Like a blouse or skirt that can be used in different combinations, a recipe that is flexible and useful is always a great addition to your recipe collection. I like this recipe because you can easily substitute just about anything for the blueberries and come up with a winner.
Original Blueberry Scones
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon each of lemon & orange zest, freshly grated
2 tablespoons cold butter, cut into pea-sized chunks
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup blueberries
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Use vegetable spray to grease a baking sheet.
Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and zest in a mixing bowl. Add the butter and blend with a fork of pastry tool until the mixtures looks like rough crumbs.
Beat the milk and egg together in a separate bowl. Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in the blueberries and stir until the dough comes cleanly off the side of the bowl.
Flour your working surface.
Knead the dough on the floured surface until it sticks together. Sprinkle in more flour if it's too sticky and clings to your hands.
Form the dough into six balls. Place them on the prepared baking sheet and flatten each to about 1/2-inch thick.
Bake for about 12 minutes until light brown on top and cool before serving.
You can substitute the blueberries for dried cranberries
Roughly ground cranberries with a bit of sugar makes an equally good scone.
One-half cup of chopped nuts would never hurt.
Chocolate chips are always welcome and even better if you use them half and half with one of the fruits.
Some finely chopped banana sprinkled with lemon juice is good.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Mark Twain's words to the wise . . .
Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.
The Three Wonders of the World in our Own Backyard!
Didn't know that some of the wonders of the world were local, huh? The picture on the left shows our major wonder of the world. The dog that can get a screen door open without help and chew any and everything insight except for her chew toys. The lower picture in the right-hand corner is the Chick's water bowl. It started out as a very large plastic tub that could hold a lot a water. This is important especially when it get so hot so she has access to enough water. She woke us one night, panting and dehydrated. We went to fill her bowl only to find that SHE had dumped it, chewed on it, and left it in the far reaches of the yard.
The next day, my husband put one layer of bricks around the tub so she couldn't tip or yank it over. That night, she was again panting and dehydrated. The bricks had been physically removed and the water tub was off in the distance.
The third day, my husband put TWO layers of heavy bricks around the tub. We got got nights of uninterrupted sleep before she figured that one out. That is when the bricks were wired together. So far, she has only undone the wire once. We have hopes. The secured water tub is our second wonder of the world.
The third one, of course, is our former pool residence. We are hoping and praying that it will soon be buried and no longer on the list of personal wonders of the world. Hope the government doesn't decide it is some sort of sanctuary before we get that done!
Good disappointment . . .
We spent a hectic day, yesterday, getting ready to have company and get the fill dirt to finally bury the hole left by a former pool dweller. The previous owners thought it would be a great idea to put an above-ground pool into a recessed hole. Although our children enjoyed it for a few years, it was more trouble than it was worth. The pool, itself, was removed a year or so ago but getting fill dirt was more of a challenge.
Finally, my husband thought he had found a place from which to purchase and have fill dirt delivered to our home. We lined up some help as we didn't want to have that much of a dirt pile on our driveway for more than a day. The company said to confirm on Sunday evening but never asked for a precise address. They also said it would be $250, cash only. We thought that was a bit odd but never having dealt with this sort of thing . . . There were not many places to chose from around here for what we needed.
Sunday evening, I am trying to advance order pizza for the next day with no luck. The site was complicated and refused to show the sale prices advertised. After 30 minutes, I decided that driving down, in person, and ordering them to be delivered the morning of the work day seemed more feasible. I couldn't understand, however, why I couldn't get this site to work. I'm of more than average intelligence and I know that teens are able to access this successfully.
Meanwhile, my husband is calling the dirt place . . . and calling . . . and calling with no answer. Around nine in the evening, he gets through and the receptionish isn't cued in to anything on the subject so my husband cancels the order and we call off our helpers for the day. Good thing the pizza site hadn't worked, huh?
This morning, after a few tries, my husband finds another fill dirt company. Hmmm . . . they are $50 cheaper and . . . they take checks! Kind of makes you wonder if the other one would have actually dumped the dirt after grabbing the cash? And the company we are going to work with now actually wanted our address and phone number up front. Go figure on their business ethic!
I have found that when things do not go as planned on a project, I need to stop and think why? Every time, I've listened to the caution in my mind, it has turned out to be a blessing. I'm thinking we just got another blessing on this project, too. Guardian angels at work!
Finally, my husband thought he had found a place from which to purchase and have fill dirt delivered to our home. We lined up some help as we didn't want to have that much of a dirt pile on our driveway for more than a day. The company said to confirm on Sunday evening but never asked for a precise address. They also said it would be $250, cash only. We thought that was a bit odd but never having dealt with this sort of thing . . . There were not many places to chose from around here for what we needed.
Sunday evening, I am trying to advance order pizza for the next day with no luck. The site was complicated and refused to show the sale prices advertised. After 30 minutes, I decided that driving down, in person, and ordering them to be delivered the morning of the work day seemed more feasible. I couldn't understand, however, why I couldn't get this site to work. I'm of more than average intelligence and I know that teens are able to access this successfully.
Meanwhile, my husband is calling the dirt place . . . and calling . . . and calling with no answer. Around nine in the evening, he gets through and the receptionish isn't cued in to anything on the subject so my husband cancels the order and we call off our helpers for the day. Good thing the pizza site hadn't worked, huh?
This morning, after a few tries, my husband finds another fill dirt company. Hmmm . . . they are $50 cheaper and . . . they take checks! Kind of makes you wonder if the other one would have actually dumped the dirt after grabbing the cash? And the company we are going to work with now actually wanted our address and phone number up front. Go figure on their business ethic!
I have found that when things do not go as planned on a project, I need to stop and think why? Every time, I've listened to the caution in my mind, it has turned out to be a blessing. I'm thinking we just got another blessing on this project, too. Guardian angels at work!
Easy summer fare for the lunch or dinner table . . .
During the summer months, it is nice to have something sort of warm but still not a hot meal that only add to the outside temperatures. Taco Salad always seems to be a good answer and you can add or substract ingredients according to your own tastes.
Taco Salad (serves 4)
1/2 pound ground beef (depends on how many you want to serve)
Chili flakes
Cayenne pepper
Salt & Pepper
Corn or Tortilla chips
1/2 head lettuce
1 large tomato, chopped
1/2 green Bell Pepper, chopped
3 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup favorite salsa
Black olives, to taste, sliced
Brown the beef over medium heat, stirring to break the meat up into small pieces. Season with the listed spices. Taste for heat and add as desired. Drain the grease.
Divide the chips into four bowls. Add 1/4 of the lettuce to the bowls and top each with 1/4 of the meat, tomato, green pepper, onion, salsa, and sliced olives. Serve!
If you are having a buffet or picnic-style event, you can put out the cooked meat with the condiments and let your guests build their own salad.
Sometimes, I like to add in some pork sausage to the ground beef for a different slant on the flavors. Some shredded cheese would be good, too.
Taco Salad (serves 4)
1/2 pound ground beef (depends on how many you want to serve)
Chili flakes
Cayenne pepper
Salt & Pepper
Corn or Tortilla chips
1/2 head lettuce
1 large tomato, chopped
1/2 green Bell Pepper, chopped
3 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup favorite salsa
Black olives, to taste, sliced
Brown the beef over medium heat, stirring to break the meat up into small pieces. Season with the listed spices. Taste for heat and add as desired. Drain the grease.
Divide the chips into four bowls. Add 1/4 of the lettuce to the bowls and top each with 1/4 of the meat, tomato, green pepper, onion, salsa, and sliced olives. Serve!
If you are having a buffet or picnic-style event, you can put out the cooked meat with the condiments and let your guests build their own salad.
Sometimes, I like to add in some pork sausage to the ground beef for a different slant on the flavors. Some shredded cheese would be good, too.
Sweet Interlude at dinner . . .
I was thinking about what to make for dinner this evening. I realized that, for once, I had cornmeal in the cupboard and instantly thought about Honey Butter! I have never been much for the taste of honey except him Greek desserts. I tried honey butter at a restaurant with cornbread and was instantly sold on the combination. There are two ways to make it but I prefer it without the added vanilla extract. Some people even like to add a dash of cinnamon to their recipe.
Honey Butter
Two tablespoons softened butter
Two tablespoons your favorite honey
Optional additions:
One teaspoon vanilla extract
One teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
Dash of cinnamon
Mix the honey into the slightly softened butter. Add any of the optional ingredients as desired. Refrigerate until needed, however, take it out about 15 minutes ahead of time so it will be spreadable.
The recipe is easy to increase according to your needs. In fact, I like to make a larger batch to have some at the ready in the refrigerator for a few days.
Cornbread is easy! Just follow the directions on the package of cornmeal. Aside from adding more spices, chili, etc., I've found that most cornbread recipes are more than adequate. Besides, aren't we only using the cornbread as a means of conveying honey butter tidily to our waiting mouths?
Honey Butter
Two tablespoons softened butter
Two tablespoons your favorite honey
Optional additions:
One teaspoon vanilla extract
One teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
Dash of cinnamon
Mix the honey into the slightly softened butter. Add any of the optional ingredients as desired. Refrigerate until needed, however, take it out about 15 minutes ahead of time so it will be spreadable.
The recipe is easy to increase according to your needs. In fact, I like to make a larger batch to have some at the ready in the refrigerator for a few days.
Cornbread is easy! Just follow the directions on the package of cornmeal. Aside from adding more spices, chili, etc., I've found that most cornbread recipes are more than adequate. Besides, aren't we only using the cornbread as a means of conveying honey butter tidily to our waiting mouths?
For your added convenience . . .
My college daughter relies heavily on my other blog, College Cuisine and Beyond, for her cooking needs at school. She suggested to me that it would be easier for her to find what she needed, remembered, or wanted from the blog if I labeled them. Duh! Something I should have thought of at the inception otherwise, I wouldn't have had to spend time today revising that! Live and learn. Anyway, I've started labeling the recipes on Crazy Quilts, Catholics, and Cookies, too. Not done yet, but the search engine will now find a lot more of the recipes more easily. I've tried to put in enough labels so they pop up in a variety of word requests.
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