cream scones January 16, 2007

these are so so so good. they’re light and flaky and perfect with a cup of coffee. (my kids could eat a whole batch in one sitting!)

Cream Scones

2 c flour
1/3 c sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c mini chocolate chips, dried currants, chopped raisins, whatever
1 1/4 c heavy cream
Wisk dry ingredients together in a bowl (including the add-in of your choice). Add cream and mix together with a wooden spoon until just mixed. Dump out on a floured surface and press into a flat sphere.* Cut into pieces and place on a ungreased cookie sheet. Brush the tops with cream and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 425 for 12-15 minutes, until tops are just brown.

*do not over-mix or they will become like rocks when you bake them! its okay when the dough should be crumbly and barely holding together. that’s what makes them so flaky.

recipe origin: Joy of Cooking

fruit smoothie July 21, 2006

my kids and i have these almost every morning for breakfast. yum.

Fruit Smoothie

1 cup plain yogurt (i use low-fat 1%)
1 cup frozen fruit (blueberries are my favorite. girls prefer raspberries because they make it pink!)
1 banana
Put in blender and blend until smooth. Add some ice to make it thicker, if you wish.

while doing a horrible diet (south beach), i made some without the banana for me and added splenda. didn’t taste too bad. for diet food, that is.

best blueberry muffins ever! July 19, 2006

and who doesn’t love a good muffin? warm. soft. sweet. so yum. try them with other fruit — i started baking and realized i was out of blueberries, so i chopped up some strawberries. even better! got rave reviews!

blueberry muffins

makes about 12 regular sized muffins

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups, plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk
1 3/4 cups blueberries (or any chopped fruit)

Preheat the over to 375; spray muffin tin (preferably with Pam for Baking - genius!) and set aside. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes on medium speed. Add egg, yolks and vanilla; mix until well combined. Reduce speed to low, alternately adding reserved flour mixture and milk to mixer, begin and end with the flour. Remove bowl from mixer to gently fold in berries by hand. Divide among muffin tins and sprinkle generously with sugar (preferably demerara sugar). Bake until light golden, about 30 minutes. Cool in the pan for around 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

recipe origin: Martha Stewart Living

veggie frittata July 17, 2006

breakfast for dinner is one of my kids favorites. this is perfect for me and husband to share while they gobble down pancakes. great for a brunch or special breakfast too. healthy, thrifty and yummy.

Veggie Frittata

serves 4

2 tablespoons olive oil
chopped veggies of your choice, a good pan full when raw
(our favs include spinach, peppers, scallions, mushrooms, tomatoes, zucchini – whatever you can dig up in your fridge*)
salt and pepper
8 eggs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1. Preheat oven to 350.  Heat the olive oil in a medium ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add veggies and a dash of salt; cover and cook until the veggies are very soft, about 10-15 minutes, depending on what you’re using.

2. In a bowl, whisk together eggs and about 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Pour this over the veggies and stir for two minutes; cook for 3 to 4 minutes more. Sprinkle the cheese over the frittata and bake in the over for about 15 minutes, until the egg is set.

if you’ve never tried one, a frittata should look kind-of like this:

**This is another great way to use leftovers. I often make this after we’ve had a party and I have a lot of extra veggie dippers laying around! brocolli and carrots don’t work too well since they take longer to soften than other veggies.