Raspberry White Chocolate Scones

These delectable scones were introduced to me by my dear friend Kristina who, along with some other wonderful friends, hosted a baby shower for me a few months ago.  It was an Irish-themed tea party shower and it was so adorable!  They served delicious herbal teas, hot chocolate, and several types of flakey, scrumptious scones.  I love scones... and tea parties and baby showers and my friends so it was just perfect! :) Anyway, after one taste, I just had to get the recipe for these raspberry white chocolate scones.  I simplified the original recipe, which was waaaaay too time intensive for me.  Sometimes you have to weigh preparation time with how much it improves taste (or if it even does improve taste!) Personally I don't think scones require that much work.  As long as you start with very cold butter, work relatively fast, and handle the dough minimally, your scones should be flaky, tender, and delicious.  When I made them for my family, my husband raved and ate more than he should, along with both my little kids (which really isn't unusual for them when it comes to treats!)  Sometimes I use fresh berries, sometimes frozen.  Sometimes I use all raspberries, sometimes I use a berry mix.  It all tastes wonderful! And don't be tempted to add more white chocolate chips.  I know 1/4 cup seems like a stingy amount but it is perfect.  I tried more and to my dismay, it ruined the whole batch. The white chocolate overpowered everything else.  So stick to the recipe and you will be very happy!

*By the way, I was planning to take pictures to show how to roll it out and cut up but when I was ready I found my camera battery dead!  Hopefully the instructions are sufficient but if not, let me know and I'll try to get some pictures up.

Raspberry White Chocolate Scones
submitted by Brittany ~ The Sisters Cafe

1/2 cup (1 stick) very cold butter
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries
1/2 cup  milk  (not skim)
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
zest of one lemon
1/4 cup of white chocolate chips
1 Tb butter, melted
sugar to sprinkle on top

Whisk together milk and sour cream in medium bowl; refrigerate until needed. Whisk flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest in medium bowl.  Dice cold butter and cut into flour mixture with a pastry blender until butter is size of small peas.   Add milk mixture to flour mixture; fold with spatula until just combined. Transfer dough to liberally floured work surface. Dust surface of dough with flour; with floured hands, knead dough 6 to 8 times, until it just holds together in ragged ball, adding flour as needed to prevent sticking.

Roll dough into approximate 12-inch square. Fold dough into thirds like a business letter, using bench scraper or metal spatula to release dough if it sticks to countertop.  Lift short ends of dough and fold into thirds again to form approximate 4-inch square.  Roll into 12-inch square again.  Sprinkle raspberries and white chocolate chips evenly over surface of dough.  (If using frozen berries, press down so they are slightly embedded in dough.)  Using bench scraper or thin metal spatula, loosen dough from work surface.  Roll dough, pressing to form tight log. Lay seam-side down and press log into 12 by 4-inch rectangle. Using sharp, floured knife, cut rectangle crosswise into 4 equal rectangles.  Cut each rectangle diagonally to form 2 triangles and transfer to baking sheet.  Brush tops with melted butter and sprinkle with  sugar. Bake in 375 degree preheated oven until tops and bottoms are golden brown, 18 to 25 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and let cool 10 minutes before serving.

recipe source: adapted from Picky Cook

Lemon Poppy Seed Scones

I love scones, just love 'em.  They are simple to make, add a casual elegance to any special breakfast or brunch, and taste fantastic.  This recipe has that wonderful combination of tart lemon flavor and nutty, crunchy taste of poppy seeds. 

Lemon Poppy Seed Scones
submitted by Brittany ~ The Sisters Cafe

2 cups flour
1 Tb baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tb poppy seed
zest of one lemon
1/3 cup firm butter (not margarine)
2 Tb lemon juice
3/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Mix flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, poppy seeds, and lemon zest.  Cut in butter using pastry blender or crisscrossing knifes, until mixture is the size of small peas.  Mix lemon juice and milk.  Using a fork, slowly pour into flour mixture and stir gently until ball forms.  Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead lightly 10 times.  Pat or roll in 9 inch circle and place on cookie sheet lined with silpat or parchment paper.  Brush with milk and sprinkle with coarse sugar (granulated sugar works well too, just don't be stingy!)  Using a pizza cutter, cut into 8 wedges but don't separate.  Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.  Carefully separate wedges and serve warm.

Cheese and Garlic Buttermilk Biscuits

Remember the Red Lobster knock-off biscuits I posted a while back?  Well these are similar but a million times better because they are homemade - no Bisquick in these babies.  It makes a world of difference, especially when you use butter instead of shortening.  I'll admit that shortening makes the fluffiest biscuits but the buttery taste makes up for that, in my opinion.  These biscuits have the chewy, moistness of cheese and buttermilk with the added bonus of delicious garlic butter brushed on top. I love them - as does my family.  They are perfect for when you want to whip up a quick bread at the last minute to serve with dinner.  I made these to go with Chicken and Quinoa Stew the other night... perfect.   As usual, I caught my hubby eyeing the plate, evaluating which biscuit had the most garlic butter brushed on top!  I won't lie to you, these biscuits aren't particularly healthy (uh, ya right) but they are so worth the splurge!

Cheese and Garlic Buttermilk Biscuits

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), cold
2 cups flour
1 Tb sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
about 3/4 cup buttermilk

2 Tb butter, melted
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp parsley flakes

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.  Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda.  Cut butter into flour mixture using pastry blender or crisscrossing 2 knives, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Stir in cheese then stir in enough buttermilk so dough leaves the sides of the bowl.  Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead very lightly until dough forms a soft ball, about 10 times. Do not overwork the dough!  The less you handle the dough, the more fluffy your biscuits.  Roll or pat 1/2 inch thick.  Cut with floured 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter.  Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.  Mix together melted butter, garlic salt and parsley flakes.  Brush the tops of the warm biscuits with the garlic butter and serve hot.

pumpkin patch biscuits

When I heard about how moist and delicious pumpkin biscuits were, I did a search online and found this fabulous recipe on Taste of Home. We love it around our house! I meant to cut out some cute little pumpkin shaped biscuits this time but at the end I forgot - oh well! This would be a perfect way to use up any leftover pumpkin from baking your pumpkin pies. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone - happy baking!!

Pumpkin Patch Biscuits
submitted by Brittany at The Sisters Cafe

printable recipe here

1 3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup cold butter
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/3 cup buttermilk

In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Combine pumpkin and buttermilk; stir into crumb mixture until just moistened. Turn onto lightly floured surface and knead 8-10 times. Pat or roll out to 1 inch thickness; cut with 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter. (Or cut into squares with a pizza cutter.) Place 1 inch apart on greased baking sheet. Bake in 425 degree preheated oven for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with melted butter if desired. Serve warm.

Winter Vegetable Soup and Popovers

This hearty and unique soup is bursting with flavor. There all kinds of wonderful vegetables inside, including butternut squash, that make it deliciously perfect on a cold winter (or autumn) night. My husband and little 3 year old both love it. (my little guy really likes the "boats" aka popovers!) This is an adapted recipe of Martha Stewart's. Serve with some popovers fresh out of the oven and enjoy!

Hearty Winter Vegetable Soup

submitted by Brittany at www.thesisterscafe.com

printable recipe here

2 Tb olive oil

1 1/2 onions, chopped

3 celery stalks, cut on bias

3 carrots, chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 pinches of red pepper flakes

coarse salt and pepper - to taste

7 cups chicken broth

1 small butternut squash (1-1.5 lbs) , peeled and cut into cubes

2 Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into cubes

1/2 head Chinese cabbage OR 2 cups spinach, sliced

1 15oz can garbanzo beans, drained

2 Tb fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp dried mint

1 tsp dried dill weed

Heat oil in large stock pot over med-high heat. Cook onions, celery, carrots, garlic and 1 tsp salt, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add squash and potatoes; reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in cabbage/spinach and garbanzo beans and return to boil. Stir in lemon juice and herbs and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Popovers

makes 1 dozen

2 1/2 cups whole milk

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp salt

6 large eggs

butter, softened for pans

 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Whisk together milk, flour and salt. Whisk in eggs. (Mixture will be lumpy.) Heat two 6-cup popover pans* in oven for 5 minutes, then quickly brush with softened butter. Fill each cup a little more than half way with batter. Bake for 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 25 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes then turn out popovers. Serve warm.

*you can use Texas style muffin pans instead OR use 2 regular muffin pans - which will make 2 dozen then. If you are using regular muffin pans make sure you cut down the bake time by 5-10 minutes.

Perfect Freezer Biscuits and a little Slice of the South

Hello Friends!
Sorry about the lack of posts, I have had the BIGGEST headaches with my computers lately! My PC has an icky virus that has rendered it useless! I am so sad, I may have to go to the 'Geek Squad' to rescue it because I have done everything I can! And my laptop has given me trouble too! For some reason I have errors in Internet Explorer, because it keeps kicking me off the internet, even though I still have a connection. I wrote this whole post up on Monday and it was all lost:)I have changed to Mozilla Firefox and I am now happily enjoying the internet again! But needless to say, I did not have the time to re write it all until tonight. My boys go back to school tomorrow so it has been BUSY around here! This recipe is perfect for busy school mornings--you can just pull the biscuits out of the freezer and have a warm breakfast for your family in minutes!

This week marks the 1 year anniversary for us living in the south! I thought I would share a little of what I have learned and LOVE about the Southern Culture:

*Everyone has a dining room and love to use it for gatherings and good home cooked food( I really wanted a dining room--and it was hard to find in the West--but not here-lucky me:)

*People go to church every Sunday and pray over every meal...even in a restaurant.

*You always finish with a "mam" or "sir" when you answer a question--happily my boys are starting to pick this up!

*No matter how old you are, parents are always referred to as"Mama" and "Daddy" and children are always "baby" to their parents or anyone for that matter.
*And Southerners LOVE a good biscuit...even all the fast food joints have them on the menu !

And, with that in mind, let me introduce you to a wonderful biscuit recipe from my friend Sheri--not a southerner, but a fabulous cook:)

This biscuit recipe is a favorite of mine because they are tender, moist and I LOVE that you can bake them straight from the freezer. So easy! We love them with butter and jam, but we recently had biscuits and gravy made by our friend Mary Bess--a true southern girl and it was WONDERFUL! I will have to get her recipe so I can share it with you!

Freezer Biscuits
submitted by Melanie
printable recipe here

4 cups flour
2 TBs. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp soda
1/2 cup butter
16oz sour cream
3-5 tsp water

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Cut in butter until there are small well blended pieces. Add sour cream and water, mix well. Knead and roll out to 1 inch thick. Cut with biscuit cutter. Freeze individually on a cookie sheet. When frozen solid, place in a freezer bag to store. When ready to use, place frozen biscuits on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 425 for 15=17 minutes or until top is golden. makes 16-20.

Roasted Garlic Brie Bread

I had the opportunity to review a wheel of Brie from Ile De France. I was delighted, because as you all know I am a lover of cheese...especially Brie! I was very impressed with the Ile De France brand. It was very creamy and flavorful. To be honest my husband and I enjoyed it straight from the package. We kept slicing it off with apples and crackers for a wonderful little snack. It was GREAT! On Sunday it was rainy and overcast and I decided to make some homemade tomato basil soup (recipe on post below this) and then made some amazing cheese toast with the remainder of the Brie and some roasted garlic. It was the perfect accompaniment to the soup. Yum! It felt like we were eating lunch at a fancy little bistro instead of our own kitchen table! I would highly recommend this Brie cheese bread dunked in the homemade Tomato Basil soup below. Heavenly!


Roasted Garlic Brie Bread
submitted by Melanie

Printable recipe here

1 head garlic
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
Baguette or french bread
Brie cheese

First for the Roasted Garlic:

Preheat the oven to 425F.

Remove the outer papery covering of the garlic. Slice off the top of the head so most of the cloves are exposed. Place on a square of aluminum foil for easy cleanup, or select the smallest baking dish you have. Drizzle the oil over the cloves. Fold the foil over the head to completely enclose it, or cover the baking dish with foil.

Roast for about 45 minutes, until the garlic is completely soft and lightly browned.

Remove from oven and when cool, unwrap garlic and squeeze out the roasted cloves onto a plate and mash. Spread on your roasted garlic mash onto your bread.

Then cover with slices of Brie and broil until bread is toasted and cheese is melted. Enjoy!

Cherry Lemon Scones and a giveaway!

When a bag of dried cherries caught my eye at the store, I remembered these fantastic scones my little sister Erin and I had made together the last time she visited Utah (when we were all still there). We invited our other sisters over and had a delicious treat together. The scones were wonderful and of course the time spent with my sweet sisters was too! So, of course I bought the cherries and a lemon and came home to make these. They were scrumptious, just like I remembered, but it made me miss my sisters even more! It was not as fun to eat these without them! So make these scones and invite some people you love over to enjoy them with you.

Scones with Cherry and Lemon
Submitted by Melanie

Printable Recipe here

2 c. all purpose flour
¼ c. granulated white sugar
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
½ c. unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces
½ c. dried cherries
Zest of 2 lemons
2/3 c. buttermilk

Egg mixture for brushing tops of scones:

1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 Tb milk
Turbinado surgar, or white granulated sugar, for sprinkling the tops of the scones OR
After they are baked drizzle with lemon glaze

Glaze:
Juice of one lemon
Powdered sugar--just keep spooning it into the juice until desired consistency for drizzling

Preheat oven to 400° and place rack in middle of oven. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Stir in the dried cherries and the lemon zest. Add the buttermilk to the flour mixture and stir just until the dough comes together. Do not over mix the dough.
Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead dough gently four or five times and then pat the dough into a circle that is about 7 inches round and about 1 ½ inches thick. Cut this circle in half, and then cut each half into 3-6 pie-shaped wedges. Place the scones on the baking sheet. Make an egg wash of one well-beaten egg mixed with 1 tablespoon of milk and brush the tops of the scones with this mixture. Sprinkle with raw sugar (if desired).
Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Glaze if desired.

Makes 6-12 scones.

Now for the

GIVEAWAY.

Over Christmas I received a darling apron from Flirty Aprons and I LOVE it! They are fun, stylish and well made! I really enjoy my time in the kitchen more in such a cute apron:)

We would like to give an apron to one of you.

Just go here, to the Flirty Apron website and tell us the one you would like. I got this one. And although I am a BYU graduate and fan...I really got a kick out of this one! I might have to send it to my Ute graduate brother in law, Eric:)

Good luck! The contest ends Thursday!

Sinful Bread

Alright, gather close... I have a few secrets to share. When I got married, my mom told me when it was my turn to make dinner to always make sure the table was set (even if dinner was just getting started), because it makes it feel like dinner is almost ready. I have put this to the test countless times, and the verdict... it works! My husband arrives on the scene starving, and when he sees that nicely set table, he assumes dinner is almost ready and contents himself with waiting. The second secret? Delicious bread has the power to make a dinner from a spaghetti sauce bottle or a can of soup seem like a gourmet meal. Ah, the wonderful ways to hoodwink a family! :) So here is the recipe for the best of the bread "sprucing up" ideas... and believe me, it IS sinfully good.

Sinful Bread

Submitted by Mindy

2 loaves French Bread

1 cup parmesan cheese (grated fresh)

I cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup minced onion

Combine ingredients. Split French bread horizontally, spread mixture and sprinkle with paprika (if desired... the above picture is minus the paprika). Broil to crisp up. Enough for 2 loaves of French bread.

Yorkshire Pudding

Yorkshire Pudding originated in England and is traditionally served with roast and gravy. It is so scrumptious! Our mother made Yorkshire Pudding as part of our roast dinners when we were growing up. Her mother (our grandma) made it when she was growing up, and when she worked at the Prince of Wales Hotel in Waterton National Park they made it often in the restaurant. It became one of her favorites. She didn't make it all the time, though - which perhaps added to the excitement of the times that she did surprise us with it! I remember begging my mom to make this - it was one of my favorite foods (and still is).
Whenever I serve this to guests they are always new to the delights of Yorkshire Pudding. It's fun to introduce our friends to a new yummy food. My husband hadn't ever had it before we were married either, and now he loves it just as much as I do.

Be sure to serve it IMMEDIATELY after it comes out of the oven. Time it as best as you can. It still tastes good when it is served late (sometimes if guests are late, etc, it just can't be helped), but it falls somewhat in the first few minutes, so do your best to serve it fresh out of the oven.

Enjoy!

Yorkshire Pudding

submitted by Erin

1 c. flour

1 c. milk

2 eggs

½ tsp salt

3 Tb butter (or more, if desired)

2 cubes beef bouillon (or 2 tsp granules)

Preheat oven to 425°. Put butter in 9x9-inch glass pan and place in preheated oven until butter is melted and frothy. (Another option is to use the fat skimmed off the meat drippings. That is more 'traditional' but butter is easier and I like the taste, so that's what I have always done.)

While the pan is the oven (or beforehand), mix flour, milk, eggs and salt just until smooth. Remove pan from oven. Add bouillon to the hot butter and crush and mix it around. Pour in batter, more or less evenly distributing it in the butter.

**It is of utmost importance that you put the batter into the HOT HOT HOT pan. Do not allow your pan to cool down at all while you mix up the batter. The hot pan will make the pudding rise in great peaks and low valleys - the trade mark of Yorkshire Pudding.**

Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the pudding is high and brown. Cut up and serve immediately, with the carved roast and gravy.

Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits

I love biscuits. I'm not from the South but I still just love biscuits...is that allowed! :) Mom used to whip them up now and then to go with dinner and I would slather them with butter and jam... aahh, yum! This time I wanted to try a new recipe with buttermilk - hoping to find one that was flaky and buttery and delicious. Well I'll tell ya, this one I found on All Recipes is THE winner. It is fantastic!! I think I had about 4 straight out of the oven (I choose not to think about fat grams at times like that). The bit of honey in the ingredients gives them just a hint of sweetness. They are incredibly flaky due to the way you fold the dough over on itself several times - genius! I also think they turned out so well for me this time because I broke my pastry blender so I had to cut the butter into the flour with two knives. I was so bugged with the tediousness of it that I thought I quit a little early since the butter seemed to be in kind of big chunks! Obviously it was just right and to be honest I think I usually cut it in way too much... ok I admit it, I definitely do! I remember Mom telling me often "oh honey, that's a little too much but it's ok - I'm sure it will still be delicious"!! :) So learn from my mistakes and don't cut the butter in too much. Also minimize how much you handle the dough, otherwise you'll end up with tough biscuits!

My poor square little biscuits... I need a round biscuit cutter!!

Deliciously Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits

submitted by Brittany

2 cups all-purpose flour (9 ounces)
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup fat-free buttermilk
3 tablespoons honey

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Chill 10 minutes.
3. Combine buttermilk and honey, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture; stir just until moist.
4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead lightly 4 times. Roll dough into a (1/2-inch-thick) 9 x 5–inch rectangle; dust top of dough with flour. Fold dough crosswise into thirds (as if folding a piece of paper to fit into an envelope). Reroll dough into a (1/2-inch-thick) 9 x 5–inch rectangle; dust top of dough with flour. Fold dough crosswise into thirds; gently roll or pat to a 3/4-inch thickness. Cut dough with a 1 3/4-inch biscuit cutter to form 14 dough rounds. Place dough rounds, 1 inch apart, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 400° for 12 minutes or until golden. Remove from pan; cool 2 minutes on wire racks. Serve warm.

jalapeno cheddar cornbread

This recipe is from the Barefoot ...and it is fabulous!! The cheddar makes it so moist, even the second day, and the jalapeno and green onions give it a great kick! I love it and couldn't wait to share it here!
jalapeno cheddar cornbread
submitted by Brittany

3 cups flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tb baking powder
2 tsp kosher salt
2 cups milk
3 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted, plus extra to grease the pan
8 ounces (2+ cups) aged extra-sharp Cheddar, grated, divided
1/3 cup chopped scallions, white and green parts, plus extra for garnish (3 scallions)
3 Tb seeded and minced fresh jalapeno peppers (2-3 peppers)

Combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, eggs, and butter. With a wooden spoon, stir the wet ingredients into the dry until most of the lumps are dissolved. Don't >! Mix in 2 cups of the grated Cheddar, the scallions, and jalapenos, and allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13x2 inch baking pan. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and sprinkle with the remaining grated and extra chopped scallions. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool and cut into large squares. Serve warm or at room temperature. (Warm is best!)

Garlic Cheese Biscuits

I never used to buy Bisquick mix until Erin introduced me to these biscuits...now I always have some on hand specifically for this! The recipe is so easy, it's ridiculous. They definitely aren't healthy so I don't make them often, but when I do... what a treat!!Garlic Cheese Biscuits
submitted by Brittany

2 c Bisquick mix

2/3 c milk
1/2 c sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1/4 c butter, melted

1/4 tsp garlic salt

1/4 tsp dried parsley

Mix together Bisquick and milk just until moistened. Fold in cheese. Drop by spoonfuls on lightly greased cookie sheet (I use a preheated pizza stone plain). Bake at 450 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Combine melted butter with garlic salt and parsley and brush over each biscuit. Serve immediately. **note that when using a pizza stone, make sure you remove biscuits to a plate before brushing with butter - otherwise the stone will soak up a lot of it!

Lemon Blueberry Biscuits

These biscuits are light and fluffy, sweet with a lemony drizzle, and best served right out of the oven. They only take a few minutes to prepare, and wow, they are delicious!

Lemon Blueberry Biscuits
submitted by Erin

 

2 c. flour
1/3 c. sugar
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 carton (8-oz) lemon yogurt
1 egg, lightly beaten
¼ c. melted butter or margarine
1 tsp grated lemon peel
1 c. fresh or frozen blueberries 

Glaze:
½ c. confectioners’ sugar
1 T. fresh lemon juice
½ tsp grated lemon peel

In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients. Combine yogurt, egg, butter and lemon peel; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in blueberries. Drop by spoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 15-18 minutes or until lightly browned. Combine glaze ingredients; drizzle over warm biscuits. Serve immediately. Makes 12-15 biscuits.

Southern Baked Beans & Z'Tejas Cornbread

Yum. I love homemade baked beans. This is a hearty main-course version that I discovered a few years ago through my friend, Allison. It is absolutely delicious. I served it along with some hot cornbread, which turned out to the be the best cornbread I have ever had. I got the recipe from my sister-in-law, Melanie's, recipe blog - Mel's Kitchen Cafe. This dinner was perfect for a snowy day. If you like baked beans, you will definitely love this!

SOUTHERN BAKED BEANS
submitted by Erin

1 quart baked beans (1 large can or 2 16-oz cans)
1 16-oz can kidney beans, drained
1 16-oz can garbanzo beans, drained
½ lb bacon
1 lb ground beef
1 small onion, diced
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
½ c. brown sugar
2 Tb molasses
¼ c. ketchup
¼ c. barbeque sauce (This time I used Famous Dave's Rich & Sassy and it was great!)
¼ tsp chili powder
1 tsp mustard
2 Tb Worcestershire sauce
about 1 1/2 cups water

Brown beef, drain. Cook bacon, drain, and chop. Saute diced onion, bell pepper, and celery in same pan. Add remaining ingredients together in a large pot and heat thoroughly. Add water to your liking (as it heats up, it will thin a little). You may let it simmer, covered, on low for up to an hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Or you can serve it after simmering for 10 minutes.

Z'TEJAS CORNBREAD
(It seems like all the other cornbread recipes I have tried have been either super oily, super sugary, super dry, or super bland. This one is just super! :) It's moist, has a great texture, and tastes fabulous. I halved this and used a glass 8x8 pan.)

1 1/2 cup corn meal
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup creamed corn
1/2 cup frozen corn
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted

Mix all dry ingredients together in a medium bowl. In a large mixing bowl, whisk yogurt, buttermilk, eggs and butter together. Add the creamed corn and frozen corn. Pour into a greased 9X13 pan or use a buttered cast iron skillet and fill the skillet 1/2 full (if using a skillet you will have leftover batter so go ahead and make some cornbread muffins or a smaller pan of bread). Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes (check with a toothpick that should come out clean).

Orange Craisin Scones

I love scones and these are really yummy. They are definitely best eaten fresh so plan accordingly! Sometimes I add pecans but beware, too many nuts will make them crumbly and hard to slice. Also, for variation try currants, raisins, or dried blueberries in place of the Craisins.

Orange-Craisin Scones

submitted by Brittany

1/2 c Craisins

1/3 c butter

1 3/4 c flour

3 Tb sugar

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 Tb grated orange peel

1 egg, beaten

4-6 Tb half-and-half

1 egg white, beaten

1/4 c chopped pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 400. Soak Craisins in warm water for 10 minutes to soften; drain. Cut butter into flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt with pastry blender until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in orange peel, egg, currants and just enough half-and-half until dough leaves sides of bowl. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Knead lightly 10 times. Divide dough into 2 parts. Roll or pat into two 6-inch circles about 1/2 inch thick. Place on ungreased cookie sheet; brush with beaten egg white. (If using chopped nuts, sprinkle a few on top.) Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Cut into wedges to serve.