Twice Glazed Pumpkin Scones

The calendar says that it is officially Fall...but the weather outside doesn't quite agree. Right now, all of the windows in my house are open, there is a pleasant light breeze, the sun is shining in a cloudless blue sky, and the thermometer reads 83°. It's not your typical Fall weather, but it is absolutely gorgeous and I'll take it for as long as Mother Nature dishes it out.

Despite the balmy weather, when the calendar says Fall, it is time for to bake for Fall. No matter what the thermometer says.

Today I kicked off Fall Baking Season with these delicious Twice Glazed Pumpkin Scones. They are just the right blend of sweet, spice, and pumpkin. The best part is that they are light and moist and basically melt in your mouth with each bite.

 My kids all begged for 3rds...and I'm pretty sure my husband had 4ths.

I won't tell you how many I ate.

Twice Glazed Pumpkin Scones
Source: adapted from Sweet Pea's Kitchen

Ingredients:
For the Scones:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup and 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 large egg

For the Powdered Sugar Glaze:
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons milk

For the Spiced Glaze:
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 pinch ground ginger
1 pinch ground cloves

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger.

Add the butter and toss with a fork to coat with the flour mixture. Mix on medium-low speed until the texture resembles coarse cornmeal, with the butter pieces no larger than small peas.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, cream and egg. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients, and form the dough into a ball.

Pat out dough onto a lightly floured surface and form into a 1-inch thick rectangle about 4 inches by 12 inches. Use a large knife to slice the dough making three equal portions. Cut each of the portions in an X pattern (four pieces) so you end up with 12 triangular slices of dough. Place on prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until light brown. Place on wire rack to cool.

While the scones are cooling, make the powdered sugar glaze by mixing the powdered sugar and milk together until smooth. When scones are cool, use a pastry brush to spread plain glaze over the top of each scone. (Tip: Stick the parchment paper that you used to bake the scones on underneath your cooling rack  to catch all the drips when you glaze the scones--way less clean up later!) Allow to glaze to dry until firm.

While the powdered sugar glaze is firming, combine all of the ingredients for the spiced glaze. Drizzle over each scone and allow the icing to dry before serving (about an hour).

Quick and Easy Dinner Rolls

This is my grandmother's roll recipe from my dad's side, written in my mother's hand on a small piece of notebook paper. It didn't even state what the recipe was until a few years ago when I quickly penned in "Rolls" at the top. For as long as I can remember, my family has been making these rolls. We've had them for Easter, Thanksgiving, and who knows how many Sunday dinners.  They happen to be quick, tasty, perfect for leftover turkey or ham sandwiches, and as it turns out- made for a crowd.

But it seems that I forgot just how much it made. In a rush, I pulled them out for Easter dinner. I quickly scanned the ingredient list and seeing it only called for five cups of flour, proceeded forward. It wasn't until I had already mixed in the yeast, oil, and egg that it calls for...FIVE more CUPS of flour- What?! Needless to say, I ended up with an excess of four cookie sheets worth of tasty rolls. My grandmother must have been feeding our entire extended family when she passed on the recipe. We all gorged ourselves on as many rolls as we could eat, even sneaking a few after dinner. And I froze the rest -which isn't so bad in the end.

 I've given you the original recipe- as you can see passed down from memory to paper and now to computer, from my grandmother to my mother to me. 

Quick and Easy Dinner Rolls (or Grandma's rolls)from the kitchen of Inez Peterson

Ingredients:

6 TBS yeast 

3/4 cup sugar

3 1/2 cups warm water

1 egg

1 cup oil

1 tsp salt

10 cups flour- divided

flour for rolling

melted butter- optional

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 425°.  Lightly grease 2-4 baking sheets or line with parchment or silpats.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine yeast, sugar and water. Stir to combine. Let rise for 15 minutes. 

3. Add to yeast mixture: egg, oil, salt, and FIVE cups of flour. Stir to combine. Dough will be sticky and wet. Continue to stir until all flour is wet and all ingredients are well combines. 

4. Add five more cups of flour, one at a time until dough forms a soft, cohesive, but slightly shaggy dough. 

5. Dump dough out onto a well-floured board, mat, or counter. Continue to knead by hand a few strokes until a dough becomes smooth. 

6. If needed, re-flour board to prevent sticking, and roll dough out to about 1/2 inch thickness. Using a floured biscuit cutter (you can use a floured glass in a pinch) cut dough into circles. Fold each circle in half and place in baking sheet about 1/4 in. apart. Using your index and middle fingers, gently press the folded dough together. (think poking it with your first two fingers). 

7. After the cookie sheet is full, let rolls rise about five minutes. 

8. Bake in preheated oven 8-10 minutes.

9. Remove from oven and brush with melted butter, if desired. 

P.S. When talking with my older sister, she reminded me of a time when we made these at my daughter's baby blessing. Still noticing that it only called for five cups of flour, we doubled the recipe knowing we needed a lot for the big family gathering. Well, 20 cups of flour later, it was all my mom, sisters, grandmas and I could do to get the dough rolled out, cut, and into the oven before it rose up over the bowls, counter and pans. We spent the afternoon baking them all up and sent everyone home after dinner with at least dozen rolls! 

Hot Reuben Dip

I love St. Patrick's Day food. It's just yummy and hearty and filling. Makes me feel like I could go throw some logs with bagpipes playing in the background.

I ran to the grocery store Saturday afternoon to pick up the ingredients for the annual Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner on Sunday. I was feeling a bit impatient though, thinking about the fact that I had to wait a whole other day before I could enjoy that yummy dinner. I gave into temptation and grabbed the ingredients for this quick dip as our little St. Patrick's Day eve snack. It's all the goodness of a hearty Reuben sandwich, comes together in a scant 15 minutes and was gobbled up by all members of the family.

Many thanks go to my friend, Melissa, for introducing me to this snack delight.

Hot Reuben Dip
Source: adapted from The Brown Eyed Baker

Ingredients:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1½ cups (6 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese
4 ounces deli sliced corned beef, chopped
½ cup Thousand Island dressing
¾ cup drained sauerkraut (I like the refrigerated kind. Or at least the jarred kind. I'm not a fan of the canned stuff.)
Cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. In a large bowl mix together the cream cheese and thousand island dressing. Add swiss cheese, chopped corned beef and sauerkraut, mix until thoroughly combined.
3. Spray a pie plate or other shallow serving dish with cooking spray. Spread mix evenly in dish.
3. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until bubbly around the edges. Serve hot with pretzel crisps or cocktail-size rye bread squares.

Cinnamon Roll Cake

Some recipes are just meant to be shared. It's like they were created with friendship in mind; a recipe meant to be passed around, copied over and over and nestled into the cookbook of every kindred spirit's home. They are simple and universally loved.

This cake is one of those.

The first time I tasted this cake was when we were living in the South. My friend, Amanda, was holding a morning playgroup and she made this yummy cake for everyone. She got the recipe from  her friend, Christy, the author of The Girl Who Ate Everything. Amanda then passed the recipe to me and every time I've made and shared it...I've passed the recipe on to another friend and another friend and another friend.

It's just THAT good.

Now you can make it and pass it on to your friends as well!

As a bonus, you can make it anytime; it's cinnamon roll-y enough for a brunch and cake-y enough for after dinner dessert. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Roll Cake
Source: The Girl Who Ate Everything

Cake:

3 cups flour

¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ cups milk
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup (1 stick) real butter, melted

Topping:
1 cup (2 sticks) real butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
3/4 cup chopped pecans, (optional) (I never add these, but I bet it would be tasty!)

Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
5 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350°F.

1. In an electric or stand mixer mix the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, milk, eggs and vanilla. Once combined well, slowly stir in the 1/2 cup melted butter. Pour batter into a greased 9 x 13 inch baking pan.

2. In a large bowl, mix the 2 sticks of softened butter, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and pecans until well combined. Drop evenly over cake batter by the tablespoonfuls and use a knife to marble/swirl through the cake. (Be careful not to over-swirl or all of your topping will end up at the bottom of the cake. This is from personal experience. *ahem*)

3. Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out nearly clean from center.

4. Place powdered sugar, milk and vanilla in a large bowl. Whisk until smooth. Drizzle over warm cake. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Lemon Sugar Cookies with Lemon-Cream Cheese Frosting

I don't know about you all, but I am soooo ready for Spring. As in: it's-42-degrees-out-and-I-wear-sandals ready for Spring.
It's time, folks.
It's time.
Unfortunately, the weather does not agree with me on this point and is stubbornly sticking with Winter and cold winds and threats of school-canceling snowstorms. So I've had to resort to cooking spring/summery foods to bring Spring inside.

These soft lemony cookies are just what the Spring-doctor ordered. They have just a hint of lemon in the cookie and a hint of lemon in the frosting...just enough lemon to make you think budding tulips, sunny blue skies, and a gentle breeze.  If you have any leftover, make sure to store them in the refrigerator; my kids voted that these cookies taste best cold.

Sorry the picture's not that great...I made these for Family Night and they were all consumed before I could get a good pic.  Then Dr. C made them again for me to take to Craft night and I was *of course* late, so I snapped a pick on my way out the door.

Lemon Sugar Cookies with Lemon-Cream Cheese Frosting
Source: Lulu the Baker

For the cookies:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup crisco
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1 Tablespoon lemon zest
2 1/2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 Tablespoon milk
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

For the frosting:
 1/4 cup butter, softened
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 lb. powdered sugar
pinch of salt
fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350°F.  In a large bowl (I use my KitchenAid) cream together butter, crisco, and sugar until fluffy.  Add vanilla, egg, and lemon zest; mix well. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, salt, and baking soda. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture and mix until combined.  Add milk and lemon juice. Mix until completely combined. Roll dough into Tablespoon-sized balls and place on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cookies are just beginning to turn golden on the edges. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

To make the frosting:
In a medium sized bowl, beat butter and cream cheese until smooth.  Add vanilla.  Add powdered sugar and salt.  Stir until well combined.  Mix in fresh lemon juice until the frosting reaches a spreadable consistency.

Basic Cheese Fondue

At our house, Valentine's Day means a fondue dinner.  I've tried out a zillion cheese fondue recipes and this one is the easiest--perfect for a school-night V-Day celebration.  I used Cheddar and Swiss, but you can switch it up and use Gruyere, Fontina, Emmentaler, or even Monterey jack instead.  We like to dip french bread cubes, steamed vegetables and apple cubes.

For dessert, try out an easy-peasy Chocolate Fondue.

Basic Cheese Fondue

1 1/4 cups apple juice
8 oz. softened cream cheese, cubed
2 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
2 1/2 cups grated Swiss cheese
2 1/2 Tablespoons flour
dash cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1. Heat apple juice in fondue pot over medium heat until almost boiling.
2. Add cream cheese cubes slowly, stirring until cream cheese melts and mixture is smooth.
3. In a separate bowl, combine cheddar, Swiss, flour, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder.
4. Add grated cheese mixture to the fondue pot, a little at a time, stirring constantly until cheese melts and the fondue is smooth. If too thick, heat more apple juice and add to fondue until the desire consistency is reached.
5. Serve with assorted dippers.

Lemon Tart with Kiwi and Fresh Berries

My brother worked as a cook at a local restaurant and found his love for making good food. He made this tart not long before he left to serve a church mission in Ukraine.  We hope he makes another one as soon as he gets home.

Lemon Tart with Kiwi and Fresh Berries from Dierbergs.com
"This creamy lemon tart is a show-stopper. Make it the day before guests arrive, then top with fruit just before serving."- Dierbergs Grocery and School of Cooking

Ingredients

My brother and his lemon tart

Crust
1 1/4 cups Dierbergs flour
1/3 cup Dierbergs powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
1/2 cup Dierbergs butter, melted

Filling
3/4 cup Dierbergs granulated sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
3/4 cup water
1 tablespoon Dierbergs butter
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
5 large Dierbergs egg yolks
1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, cubed and softened
3 kiwi fruit, peeled and thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups fresh berries (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries)
Dierbergs powdered sugar

For crust:
In large bowl, stir together flour, powdered sugar, and vanilla until well mixed. Stir in melted butter until well combined. Press crust into bottom and up sides of 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Pierce bottom of crust with fork. Bake in 350°F. oven until light golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack.

For filling:
In large microwave-safe bowl, whisk together granulated sugar and cornstarch. Gradually whisk in water. Microwave (high) for 3 minutes, stirring every minute, until sugar dissolves and mixture thickens. Add butter, lemon peel, and juice; stir until well mixed. In medium bowl, whisk egg yolks until well blended; slowly whisk in some of the hot sugar mixture. Whisk egg mixture back into hot sugar mixture. Microwave (high) until mixture comes to a boil and coats back of spoon, about 1 minute. Whisk in cream cheese. Spread filling in prepared tart crust. Cover and chill several hours or overnight.

To serve: Arrange kiwi slices around outside edge of tart. In medium bowl, gently combine berries. Arrange berries in center of tart. Remove ring from pan and cut into wedges. Dust with powdered sugar just before serving.

Makes 8 servings

Lime Marinated Broiled Salmon

Dr. C and I decided that this year we are going to incorporate more seafood into our diet.  While I love to eat seafood and often choose seafood dishes at restaurants, cooking it myself is relatively new to me.

Don't get me wrong, I've cooked it before, I'm just not as familiar with seafood as I am with beef or chicken or pork.

To make sure that what I cook for my family is edible, I've been trying out salmon (a very forgiving fish) under the broiler. This way even with a new recipe dinner is quick, easy, and tasty despite my deficiencies in seafood cooking.  And once I get my sea-legs, I'll venture out to other seafoods.

Last night we tried out Lime Marinated Broiled Salmon, a quick, easy, healthy, delicious dish.  We served it with roasted red potatoes and steamed vegetables.  It would also be yummy with wild rice or rice pilaf and a fresh garden salad.

Lime Marinated Broiled Salmon
Slightly adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients:
1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (I did a little more--I used all the juice from 2 limes)
1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
2 garlic cloves, chopped
4 (6 oz.) skinless salmon fillets
cooking spray
lime wedges

Directions:
1. Place soy sauce, lime juice, ginger, thyme, and garlic in a blender, blend until smooth.
2. Pour into a gallon sized Ziploc bag.  Add salmon.  Seal and marinate in refrigerator for 1 hour.  Turn bag occasionally.
3. Preheat broiler.
4. Remove salmon from bag, discard marinade.
5. Place salmon on broiler pan coated with cooking spray. (I put mine on a cookie sheet lined with a silicone baking liner)
6. Broil 8 minutes.  Turn, and broil an additional 4 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.
7. Serve with lime wedges.

Chicken Fiesta Soup

Chicken Fiesta Soup is one of our winter go-to meals.  Bright colors and flavors- plus the bonus of quick prep- brighten up those dreary January evenings.

Chicken Fiesta Soup adapted from a Cooking Light recipe
2 tsp. olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup diced red, orange, or yellow bell pepper (or a mix)
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. chili powder  
1 small can (4 oz) diced green chiles
2 cans (14 oz) chicken broth
1 can (14 oz) whole- kernel corn (or 1/2 bag frozen whole-kernel corn)   
1 can (14 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14 oz) diced peeled tomatoes (try fire-roasted for fun) 
 1 can (10 oz) tomato sauce 
2 cups cooked, shredded or diced, chicken (try using a rotisserie chicken- it is super easy!)

1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup shredded mexican blend or cheddar cheese
tortilla chips

1. Heat olive  oil in a large dutch oven or stock pot over medium-high heat. Saute onions and garlic until crisp-tender. Add bell peppers and saute until crisp-tender. Add cumin, Worcestershire, chili powder, and green chiles. Stir and saute about 30 seconds. 
2. Add next six ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 10 minutes. 
3. Ladle soup into bowls, top each evenly with sour cream and cheese.  Serve with tortilla chips.

Serves 4-6

If you like this, check out the posole chicken soup recipe.

Banana Bread 3 Ways: Coconut Lime, Cardamom Pistachio, and Marbled Chocolate

{tap tap}... Um, hello? Anybody there?
We're still here... and still cooking, even though it's been 6 months {Gasp !} since we've last posted. Believe it or not, my iPhoto is full of food pictures, and my children now think it is standard practice to take a picture of their meal before dinner. I just haven't posted. {So Sorry!} But we're back. Happy New Year!

I love my local grocery store, Fareway. They aren't open on Sundays (hooray!) and they sell their almost expired produce at reduced prices- including their bananas. My family LIKES bananas a bit on the brown side, so this is a major plus for our family. However, sometimes I get a little carried away and well, we have lots of brown black bananas.  Luckily, Cooking Light about 10 years ago (gasp again!) did an awesome article on banana bread. Carrie posted the original classic banana bread recipe a while back. Here are 3 of their variations.  Hope you enjoy!

Marbled-Chocolate Banana Bread sligh yle="font-size: large;">tly adapted from Cooking Light, Sept. 2003
2 cups all-purpose flour (about 8 1/2 oz.)
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (3-4 bananas)
2 large eggs
1/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan (I used shortening).
2. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.
3. Place sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well-blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add bananas and yogurt, beat until well blended. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until moist.
4. Place chocolate chips in a medium microwave safe bowl, and microwave at HIGH 1 minute or until almost melted, stirring until almost smooth. Cool slightly. Add 1 cup batter to chocolate, stirring until well combined.
5.Spoon chocolate batter alternately with plain batter into greased loaf pan. Swirl batters together using a knife.
6. Bake at 350° for 1 hour 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.
Yield: 1 loaf, 16 slices. 

Coconut Banana Bread with Lime Glaze slightly adapted from Cooking Light, Sept. 2003
2 cups all-purpose flour (about 8 1/2 oz.)
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (3-4 bananas)
2 large eggs
1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt
3 TBS apple juice
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup flaked sweetened coconut
1  TBS flaked sweetened coconut (for sprinkling on top)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2  TBS fresh lime juice

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease an 9x5 inch loaf pan (I used shortening).

2. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.
3. Place sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well-blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add bananas, yogurt, apple juice, and vanilla beat until well blended. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until moist. Stir in 1/2 cup coconut.
4. Spoon batter into greased loaf pan. Sprinkle with 1 TBS coconut.
5. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on wire rack; remove from pan.
6. Combine powdered sugar and juice, stirring until smooth. Drizzle over warm bread.
7. Cool completely on wire rack.
Yield: 1 loaf, 16 slices. 

Cardamom Banana Bread with Pistachiosslightly adapted from Cooking Light, Sept. 2003
 2 cups all-purpose flour (about 8 1/2 oz.)
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2  cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (3-4 bananas)
2 large eggs
1/3 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
1/3 cup finely chopped pistachios (I used roasted, salted, already shelled)

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease an 9x5 inch loaf pan (I used shortening).
2. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.
3. Place sugars and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well-blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add bananas, sour cream, and cardamom; beat until well blended. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until moist. Stir in pistachios.
4. Spoon batter into greased loaf pan.
5. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on wire rack; remove from pan.
6. Cool completely on wire rack.
Yield: 1 loaf, 16 slices. 

left: cardamom pistachio top right: chocolate banana bottom right: coconut lime

 P.S. It's good to be back. ~W