i really need to post the fun things im doing with scones lately and oh i dunno…everything else?  LIFE, WHY DO YOU GET IN THE WAY?

suffice to say, some new flavors happening, plus! i might be getting my name out there with my baked goods.  turning that reputation around on scones!  NEVER FEAR! NOT ALL ARE DRY!

I have come to the conclusion that I run a terrible food blog…because i am too lazy to take fabulous or even subpar photos of my delicious foodstuffs.  oh well. first step is admitting you have a problem right?

Moving on to recipes!  Had dinner with my friend Inessa the other night and she demanded, nay, threatened me to put my recipes up.  Here goes:

Sloppy Joes

ground beef, as much as you would like

1 smallish green bell pepper, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

ketchup

worsteshire sauce

garlic powder

water

Brown meat, add garlic powder.  Add pepper and onions and cook till soft and clear.  Reduce heat to a simmer.  Add about a cup of ketchup. about 2T of worsteshire, and a third cup of water.  Stir and reduce.  DONE!

Serve over buns with potato chips or fries and a pickle!

Easy nacho layer dip

salsa- you pick the temp

sour cream

chilli no beans

shredded cheddar cheese

Layer each ingredient in a bowl. Done, enjoy!

Brownie in a Mug!

got this recipe off pintrest!

1/4C sugar

1/4C flour

2T cocoa powder

dash of salt

2T veg oil

3T water

a mug

mix dry, add wet, mix again thoroughly.  Optional: I added 1T of coffee and stuck a small piece of 90% dark chocolate into the center!  Microwave for 1 minute! IT WILL BE SOOOO HOT!! VOILA! top with favorite ice cream.

*after trying this, we both agreed it was rather sweet, so i might cut back on the sugar slightly next time.

TADA.

My mother keeps giving me recipes from the paper.  Sometimes I keep them, Sometimes I don’t.  They tend to be overly complicated for no reason.  This one though, sounded pretty easy and soooooo tasty.  So here goes:

Dough:

2 1/2C flour

3T sugar

1/2t salt

grated zest of 1 lemon

2 sticks cold butter

1/4C ice cold water.

Filling:

5 large ripe peaches, pitted and cut into 16 slices each…or you know, sliced.

2 pints blackberies

juice of said lemon

3T sugar

1T flour

Finish:

2T honey

1 large egg at room temp

1C mascarpone or whipped cream

Make the dough- combine everything, cut up the butter into the flour with a fork until it resembles crumbs or small peas.  Make a well in the center and add the water, 1T at a time, until ball forms that is not too sticky or wet.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30mins.

Make the filling- slice3 up peaches, add blackberries, and sugar and lemon juice, and flour.  Toss to coat.

Preheat oven to 375. Take dough from fridge and allow to soften enough to roll out.  Roll on lightly floured surface until 16” by 1/4 thick circle.  Transfer the dough to fluted quiche pan or tart pan, letting edges hang over.  Spoon filling into pan and fold over edges until you have 6” of exposed filling. Press edges into pan to form a crust.

Using a double boiler or heatproof bowl over a pot, heat honey until thin and then add egg.  REMOVE from heat to add egg.  You do not want this to cook and scramble!!  Whisk together and brush generously over crust and filling.  Place on baking sheet and bake for 1 hour and ten minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly.

Let cool slightly, and serve warm or at room temp with a dollop of mascarpone or whipped cream.

i may add a pic if i can remember tomorrow.

i was hungering for cookies but i am decidedly terrible at most of them…i dont know why.  anyways, in my standard go to cookbook, there was a fast and easy recipe for banana bars!  they sounded good and i set to making them.  the recipe called for pecans, but i am not a lover of too many nuts, and so substituted them for chocolate chips.  banana and chocolate is always a magical combination.  

anyways, they turned out amazingly.  there is supposed to be a sweet sugar glaze on top, but i think it would be overkill.  im feeling awfully lazy tonight, so no recipe posted here, but refer to the better homes and garden cookbook for it! :d enjoy!

Follow previous recipe for Chocolate Cherry Chip scones, but instead, add FROZEN Andes mint chunks.

Enjoy!

Also, sun tea.  Easiest thing ever if you have the patience.  Fill large bottle with water, add tea bags.  Sit in sun for 1+ hours, as you see fit.  I like mine very steeped, so i let it sit for like a whole afternoon.  :D  add sweetener if desired, chill, and enjoy!  I plan on adding agave and would have added some lavender if i Had some fresh sprigs.  I made basic black and green teas.

So I am running a scone of the month club.  I have one customer so far, but if you are interested in more information, I will post the prices and menu at the bottom of this recipe.

February needed to be decadent, so I though immediately of chocolate.  Any cherries, because they are richer than just cranberries or strawberries.  And well, what’s a bit more chocolate in chip form?  Thus, we begin…

Adapted from an online recipe, I switched out some things and added my fillings.

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick (8 ounces) unsalted butter
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips..or as much as you want. (i didn;t have chips, so i smashed up a semi-sweet chocolate bar)
• 3/4-1 cup buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1C dried cherries
• 1/4 cup confectioners sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 
  
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with floured baking spray. Mix dry ingredients, minus the confectioners sugar.  Cut in stick of cold butter until it is pea sized.  Add fillings.
• Mix vanilla with buttermilk until just combined. Add to the dry ingredients and stir until the dough just comes together.
• Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead lightly.  Form a disc about 1” high.  Cut into equal wedges(8).  Place evenly spaced on cookie sheet and bake for 20minutes or until done.  Remove from oven, let cool on sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.  When cooled, dust with confectioner’s sugar.  Enjoy!

No picture this time, but the direct quote is “So, chocolate chocolate cherry scones… I feel like there should be some law against putting that in my mouth. SO DELCIOUS. I ♥Victoria. You the bestest.”

X’S AND SCONES!!! Scone of the month club!!

—MENU—

Jan: Cranberry Orange Zest
—-
Feb: Cherry Chocolate Chip
—-
Mar: Mint Chip
—-
Apr: Banana
—-
May: Cranberry Lemon Zest with Honey
—-
Jun: Strawberry Rhubarb
—-
Jul: Pinacolada! (Pineapple & Coconut)
—-
Aug: Fruits of Summer with Keylime
—-
Sep: Apple Cinnamon
—-
Oct: Zucchini
—-
Nov: Pumpkin Spice
—-
Dec: Gingerbread with Sweet Glaze

If you are interested, please comment so we can work out a payment plan for you!

You may purchase by month, 6months, or a year.

Prices are:
$12 for 8 large or 16 small scones
$50 for 6 months
$90 for the yr.

Shipping to out of state will be $7, and I will be doing Priority mail.

my roommate, the one who made the fancy marinara sauce, wanted zuke bread.  i wanted it too, so off i went in search of a fancy-ass recipe for her.  

So, a big thanks to the gluten-free Goddess’s recipe.  It’s delicious, airy, and sweetly decadent.  Here’s a link for you:

http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2010/08/zucchini-bread.html

I’ll try to get a pic up of mine. :)  Enjoy!

My friend is allergic to everything.  She cannot have nightshades, tomatoes, potatoes, wheat, dairy, gluten, peppers, and an odd assortment of other things like shellfish, peanuts, coffee, chocolate( WHAT!?!), sunflowers, strawberries, mangoes and grapes.  SO NO WINE!!!! TERRIBLE!

She’s italian.  So that means sauce.  But with no tomatoes, what do you do?  Well, we scoured the internet and came across a recipe that actually totally passes for a ragu.  You’ll be pleasantly surprised!

Tomato-free Marinara Sauce

1 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/3c EVOO

3T lemon juice

1T balsamic vinegar

1 can beets

1 small can pumpkin puree

1c veg broth

1t salt

1t pepper(OPTIONAL)

3T basil

2t oregano

1 1/2t cornstach if you need to thicken it

reserve beet juice

Sautee onion and garlic in oil until translucent. Add lemon juice and vinegar and simmer for 5 mins. Puree beets, use some but not all of reserve liquid. Add beets, pumpkin and seasonings to pot and stir. Stir in broth and simmer over heat for 5 mins.  If too thick, add more broth, if too thin, add cornstarch.  Adjust to taste for seasonings.  If sauce is too acidic, add a teaspoon of sugar or agave nectar.  

That’s it! and its tasty!