saturday scones: pumpkin round 2

this marks the first time i've tried the same thing twice in a row. i've been in such a fall mood with the seasonable cool weather {though monday rolled in much warmer} and nothing quite says fall like pie spices. that's why i had to give pumpkin one more go.

fear not, they're still different.

sunday, october 30th: Pumpkin Pecan Scones

yield: 8 scones

generous 1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1 egg

2 Tablespoons molasses

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

5 Tablespoons brown sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 Tablespoon cinnamon

1 generous Tablespoon fresh ginger, grated

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg 

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed and chilled

1 cup pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped

1/2 cup white chocolate chips.

In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the pumpkin puree, egg, molasses and vanilla. Chill until ready to use.

In the bowl of a food processor, add the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, fresh and ground ginger, allspice, nutmeg and a small handful white chocolate chips. Pulse to well combine. The mixture should be very fragrant. Add the butter. Pulse to form a coarse meal with pieces of butter no larger than pea-sized. Transfer mixture to the mixing bowl. Add the pecans and remaining white chocolate chips. Toss to evenly distribute. 

Slowly stream the pumpkin mixture into the dough base, mixing gently until the dough just holds together. Turn out onto a work surface or sheet of plastic wrap. Knead gently to pull in any crumbs. If prepping in advance, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 425° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Pat or roll dough into a large disc, about 3/4-inch thick. Fold in half or thirds and pat out to 3/4-inch thickness. Fold in half or thirds one more time. Pat into a disc about 1-inch thick. Cut into 8 wedges. Brush tops with egg wash. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Arrange on baking sheet.

Bake 18-22 minutes or until golden, turning halfway through.

note: i love love love cinnamon...this time it seemed a bit much. maybe go with 2 teaspoons instead.

as always, enjoy!

sunday scones: pumpkin pecan

sunday, october 30th: Pumpkin Pecan Scones

yield: 8 scones

generous 1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1 egg

splash buttermilk (≈ 1 Tablespoon)

8 ginger snaps

1 1/2 - 1 3/4 cups flour

3 Tablespoons brown sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg 

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed and chilled

1 cup pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped

In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the pumpkin puree and egg. Whisk in a splash of buttermilk to this slightly. Chill until ready to use.

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the ginger snap until a combination of small crumbs and  cookie pieces forms. Transfer the larger cookie pieces to a separate mixing bowl and the crumbs to a measuring cup. (i had a bit less than a half cup crumbs so i used a 1/2 cup measure). Fill the balance of the measuring cup with flour and add back to the bowl of food processor. Add enough flour to total a combined 2 cups with the ginger snap crumbs. Add the sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, fresh and ground ginger, allspice and nutmeg. Pulse to well combine. The mixture should be very fragrant. Add the butter. Pulse to form a coarse meal with pieces of butter no larger than pea-sized. Transfer mixture to the mixing bowl with the ginger snap pieces. Add the pecans. Toss to evenly distribute. 

Slowly stream the pumpkin mixture into the dough base, mixing gently until the dough just holds together. Turn out onto a work surface or sheet of plastic wrap. Knead gently to pull in any crumbs. If prepping in advance, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 425° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Pat or roll dough into a large disc, about 3/4-inch thick. Fold in half or thirds and pat out to 3/4-inch thickness. Fold in half or thirds one more time. Pat into a disc about 1-inch thick. Cut into 8 wedges. Brush tops with egg wash. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar (i added a dash of allspice). Arrange on baking sheet.

Bake 18-22 minutes or until golden, turning halfway through.

note: turn up the volume on all spices. as usual, this is the first go at this recipe so it's a work in progress. next time i'll likely use at least 1 tablespoon each fresh ginger and ground cinnamon, and some amount more of the rest. i will also sweeten by at least 1 tablespoon brown sugar and add 1/2-1 teaspoon vanilla to the pumpkin puree.

these scones were so soft and tender. delicious, though perhaps next time improved.

enjoy!

priorities

this topic comes up every time we have to make a wedding decision. more specifically, it comes up when it's time to loosen the purse strings for wedding decisions.

prioritizing at work. never a problem. i always kept a notepad on hand to keep prioritized lists.

prioritizing at home. natural and obvious. we discuss what needs to be done and what we want to do and work it out.

prioritizing for the wedding. err...everything can't be a priority. can it?

high priority: photography. we love our photographer and her work. item number one to stretch the budget, if necessary, to accommodate.

high priority: food. we love food. we love to eat. we love to cook together. we want our guests to enjoy things we love. fortunately we can be a bit flexible with the specifics to stay within budget. it doesn't have to be the most expensive entree to be delicious.

high priority: lighting. often overlooked. always important. at least when you're planning an evening wedding outside. what's the point of the rest of it if you can't see. {i'm also addicted to  a beautiful chandelier outside}

high priority: paper. paper sets the tone. it's the first part of the wedding your guests see. if done well, it says something about the couple. i have always loved stationery. i've often said i'd love to own a paperie. and, since the start, hubby-to-be has appreciated beautiful paper, the difference between stock and custom invitations. we want something special. we want our guest to say "wow". we want our guests to keep our paper {we do}.

i have the save-the-date pictured in my head. clearly. unfortunately, i haven't seen anything like the picture in my head. fortunately, i am creative and imaginative and have thought of something that feels like us...unfortunately, i am not an artist. i can barely sketch to save my life {though my cards my suggest otherwise}. we also haven't united on what we want from an invitation. we need intervention. we need a designer. someone that can create what my mind sees and someone that can offer us an invitation that we both love.

we initially found a few promising options. one pricey but beautiful. two a bit more simple but better priced. after meeting the latter two we were trepidatious. neither had prior work that quite fit our vision. our low-confidence prompted a logical question from hubby-to-be: do we just go with the other option and just spend more {ahem. double our paper budget. ahem. without including programs or menus or place cards...ahem.}?

answer: we can't. it's far too easy to flex up the spending. however, a budget is a budget for a reason. whether or not we can spend more definitely does not translate into should spend more.

solution: the search for the perfect fit continues. this next contact is promising. more than promising. i'm almost giddy. face-to-face meeting to come. fingers crossed.

one priority for last week was clear: using some of my peaches so they don't go to waste.

one priority i can happily say i accomplished. in the form of...

sunday, october 23rd: Peach Crumble Scones

yield: 8 scones

for the Scones:

1 1/2 cups peaches, chopped

2 Tablespoons brown sugar, divided

2 cups flour

generous 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed and chilled

1/2 cup candied pecans

2/3-3/4 cup buttermilk

1 Tablespoon honey

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

The night before preparing the dough, combine the peaches with 1 tablespoon brown sugar. Cover and refrigerate overnight, until ready to use.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, remaining tablespoon sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Pulse to well combine. Add the butter. Pulse to form a coarse meal with pieces of butter no larger than pea-sized. Transfer mixture to a separate mixing bowl. Add the candied pecans. Toss to evenly distribute. 

Drain the syrup from the peaches through a mesh sieve into a liquid measuring cup. 

Add the drained peaches to the dough base. Toss to evenly distribute. 

Whisk the buttermilk and vanilla into the peach syrup and very slowly stream the mixture into the dough base, mixing gently until the dough just holds together {i went too fast again. you shouldn't be shocked by this point. learn from my haste}. Turn out onto a work surface or sheet of plastic wrap. Knead gently to pull in any crumbs. If prepping in advance, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Pat or roll dough into a large disc, about 3/4-inch thick. Fold in half or thirds and pat out to 3/4-inch thickness. Fold in half or thirds one more time. Pat into a disc about 1-inch thick. Brush entire top with egg wash and top with crumble. Cut into 8 wedges. Arrange on baking sheet.

Bake 22-26 minutes or until golden, turning halfway through.

for the Crumble:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Mix to evenly combine. Stream in the butter. Mix until mixture forms a crumble.

note: this makes more than enough for the scones.

priority: happy belly

achieved.

a reason to celebrate

note: this post was meant for much earlier this week. and then intended for yesterday (friday). but the day was quickly lost to the gym {only trip of the week. oops.} and cleaning. and afghan cuisine {friday night's dinner. low and slow.}

do you ever just get in a holiday mood?

my sister used to say her favorite music was christmas music. she literally wanted to listen to it at all times. march. june. july. it really didn't matter the time of year she was always in the spirit.

my other sister dated frosty the snowman. he was her boyfriend and there was no arguing that point. he, however, was only around during the holidays.

between the weather shifting into a cooler gear {though since it has shifted back} and the recent time with family hubby-to-be said he was in a holiday mood. so how did we address the christmas craving?

with home alone, of course.

and big, greasy {not so much greasy, because nice slice is soooo delicious} slices of pizza. {the combination of which has become a bit of a holiday tradition for us}

i put on my christmas jammies and we got comfy on the couch. i can't wait for the holidays...but they'll be here soon.

another reason to celebrate?

national fluffernutter day!!

now, i must admit i had every intention of sharing this information with you so you could celebrate the fabulous holiday. i certainly know i love an excuse to consume more peanut butter.

so how did we celebrate that one?

with fluffernutter scones, of course! {finished under the broiler with some fluff}

saturday, october 8th: Fluffernutter Scones

yield: 8 scones

2 cups flour

3 Tablespoons sugar

generous 1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon baking powder

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed and chilled

generous 1/2 cup peanut butter chips

1/2 cup white chocolate chips, divided

3/4 cup buttermilk

2 Tablespoons creamy peanut butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Pulse to well combine. Add the butter. Pulse to form a coarse meal with pieces of butter no larger than pea-sized. Add 1/4 cup white chocolate chips and pulse to chop slightly.

Transfer mixture to a separate mixing bowl and add the remaining white chocolate chips and peanut butter chips. Toss to evenly distribute. 

In a liquid measuring cup combine the buttermilk, peanut butter and vanilla. Whisk to evenly combine. Slowly stream the peanut butter-scented buttermilk into the dough base, mixing gently until the dough just holds together. Turn out onto a work surface or sheet of plastic wrap. Knead gently to pull in any crumbs. If prepping in advance, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Pat or roll dough into a large disc, about 3/4-inch thick. Fold in half or thirds and pat out to 3/4-inch thickness. Fold in half or thirds one more time. Pat into a disc about 1-inch thick. Cut into 8 wedges. Arrange on baking sheet. Brush tops with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake 22-26 minutes or until golden, turning halfway through.

Remove the scones from the oven and set the broiler to high.

While still warm, smear the tops with marshmallow fluff and return set under the broiler. Broil until browned to preference - keep an eye on them it only takes about a minute.

Enjoy!

we ordered more croissants {can't resist a sale} so we had our traditional sunday breakfast, followed by a day full of football.

monday was a little rhody holiday. i say that because it doesn't seem that anyone else had columbus day off work/school {except the mail man}, while in this state, not only was there no work, there were weekend-long festivals...the italian heritage is slightly out of control in these parts. {not a complaint from me. i'll take the food and the italian markets.}

we celebrated in style. literally. we popped into j. crew to find something for hubby-to-be to wear to his step-brother's wedding. i got a little fashion show and he got some food for thought. 

this weekend we're off to boston to hopefully finish that wedding-wear duty...we'll see how that goes.

wish me luck!

an apple kind of weekend

saturday morning started with tender toffee apple scones and was followed by some unsuccessful shopping at bloomie's for friends & family. {though, bloomie's comes with the added bonus of fresh veggie juice and a chicken salad wrap}

{missed photo op: i took this shopping opportunity to don my new bright blue j brand "jeans" - and my delicious black booties...love}

sunday started with more veggie deliciousness.

i call this gem: a good morning kick in a glass
1/3 lemon
1 inch ginger (small piece)

2 beetroot leaves

1 cup spinach
1 cup parsley
1 small jazz apple

create two bundles with each the parsley and spinach. wrap each bundle with a beetroot leaf. juice it all together.

the result is spicy and tart and yummy. wakes ya right up!

then it was off to the orchard for the last honeycrisp day of the season.

last time the conditions were beautiful. this time a little less than. i opted for a long sleeve shirt, jeans and my "fireman" boots. the mister went with shorts and a polo. no jackets for either of us. no check of the weather.

upon arrival it's chilly...and misty...i feel awful because our trip was the result of my prodding. we started, as we did last time, with a cup of coffee and a cider donut each. then we made our way out to the misty fields to make the most of it.

to start, the tractor that pulled up for us was the only one that wasn't covered {we could have walked but the mister thought the tractor would be faster an we wouldn't be as cold...no so much}. the seats were wet but we survived. into the fields we chose the first row of honeycrisps to begin our adventure. the end of the row had been thoroughly picked, but i surmised that people would assume that everyone else picked through the row and not venture further in. i was right. honeycrisp heaven. he finally had to firmly urge me out of the row to make sure we had room for the other sorts. 

our next stops: 

*honey gold: golden delicious with a blush. grabbed a couple

*macoun: the farmer man said they'd be the crunchiest we'd ever tried. they looked like macintosh - my least favorite. we had to try them...the result was a bit tart like a granny smith and it had the snap that we love. grabbed a bunch

*golden delicious: they looked more like the ginger golds that i loved. grabbed a few.

*mutsu: more like a granny smith? we didn't try them, but grabbed a bunch - some, absolutely massive!

41 apples in total.

Do you know what 41 apples looks like?

that. plus we have a little more than 10 left from last time. as we were walking from the field, the mister commented that we could probably fit one more apple in the bag. too bad we were only near the kinds we didn't like. plus we were damp, frozen fingered and ready to go.

one more stop in the kitchen for some cider and more donuts for home consumption {plus one for the road for the mister and an impulse pumpkin whoopie pie for me} and we were homeward bound.

at home we warmed back up with hot cider and indulged in a lazy afternoon of football (and scrabble).

dinner {and missed photo op #2}: homemade ribs. mmmm.

good weekend.

saturday scones: what to do with an apple

we decided to go back to the apple. but, always wanting a new version, we couldn't decide what accent we wanted for this apple experience.

we eventually landed on butterscotch and white chocolate chips.

fast forward to saturday morning: i rise early {-ish. not exactly early for me. but early for normal people's saturdays.} i get right to the kitchen, having not prepared the dough in advance. i find my bag of butterscotch chips, snip it open, pop one in my mouth to confirm our scone decision, and decide i'd prefer a different direction.

toffee.

the inspiration: during our journey to wisconsin we traveled to cedarburg for a "wine & harvest festival." in cedarburg there was a lovely confectionary called amy's candy kitchen. the place should have been called "amy's caramel apple heaven." my favorite momma-pal and i had to have one. she opted for the reese's pieces, i for the pecan dark chocolate. oh. my. word. {spoken a la shirley temple in curly top} 

i didn't actually dig into my apple until we returned home from our vacay and thank goodness the apple survived (completely perfect). the apple was crisp, the caramel was buttery, the chocolate was rich, and the pecans were...salted! a surprise. a delight! sweet and salty!? this is love. {and inspiration}

saturday, october 1st: Toffee Apple Scones

yield: 8 scones

1 medium green apple, peeled, cored and chopped

3 Tablespoons sugar, divided

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 cups flour

generous 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed and chilled

1/2 cup toffee chips

1/2 - 2/3 cup buttermilk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

In a small bowl, combine the chopped apples, cinnamon and 1 tablespoon sugar. Toss to combine. Cover and chill in the refrigerator until ready to use.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, the remaining sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Pulse to well combine. Add the butter. Pulse to form a coarse meal with pieces of butter no larger than pea-sized.

Transfer mixture to a separate mixing bowl and add the toffee chips. Toss to evenly distribute. 

Strain any liquid formed in the apples into a liquid measuring cup. 

Add the apples to the dough base. Toss to distribute. 

Add the buttermilk and vanilla to the apple liquid in the liquid measuring cup. Whisk to combine. Slowly stream the buttermilk into the dough base, mixing gently until the dough just holds together. {seriously - add it slowly, especially when using a moist fruit like an apple. i used too much.} Turn out onto a work surface or sheet of plastic wrap. Knead gently to pull in any crumbs. If prepping in advance, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

note: i don't like making any kind of apple scone in advance because the liquid continues to leach from the apples into the dough.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Pat or roll dough into a large disc, about 3/4-inch thick. Fold in half or thirds and pat out to 3/4-inch thickness. Fold in half or thirds one more time. Pat into a disc about 1-inch thick. Cut into 8 wedges. Arrange on baking sheet. Brush tops with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar and just a touch of finishing salt (like maldon or fleur de sel).

Bake 22-26 minutes or until golden, turning halfway through.

Enjoy!

note: adding pecans didn't occur to me at the time, but would be a fabulous addition. candied pecans even better!

p.s. since my scones are really my own, i haven't quite worked out the right leavening for each. trial and error. i'll get there.

(back to the) saturday scone: cranberry white chocolate chip

vacation pictures. i've never been good at removing myself the moment to capture it.

this hasn't changed.

i will take time out to cook/bake. feeding people is so rewarding.

the only photo from this vacay (at least, the only one i took) is evidence of the food that i baked.

saturday, september 24th: Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Scones
yield: 8 scones

2 cups flour
3 Tablespoons sugar
1/2-ish teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
1/2 cup white chocolate chips, divided
1/2 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk and vanilla. Add the cranberries. Chill until ready to use.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugars, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Pulse to well combine. Add the butter. Pulse to form a coarse meal with pieces of butter no larger than pea-sized. Add 1/4 cup white chocolate chips. Pulse a couple times to chop the chocolate a bit and combine.

Transfer mixture to a separate mixing bowl and add the remaining 1/4 cup white chocolate chips. Toss to evenly distribute. Remove the soaked cranberries from the buttermilk into the flour mixture. Toss to distribute, breaking up any clumps. Slowly stream in the buttermilk, mixing gently until the dough just holds together. Turn out onto a work surface or sheet of plastic wrap. Knead gently to pull in any crumbs. If prepping in advance, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Pat or roll dough into a large disc, about 3/4-inch thick. Fold in half or thirds and pat out to 3/4-inch thickness. Fold in half or thirds one more time. Pat into a disc about 1-inch thick. Cut into 8 wedges. Arrange on baking sheet. Brush tops with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar {again, i used my sparkling sugar}.

Bake 20-24 minutes or until golden, turning halfway through.

Enjoy!

another case of the sunday scone: creamsicle

mr. man-of-the-house is easily embarrassed. i think. if nothing else, he is easily embarrassed by me. so when i told him i was bringing scones to the wisconsinites he was panic stricken.

mr. man-of-the-house: "how will you carry them?"

me: "i want to find something nice that they can keep."

mr.: "okay."

{after stopping in a few stores we found nothing suitable}

mr.: "how will you carry them?"

me: "just in the bag." (zip top that they're currently stored in)

mr.: "where will you pack them?"

me: "i won't. i'll just carry them. don't want 'em to get crushed in transit."

mr.: "through the airport?"

me: "yep. who cares?"

mr.: "i do."

i wasn't stopped. what can i say? i couldn't risk them being crushed.

and what did i bring?

well, wisconsinites = former florida friends. so, appropriately:

sunday, september 18th: Creamsicle Scones
yield: 8 scones


2 cups flour
3 Tablespoons sugar
1/2-ish teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
zest of 1 orange

1 Tablespoon-ish fresh ginger, grated
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
1/2 cup white chocolate chips, divided
2/3 cup buttermilk
juice of 1 orange

1 teaspoon vanilla

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugars, salt, baking powder, baking soda, orange zest and ginger. Pulse to well combine. (the flour mixture should be fragrant - omigosh yummy already) Add butter. Pulse to form a coarse meal with pieces of butter no larger than pea-sized. Add 1/4 cup white chocolate chips. Pulse a couple times to chop the chocolate a bit and combine.

In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk, orange juice and vanilla. Chill until ready to use.

Transfer the flour/butter mixture to a separate mixing bowl and add the remaining 1/4 cup white chocolate chips. Toss to evenly distribute. Slowly stream in the creamsicle buttermilk, mixing gently until the dough just holds together. Turn out onto a work surface or sheet of plastic wrap. Knead gently to pull in any crumbs. If prepping in advance, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Pat or roll dough into a large disc, about 3/4-inch thick. Fold in half or thirds and pat out to 3/4-inch thickness. Fold in half or thirds one more time. Pat into a disc about 1-inch thick. Cut into 8 wedges. Arrange on baking sheet. Brush tops with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar {as always, i used my sparkling sugar}.

Bake 18-22 minutes or until golden.

Enjoy!

sunday scones: apricot, pecan, white chocolate chip

every week i ask where this week's scones rank amongst all scones prior. 

every week the answer is the same: "definitely in the top 3."

these were no exception. packed with chunks of fruit, "chocolate" and nuts, every bite was new and scrumptious.

while i can take credit for the actual recipe, the inspiration came from a description on the cooking channel's show Unique Sweets of a scone from Baker and Banker in San Francisco {a food destination i must get to}.

sunday, september 11th: Apricot, Pecan, White Chocolate Chip Scones
yield: 8 scones

2 cups flour
3 Tablespoons sugar
1/2-ish teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 Tablespoon-ish fresh ginger, grated
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup-ish dried apricots, diced
1/2 cup pecans, roughly chopped and toasted
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk and vanilla. Add the apricot pieces. Chill until ready to use.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugars, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and ginger. Pulse to well combine. (the flour mixture should be fragrant) Add butter. Pulse to form a coarse meal with pieces of butter no larger than pea-sized. Add 1/4 cup white chocolate chips. Pulse a couple times to chop the chocolate a bit and combine.

Transfer mixture to a separate mixing bowl and add the pecans and remaining 1/4 cup white chocolate chips. Toss to evenly distribute. Remove the soaked apricot pieces from the buttermilk into the flour mixture. Toss to distribute. Slowly stream in the buttermilk, mixing gently until the dough just holds together. Turn out onto a work surface or sheet of plastic wrap. Knead gently to pull in any crumbs. If prepping in advance, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Pat dough into a large disc, about 3/4-inch thick. Fold in half or thirds and pat out to 3/4-inch thickness. Fold in half or thirds one more time. Pat into a disc about 1-inch thick. Cut into 8 wedges. Arrange on baking sheet. Brush tops with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar {again, i used my sparkling sugar}.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden.

Enjoy!

rain. the ultimate plan dampener.

creature of habit: part I

routine. 

three day weekends often knock me for a loop. 

sometimes i'm thrown off my game for a day. and sometimes it rains.

this week was gloomy. tuesday's weather didn't help me get back to normalcy, but it was only one day. wednesday only brought more of the same. i'd barely budged from the couch and the house showed it. i'd let myself get sucked in to the gloom. but i still had two days to set it right.

thursday i woke up, made the bed {one chore that i did manage to complete all week}, brewed a fresh pot of coffee, tidied up the kitchen, opened the window. i had decided today was the day. after breakfast, i got myself ready to make my first gym appearance of the week. it was still early. before 8 and all i had to do was finish my water. i would head over in about 15 minutes...

and then something happened.

to say it started raining would be a vast understatement. even though i detest local news, i'd watched enough in the first half of the week to see the rain was supposed to start clearing on thursday. what actually happened it further proof that the weatherman has the best job: zero expectations. where else is it acceptable for people to expect you to get it wrong?

the sky had opened up and any moment that the weather hinted at breaking only brought another deluge. it wasn't too late to go. as long as the weather cleared out before 10a i would still get myself over there. {a little early in the day to throw in towel? since my life-mate is a fickle gym-mate, i try to squeeze in a mini workout in the morning in anticipation of him getting stuck at work late or simply not wanting to go - most often the case} 10 came and went and the rain kept coming. the day was washed out. {and no, that motivation didn't return for an afternoon stint}

so instead i prepped the scone dough for the weekend {you'll find out the sort next week} and did some other miscellaneous pick-up around the house.

Friday is a new day...with sun!

creature of habit: part II.

traditions. 

scones.

saturday, september 3rd: Toffee, Bacon, Toasted Pecan Scones
yield: 8 scones

2 cups flour
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2-ish teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
10 slices bacon, crisped and crumbled
1/2 cup pecans, roughly chopped and toasted
1/2 cup toffee bits
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

{you know the drill}

In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk and vanilla. Chill until ready to use.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour sugars, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Pulse to well combine. Add butter. Pulse to form a coarse meal with pieces of butter no larger than pea-sized. Add bacon. Pulse to combine.

Transfer mixture to a separate mixing bowl and add the pecans and toffee. Toss to evenly distribute. Slowly stream in the vanilla buttermilk, mixing gently until the dough just holds together. Turn out onto a work surface or sheet of plastic wrap. Knead gently to pull in any crumbs. If prepping in advance, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Pat dough into a large disc, about 3/4-inch thick. Fold in half or thirds and pat out to 3/4-inch thickness. Fold in half or thirds one more time. Pat into a disc about 1-inch thick. Cut into 8 wedges. Arrange on baking sheet. Brush tops with egg was and sprinkle with sugar {i've been using sparkling sugar, which i love} and a touch of finishing salt {i wanted to use maldon or flour de sel but all i've got is kosher which worked just fine}

Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden.

Sweet & salty heaven. Enjoy!

destination: scone

every weekend brings the opportunity for david and i to enjoy breakfast together. we do spend workday mornings together but on the weekends we can take the mornings at a gentle pace. no cereal or quick eats necessary.

we have developed a tradition of the saturday morning scone.

while the tradition is the same the scone is ever-changing.

until recently i would hunt for recipes to correspond with my cravings but have since changed my method. i have found that i prefer to perfect a single base recipe and simply modify my mix-ins.

so far, my base is not yet perfect, but i'm figuring it out as i go. forget what i've used before, here's what i'm working with now:

Basic Buttermilk Scones

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 Tablespoons butter, cubed and chilled
3/4 cup buttermilk

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt. Pulse to well combine. Add butter. Pulse to form a coarse meal with pieces of butter no larger than pea-sized. Depending on what ingredients are being mixed in, some may be pulsed in.

Otherwise, turn out into a separate mixing bowl. Add mix-ins. Stir to evenly distribute. Slowly mix in the buttermilk, stopping when the dough almost holds together in a ball.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface - I like to use a sheet of plastic wrap. Gently knead the dough just to pull it together and incorporate any resistant crumbs - I use the corners of the plastic wrap to pull the dough together without over-kneading. If the dough won't hold together, add more buttermilk - slowly, you don't want too much liquid.

I would credit this recipe, but I've really just pulled commonalities from a bunch of different places.

Also, I have been using unbleached AP flour and occasionally experiment with whole wheat flour - to mixed results.

for my birthday weekend i chose the blueberry white chocolate chip concoction i made a couple of weeks ago. they were so divine (and truth be told i didn't do as well the second time around because i didn't write down my recipe and tend to only approximate qualities of the add-ins anyway). admission #2: the scones pictured are the originals - not the birthday version.

saturday, august 27th: Heavenly Blueberry White Chocolate Scones

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3 Tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated (i keep a peeled ginger root in my freezer so this quantity is an approximation from that)

6 Tablespoons butter, cubed and chilled

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

1 cup fresh blueberries, washed and dried

3/4 cup buttermilk

3/4 teaspoon vanilla

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt and ginger. Pulse to well combine. The mixture should be fragrant. Add butter and 1/4 cup of white chocolate chips. Pulse to form a coarse meal with pieces of butter no larger than pea-sized. Turn out into a separate mixing bowl. Add the blueberries and remaining white chocolate chips. Stir to evenly distribute. Add the vanilla to the buttermilk in a liquid measuring cup. Whisk to combine. Slowly stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture, stopping when the dough almost holds together in a ball.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface - I like to use a sheet of plastic wrap. Gently knead the dough just to pull it together and incorporate any resistant crumbs - I use the corners of the plastic wrap to pull the dough together without over-kneading. If the dough won't hold together, add more buttermilk - slowly, you don't want too much liquid. At this point, I like to wrap the dough up and refrigerate it until I'm ready to bake.

When ready, preheat the oven to 400° F. On a floured work surface, pat the dough into a large disc, 3/4-inch thick. Fold in half. Pat down to 3/4-inch thickness. Fold in half or thirds. Pat into a 1-inch thick disc. Cut into sixths or eighths, depending on preference.

Arrange wedges on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush tops with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Bake 20-24 minutes, rotating halfway through, until golden brown.

Enjoy!

admission #3: i missed the vanilla on this round, but i'm only pretty sure i used it the first time around

admission #4: the ginger is an approximation and this last time i don't think i used enough.

if i get it right next time i will fix the recipe.

midweek bake

With the holiday weekend coming up I have a perfect excuse to whip up fun food!

With dishes waiting for me, I figured why not add a couple more if I'm doing them anyway. Plus, I have far too many overripe bananas in the fridge that I've been meaning to do something with.

Today's treat came in the form of Bethenny Frankel's Vegan Banana Oatmeal Chip Cookies. {though I'm now realizing I didn't read the title before whipping them up because my little modifications made a massive difference}.

Modified to:
Whole Wheat Vegan Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies
yield: 18-20 regular cookies or 10 supersized cookies {Bethenny claimed 8}

2 cup whole wheat flour {instead of Bethenny's oat flour, which I'm now thinking just meant oats - based on her picture, which I also didn't pay attention to}
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon {my addition because I love it}

1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup overripe banana (≈1 large banana), mashed
1 cup, sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Whisk to combine. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the bananas and sugar, beating until well combined. With the mixer on medium-low stream in the oil and vanilla. Gradually add the flour, mixing each addition until just combined and scraping down the bowl as necessary. Remove the bowl from the stand and fold in the chocolate chips.

Drop by heaping tablespoons on prepared baking sheet.

Bake 20-30 minutes, rotating pan halfway through, or until tester comes out clean and edges are brown...

Now I made these in 2 batches. The first I did in heaping tablespoon cookies and cooked them 30 minutes {Bethenny said 35 but they seemed well done}. I broke one open and it seemed dry, though I haven't tried them yet. I added a splash of coffee (probably a couple tablespoons) to the cookie dough before the next round. I scooped very generous tablespoons, probably equal to at least 2 tablespoons - maybe even 3. I left them in for 28 minutes and they still seemed well done but when tried were good - maybe a little dry.

If you try it, fiddle with the recipe - I know I will.

I had more banana than necessary for the recipe so I mashed the extra and threw them in the fridge for later use. Maybe tomorrow I'll whip up another round using oats instead of flour...if I do, I'll update with any progress made.

'Til then, enjoy!