocolate and coconut.

Homemade Bagels

I saw these on a friend's blog - with her darling boys helping in the kitchen - and I thought - how fun, I want to try. And, my next door neighbor wanted to help today. So, we made bagels. 12 to be exact. 4 kinds: plain, poppy seed, cinnamon raisin (my fave), and cranberry vanilla.

These were easier than I thought, but time consuming. Definitely something I'll do again! Things are a good bit better when fresh and homemade. Thanks Joy!

1 1/2 cups warm water (112-115 degrees F)

2 tablespoons dry yeast

3 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon salt

4 1/4 cups bread flour

8 cups of water, for boiling

1 egg white, lightly beaten

mix ins: poppy seeds, cinnamon, raisins, etc.

Mix water, yeast, and sugar - let sit till foamy - 3 minutes. In large bowl, mix 2 cups of flour and salt - add in the yeast mixture. Knead on floured surface for about 5 minutes, gradually adding in other 2 1/4 cups flour. (I had to add about 1/4 cup more water to make the dough turn out smooth). Put in greased bowl and let rise, covered (30-60 minutes depending on house temperature). Punch down. Separate into 12 bagels (small) or 8 large. Add mix ins. Shape in bagels. Let rest about 10 minutes, covered.

Boil water and let the bagels boil for about 45 seconds each, flipping once. Drain on cooling rack.

Brush on egg white (so they glisten) - I then put the poppy seeds on top of those.

Let bake about 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Mine didn't take as long. So, turn them once during cooking and monitor them.

The cinnamon raisin ones were so good. I took a bit and told my friend - they taste like a bagel! Understatement of the day. Now, if I could only have the recipe for Panera's gingerbread bagel!

Thanks Joy!

Black Pepper Buttermilk Biscuits

I found this recipe a few months ago in a restaurant section of Bon Appetit. This week I was looking through my torn out recipes and wanted to make them.

These turned out great, and were very easy. I loved the pepper on them because it made them savory. I got more than 12, but then I forgot the shorten the time. I would probably cook them 1 minute less than I did - but these were so yummy.

4 cups all purpose flour (King Arthur's is amazing for breads)

4 tsps baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 sticks chilled, cubed unsalted butter

1 1/2 cup chilled lowfat buttermilk

1 egg white

black pepper

In food processor (or with 2 forks or pastry cutter), cut in butter into flour and powder, soda, and salt. You should get crumbles. Add in buttermilk. Mix. Dump out on lightly floured area. Knead for a little bit. Pat out till about 3/4 inch thick. Using biscuit cutter cut out biscuits. Rework dough to get more biscuits. I got 19. Put on lightly greased cookie sheet. Brush with egg white for shine. Sprinkle with black pepper. Bake at 450 for about 15 minutes.

And remember - these are very yummy!

Taco Soup

I know most people have a taco soup recipe. I usually am like my mother and make it differently each time. But, I thought I made a pretty good pot last night - so I thought I would share the recipe. It was perfect for a cool night with a movie and a friend. (and corn muffins - recipe coming)

1 lb ground turkey
1 red pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 pack low sodium taco seasoning mix
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 regular can rotel
24 oz low sodium chicken broth
1 can no salt added black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can no salt added kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 ear of corn, shucked

Cook turley and peppers and onions. Sprinkle with half of taco seasoning. Put all rest and cooked turkey and peppers in dutch oven with rest of seasoning. Bring to a boil. Let simmer for about 20 minutes. Serve topped with mexican cheese (and other things if you would like).

Corn muffins: 1 Jiffy Corn muffin mix. 1 8 oz can crushed pineapple with juice. Mix. Cook as directed. These are sweet and only 2 WW points! Much better than the 5 if you make them with egg and oil. These turn out more moist then the regular way.

Enjoy

Dried Fruit Spice Scone (2009.29)

Betty Crocker comes through. Little story on this cookbook (BC New Cookbook). When I was about to leave for seminary, Christmas 1999, my mentors (who I was living with at the time) gave me this cookbook for Christmas that year. They signed the front of it. This is the inscription:
"What a wonderful homemaker you will be. I can't wait to see this cookbook in 10 years or so...Wishing you all of God's best for you. He does have a wonderful plan and we rejoice as we watch it unfold in your life." I am still cooking out of this cookbook (I find it very basic, you can learn how to cook almost everything in this cookbook, and it has all the nutritional info with each recipe - and great pictures).
Robshaws - thank you. Thank you for teaching me about hospitality and cooking in college, and for still loving me and pouring into my life today - almost 10 years later.

Dried Fruit Spice Scones (p 48)

5 T unsalted, chilled butter (I used a little less than what they called for)
1/2 scant cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all purpose flour (I mixed my flours as normal)
1/2 cup rolled oats
3 T sugar (just enough to make them mildly sweet)
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup diced mixed dried fruit (or raisins, currents, craisins, anything you like, or seasonal)
1/4 cup milk

Mix dry - cut in butter. Egg egg just to bind, fold in dried fruit. Add milk to bind together. Bake at 400 for 10-12 minutes, dropped in spoonfulls on ungreased cooking sheet.
These actually were pretty good. Basic scone, easily adapted to anything, healthy (115 cal, 5 fat, 1 fiber). Makes 15 scones. I think I will freeze most of these so I can pull them out for breakfast during the week. Yum!

Cinnamon Raisin English Muffins

I love English Muffins. They are chewy and round and toasted with jam. Better than just plain toast with jam. I like the chew. But, as baking bites said (where I got this recipe) - they don't make tons of flavors. Well, this simple flavor - cinnamon raisin - such a perfect combination - is great for brunch. These were so easy and turned out great. I may never buy Thomas' again!

Cinnamon Raisin English Muffins

1/3 cup warm water

1 T sugar

2 1/2 tsp yeast

1 cup lowfat or skim slightly warm milk (skim is best due to the forming of the crumb)

3/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 cups flour

1/3 cup raisins

Mix the first 3 - let sit for 10 minutes. Warm milk. Add in the rest and stir with a wooden spoon. Fold in raisins. Cover with seran wrap and let sit for 45 minutes.

Cook on medium non-stick griddle - for about 3 minutes on each side. 1/4 cup is a good size. Flip till you get the right color brown. I let it cook on one side, then flipped and flattened it with the back of a spatula. Let it cook some more. Till desired doneness. The inside is supposed to be a little chewy - that way it is perfect when you toast it. Let rest on a cooling rack for 15 minutes. Cut open with a fork. Enjoy. I enjoyed mine with some butter and homemade whole berry blueberry jam.

Blueberry Coffecake Scones (2009.26)

One of the sad moments in working for a seminary is that people often leave, for good reasons. We huddle together and say goodbye to them as officemates in Baptist style - with food. One of my friends and fellow Sojourn-ites and baking blog buddies is leaving us for a great job opportunity. Even though work prevented me from attending our breakfast, I did provide some scones. People said they were pretty good and I was brought back an empty plate.
This recipe was found in a little paperback book I found at a local used bookstore. The book is Simple Scones and the recipes is Blueberry Coffeecake Scones. I got to use the fresh picked blueberries that I picked this past weekend at Hubers. LOVE fresh picked blueberries!

1 cup bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup regular flour (I mix the types of flour to get fluffier baking accomplished)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick unsalted butter, chilled, cubed
2 large eggs
1/3 cup milk (I upped this amount to this, because I thought it was too dry at first)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 lemon - zested
1 1/2 cup blueberries

Topping
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/2 stick butter, chilled, cubed

375, lightly spray baking sheet
Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the butter with a knife or fork till it resembles peas. Whisk together the wet ingredients. Add together. Fold in the berries.
Drop them on the pan - I got 8. Mix topping, cutting in butter like you did for the scones. Pile on top. Bake for 25-35 minutes, watching so they don't burn. Enjoy!

Gruyere Chive Popovers (2009.24)

I have never made popovers. This recipe in W-S Small Plates would be a good addition to my strawberry salad I made for a girls' dinner in. I love gruyere cheese - with its hard to say and odd spelling name. I love its saltiness and the creamy texture - it really just melts in your mouth. yum!
The batter for the popovers is liquidy - I almost didn't know if they were going to rise, but they did. I actually should have turned the temp down on them a bit because I was using a dark mini-muffin pan. But, the flavor was great, just a little brown. Next time I'll know.
I loved the chives and cheese together - what a wonderful combination!

1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 T snipped chives
1 1/4 cup milk
2 eggs
1 T melted butter
3 oz grated gruyere cheese

Spray mini muffin pan. Mix the dry, add the wet. Fill a well-greased pan almost full with batter. Put a small amt of cheese in the middle of each one. Bake at 450 for 10 minutes, then drop temp to 350 for 8 minutes. Mine were done in 8 minutes, more than done, but I think that was caused by my dark pan. Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls

First time! They turned out! Yeast dinner rolls! So excited!
The last food blog that entered my google reader today before leaving work was from My Wooden Spoon. When I started out the day I wasn't intending on making bread. But...it felt like a good day to do it.
I've never had success with rolls - but yeah - I did. And i just made a couple of adjustments from talking with a professor bread king at work and it worked great. And I made them a little healthier! Tomorrow I'll have one with some cherry butter and an egg white - gave the rest away. Saved 2 for Mom when I see her in May.

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (or 1 packet)
1/4 cup very warm water
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 cup scalding hot skim milk
1 egg
1 tsp kosher salt
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups all-purpose flour

Add yeast and water - stir till yeast is dissolved. Heat milk. Melt in butter, honey, and salt till butter is completely melted. Pour into yeast and water. Add egg. Fold in flour. Knead for about 5 minutes. Put in well-oiled bowl. Let rise until doubled (covered near a warm place). Punch down, knead for about 5 minutes. Pull and roll into 18-24 rolls. Put in a greased 9x13 pan. Cover and let rise again. Bake at 375 for 18-20 minutes. When done, pour butter on top (about 2 tbsp melted butter). Serve warm!

Semi-Homemade Cinnamon-Raisin Rolls

I love easy cinnamon rolls. Ok - I love cinnamon rolls that take a lot of time too, but I really like easy ones because - they are easy!
So, I always try out new recipes. This one is easy and quick and yummy. Only thing wrong - they are little so you feel you can eat more of them!

1 pkg reduced-fat crescent rolls
4 T unsalted butter, softened
4 t sugar
2 t cinnamon
3 T raisins
powdered sugar
milk

Roll out rolls. Separate into 4 rectangles and crease together the perferation. Spread butter on them. Sprinkle with the cinnamon and sugar mixture - then the raisins. Rolls tightly. Cut into 4. Place cut side down in a 9 in square ungreased pan. Bake at 375 for 18 minutes. Ice with mixture of milk and 10x sugar.
Serve warm! :)

Snow Day Whole Grain Bread

I love snow days. We of course never got them in FL (and hurricane days during the school year were few and far between). I don't like to get out and play in it because I don't like being cold and wet - unless I'm skiing. But, I do like the random day in the middle of the week where I am earning money but staying at home! :)
Today, I have invited 2 friends over (one whose husband is on a mission trip, and the other just because i haven't seen her in forever) for lunch of homemade chicken noodle vegetable soup and whole grain bread. This is the reward for having a well-stocked pantry - fresh homemade bread that is going to smell amazing in 2 hours!

Whole Grain Bread (2 lb loaf in bread machine)

1 1/2 cup skim milk
2 T butter
2 T molasses (or honey)
2 1/3 cup bread flour
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup kashi grain flake cereal (I found this on sale for 2.50 at Walmart the other day)
1 t salt
1 1/2 tsp yeast
1/3 cup chopped pecans (or sunflower seeds)

Layer all in in that order. Turn machine on. I used the basic med crust cycle just because I didn't have time for the whole wheat cycle. Enjoy with anything on top - this is a great basic bread. But today I am dragging out some new homemade (by family and friends): pear preserves, strawberry preserves, and apple butter - and honey and butter.

New Years Brunch - a day late

I was holding out on my New Year's Brunch this year till today. I had friends coming in town and wanted to share it with them.

There were a couple of things on the menu that were outstanding: the greens (recipe later), the cinnamon rolls (recipe-sorta later), and the citrus salad (cut up pink grapefruit, oranges, kiwi, and pineapple).

We all enjoyed ourselves. Ham, grits (stone ground much better than quick cooking), eggs (I overcooked them - I hadn't done them in muffin pans before, so I couldn't quite tell they when they were done).

Greens

1 32 oz pkg of fresh turnip greens

1 lb pork sausage

1 onion

1 pkg mushrooms (8 oz)

olive oil

I started by cooking the greens in water for about 10 minutes. Then emptied out that water to get rid of the bitterness from the greens. Put them back on for about 45 minutes or until done.

In a pan, saute onions and sausage, till the sausage is almost done - add mushrooms, saute on low till you think they are done. Add them with the greens when ready to serve - so so good! I put them over the grits - great combination!

Cinnamon Rolls

1 pkg reduced fat crescent rolls

brown sugar, white sugar, and cinnamon

10x sugar, milk, vanilla

Roll out the crescent rolls. Take apart in 4 rectangles, pinching closed the perforated seams. Sprinkle in sugars and cinnamon to your liking. Roll up tight. Cut into 5 pieces each roll. Do all of them. Put in 9 in cake pan well greased. Bake for about 12 minutes at 350 or until done. When done, mix up the sugar, vanilla, and milk into a paste and pour over. yummy! These were all gone! And they are bite size.

Homemade Cinnamon Raisin Bread French Toast

This whole recipe came about because my Mom got a brand new bread machine for 8$ at a church yard sale. She bought it to give away, but we had to make sure it worked first. So, we made some bread on Wednesday night and decided to make French Toast with the leftovers of it for Christmas morning.

It turned out very well - even if we had to make do without syrup. (the other in the picture is a fruit salad with blood oranges from the back yard and leftover Egg Cuties from another post).

For bread: (1 lb loaf)

5/8 cup buttermilk

1 egg

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cups bread flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup butter

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 cup raisins

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons rapid rise or bread machine yeast

Put all in machine in that order and turn on regular setting.

French Toast (6 slices)

2 eggs

2 egg whites

3/4 cup milk

1 T vanilla

2 tsp sugar

1/2 t cinnamon

1/4 tsp fresh ground nutmeg (my Mom actually had the nutmeg, we ground it - so good fresh)

Mix up in a big enough bowl for bread to fit in. Line cookie sheet with foil and spray well with pam. Turn over on to 500.

Dunk bread till well coated and lay on pan. Cook for 5 minutes, flip, 3-4 min on other side.

Dad topped his with light corn syrup. I topped mine with 1 tsp brown sugar and 1 T heavy cream, cool whip, and raisins. Mom topped hers with cool whip. It was very very yummy!

Creamy Crumble Pumpkin Muffins

I have been wanting to make these for a while since I saw them on my google reader - finally made them for small group tonight (with leftovers for the office). This makes a ton of muffins. I made 24 and still had batter left over. They weren't as "cheesecakey" as I thought they were going to be - but everyone said they were good. So...here you go...

3 cups flour
1 tsp cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt, soda
4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups canned pumpkin (1 1/4 cans)
1 1/4 cup canola oil

6 ounces softened cream cheese
3 T sugar
2 T heavy cream
2 tsp vanilla

1 cup flour
3 T brown sugar
2 T sugar
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
6 T unsalted butter, melted

350. Mix batter. Spray 24 muffin tins - fill 3/4 full. Mix cream cheese batter and put 1-2 tsp on top, stir in with a butter knife. Mix crumble topping and sprinkle generously on top. Bake for 20-22 minutes. Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Zucchini Craisin Muffins

Even with a non-working food processor - these still turned out pretty good. Zuks are in season right now so you can get them everywhere. What a great thing to use them for. And this recipe makes 12 (larger) regular muffins - yummy.

Whole Wheat Zucchini Craisin Muffins

3 cups grated fresh zucchini (I used 3 medium zuks)
1 1/3 sticks melted unsalted butter
1 1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 t water
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons baking soda
Pinch salt
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup craisins

Beat the sugar and eggs, add in the slightly cool melted butter, water, and vanilla. Mix in the shredded zucchini. Sprinkle with soda and salt. Add in the flour and spices. Fold in craisins.
use a 12-cup muffin tin, sprayed with pam, bake for 25 minutes or until done at 350.
Enjoy! :)

5 Grain Cinnamon Raisin Bread

I think I now own almost every type of flour known to man. Of course, I'm slightly kidding, but...I've got plenty of it! I found this recipe and thought I would try it - I actually liked it more than I thought I would. It is healthy!

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 rye flour
1/2 cup oats
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup oat bran
½ cup golden raisins
3 large egg whites, lightly beaten
1 cup honey
1 cup all natural applesauce
½ cup skim milk

Mix all dry. The first bowl of dry ingredients I had ended up on the floor - so I had to start over. Then stir in wet just until combined - do not over mix. I used 4 small loaf pans, or you can just use 1 large. Spray bottom. Cook in 375 for 30 for small, 45 for large - or until knife comes out clean. Don't overbake!