HungrySister Presents: Cream Scones

I, like HungryMom, am NOT a baker. I don't like to measure, I don't own an electric mixer, and I have a really hard time being tied down to a recipe…not to mention every time I try to bake something it either collapses, explodes, or doesn't look anything close to what it is supposed to. For this reason I have let my much more baking-inclined roommate take over all baking activities in our kitchen. 

Don't get me wrong, I love love love desserts, sweets, baked goods, you name it. Love to the point where I give them up for Lent every year (and fail every year).

I was recently discussing fairs with my boyfriend and talking about how I can't wait until I can get my hands on some "fair food." His response was something like "I LOVE fair food! Elephant ears? SCONES!?" Now, I don't know about you, but in my mind fair food is funnel cakes, boardwalk fries, deep fried oreos, and smoked bbq sandwiches…I guess they do things a little differently in the Pacific Northwest! I have never in my life seen a scone served at a fair, but I get the idea of enjoying a handheld, flaky, buttery baked good while strolling around the fairgrounds.

I decided to make cream scones for breakfast and was a little apprehensive about successfully executing the recipe, but it worked! Even I, a baking disappointment, could master these little guys. The scones were delicious and really easy!

You'll need: 

2 cups all-purpose flour
3T sugar
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 C heavy cream
Milk for brushing
Decorative, or sparkling sugar (I used regular)

 

Heat oven to 400. Place rack in the middle position.

Line a baking sheet w. parchment paper, or spray with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, thoroughly whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the cream. Stir until everything is moistened and a soft dough is formed.

 

Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured counter and knead a few times, shaping it into a log about 8 inches long. 

  

Cut in two, then gently shape each half into a smooth disc about l inch thick.

 

With a sharp knife cut each disc into four pieces.

 

Arrange the 8 scones on the prepared baking sheet, leaving as much room as possible between them. Brush with milk, then sprinkle with sugar. Place in the oven and bake for 7 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 and bake 15 minutes longer.

  

 Voila! Finished product. These are delicious with marmalade, raspberry jam, or any other filling of your choice!

I ended up making a couple of batches recently for my grandparents' birthdays - I added half a cup of mini chocolate chips to one batch and a tbsp or 2 of cinnamon to the other. Both turned out well!

Sausage and Eggs Part 2

So, after I got through making the mini egg muffins, I gave a few to the boys for dinner. By the time I got everyone bathed, in bed and the house somewhat picked up, Kevin still wasn't home and I didn't feel hungry or energized enough to make the Enchilada Frittata I meal-planned. I'm sure it had nothing to do with the 10 mini-egg muffins I "sampled."

But while I got more food out on the counter to make the boy's lunches, my tummy started rumbling and my wheels started turning. I did already have that sausage chopped up. I do have 4 eggs left. I do have that Enchilada sauce already. And I do need to use those potatoes and peppers from CSA. I've written before how the best things happen organically, and this was definitely one of those times.

This was AWESOMMMEEE. Like "I'm salivating sitting here thinking about how amazing it was" awesome. I almost killed Kevin's half while I waited for him to get home... I had to text him to warn him that his dinner was going to be gone if he didn't get home immediately (it worked, at least I know how to get him home earlier now).

Mexican Hash

4 eggs
chopped up precooked turkey breakfast sausage
3 cloves garlic
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
half a green pepper, diced
half an onion, diced
half a cup of cheese (didn't use as much as pictured)
Trader Joes Enchilada Sauce
***(I can't stress enough how this is the best enchilada sauce you can buy, seriously its the perfect blend of flavor and heat. It's very mild compared to any other canned enchilada sauce!! If you don't have a TJ's by you, I'm sincerely sorry for you)***
cilantro for garnish
Flour tortillas for sopping up amazing sauces



Is it weird to "saute" raw potatoes? I don't know, but I did it, and it was tasty. First do potatoes and garlic in olive oil, then add onions and green peppers. Let it all cook until the onions get translucent, stirring frequently.

Pour some enchilada sauce on top, as much or as little as you want.

Add the chopped breakfast turkey sausage. Mix it up and let it simmer for a while so the potatoes can cook through a bit.

And add some cheese, duh.

Then in a separate small pan I fried 4 eggs

Flipped each one on top of the potatoes, then topped with cilantro, some salt, and a little bit of hot sauce just cause.

I had no idea when this picture was taken how my life was about to change forever. :)

Sausage and Eggs Part 1

I've been looking for ways to do what I do more efficiently. How can I run the same 4 mile loop in the morning, but faster? How can I get a quick, healthy dinner on the table, but easier? How can I fit a long run in on the weekends, but early enough?

How can I get the kids fed a decent breakfast and off to school faster? Forget faster... just not late would be nice. Their favorite breakfast is scrambled eggs and sausage... but that takes the extra 5 minutes we don't have in the mornings so often its cheerios, toast, or pancakes (duh, the microwave kind) instead. Sugar + Superheroes = crazy out-of-control behavior at school so I'm trying to cut that out. Eggs and sausage are perfect, just slightly more time consuming.

Then it dawned on me... my mini-muffin tin. You need this.. it's great for appetizers for parties, for tricking kids into eating healthy *on-the-run* meals, and I even heard they're the perfect size for Jello Shots. Just sayin'.

Egg Muffins on the Run

6 fully cooked breakfast turkey sausage links or patties
***I only used about 3 for this recipe but saved the rest of the chopped sausage for dinner,
Sausage and Eggs part 2, posting tomorrow!***
1 tube of crescent rolls or biscuits
about a cup of shredded cheddar
8 eggs
Salt

I didn't use any PAM first, just put a small square size of crescent roll in each tin.

Lightly flour a tart shaper or use your fingers to press each one down to make a little cup

Like so... how cute.

Roughly chop the turkey breakfast sausage (it's already cooked)

Whisk 8 eggs in a bowl... I didn't add any milk. Then I threw in a handful of cheese.

I layered a bit of sausage first. Then I decided I'd do half with crescent roll at the bottom and half without and see if it made a difference.

I poured the eggs into each cup over the sausage, careful not to fill allllllll the way to the top.

Like so.

13 minutes at 350 seemed about right. They popped right out of the muffin pan with no mess behind using a small knife. The verdict... definitely better with crescent roll on the bottom. I bet biscuit would be even better. Superman was wary at first but this morning he ate his in the car!! I see many mini-muffins in my future.

Breakfast for the week! Just pop a few in the microwave for 15 seconds before you head out!

Lazy Sunday Morning

I'm a Saturday morning kinda workout girl. Especially on a perfect 75 degree day like yesterday, I actually enjoy getting up a little early on the weekends to fit a good, longer run in. However, I equally enjoy sleeping in and catching up on my calories on Sunday. :)

I'm the worst when it comes to sweets and baking. If a recipe calls for yeast I usually throw it away. I skim past dessert recipes knowing that I rather spend my time and effort on dinner and scoop some ice cream for dessert. So, I don't even know what to call these.... Coffee cake? Cinnamon rolls? Monkey bread? Given my amateur level status as a pastry chef, I will say they might not be the best you've ever had... BUT they are the easiest and pretty idiot-proof. If I can make these, a monkey can.

Sunday Morning Monkey Bread

2 tubes of refrigerated biscuit dough or crescent roll dough
hal a stick butter, melted
1/2 cup brown or white sugar (I did brown this time)
1 tbl cinnamon
1/4 cup raisins

icy topping: 1/2 cup powdered sugar whisked with 1 tbl milk

Preheat oven to 375.

Spread melted butter on the bottom of a round stone or baking dish

Break up the biscuits or crescent roll dough into one inch pieces.

mix sugar and cinnamon in the butter, and stir in dough pieces.

Pour it in the baking dish or a satue pan, and top with raisins (and I did walnuts too)

Bake for about 20 minutes and then top with the Icy topping.

Voila.

Guest Blog! Strawberry Trifle Heaven...

Well you may have guessed from my lack of posts, or the fact that I said I was having a baby any day about three weeks ago, that there IS finally a new member of the family in our house! She is so sweet, and girly, and constantly adorned in PINK and I love every second of it. Newborns are so nice, and its refreshing to be able to love and cuddle and snuggle without even having to think about schedule, routine or discipline.

Juggling three is definitely a whole new ballgame though and I'm still trying to figure out the logistics of it all. I can't even begin to explain how grateful I am for the many many meals so many kind neighbors and friends have spoiled us with. Its pretty amazing to hear the doorbell ring, and there stands someone with a hot plate of food all ready to go. And at the end of the day when the sleep deprivation kicks in, my patience has worn thin, and the normal craziness of bath/bed ensues, its a LIFESAVER to not even have to think about what we are making for dinner.

So since I haven't been and won't be cooking for a little while, I thought it would be fun to share some of these great meals we've been getting. I'm so excited to add these to my "recipe file" since they are things I would probably never think of on my own to make, but have LOVED!

My girlfriend Meredith brought over this Strawberry Trifle earlier in the week. YUM. This would work for not only for breakfast but as a dessert too! This was such a great idea... we had it for breakfast 2 mornings in a row! And I snacked on it throughout the day! Breakfast time can be JUST as crazy as dinner time... trying to get everyone fed, dressed, lunches packed and out the door for school or wherever. So it was so helpful to have something prepared already in the fridge I could pull out. My friend actually picked these strawberries with her kids! So take advantage of the strawberry season and make this delicious treat!

Strawberry Trifle

a 4 serving size package of instant vanilla pudding mix
2 cups of milk
1 8 oz package of cream cheese, softened (Meredith says to make sure you let this soften up)
1 6 oz container of vanilla yogurt
1 10 oz loaf of frozen pound cake, thawed and cubed into about 3/4 inch cubes
6 cups of quartered strawberries
2 cups of blueberries and/or raspberries
1 Recipe Berry Sauce (optional)

Make the pudding mix according the the package directions, using the milk.

Set aside, and in a large mixing bowl beat the cream cheese and yogurt on about medium speed until smooth. Then stir in the pudding.

Then assemble the trifle in a glass bowl...simply layer a third of the pound cake cubes, a third of the pudding mixture and then a third of the berry mix. Repeat layers twice and then cover and chill for 4 to 24 hours. If you made it, top with the berry sauce and serve!

For the berry sauce - simply blend about 2 cups strawberries or raspberries, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and 1 tablespoon raspberry liquor, rum or orange juice. Cover and chill until ready to serve!

Yes, it tastes as good as it looks!

Sausage Cheese Biscuits

At the last minute we decided we would be having Easter breakfast after church at our house, just my little family and my sister. I quickly brainstormed a go-to breakfast menu... veggie frittata, bagels, fruit, juice, coffee, and sausage/egg casserole. Yes, we were only having one extra person over but it's the Italian in me to make enough food to feed an army in these situations! While talking to some neighbors on Easter Eve, my one neighbor (who is an aweeeesome cook, I ask her what she's making for dinner every time I see her just so I can salivate a little) recommended making these biscuits instead of the egg casserole since I already had the egg frittata.

These were SOOOOO easy. A caveman could do it :)

Sausage and Cheese Biscuits

2 1/4 cup Bisquick Mix
2/3 cup Milk
Ground Breakfast Sausage (like the Bob Evans brand)
about a 4 oz block of cheddar cheese, shredded (freshly shredded cheese melts so much better than the preshredded stuff)... should make 1 1/2 to 2 cups.

Follow the directions on the Bisquick Box for Drop Biscuits... simply stir together the mix and milk. Then add in about 3/4 of the 1 pound of sausage. It seemed like the whole pound would be too much so I went with a little less. Throw in the cheese. Now you pretty much HAVE to use your hands to stir this up really well. Just do it.

Put aluminum foil over a baking sheet and spray liberally with PAM to prevent sticking. Place the drop biscuits about 2 inches apart, and make them to be about the size of your first (unless you're a man reading this, make them the size of your lady's fist :) ).



Put them in a 400 degree oven for 18 minutes. Mine got a little burned because I was experimenting with temperature and time but 18 minutes at 400 should be about right. Just check that the sausage is cooked through.

Then take them out of the oven, put them on a serving plate and stick them directly on your butt. Yes, these are terrible for you, theres no way around that! But they are soooo good! This is the kind of thing that would be perfect to bring to a Brunch. Believe me everyone will be asking you for the recipe!!