Sweet, but Not Too Sweet Scones

These scones are soooo easy to make!  Just make sure you have a stick of butter in the freezer at least a day in advance.  They can be as sweet, or not sweet, as you want them.  I use this awesome pan that my hubby's grandmother gave to me, and they turn out more evenly baked... but you don't need the pan :)  I used my pizza stone prior to owning the pan, and they turned out yummy then too!

Here are some tweaks:

Instead of 1/2 cup raisins, use: 1/4 cup white chocolate chips, 1/4 cup dried cranberries

or

With raisins, add 1/2 tsp cinnamon into the dry ingredients.

Since this recipe serves 8, I made them a little flatter for a brunch for my brother-in-laws wedding and used a small glass to cut them into circles.  Each batch made 12 scones instead of 8.  I topped them with icing and they were a hit!

White chocolate icing:  1/2 cup white chocolate chips; 1 Tbs milk.  Heat on low in a small saucepan until melted and smooth.  (Add more milk if needed)  Drizzle on top of cooled scones and allow to dry.

Cinnamon icing:  1/2 cup powdered sugar; 1 Tbs milk; 1/2 tsp cinnamon.  Mix ingredients in a small bowl with whisk until smooth.  Add more sugar or milk to obtain desired consistency.  Drizzle on top of cooled scones and allow to dry.

As you can imagine, these scones are so versatile, and I'm sure there are so many other goodies to put into them!  On Friday, I got to watch the Royal Wedding with my aunt and my cousin, and we made them plain and topped them with my aunt's home canned peach butter.  Matched with delicate china brimming with hot peach tea, these were a delectable treat.  The company was great too!

Fruity Chicken Salad Sandwiches With Helpful Chicken Boiling & Shredding Tips

I am notorious for making food that is not "in season."  While the rest of the country is making comfort foods, I am busy in my California home preparing summer picnic dishes like chicken salad sandwiches and lemon bars!  This chicken salad is one of the most flexible recipes I make, and it's great to have on hand for quick lunches.  Here's what you need to have a taste of summer all year long:

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, boiled & shredded - see below for tips (I boiled enough chicken for this and my enchilada recipe...  Yay for a time saver!)
mayonnaise (or greek yogurt - thanks to my dear friend Kerry for that idea!)
1 celery stalk, chopped
1/2 apple, thinly sliced & chopped (the size of the pieces matter only to your palate)
1/2 cup dried cranberries

salt
pepper
garlic powder
your favorite bread

1. Put the shredded chicken in a bowl and mix in mayonnaise about a Tbs full at a time (I end up using about 3 Tbs) until the chicken kind of sticks together.  If you like your salad really moist, you'll want more mayo.  
2. Add the celery, apple, and cranberries, and stir until mixed.
3. Add salt, pepper & garlic powder to taste.  (I probably use 1/8 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of pepper & 1 tsp of garlic powder...  We love garlic, what can I say?!)
4. Grab 2 pieces of your favorite bread, spread a little mayo on (if you like), and put the salad in between!

There's your sandwich!

When grapes are on sale I like to use them instead of cranberries.  Also, if I know we won't be around other people after we eat, I add some thinly chopped onion too.  The garlic alone is enough to keep even our closest friends away!

Chicken Boiling & Shredding Tips: 

A little hint on the chicken...  I buy a 10 pound bag of frozen chicken from Costco every few months.  I stick how ever many frozen chicken breasts I need for my meal into my largest saucepan, and fill it with water until the chicken is just covered.  I put the saucepan over high heat and let it boil until the chicken is no longer pink.  It takes about 30-40 minutes depending on how many chicken breasts I'm cooking.  If is starts to boil over, I pour in about a tsp of olive oil, and/or turn it down to medium high (salmonella scares me, so I don't usually turn it down unless I need to go out of the kitchen).  Once the chicken is cooked, dump it into a colander and rinse it under cold water for a moment.  Take two forks and use them to pull the breasts apart in opposite directions.  Do this until the chicken is shredded to your liking.  If the chicken is too hot to handle and you're not planning to eat it for a few hours, or until the next day, stick it in the fridge!  Or better yet, make extra & freeze it for next time :)

Enjoy!

Apples in My Muffins!

I received a new cookbook for Christmas!  I found a recipe that I had most of the ingredients for, and it had apples so I had to try it!  Instead of running to the store, I just improvised!


2 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. raw sugar
2 t. baking powder
2 t. baking soda
2 t. cinnamon
2  eggs
1/2 c. oil
4 medium apples, peeled, cored & chopped (I used Galas)
1/2 c. pecans
1/2 c. dried cranberries

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Grease that muffin tin!
2. Mix flour, sugar, powder, soda, and cinnamon (in your mixer, YES, I finally used mine again).
3. Separately, in a medium bowl, mix eggs, oil, apples, pecans, and dried cranberries.
4. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and set that mixer on slow speed, and make sure to scrape the sides & bottom of the bowl.
5. Spoon the mix into muffin cups until it just reaches the top.  Use less if you don't want that nice "muffin top" experience.
6. Bake for 20 minutes and cool muffins on cooling rack.

These are not very visually appealing when they come out of the oven, but I had friends over the morning that I baked them, and they pretty much devoured them!

Unbaked #3 - Gifts in a Jar...

As I mentioned in a previous post, I was really excited to make "sand art style" food mixes as Christmas gifts.  Here is my practice run with a pumpkin muffin recipe.  I'm really excited about this one having read that article on using my muffin tin more often!

Since pouring all the ingredients into the jar wasn't as pretty as I hoped, I grabbed a butter knife & pushed the spices down the sides of the jar to drag them into a "drippy" pattern.  I stuffed cranberries into the top, printed out the directions on card stock, and used a piece of paper ribbon to tie it onto the mix.  I am going to place the can o' pumpkin in some tissue paper & stick the two items into a nice brown paper bag...  That wrapping project will probably also result in a blog entry.

I liked this project since it didn't take long.  I am already envisioning an assembly line in the kitchen & roping my husband into helping!

Hello, Sweet Christmas Flavored Bread!

I absolutely love this time of year!  Mine, so far, has been filled with home baked goodies involving CRANBERRIES!  I had a coupon for Costco's giant (and I mean ginormous) bag of Craisins, and they have been getting into just about everything from salads to breads to desserts!  As I scoured the pages of my trusty, tried & true Fannie Farmer Cookbook for a recipe that I had yet to try, I came upon this cranberry filled gem:  Cranberry Nut Bread.  It's very cakey and sweet with just enough orange zing.  It's perfect with coffee on a brisk morning, or a hot cup of mulled apple cider while sitting in front of the fireplace.  Don't leave out the walnuts (like I did this time), because they really tie it together!