I know, I know, you are probably wondering why I am posting another scone recipe when I just posted one yesterday. But…..looking through an old Tea Time magazine last night, I came across this recipe that I had to try this morning. It is, a little easier than yesterday’s Cream scone and so so good. Because it uses self-rising flour, they rose beautifully and the egg wash browned them so much prettier than the cream ones I made yesterday. So am serving them today with the strawberry mixture for a luncheon. Plus, no kneading.

2 cups self-rising flour

1/3 cup sugar

6 tables butter, unsalted and cold

1/3 buttermilk

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 large egg

1 tables vanilla extract

1 vanilla bean, split and scraped ( I didn’t have one on hand, so just didn’t include this)

1 egg white

2 tables vanilla-flavored sugar (just used regular sugar as I didn’t have any of this in the house either) Guess I need to go to the store.

Preheat oven to 400. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. (I just used one and sprayed it with Pam)

In a large bowl, combine flour and sugar. Using pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly.

In a medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk, cream, egg, vanilla extract and vanilla bean seeds.

Add to flour mixture, and stir until dough is just combined, dough will be sticky.

Divide dough into two balls. On lightly floured surface ( I used the self-rising flour for this also), roll half of dough into a 6 1/2″x1/2″ circle; cut into 6 wedges. Repeat process for remaining dough. Brush scones with egg white and sprinkle with sugar. Place on prepared baking sheets; bake 9-12 min or until golden on top……by the way, you set these little babies down in front of your hubby tonight with jam and he will think you are “golden”…..I plan to ask Randy for a basket for my new bike he bought me after he eats one or two of these tonight…will post a pic of the basket after he buys it. 🙂

I love Valentines Day with all the pink and red hearts and the candy…..oh my, how I love all the candy. My fav  “over the counter” candy is Dove, any flavor, but if I get to pick what I get, my heart always takes me to Ethel M chocolate, which you have to order out of Las Vegas. I know, I know, does anything good ever come out of LV except “addictive behavior” and my answer to that is….YES! Ethel M Chocolates. This is the best, better than Ghirardelli, better than Godiva, or See’s…it is the creamiest ever. Their lemon truffles is like eating a can of Eagle Brand dipped in the best chocolate EVER!  So next time you want to splurge a little, go on-line and order some chocolate from EM….you will be so glad that you did. I didn’t mean to get started on that, but I just cannot think of chocolate without thinking about EM, but now on to the recipe of the day. If you are dining at home tonight as we are instead of going out, may I suggest that you go find a few pictures of you and your sweetie from past years and place them as your centerpiece at the table. It will be a great reminder of some precious times together and spark lots of conversation about when the pictures were taken. (Don’t pay attention to how much you have aged since the pics were taken, that will ruin the mood).Focus on what great times you have had and what you were feeling when the picture was taken and share with each other the memories that go along with each picture. It will be a lovely evening, reminiscing with each other.

My husband just had some surgery done last Fri and has been home recouping the last 3 days, so of course, because I wanted to be able to say that I was the best wife around, cooking him anything he wanted and waiting on him hand and foot, I have spent quite a bit of time in the kitchen. Actually, my time in the kitchen was due to a different motive (but please don’t tell him) Although it made me sound so nice and sweet, taking care of my sweet ailing hubby, my motive was to keep busy and not have to listen to the “snores” coming out of the den as he lay there getting all the “anesthesia” out of his system. Needless to say, the kitchen was the quietest place in the house to be…now I now you must be thinking how cold hearted I am, and I guess you are right, but most of you wives have had a husband who has had some type of surgery and know what I am talking about. Every time he woke up, I was called to come “assess” the situation….”does my face look swollen”, “do I feel like I have temperature”, “I think my stitches are bleeding”….”do you think I could take a pain pill a little early, my head hurts”…”could you fluff my pillow”…..well, I think you get the idea, so the kitchen was my place of getting away from playing “Nancy Nurse”

As long as I was in there I thought, to make this look like I was being nice, I would go ahead and cook things the patient liked, so thus……this new recipe for biscotti.  Took me a long time to get to this point, didn’t it? Now you know what he sleeps a lot, ha…or pretends to be asleep, hum…..I wonder?…..

Well, since we have been staying home quite a bit over the last few days letting him recoup, I began to dig into some of my different cookbooks and came across this one from Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook.

It is a keeper and our little patient even took some to work with him today for his “coffee time”.

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup dried apricots

1/2 cup boiling water

3 cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting baking sheet

2 teas baking powder

1/4 teas salt

4 tables unsalted butter, room temp

1 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling

3 large eggs, plus  large egg, lightly beaten for brushing over dough to brown it well

2 teas vanilla *because I was making this for Randy, I used the vanilla, if it was going to be “all about me” day, I would use Almond extract

1/2 cup unsalted pistachios, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 375. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper* (I didn’t have any paper, so I sprayed my pan with Pam and dusted it with a little flour, worked very well) Set aside.

Place cranberries and apricots in a small bowl and add the boiling water. Let stand for about 15 min. Drain and set aside. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl; set aside.

In another bowl, beat butter with sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 min. Add 3 eggs, one at a time, beating to incorporate after ea egg and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. Add flour mixture and mix on low speed until combined. Mix in fruit and nuts by hand with spatula.

Turn out dough into 2 individual loaves on baking sheet. Shape each piece into a 16×2 in football shaped log. Flatten it a little with floured hands to where it looks like a half of a football shaped piece of dough.

Brush beaten egg over surface of the dough and then sprinkle with a little sugar over the top.

Bake, rotating sheet halfway through until logs are slightly firm to touch, about 25 min. Transfer logs on parchment paper or sheet to a wife rack *(couldn’t find my racks, so just left on baking sheets which I had placed over the edges of hot pads, allowing air to get under the baking sheet to cool for about 20 min. As soon as I took these out of the oven, reduce the oven temp to 300.

Using a serrated knife, cut the logs into 1″ slices and place on cut side down on baking sheet and place in oven for about 30 min (after 15 min, turn each slice over, total baking time, 30 min)

Remove pan from oven and let biscotti cool completely. Biscotti can be kept in airtight container at room temp for up to 1 week.

I am so hooked on biscotti. It is so much fun to make and give as gifts and just have around to nibble on with my Dr Pepper or coffee (which is for Randy as I haven’t acquired a taste for java, except at Christmas when I LOVE to go get Gingerbread Latte from SB while out Christmas shopping). I remember years ago a lady in Randy’s office sent home some biscotti and I remember thinking, “wow, she must be a fantastic baker to make biscotti”…actually it is one of the easiest things to make. You can almost never mess it up. So if you have never tried to make it, start your trip down Venice Blvd. with this recipe. It is sure to please.

6 tables unsalted butter, softened

2 cups flour (all purpose)

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/4 teas salt

1 teas baking soda

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup chopped almonds (or pistachio nuts)

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup dried cherry flavored craisens

1 teas almond extract

Heat oven to 350. Butter and flour a baking sheet; set aside

In a medium bowl, which together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and extract and beat until well combined. Add flour mixture andy stir to form a stiff dough. Stir in nuts, chips and cherrie craisens.

Transfer dough to prepared baking sheet; form into a slightly flattened log, about 12 by 4 inches. (It kinda looks like a flattened football shape)

Bake until slightly firm, about 25 min. Cool about 5 min. Reduce oven to 300 degrees.

On a cutting board, using a sharp knife, cut each log into 1 ” thick slices. Arrange biscotti cut sides down, on baking sheet and bake until crisp but still slightly soft in the center, about 8 min. Serve with coffee, hot tea or like me, just grab a slice every time you walk through the kitchen.

What a great day! First thing this morning, a friend had offered to teach me how to knit, so I took her up on it and went to her house and had my first knitting lesson. It looks so easy, but learning how to hold the needles will take me some time and lots of patience. So in the meantime I am headed back to the kitchen to bake. The day just keeps getting better. My new Southern Living Magazine arrived and in it are some new exciting ways to use Pimiento Cheese which we truly love. Randy is happy if you buy Prices Pimiento Cheese and spread it between two pieces of soft bread with Bread and Butter pickles and some chips. That is one of his favorite Saturday lunches. This magazine has a few pages on new ways to use PC in ways I have never thought about. The one that caught my eye is as follows:

1 (25 oz) package frozen Southern-style biscuits

All purpose flour

2 cups pimiento cheese

Arrange biscuits, with sides touching in 3 rows of 4 biscuits on a lightly floured surface. Let stand 30-45 min or until biscuits are thawed but cool to the touch.

Preheat oven to 375. Sprinkle biscuits lightly with flour. Press edges together and pat to form a 10×12 in rectangle of dough; spread dough with pimiento cheese.

Roll up starting at one long end. cut into 12 1″ thick slices. Place 1 slice into each muffin cup of a lightly greased 12 cup muffin pan.

Bake at 375 for 20-25 min or until golden. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 5 min. Remove from pan and serve hot.