Chocolate Chip Scones

These disappeared so fast! The kids loved them!

• Chocolate Chip Scones
• 
  
• Ingredients:
• 2 cup unbleached flour
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup organic sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 egg

Directions:

The easiest way to do this is in a food processor*. 

Put dry ingredients in food processor, whir slightly to mix. Add chocolate chips and cut butter into chunks and put in the food processor and whir until mixed and crumbly.

Beat egg and sour cream slightly and pour into food processor, whir until dough forms a ball.

Place on greased (or parchment paper) baking sheet and press into a circle, about 8 inches. With a sharp knife, cut into 8 pieces (pie/triangles). Bake 15-20** minutes at 400˚.

*If you do not have a food processor, you can do this by hand. Cut the butter into chunks, add the dry ingredients (mixed slightly) and use a Pastry Blender or a Hand Mixer to mix until crumbly.

Beat egg and sour cream slightly and then add to butter/dry ingredients and mix in with a wooden spoon, or knead by hand. The warmer the dough gets, the stickier, so you could start with frozen/grated butter if you are going to use your hands.

**I do 20 minutes on my stone baking sheet, regular baking sheets will probably be a few minutes less.

Serve warm or completely cooled.

Parmesan and Mushroom Tilapia

I've been trying to serve fish once a week, it's been good. I didn't grow up eating much variety of fish, we had salmon, trout and sunfish. So it's been fun trying new things. This would be wonderful for a dinner party! I have it serving 8, but you can just mix the same amount of topping and put it over 4 filets, which would be delicious as well!

Parmesan and Mushroom Tilapia
1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced (or more, to your liking)
1/3 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. onion, chopped
1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley
2 TB yellow mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. shredded parmesan
1/2 c. whipping cream
8 thawed/fresh tilapia filets

Lay the tilapia filets in two 9" x 13" baking pans, mix the rest of the ingredients and spread over filets. Bake at 350˚ for 25 minutes.

Old Fashion Banana Cream Pie

So... today is National Pie Day. How great is that?! Pie is indeed wonderful. I'm glad we have a day to celebrate it!!
As a kid my mom would make whatever we wanted for our birthday treat. I always wanted banana cream pie, but being able to decorate cakes made me pick a cake every time... even though I'm not very fond of cake. But you can't attempt frosting roses on pie...

But when I did get lucky and my mom made Banana Cream Pie- this is the recipe she used. The jello pudding just can't compare.

Old Fashion Banana Cream Pie

Crust
Ingredients:
1 cup unbleached flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Baked pie crust

1/3 cup oil
2-4 tablespoons cold water

Directions:
Mix flour and salt, mix in oil until the flour is crumbly and in tiny balls. Sprinkle in water, mixing until you get one large ball of dough.
Wet the counter with water, lay on a piece of wax paper or plastic wrap. Set the ball of dough on and squish it slightly. Top with more wax paper or plastic wrap and roll with a rolling pin into a large circle. Lift off the top piece of wax paper, slid your hand under the bottom wax paper and flip onto a pie pan. Peel the wax paper off and press the dough into the pie pan. Fold the edges in or cut them off. Prick holes in the crust with a fork. Bake at 400˚ for 15 minutes.

Pour cream over the bananas in pie crust.

Cream Filling
Ingredients:
2/3 cup organic sugar
3 tablespoons arrowroot powder (or cornstarch)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 egg yolk (save the whites)
1 tablespoon butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
*2-4 bananas

Directions:
Mix sugar, arrowroot powder and salt in a medium sauce pan. Mix in milk and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. When it comes to a boil, allow to boil for 1 minute while stirring. Remove from heat. Lightly mix eggs and then slowly add hot milk mixture to eggs- stirring eggs constantly. After you about about 1/3 of the mixture mixed into the eggs, pour the egg mixture into the saucepan. Return to heat. Bring to a second boil and again boil 1 minute while stirring. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Slice bananas and put into crust. Pour cream over the bananas in pie crust.

Drop meringue in spoonfuls around
the edge of your pie

Meringue
Ingredients:
3 egg whites
1/3 cup organic sugar

Directions:
Whip egg whites with an electric mixer until soft peaks start to form. Gradually sprinkle in sugar while you continue mixing.

Once sugar in incorporated, drop meringue in spoonfuls around the edge of your pie- making sure that the meringue touches the crust of the pie. Fill in the middle and then using a spatula or spoon pull up points of meringue.

using a spatula or spoon pull up
points of meringue

Bake at 400˚ for 10 minutes.

Cool pie to room temperature or chill in the fridge.

Cranberry Scones

Cranberry Scones

• Ingredients:
• 2 cup unbleached flour
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 c. craisins (dried cranberries)
• 1/3 cup organic sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 egg

Directions:

The easiest way to do this is in a food processor*. 

Put dry ingredients and cranberries in food processor, whir slightly to mix. Cut butter into chunks and put in the food processor and whir until mixed and crumbly.

Beat egg and sour cream slightly and pour into food processor, whir until dough forms a ball.

Place on greased (or parchment paper) baking sheet and press into a circle, about 8 inches. With a sharp knife, cut into 8 pieces (pie/triangles). Bake 15-20** minutes at 400˚.

*If you do not have a food processor, you can do this by hand. Cut the butter into chunks, add the dry ingredients (mixed slightly) and use a Pastry Blender or a Hand Mixer to mix until crumbly.

Beat egg and sour cream slightly and then add to butter/dry ingredients and mix in with a wooden spoon, or knead by hand. The warmer the dough gets, the stickier, so you could start with frozen/grated butter if you are going to use your hands.

**I do 20 minutes on my stone baking sheet, regular baking sheets will probably be a few minutes less.

Serve warm or completely cooled.

Taco Seasoning

After doing our Refined Sweetener Free Challenge last year, I have been much more conscience of "sugar" being in things where it is not necessary. Taco seasoning is one of those.

Taco Seasoning


 Ingredients:
1/3 c. Chili Powder
2 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. crushed red pepper
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. paprika
3 TB cumin
2 TB sea salt
1 TB ground black pepper

Directions:
Mix together and use to taste. This makes enough for approximately 6 meals, I don't measure when I use it- I sprinkle it on until it tastes the way I want.

Basic Scones

To start off our Saturday Scones... here is my basic recipe and the one that I will be changing slightly for all the other variations. This is really delicious as it is and if you like plain scones- this is an awesome recipe!

One of our friends built me a window seat- for scones. They are just that good.

• 
  
• Basic Scones
• 
  
• Ingredients:
• 2 cup unbleached flour
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/3 cup organic sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 egg

Directions: (Pictures below)
The easiest way to do this is in a food processor*. 
Put dry ingredients in food processor, whir slightly to mix. Cut butter into chunks and put in the food processor and whir until mixed and crumbly.
Beat egg and sour cream slightly and pour into food processor, whir until dough forms a ball.
Place on greased (or parchment paper) baking sheet and press into a circle, about 8 inches. With a sharp knife, cut into 8 pieces (pie/triangles). Bake 15-20** minutes at 400˚.


*If you do not have a food processor, you can do this by hand. Cut the butter into chunks, add the dry ingredients (mixed slightly) and use a Pastry Blender or a Hand Mixer to mix until crumbly.
Beat egg and sour cream slightly and then add to butter/dry ingredients and mix in with a wooden spoon, or knead by hand. The warmer the dough gets, the stickier, so you could start with frozen/grated butter if you are going to use your hands.


**I do 20 minutes on my stone baking sheet, regular baking sheets will probably be a few minutes less.
Serve warm or completely cooled.

Slightly mix dry ingredients

Cut up butter and add to dry ingredients, whir until crumbly

Beat egg and sour cream together.

Pour egg and sour cream mixture into food processor.

Mix until dough forms a ball.

Enjoy!

Help for a Fellow Blogger...

I've been a fan of Dawn Meehan's for several years. She has made me laugh so hard tears were streaming down my face! She is going through a very difficult time right now and I want to help spread the word- we can help her. Her website manager hijacked her blog and gave some excellent suggestions on how to help.

You can also donate:




Or support her work and help open doors for new writing contracts by buying her book:

Saturday Scones

I sat down the other day thinking about scones. I like scones. I guess it started when I was a teenager and started collecting teacups and then continued when I got married and had my own home, where I would try all kinds of recipes. I made scones and had friends over for afternoon tea. I don't remember any of the scones being incredible, but I enjoyed them all.
A few years ago when our daughter was born, a friend came by with a gift and scones. They were the best scones I had ever had! They come from a bakery here in town and I've tried hard to recreate them, but I haven't gotten there yet. I did find a recipe that is excellent, so I will share that on our first Saturday, and I will adjust the recipe as I try different types of scones.
I have almost 50 scone varieties on my list of ones to try. Which means, I should be able to do a year of "Saturday Scones". How delicious!! So, come on back every Saturday and see what's cooking! (Er... baking.)

Soaked Wheat Pancakes

I have been learning more about soaking grains making them easier to digest and have more nutritional value. So we can get more vitamins and minerals out of the grains!

Soaked Wheat Pancakes
2 c. Milk
2 TB kefir, whey, lemon juice, or vinegar
---mix together than add:
2 c. soft wheat flour (if using lemon juice or vinegar, add another 1/2 c. flour)
Mix well and allow to sit overnight in a warm place. I set mine in the oven and leave the oven light on, since our house cools down to 60˚ at night.
The next morning mix in:
2 eggs
1/3 c. melted coconut oil or butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda

Fry on hot griddle, they come out thinner than typical pancakes and I allow all the bubbles to rise to the surface and pop before I flip them, otherwise they are a bit doughy in the middle.

The kids like theirs with peanut butter and honey!

Cinnamon Raisin Muffins

I love Muffins for breakfast with scrambled eggs and a glass of milk, or for lunch with fruit and cheese. They don't last too long at our house though if they are made in the middle of the day... too many people like to snack on them (ok, mainly Brian...) lol!

Cinnamon Raisin Muffins
2 1/2 c. soft wheat flour
1/4 c. honey
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. milk
1/4 c. melted butter or ghee
1 egg
1/2 c raisins

Mix thoroughly and pour into greased or papered muffin tins. Bake 15 to 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Makes 12 muffins