The Only Thing We Got Out of the Royal Wedding Was a Hankering for Scones

I've got a fun kid activity post idea, but it's going to take some preparation.  In the meantime, since things got busy after Spring Break and I haven't posted in awhile, I share with you one of my favorite recipes.  It's Teacher Appreciation Week, and we sent in some goodies to the kind ladies who manage my children a couple days a week.  I hope they enjoyed!

We love scones here.  We're not British (well, maybe way back down the line).  We weren't enthralled by the royal wedding.  But we do love a good tea party.  We've made scones from mixes, from Bisquick, and from fancy Food Network recipes.  We buy them from shops.  The very best we've had come from Market Salamander in Middleburg, VA (Resisting temptation to diverge into a road trip post.  Another time.  I promise it'll be good).  Anyway, scones: Butterscotch pecan.  Out of this world.  We also love 'em from Ukrops' (oh, ok, fine.  Martin's).  And this recipe tastes a lot like those.  Better than the mixes and the Alton Brown scientific scone-making method.

The original recipe calls for apricots, but I always throw in craisins instead because we have them on hand. I also cut them in eighths instead of sixths, because really, it's a lot of scone for one serving.  For the first time, I noticed the chocolate/almond variation, and I'm going to try that next.  With perhaps toffee chips.  Yum.  Anyway, I've made these before and been asked for the recipe, so I guess it's a keeper.  They're moist and cake-y and all sorts of good.

Cranberry Orange Cream Scones

2  cups all-purpose flour

3  tablespoons granulated sugar

3  teaspoons baking powder

2  teaspoons grated orange peel

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chopped dried apricots

1/2 cup white vanilla baking chips

1 1/3 cups whipping cream

1 cup powdered sugar

2 to 3 tablespoons orange juice

Heat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease cookie sheet. In large bowl, mix flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, orange peel and salt until well blended. Stir in apricots and baking chips. Add whipping cream all at once; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened.

On lightly floured surface, knead dough 6 or 7 times until smooth. Divide dough in half. Pat each half into 6-inch round; cut each into 6 wedges. Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.

Bake 10 to 13 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in small bowl, mix powdered sugar and enough orange juice for desired drizzling consistency. Drizzle icing over warm scones. Serve warm.

Cranberry-Pecan Scones: Substitute dried sweetened cranberries for the apricots and add 1/2 cup chopped pecans with the cranberries. Double Chocolate-Almond Scones: Omit orange peel and apricots. Stir in 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips with the white baking chips. Add 1/4 teaspoon almond extract with the whipping cream. For the icing, substitute water for the orange juice and stir in 1/4 teaspoon almond extract. Sprinkle tops of iced scones with 2 tablespoons sliced almonds.

For the lightest, most tender scones, quickly mix and shape the dough, handling it as little as possible. Use only a sprinkle of flour on the work surface.

Using whipping cream in this recipe eliminates the need for butter and eggs. The high fat content in the cream makes them very tender and rich.

Woo-hoo! Wild & Crazy Spring Break '11

The girls and I were fortunate to spend Spring Break with my sister in law and her family at the beach.  There are a couple of places that we always have to hit here in Myrtle - the buffet, the pizza arcade, the burger joint right on the beach.  We try to cook dinner at the house a couple of times since it's better for the waist line and the wallet.  But I don't like to put too much effort into it, because who wants to spend their time in the kitchen on vacation?

Our solution is the slow cooker.  Luckily, the condo here has one.  But I think it might be worthwhile to stick one in the car if you don't think your vacation home has one.  It's a little effort to pack, but gives you more time at the beach.  And isn't that why you're there in the first place?

So here's what we made this week:


Crock Pot Shredded BBQ Chicken

4-5 Chicken breasts (fresh or frozen are fine)
12 oz BBQ sauce
1/2 c. Italian dressing
1/4 c. brown sugar
2 Tbsp Worcestershire
2-3 Tbsp dried minced onions
dash of Liquid Smoke--optional

Spray Crock Pot with Pam. Put chicken in and top with other ingredients. Cook 3-4 hours on high (6-8 on low). Shred chicken and return to pot. Sauce appears watery until you put the shredded chicken back in and then it thickens up.

My friend Meg sent this to me and I make it regularly.  My husband is a BBQ snob and prefers to spend all weekend smoking a pig out in the driveway.  But popping this in at 9 am for a quick meal at 5 has a LOT of value.  And it's really tasty, too.  We're cooking up some mac & cheese and slicing up a cantaloupe to go with it.  I use this for "helping hands" meals, too.

Green Chile Pulled-Pork Tacos

 

1 to 2 tablespoons chipotle chili pepper powder

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 boneless pork loin roast (2 1/2 lb), trimmed of fat

1 poblano chile, chopped

1 jar (16 oz) Old El Paso® Thick 'n Chunky green chile salsa (I use 2 cans of salsa verde, which is cheaper)

 

Spray 4- to 5-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. In small bowl, mix chili pepper powder, oil and salt. Rub mixture over pork; place in cooker. Sprinkle with poblano chile. Pour salsa over top.

 

Cover; cook on Low heat setting 8 to 10 hours.

Remove pork from cooker; place on cutting board. Shred pork with 2 forks; return to cooker and mix well.  (I shred it directly in the cooker).

 

Notes:

Use regular chili powder in place of chipotle chili pepper powder for less heat.

The poblano chile is triangle- or heart-shaped, about 2 1/2 to 3 inches across at its widest part and 4 to 5 inches long. It's dark green in color—sometimes almost black—and ranges from mild to hot in flavor.

 

We LOVE LOVE LOVE this recipe.  Serve it with chips and salsa.

I omitted a few ingredients for ease of packing.  For the chicken, I skipped the Worcestershire sauce because it wasn't easy to pack and I didn't need a lot.  For the tacos, I didn't have a pepper so I skipped that.  For both recipes, I brought a bottle of dressing, BBQ sauce, 2 cans of salsa verde, brown sugar (in a plastic bag) and the spices with me.  

Cook it up in a plastic slow cooker liner and the clean up is a non-factor, giving you plenty of time to hit the beach after dinner!

Basketball is my favorite sport...

I love the way they dribble up and down the court.

Remember that gem?  I seem to recall it playing on a bus during a field trip, probably in 5th or 6th grade.  I guess some things are best left in the '80's.

We support a few teams here in our household.  (Go Hoos! We're still waiting for that breakout season!)  This year we've had a thrill with the University of Richmond Spiders reaching the Sweet 16, and the VCU Rams playing in the Final Four.  We're planning on watching the VCU game tomorrow night with our extended family, many of whom received advanced degrees from the university.  As usual, this means fantastic snacks are in order.  I have a few favorites that meet a few important criteria:  fast, cheap and delicious.

Warm and Creamy Bacon Dip is so easy to put together!  Just throw some dairy in a bowl, mix it up, and put it in the oven.  I serve it with crackers, veggies, and Beer Bread.

I love Beer Bread.  I was introduced to it at a Tastefully Simple party, and then discovered that Target sold the mix for considerably less.  It was a sad day when I found that my Target no longer carried the mix.  A simple search turned up a recipe that contains only flour, sugar and beer.  Are you kidding?  After paying $6 for a package of Tastefully Simple mix, you mean I could pay $2 for a bag of flour that would give me 3 or 4 loaves?  And thanks to my father in law, there is always a case of Miller Lite in the garage fridge.  I prefer the lighter beer, Bobby likes it darker.  The bread does seem heavier with a darker beer.

The final recipe, Artichoke and Spinach Dip, is a little more expensive to make.  But you throw it all in the crock pot!  You need one of those cute little slow cookers meant for dips.  Cut up your ingredients, throw them in, and let them cook for a few hours.

We love watching big sporting events for the food as much as the athletics.  If you all are watching some basketball this weekend and want to nibble on something tasty, try one of these out.  And if you have a suggestion of your own, please share!  GO RAMS!

Warm and Creamy Bacon Dip

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 cups Daisy Brand Sour Cream
3 ounces bacon bits
2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup green onion, chopped

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, combine all ingredients. Place the mixture in a 1-quart baking dish. Cover. Heat the dip for 25-30 minutes or until hot. Serve with assorted fresh vegetables, crackers and/or chips. *Serving option: Dip may also be placed in hollowed round sourdough loaf, wrapped in foil and heated in 400 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Note: I use 2% cheese, low fat sour cream, and neufchatel cheese (light cream cheese) and it turns out great.

Serve with veggies, crackers and Beer Bread

Beer Bread

1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer
3 cups self-rising flour
3 tablespoons white sugar

In a large bowl, mix together the sugar and flour. Add beer and continue to mix, first using a wooden spoon, then your hands. Batter will be sticky. Pour into a 9 x 5 inch greased loaf pan.  Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees ) for 50 for 60 minutes. The top will be crunchy, and the insides will be soft. Serve topped with butter or cheese spread. 

Note: I add 1/4 stick melted butter to the top of the bread BEFORE baking.

With this recipe, the finished bread actually has a slight beer flavor

 

Cube it up for spreading and dipping

Slow Cooker Southwest Artichoke and Spinach Dip

1  can (14 oz) artichoke hearts, drained, coarsely chopped

1  box (9 oz) Green Giant® frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed to drain

1  package (8 oz) cream cheese, cubed, softened

1  can (4.5 oz) Old El Paso® chopped green chiles, undrained

1/2  medium red bell pepper, chopped (about 1/2 cup)

1/2  cup shredded pepper Jack cheese (2 oz)

1  bag (14 oz) round tortilla chips

Spray 1- to 1 1/2-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. In medium bowl, mix all ingredients except pepper Jack cheese and tortilla chips; spoon into cooker.

Cover; cook on Low heat setting 2 to 3 hours.

Stir pepper Jack cheese into artichoke mixture. Cover; cook on Low heat setting about 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Serve with tortilla chips.

Remember, share your favorites, too!  I'm always looking for a great new recipe!

Embracing the Muffin Top

I realized sometime over the weekend that it was MY turn to host Pie's playgroup.  Normally, we like to have a little something for the moms and kids to snack on.  But I was a solo parent this weekend and was not about to take two children grocery shopping.  What did I have in my pantry and refrigerator that I could put together quickly?  Not much.  Bisquick.  At least two eggs.  Some oil.  Lots of jambalaya mix (it was on sale).  No milk, but my mom helped me out there (thanks, Mom!)  I went to Bisquick's website to see what I could dig up.

The ironic thing is that I collect cookbooks.  I own so many that I've weeded them out and sold them at yard sales on occasion.  Do I consult these books when I need to try something new?  No!  I go to the internet!   I especially love product sites because the ideas are simple with ingredients already on hand.  I "like" these companies on Facebook and get yummy recipes posted on my wall daily (see Betty Crocker, Taste of Home, Pillsbury, Southern Living).  My favorite cookbook is my 3 ring binder stuffed with print outs, hand written family recipes, and magazine clippings - contained in plastic sheet protectors, one of the best ideas I've ever had.  Perhaps that's not saying much.  Anyway, I bet you a dollar that I already have the recipe I printed out online in my Bisquick cookbook.


Here's the thing: It's really not much more effort to find a simple recipe rather than opening up a box of muffin mix from the store, and the results are SO MUCH BETTER.  Don't be afraid.  Give it a try!  It doesn't take long - chopping up one apple took the most time here.


Apple Cheddar Muffins

1	egg
2	cups Original Bisquick® mix
3/4	cup coarsely chopped peeled cooking apple (1 med. apple, I used Braeburn)
2/3	cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/3	cup sugar
2/3	cup milk
2	tablespoons vegetable oil
1	teaspoon ground cinnamon

Heat oven to 400°F. Grease bottoms only of 12 regular-size muffin cups with shortening, or line with paper baking cups. 

In medium bowl, beat egg slightly. Stir in remaining ingredients just until moistened. Divide batter evenly among cups. 

Bake 17 to 19 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Everyone seemed to like the muffins, but the most important thing is that I didn't need to make a special trip to the grocery store or spend hours in the kitchen to put something warm and delicious on the table.

Hey! I Want My Hour Back!

Normally I disregard most e-mails I receive from Baby Center. It's not a bad resource, especially if you're a first-time mom. I remember eagerly checking out what my baby looked like at 8 weeks (a shrimp), then 20 weeks (an alien), etc. I loved lurking on the Girls' Names message board because so many of the ladies there shared my taste, and there was always the occasional laugh at someone who was floating something outrageous by for review. But as I became more confident in my parenting ability, I stopped looking up when to introduce what foods and just went with what worked.

Landing in my in-box this week, though: How to Get an Hour Back Everyday. Yes! Sign me up! What would I do with that hour? Read a book? Indulge in a home-made spa remedy? Paint my nails? Eh, more likely waste it on Facebook or feeling guilty for not channeling it into work.

So here's what I find particularly helpful:

• Make sandwiches for the week on Sunday and take them out each morning (or the night before).
• Keep a freezer inventory taped to your refrigerator door, with all of the items currently living in your freezer. Check them off as you use them. I might have to try this as I think we still have a bag of scallops that expired last year lurking in the back, out of sight.

And helpful ... at first glance:

• Keep a clothes box handy for outgrown clothes. I actually do this, as I downgrade from Bug's closet to Pie's. The problem is that I'm too lazy to take it up to the attic so it has a permanent place on the floor in Bug's room. And it often collects laundry that I fail to put away. So if you have easily accessible storage space and the willpower to stick the tub there, go for it.
• Keep a "to-do" bag that you take with you. This seemed like a brilliant idea until I tried to think of what to put in a to-do bag. Everything is done electronically these days, so wouldn't this just be your iPhone or a laptop?
  

Thanks, but I think I'll skip:

• Bagging up my kids' clothes by outfit to make clothing selections easy in the morning
  
• Assigning each kid a color so that all of their belongings are easily identifiable
• Just not putting away the laundry at all
  

Yeah, no kidding:

• Take a nap
• Make your spouse pull his weight
• Get up early

Here's my contribution:

I create a weekly menu on Sundays, and sync it with a weekly calendar. Both of these are magnetized and hang on the refrigerator door. When I go to the grocery store on Sunday or Monday, I make sure I have all the ingredients for the meals. Don't be too impressed, though. If I didn't do this, I'd forget to take my kids to school and we'd never have anything to eat. And we still sometimes chuck it all for kids' night at Chick Fil A.

Finally, love your crock pot/slow cooker. There's always enough for a second meal. And sometimes, if dinner isn't on by 9 am, it's not getting made.

Any other ideas out there? I could use a few extra minutes to dry my hair in the morning...