Breads · Breakfast · Daily Thoughts · Desserts · Holiday Fare · Uncategorized

Pumpkin Spice Scones

Today was the last Wednesday that some precious lady’s met in our home for Bible Study. The study was a 6 week study and since it was Fall, I tried to bake something pumpkin each Wednesday. Today I knew that these pumpkin scones would make the perfect treat for our last study. Served with butter and apricot jam, they were a hit. My sweet Shannon, who had sent me packets of flavored sugar a few weeks back, had sent multiple flavors of sugar. So today, before baking I sprinkled on the Salted Caramel and that added to the already delicious flavor.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups sifted flour
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tables baking powder
1 heaping teas ground cinnamon
1 teas pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teas salt
1/4 lb (1 stick) cold butter, cut into chunks
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup whipping cream

Stir together the dry ingredients. Then, using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until mixture resembles pea size crumbs.

In a small mixing bowl, combine 3/4 cup canned pumpkin and 1/2 cup whipping cream. Whisk until combined and then pour over the dry ingredients. Stir just until flour mixture and pumpkin mixture are just combined. Turn out onto a floured piece of waxed paper or counter. Using rolling pin, roll out to about 1″ thickness. Remember the less you handle the dough, the more flaky it will be. The more you handle it, the tougher it will be. Using a biscuit cutter, (I used a juice glass because it gave me the size I wanted) cut dough into equal portions and place on baking sheet. Sprinkle sugar over the top.

Bake in preheated 375 oven for about 20-25 minutes, or until they test done.

Daily Thoughts · Uncategorized

Bullet Blog

I’ve been noticing some of the blogs are being written as bullet points so those who are in a hurry can just glance at the posts and hurry back to what ever they were doing.  So instead of my usual very wordy posts, I thought I would try it to see how it is received and maybe that will give you more time to text or cook or work or read a novel. So here goes!

Trudy’s Tuesday Tidbits.

*making breakfast for 6 ladies tomorrow

*sitting here watching  RC shampoo carpet while I blog

*mentioned I liked the smell of vinegar to RC and he told me he would buy me a bottle of that instead of perfume for my bday and save money since I liked the smell of it so much! He’s very romantic like that!

*Excited to make a veggie dinner tonight with Brussels sprouts, collard greens, honey carrots and mashed potatoes with sliced tomatoes and corn bread (oops see I’m already getting wordy and I’m only on the 4th point)

*trying to talk myself into going to the pool but just looking at my bathing suit makes me wonder if, by the time I get it pulled up am I going to have to pull it down to go potty!

*enjoyed a new friend coming over yesterday to learn how to make scones (recipe is on blog under “cream scones”)  We sampled them and visited   Lovely morning!

*watching my hubby pack up our new cordless vacumn to take back and feeling very blessed to have such a precious husband who will do anything in the world for me!

*looking forward to watching AGT tonight with a slice of chocolate cake in front of me! (The perfect chocolate cake (recipe is on blog under that title) trust me…it is the perfect chocolate cake and I have friends who will vouch for that!

*got my AZ DL yesterday so guess my new fav flower will now be a cactus instead of a magnolia blossom!

That’s my thoughts for today! Go and be a blessing!!!! Trudy

Breads · Uncategorized

Cheese & Herb Scones

I don’t know about you, but not only do I feel a little British when I eat scones, but I certainly feel a little Martha Stewartie when I make them. Just returning from grocery shopping I happened to look on the back of a bag of shredded sharp cheddar cheese and noticed this recipe. We are having potato soup for dinner so these will go along very nicely. A little Paula meets Martha dinner, don’t you think?

Makes 12 scones

1 lb self-rising flour

1 teas salt

4 oz butter, cold, cut in cubes

1 teas fresh rosemary, finely chopped

1 (8)oz package finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese,divided

8 tables milk

8 tables waater

Preheat oven to 425. Mix together in a large bowl, the flour, salt and cold cubed butter with a pastry blender, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Add the chopped rosemary and 6 oz of the cheese.  Add the milk and water and stir until mixture is just blended. Do not over mix.  On a floured board or cabinet top, roll out the dough to 1″ thickness.  Cut out rounds using a 2 1/2″ biscuit cutter or glass top.  Place scones on a greased baking sheet and top with remaining shredded cheese. Bake until golden brown, about 10-13 minutes, depending on oven.

Breads · Desserts · Fruit

Blueberry Scone* Fruit Dessert

2015-09-04 19.38.44 Tonight we are headed to Babe’s for the best fried chicken in the state of Texas with my sister-in-law and her hubby. Because it will be served with creamed corn, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans and biscuits, I thought it might be good to have a little lighter dessert afterward.

This morning, I made fresh lemon-blueberry scones (recipe is on the blog). Because it is still so hot out and the humidity is really high today, I thought I would cut up fresh fruit and serve over the scones with a spoonful of whipped cream. So that will be our dessert.

After sampling the peaches and blueberries, they weren’t exactly the sweetest, so I added cut up strawberries to the peaches and blueberries, and sprinkled a little strawberry jello to make a sweet syrup. This will be so fresh looking poured over the scones, which will be served in individual little triffle dishes. (Use pretty wine glasses or goblets if you prefer.) Topped with the sweetened whipped cream, and folks, I think we have a winner!

Great ending to our fried chicken dinner! Remember…All’s well that ends with a great meal!

*The scones are a Paula Deen Recipe

Breads · Breakfast · Holiday Fare

Cranberry Scones

It seems like I go a little over board buying fresh cranberries during the Christmas season, so I look and find a couple of bags that are still there and went looking for recipes which use fresh ones. This is out of a Jan/Feb 07 Southern Lady or Paula Deen (I had torn the page out and so I’m not sure which one)

3 cups self-rising flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup cold butter

1/2 to 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1 teas vanilla

1/2 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 400. Combine flour and sugar in a large bowl. Using a pastry blender, cut butter into the flour and sugar mixture until it resembles coarse meal. Add 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, vanilla and dried cranberries. Stir until all ingredients are moistened. Add a little more whipping cream if it seems too dry.

Turn out on a generously floured board (or wax paper that you have floured) and knead 5 times or until it all comes together.

Be careful not to overwork the dough. Roll out with a rolling pin to 1/2 ” thickness. Cut with a 1 1/2 ” biscuit cutter (or a heart shaped cookie cutter for Valentines). Place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 13-15 min or until the tops are golden. Be careful not to over bake. Serve with lemon curd or preserves

Breads · Breakfast · Holiday Fare

Cranberry & Orange Scones

Isn’t it fun to plan different breakfast for the Christmas season? As I skimmed through the different food magazines for new recipes, this one caught my eye as one that will be on our table. Taken from Food Network magazine…*to make ahead, see below*

4 cups plus 1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar, plus extra for sprinkling (since it is Christmas, I am going to use the red sugar sprinkles for the top)

2 tables baking powder

2 teas kosher salt

2 teas grated orange zest (2 oranges)

3/4 lb (3 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cubed

4 extra large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup cold heavy cream

1 cup dried cranberries

1 egg beaten with 2 tables water, for egg wash

1/2 cup plus 2 table powdered sugar

4 teas freshly squeezed orange juice

Preheat oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper ( I don’t do this, I just use regular baking sheet and very lightly grease with butter)

In a large mixing bowl, mix 4 cups of flour, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, baking powder, salt and orange zest. Add the butter cubes (which you have cut into small cubes) and mix at lowest speed until the butter is size of small peas. Combine the eggs and heavy cream and with mixer on low, slowly add to the flour mixture . Mix just until blended. The dough will look lumpy. Combine the dried cranberries, which you have stirred with the remaining 1/4 cup flour. Add to the dough and mix on low until blended.

Dup the dough onto a well-floured board and knead it into a ball. Flour hands and a rolling pin and roll the dough just under 1″ thick. You should still see small pea size bits of butter in the dough. Keep moving the dough on the floured board (or counter which you have layered waxed floured paper. Cut 3″ circles using a biscuit cutter or turn a drinking glass upside down using it if you don’t have a biscuit cutter. Place scones on the prepared baking pan. Gather up the unused portions of dough and roll out again and continue cutting round disc until all the dough is used up.

Brush the tops of the scones with the egg wash, sprinkle with granulated sugar and bake for 20-25 min or until the tops are lightly browned and insides are fully baked. The scones will be firm to the touch. All the scones to cool for 15 min, then whisk together the powdered sugar and orange juice and stir until no lumps remain and drizzle over the scones.

*Follow the recipe until you put the egg wash on top. Cover the scones on the baking pan and place in fridge overnight. The next morning, brush the tops with the egg wash and sprinkle with granulated sugar; bake and glaze as directed.

Uncategorized

Pimiento-Cheese Scones

This has really been fun going through magazines, some dating back to the early 90’s and tearing out some that I had never noticed before tossing the magazine away. This is a new side of me, actually getting rid of old magazines. I promised hubby that I would really try to start doing that so we don’t have to pay for a storage unit for cases of books and magazines. I cannot promise how long I will keep that promise, but just seeing how this has made him smile makes me want to try harder to make better use of space that is not covered up with cookbooks. When I saw this recipe last night and knowing how Randy loves Pimiento-Cheese, I promised that I would make them sometime this week, when we aren’t packing boxes. Here is the recipe.

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 teas baking powder

1/2 teas salt

1/4 teas baking soda

1/4 cup cold butter, divided

1/2 of a 3 oz package cream cheese, diced

1/2 cup grated sharp-cheddar cheese, divided

1/2 of a 4oz jar diced pimientos, drained

1/4 cup plus 1 Tables heavy cream, divided

Preheat oven to 450. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda.

Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter and cream cheese until mixture resembles coarse meal. Fold in 1/4 cup cheddar and the pimientos. Make a well in center of the mixture and add 1/4 cup cream. Using a fork, blend mixture until a loose dough forms. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 3-4 times. Roll dough out to 1/2″ thickness. Using a 2″ round biscuit cutter or a different shape of your choosing, cut scones, rerolling scraps no more than twice to use up all dough.

Place the scones on the prepared baking sheets, spacing at least 1″ apart. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat scones with remaining cream and sprinkle with remaining cheddar. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until light golden brown.

Makes appox 24 scones (depending on size of cutter you use)