* 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 4 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/4 cup white sugar + 1 tbsp sugar reserved
* 5 tablespoons butter
* 1/2 cup dried currants or raisins, dried strawberries, or whatever you want.
* 1/2 cup milk
* 1/4 cup sour cream
* 1 egg
* 1 tablespoon milk
*zest of 2 lemons, or an orange, or a lime, again whatever you want
strawberries and lemon are good, and blueberries and lime are good.
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). 2. Sift the flour, baking powder, and sugar into a large bowl. Cut in butter using a cheese grater or rubbing between your fingers until it is in pea sized lumps. Stir in the currants or whatever fruit you choose. Mix together 1/2 cup milk and sour cream in a measuring cup. Grate your zest into this mixture. Pour all at once into the dry ingredients, and stir gently until mostly blended. A little flour not fully mixed in is about when you should stop. Overworking the dough results in terrible scones! 3. With floured hands, pat scone dough into balls 2 to 3 inches across, depending on what size you want. The dough is very sticky so just do the best you can. They don't have to be perfect. Place onto a baking sheet, and flatten lightly. Do not grease sheet, there is plenty of butter in the scones that will take care of the sticking and you may end up with burnt bottoms if you grease. Let the scones barely touch each other. Whisk together the egg and 1 tablespoon of milk. Brush the tops of the scones with the egg wash, and sprinkle each with a little bit of sugar. 4. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until the tops are golden brown, not deep brown. Allow to cool slightly before eating.
I made this batch into 4 big scones and if you do that then they are 10 weight watchers points a piece. Ouch!!!
This recipe does not come out tasting like coconut one bit. Its just as good if not better than store bought dairy ice cream. My ice cream maker is pretty small so if yours is a big one double this recipe. Also, if you leave out the egg, which is totally fine, this recipe is vegetarian.
INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup sugar 3/4 cup water 1 egg yolk 1 13-15 oz can of coconut milk 1/2 cup or more strong coffee cooled 1/2 cup cocoa powder 1 tbsp vanilla 3 tbsp Nutella
In a pot that is not Teflon coated combine the sugar and the water and heat over medium high heat until sugar is dissolved. This is called a simple syrup. Remove pan from heat and whisk in the egg yolk. Add the coconut milk, coffee, cocoa powder, and vanilla. Whisk together. Return the pot to medium heat. You want to see steam coming off the top but you don't want the mixture to be boiling. Reduce the mixture for about 15 minutes. Transfer to a container and cool. Add to your chilled ice cream maker and churn as directed. When the ice cream is nearly done add the nutella and continue to churn so the nutella is spread throughout. Please note that I did all these ingredients to taste so just add as much or as little of whatever you want until the unfrozen mixture tastes good to you. If it tastes good hot it will taste good frozen too. :))
Now I know that some of you snobs out there are going to balk at the very notion, but these yumbags are made from a box. I know, I know its sacrilege, but you know what? Too bad. This recipe is yummy. It is actually found on the side of the Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Strawberry Supreme box. I just made a few minor adjustments. I usually just make this in a sheet pan, but I wanted to try them as cupcakes this time. Also, the icing usually calls for vanilla pudding but I wanted to try lemon pudding to see if the combo of strawberry and lemon went well together because I love lemon.
Ingredients 1 box Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Strawberry Supreme 3 eggs 1 1/3 cups water 1/3 cup vegetable oil 1/2 of a 10 oz package sweetened frozen sliced strawberries, thawed 1 cup milk 1 package (4-serving size) lemon instant pudding and pie filling mix 2 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed 1 piping bag or zip-lock bag 24 cupcake papers 1 or 2 cupcake tins
Follow the package directions for basic recipe on the back of the box. Fill muffin cups 3/4 of the way to the top so you have a nice flat surface to pipe icing onto. I found that I had to cook them about 10 minutes longer than the box says but every oven is different. Let cupcakes cool completely before icing, otherwise the whipped topping in the icing will melt.
Combine entire package of lemon pudding mix with one cup of milk and beat for 2 minutes. (Do not store in refrigerator while waiting for cupcakes to cool or you will have difficulty mixing pudding with whipped topping)
Fold 2 cups of thawed whipped topping into pudding gently until blended (sorry, forgot to take picture of this step)
Puree strawberries in a blender and place in a piping bag, or zip-lock bag.
Take a chopstick and poke two holes in each cupcake. (It looks like a vampire attacked my kitchen.)
Cut a very, very, very small hole in the corner of your zip-lock bag, or if you are using a piping bag use the smallest tip you have, and fill each little hole in your cupcake with the strawberry puree. This could get messy, thats why you want a very small hole.
Once the holes are filled with strawberry you are ready to pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes.
First things first. Separate 4 eggs yolks from the whites in two separate bowls. To prevent a soggy pie, you must make the meringue before you make the filling. The meringue needs to be ready to go on the filling as soon as its done, while its still hot. This allows the bottom of the meringue to cook and you don't get a soggy mess for a pie. Also DO NOT store in the fridge. Keep in a covered dish or covered with a bowl at room temperature.
Add a teaspoon of vanilla and a 1/4 teaspoon Cream of Tartar to the egg whites.
Beat the whites until foamy and then add 6 tablespoons of sugar, two at a time, beating the whites a little between each addition.
Continue to beat the whites until they become stiff and shiny. They should hold a stiff peak when finished. If you think you have beaten them enough, keep beating for another few minutes. Once you have beat your eggs to the desired consistency keep them in the refrigerator until you are ready to assemble the pie.
Now for the filling. I know cooking a custard on the stove top can seem intimidating but don't worry. You will live. In a medium sauce pan combine 1 cup of sugar, 2 tablespoons of flour, 3 tablespoons of cornstarch, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt
Whisk in 1 1/2 cups of milk and the juice and zest of two lemons.
Heat this mixture over medium high heat, whisking continuously, until it starts to boil. Be ready with a 1/2 measuring cup, things start to move fast once the mixture boils. When you reach a low boil add 2 tablespoons of butter. Lower temperature to medium.
Pour 1/2 cup of the hot mixture into the egg yolks.
Whisk to combine.
Return egg mixture to the pan on the stove.
Continue to whisk over medium heat until you have a thick pudding like texture. This should not take long.
Do not let cool. Pour piping hot custard into the pie shell.
Cover hot filling with meringue immediately, making sure to seal the edges at the crust.
With a knife make small little peaks in the meringue all over the pie. These will brown up while in the oven and make the pie very pretty. Do this quickly though, and get that dang pie in the oven. Bake in 375 F oven for 25-30 minutes or until the meringue is nicely toasted and set.
Here we are. The beautiful finished product. I didn't have any but if you have an extra lemon, cut a few rounds to decorate the top of the pie with.
Alright now I know that I wrote in the directions that in order to prevent weeping meringue you have to assemble the pie when the filling is very hot. What I didnt tell you was that I learned this the hard way. I made my meringue after I made my filling and by the time the meringue was forming stiff peaks I dont think the pie filling was hot enough anymore. So...I had a pretty substantial layer of syrupy liquid between my custard and my meringue. I carefully drained it off as much as I could, and thought the pie would be ok. In truth I have to say that the custard came out great. Love the flavor, love the texture. The meringue is another story. Maybe if I would have assembled my pir the way I have told you folks to, the meringue would have been better. I also think that I could have cooked the pie for about 25 or 30 minutes. The directions I followed said it only needed 10 minutes. My meringue a day later is covered in more weeping not only from the bottom but also on the top of the pie. I am really dissapointed because the custard part of this pie turned out so well. I need to do another experiment with this pie but if I have the same problems again I would have to say that this pie is better off without the meringue. It would be great with just the filling. If anyone attempts this recipe please let me know what your results were.
The Yogi Tea company makes a tea for just about everything. Right now I am taking their Mother To Be Tea which contains raspberry and other things that are supposed to support uterine health and help with a healthy labor. When I have PMS i drink this Woman's Moon Cycle Tea. It works wonders. It calms me down, mellows me out, helps with all the aches, pains, bloating, mania, and everything else. Plus, it tastes like and oatmeal cookie kind of. My dad just recently had some trouble with kidney stones and Yogi Tea makes a tea for that so I'm going to buy him some of that. It cant hurt right?
A girl I used to work with was on her way to a get together with a bunch of her girlfriends one day and she said to me, in passing, that she had to stop and pick up a gift to exchange at the party. I asked her about it, wondering if it was someone’s birthday, and she said that her and a bunch of girls were getting together to have some drinks and exchange with one another a few of their favorite things. I thought “What a great idea!” I think these girls were exchanging girly things like cosmetics and what not, which would also be great, but when I heard this I thought of all my favorite delicious treats and how cool it would be to make a gift basket for my sister for her upcoming birthday filled with all of my secret, and not so secret favorites. What a great gift to receive, and I was hoping that my sister would take it as a clue and send me a basket of her favorite goodies in return. How fun to try a bunch of new stuff, and a very cute way to get to know someone better too, a way to be close when you’re so far away.
That is my little sister on the far right. She lives in Colorado. Isn’t she beautiful?
Well…I never ended up making this basket for my sister because every time I bought the stuff I ended up eating it all. Hey!!!! Can you blame me? It was MY favorite stuff after all. I still think its a great idea and I still want to do it one day, or maybe even have a party like those girls I was telling you about did, but in the meantime I’ve decided to just write about it. SSSSOoooo without further ado,
A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS
I was first introduced to these treats last Christmas by my friend Carrie.I was a bit apprehensive about trying them at first.I’m not much for dark chocolate or the combination of salty and sweet.Well, I wasn’t until I had these I should say.They changed my whole perspective.The combination of the bitter chocolate, the sweet caramel, and the crunchy salt is like nothing I have ever had.It is heavenly.What else makes these so special is that you can only get them around the holidays so you either have to stock up or wait expectantly for Christmas to roll around once again.I tried stocking up but they didn’t even last until New Years!
Izze sparkling grapefruit is a delicious little thing I found at the health food store. I think you can get it at some regular grocery stores as well. It is basically grapefruit soda but it’s made with all natural fruit juice and soda water so it’s not loaded with extra sugar and other additives. I absolutely love these. I just tried their peach flavored one the other day and it was great too. They have a huge variety so I’m looking forward to trying them all. I love the bottle design too. So simple and clean I think they would look pretty in a basket.
Nutella!!! Creamy delicious hazelnut chocolate spread.Need I say more?Well I will say more.The best way to eat this stuff is to smear it on a piece of white bread and chow down.Sounds weird I know but its really, really good.My French aunt Zabet used to give us this. I wonder if it’s just a European thing. I tried to make some sandwich cookies for Christmas last year by mixing this and chocolate chips together for the filling.The filling was good but the cookies I used weren’t, so I think I will have to do a few more experiments with that one.
Mochi is a Japanese rice cake made of glutinous rice pounded into paste and molded into shape. In Japan it is traditionally made in a ceremony called mochitsuki. While also eaten year-round, mochi is a traditional food for the Japanese New Year and is commonly sold and eaten during that time.This product is a delicious green tea ice cream wrapped in a sweet mochi.I don’t know about you but I think green tea flavored things are great.I’ve also developed a taste for unique flavors of ice cream.This summer I think I am going to try and make lavender-honey ice cream (stay tuned for the blog).Anyway this stuff is weird and yummy.The mochi outside is powdery, sticky, chewy, and just weird.Not for everyone for sure, but I love it, and the inside is creamy yummy green tea ice cream.A great little treat. I guess this wouldn’t do well in a gift basket though huh?
Hot Tamales oh Hot Tamales.These things are like cinnamon flavored crack.I swear this girl I used to work with knew how much I loved them so she would bring me a box from time to time.Not the small box, the big one.The thing wouldn’t even last a day.For some reason I just can’t stop eating them once I start.They must put something in them.YUM!!!
Cadbury Fruit & Nut hmmm, my mommy used to always have one of these candy bars stashed in her bedside table.Now I do too.They don’t last long though.Something about the combo of raisins and almonds with the Cadbury creamy lovely chocolate makes for the perfect bite.I love these candy bars.My husband hates raisins with an unnatural passion and cannot understand my taste for this bar. He comments every time he sees me getting one about how much he hates it.
This is another Trader Joe’s treat.What a neat store.Trader Joe’s Butter Almond Thins taste a little bit like Pepperidge Farm’s Chessmen cookies but with a much better texture and flavor.They are just paper-thin little cookies but they are great.They break easily though so every time I’ve gotten these, almost all the cookies have been in a million pieces.Still taste great but not great if you want to serve them at a party.
This is another one from my childhood.I remember my grandmother having boxes of this in her basement freezer.I don’t know if I was actually allowed to have any or not but I loved it and would snag a piece on the way out the door, headed for a day at the lake. My fondest memories were made at that lake.
Chocolate Lace is a really neat product that I have always wanted to try to make at home.Its basically just caramelized sugar drizzled on a sheet pan in a pretty swirl design and then covered with chocolate.I don’t know how easy or difficult this would be to do at home.It seems rather fragile so I may run into some trouble there.If anyone has any experience or tips about making chocolate lace I would love to hear from you.
Chantilly cookies from Pepperidge Farm were another of my mom’s favorites that I took a liking to.They have actually changed the name and stopped topping them with sugar, which I am very upset about.The sugar was the best part.These yummy things were filled with raspberry jam.Sooooooooooo good.I hate it when companies change things.It’s just like when you finally find a lipstick you like and then they discontinue it right when you run out.Jerks.
Well folks.That was a few of my favorite things.I must have sugar on the brain right now because I just noticed that there are only sweets on this list.I guess one day I will have to write another blog.
A Few of My Favorite Savory Things…A Few of My Favorite Spicy Things…
Lets just say
