Lemon Scones

Scones always make me think of Pooh... and I forgot to take a picture!

If you read this blog at all, you know that I love scones! They are so easy and quick to make.  This is a nice sweet scone with just a hint of lemon and is perfect for a nice summer breakfast.



Lemon Scones
2 cups flour
1/4 cup sucanat (or sugar)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, cut in to small pieces
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest
Turbinado or Raw sugar

In the bowl of a food processor (or a large mixing bowl) combine flour, sucanat, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Pulse (or whisk) together. Add in butter and pulse (or cut in) until mixture is in small cornmeal type pieces. Pulse (or stir) in buttermilk and lemon zest just until a dough forms.

Dump dough out on to counter and knead a few times.  Gently pat down dough in to a round disk, about 8 inches in diameter and 1/2 inch thick. Using a pizza cutter (or a knife) cut disk into 8 wedges. Separate wedges and spread out on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Sprinkle tops of scones with Turbinado/raw sugar.  Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until edges and tops are just lightly browned.

Adapted from Pennies on a Platter

Image courtesy of Google Images

Basic Scones

We love scones, but I've never made plain, basic scones.  These were delicious -- just slightly sweet with a nice tender crumb.  I served these with soup, but they would be great for breakfast or with a cup of coffee or tea.

Basic Scones
2 cups flour
2 Tablespoons sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
6 Tablespoons butter, cubed
1 egg
1/2 cup buttermilk

In  alarge bowl, or in the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda.  Cut in butter.  Whisk together egg and buttermilk in a small bowl. Add to dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Knead dough about 10 times. Pat down in to an 8 inch circle. Cut in to 8 wedges. Separate edges and bake on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Buttermilk Doughnuts

I've only attempted doughnuts once and they were just O.K. Definitely not quick enough or good enough to justify the time and energy spent when we have an awesome doughnut shop just down the street! But this morning my son got up super early and my husband cleaned up the kitchen before going to work so I had some extra time to make breakfast. I decided to try a different doughnut recipe.

These doughnuts took me 30 minutes from opening the recipe book to frying the last doughnut hole. I couldn't believe I was done! I used a round biscuit cutter (at least that's what I think it is -- I picked it up at a garage sale) and a corer to cut the center holes. I only rolled and cut the dough twice and then I just rolled it in to doughnut holes.

The only ingredient you may not have on hand is buttermilk, but I find that yogurt usually works as a great substitute for buttermilk. I have started keeping buttermilk in my fridge as a staple because I have so many great recipes that call for it. I thought the original recipe called for 3 cups of flour, but there is no way I could roll the dough with 3 cups so I just kept throwing in handfuls of flour until it wasn't so wet. Very scientific! Turns out the original recipe actually calls for 3 1/2 cups of flour. Ooops. Just add more flour if you need it.

The only directions for frying were to fry in oil. So I used about 3-4 inches grapeseed oil in an enameled cast iron pot.

Buttermilk doughnuts remind me of the doughnuts I used to get at a cider mill in the Fall (I hail from Michigan). But these would be a nice treat for MOM this weekend!

Buttermilk Doughnuts
1/4 shortening (I use palm shortening found in the natural/organic aisle)
1 cup sucanat or sugar
2 eggs
2/4 cup buttermilk
3 1/2 cups (plus a few handfuls) all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Oil for frying

Put oil in pot and heat to 365-375 degrees.

Beat shortening and sugar to blend. Add eggs and beat well. Add buttermilk and blend.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Add to wet ingredients all at once. Mix just to combine.

Lightly flour a flat surface and roll dough 1/2" thick. Cut doughnuts with a 2-3 inch round cookie or biscuit cutter. Re-roll and cut as needed. Place on wax paper.

Once oil is hot, drop 3-4 doughnuts in to oil. Fry each side for 1-2 minutes. Remove from oil. Dust with sugar, cinnamon sugar, or powdered sugar.

Adapted from The Breakfast Book by Marion Cunningham

Bacon, Egg, & Cheese Scones

Scones are quickly becoming one of my all time favorite things to make for breakfast. It also helps that everyone in my family loves scones! When I ran in to a recipe for bacon scones in a recent issue of Taste of Home magazine, I knew I could make my husband's day.

I'm not sure why, but these scones were the lightest, flakiest ones I've ever made. I've always wondered about instructions to make a well with dry ingredients and then add wet ingredients. Well, according to Alton Brown, the well makes it easier to mix the ingredients together resulting in a more tender dough. So I did it this time and perhaps that made the difference.

Bacon, Egg, & Cheese Scones

1 3/4 cup flour
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
14/ teaspoon pepper
2 eggs
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup cheese (or more!)
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (or more!)
Optional: chopped onion

Combine 1st five ingredients in large bowl. Whisk to combine and make a well. In a small bowl whisk together egg and buttermilk. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix only until moistened. Add in cheese and two-thirds of the bacon. Mix just to combine. Pat dough into a round disk on a parchment lined cookie sheet (I bake mine in my toaster oven). Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cut in to 8 wedges and serve warm.

NOTE: This dough is very sticky so plop it on the cookie sheet and just pat down!

Adapted from Taste of Home magazine

Make It Homemade: Corned Beef Hash

One of the only reasons I can ever think of to go out to eat for breakfast is so I can have corned beef hash. I LOVE that stuff! If you have an Original Pancake House around, they have THE BEST corned beef hash (and it comes with the best latkes!). I wanted to try making my own hash so when corned beef went on sale this past March, I stocked up.

This hash is chunky -- not fine like the restaurant. I think I need to chop it up more (thankfully, I have plenty leftover to fiddle with). But it is still yummy and so filling that we skipped right over lunch the day we had it for breakfast.

Homemade Corned Beef Hash
1 pack of corned beef
6 potatoes (or however many will fit in the bottom of your slow cooker)
1 onion, chopped

Wash potatoes and place in the bottom of a slow cooker. Place corned beef on top. Cook on low overnight or until done (mine cooked for about 7-8 hours). Take corned beef and potatoes out of slow cooker and dice into small pieces (whatever size you want). Saute onion in large frying pan until translucent (use oil or butter as needed). Add in corned beef and potatoes and allow to fry until browned.

March Freezer Cooking Day

 It has almost been a month since my very first freezer cooking day. While I did not really enjoy the process of so much cooking in such a small amount of time, I LOVE having all that food in my freezer (and we actually ate all those waffles)! So I'm doing it again.

This time around I'm going to focus on breakfast and lunch items. I don't mind cooking dinner and usually have lots of time to do it (all day!), but I'd like breakfast and lunch to be a bit quicker.

The Plan
Waffled French Toast
Gingerbread Pancakes
Strawberry Muffins
Mini Crustless Quiche (I had a good recipe, but didn't save it -- anyone have one?)
Pizza Rolls (these were a HUGE hit! My husband LOVED them!)
Creamy Chicken Taquitos (have I mentioned I have about 100 tortillas in my freezer?)
Meatballs/Salisbury Steak
Frozen Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches (like Uncrustables, but homemade so better!)

I'll be cooking all week long as I find it too exhausting doing it all in one day, but I do plan to be done by next Monday, March 1st. I'll post my conclusion next week!