chocolate cranberry scones

best scones ever. recipe from joy of baking. no adaptation needed.

2c (280 grams) all purpose flour
1/4c (50 grams) granulated white sugar
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2c (113 grams) (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces
1/2c (90 grams) milk or semi sweet chocolate chips or chunks
1/2c (75 grams) dried cranberries
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2/3c (160 ml) buttermilk

Egg mixture for brushing tops of scones:
1 lg egg, lightly beaten
1 tbs milk

Cinnamon Sugar:
2 tbs (30 grams) granulated white sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and place rack in middle of oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Stir in the chocolate chunks (or chips) and dried cherries. In a small measuring cup whisk together the buttermilk and vanilla extract and then add to the flour mixture. Stir just until the dough comes together (add more buttermilk if necessary). Do not over mix the dough.

Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead dough gently four or five times and then pat the dough into a circle that is about 7 inches (18 cm) round and about 11/2 inches (3.75 cm) thick. Cut this circle in half, then cut each half into 4 pie-shaped wedges (triangles). Place the scones on the baking sheet. Make an egg wash of one well-beaten egg mixed with 1 tablespoon milk and brush the tops of the scones with this mixture. To make the Cinnamon Sugar, mix together the sugar and ground cinnamon. Sprinkle the tops of the scones with a little of the cinnamon sugar.

Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and then turn your broiler on high. Sift the confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar heavily over the tops of the scones and place them under the broiler. Broil for just a few seconds, turning the pan as necessary, until the sugar has melted and turns golden brown. Make sure to watch the scones carefully as the sugar will burn very quickly. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Makes 8 scones.

quick cranberry sauce

1/2 bag fresh cranberries
1/2 orange, zested and sliced
1/2 c orange juice
1/4 c water
1/2 c brown sugar
2 tbs honey
1 small [baking] apple, peeled and chopped into small pieces
pinch of salt
cinnamon stick (or ground)

combine all ingredients in a saucepan. heat over low flame until cranberries and apples break down and sauce thickens to desired consistency. adjust sugar/water as needed. remove orange slices and cinnamon stick before serving.

red lentil, pumpkin soup

1 lg onion
1/2 bag red lentils
1 sm can pumpkin (or butternut squash puree)
1 can chickpeas
curry powder
pepper
salt
red pepper flakes
garam masala

saute the onion in olive oil until soft. add the red lentils, pepper, red pepper flakes, salt, curry powder, and garam masala. add enough water to cover. as the lentils begin to break down, add the can of pumpkin and chickpeas. add more water if needed, until soup becomes desired consistency. cook until all of the lentils have broken down. adjust the spices/water as needed.

vegetarian chili

recipe originally from door sixteen. i adapted it slightly, replacing the bulgar wheat with soy crumbles and the balsamic vinegar with lime juice. i think it would be delicious with ground turkey or dark meat chicken chunks. this recipe is not spicy at all. next time, i think i will add red chili flakes or spicier peppers.

Anna's Vegetarian Chili
serves 6-8

olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 medium carrots, chopped
3 tsp of minced garlic
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 large bell pepper (your choice of color), chopped
2 jalapeno peppers (with or without seeds/ribs), finely chopped
2 tbs chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp oregano
1 1/2 tsp basil
2 tsp kosher salt
28 oz can crushed tomatoes with basil
15 oz can kidney beans, liquid included
15 oz can black beans, liquid included
1 small can of sweet corn, liquid not included
12-14 oz package of soy 'fake meat' crumbles
juice of 2 limes

saute onion, carrot, celery, garlic, spices, and salt in olive oil. when soft, add the bell pepper and jalapeno. then add beans (with liquid), crushed tomatoes, and corn. bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 min or longer. add soy crumbles about 10-15 min before serving. add lime juice right before you take the chili off of the fire.

serving suggestions: i served mine over fried polenta slices and topped with broken blue corn chips and mexican blend shredded cheese. delicious!

success with chicken breast

aka chicken with mushroom/onion gravy

thinly pounded chicken breasts
1 lg onion, thinly sliced into half moons
1 can all natural chicken broth
1 package of mushrooms, preferably not white button (i like baby bella), quartered or thinly sliced
salt
pepper
oregano

salt and pepper both sides of the chicken breasts
sear the chicken in a small amount of olive oil
remove from the pan & set aside
saute the onion in a little more olive oil until translucent
add the mushrooms
cook until desired softness
add the chicken broth & bring to a boil
let reduce to half
add the chicken breast back to the pan
cover & reduce fire to simmer
allow chicken to cook through
serve!

delicious with rice or polenta.

curried red lentil soup

(in general all soups start with an onion, carrots, and celery...and garlic)

1 large onion, diced
1 large carrot, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
3 cloves garlic, finely diced
salt
pepper
bay leaf
red pepper flakes (to taste)
curry powder (1-2 tbs)
garam masala (1/2-1 tbs)

saute together until translucent.

add enough red lentils so that it appears that you have equal amounts of lentils and vegetables in the pot (about 1/2 of the bag; use more if you like your soup thicker).

cover with water, and bring to a boil. cover and simmer for 2-3 hours.

healthy oat bran muffins

makes 12 muffins
(please read comments for variation & calorie info)

1c unprocessed wheat bran
2/3 c flour
2/3 c oat flour*
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1 1/4 c buttermilk
1/2 c demerara sugar (also called turbinado or raw sugar)*
1/4 c no sugar added or unsweetened applesauce
1 large egg
1 1/2 tbs canola oil
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 c cranberries (or raisins), optional
1/4 c walnuts, optional

preheat oven to 350 degrees F; spray muffin trays with non-stick cooking spray

mix together the dry ingredients (in a large bowl): bran, flours, baking soda, salt. add in walnuts and cranberries.

in another bowl (with high sides), using an electric mixer on high, mix together the wet ingredients until frothy: buttermilk, sugar, applesauce, egg, oil, vanilla.

make a well in the dry ingredients, and pour in the wet. fold wet ingredients into dry until just combined. be careful not to over-mix.

fill muffin trays, and bake for 20 minutes. be careful to over-cook (bran dries out quickly!).


*oat flour can be made by pulsing oats in a food processor; 1/4 c of the sugar can be replaced with honey

red velvet cupcakes

this recipe is my slight modification of paula deen's slight modification of cakeman raven's red velvet cake recipe.
link to the cakeman's original recipe

recipe makes 24 cupcakes







to make the batter:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1-2 teaspoons cocoa powder
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups buttermilk, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 tablespoons red food coloring
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

to make the frosting:
1/2 pound cream cheese, softened
1 stick of butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups confectioners' sugar (or less, to taste)

preheat oven to 350 degrees F, and spray/line muffin trays

in one bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder

in another bowl, whisk together oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla

slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet, whisking until all the ingredients are just incorporated

fill the muffin trays about 2/3 of the way, and bake 20 minutes, turning the trays halfway though (cool completely before frosting)


to make the frosting:
beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. increase the speed to high, and mix until light and fluffy

garnish with nuts, coconut, or fruit (optional)

snowmen cupcakes

i used a recipe for coconut-vanilla cupcakes with vanilla frosting. idea for these cupcakes came from hello, cupcake.


supplies:
regular sized muffin tray ------> bodies
mini muffin tray -----> heads
mini oreo cookies (or generic) -----> top hats
oreo cookies (or generic) -----> top hats
fruit rollups (or fruit by the foot) -----> scarves
gummy lifesaver candies, tropical fruit mix -----> noses
extra frosting -----> 'glue'
mini chocolate chips -----> eyes, melt for mouth
sweetened coconut flakes -----> snow

assembly line:
bake cupcakes. allow to cool completely, then frost. roll edges of cupcakes in coconut flakes.

using extra frosting as needed, turn the smaller cupcakes on their sides, and stack on the larger cupcakes to create the snowman head + body.*

create top hats by splitting the regular sized oreos. using a little frosting for glue, attach the mini oreo to the center of the regular oreo. use a little frosting as glue to attach to the snowman's head.

use mini chocolate chips as eyes.*

cut the gummy lifesavers (the orange ones) into little triangles to resemble carrot noses.*

melt a small amount of chocolate chips in the microwave, and use a toothpick to dot on a 'coal' mouth.*

cut the fruit rollups into 4-6 scarves, and use a sharp knife to make frayed 'yarn' edges. wrap the scarf around the snowman's neck. you may need to stretch the candy to do this step.

admire how absolutely adorable your snowmen cupcakes turned out!


*you may find that it's easier to decorate the faces first, then attach the heads second. i tried both methods, but didn't have a preference of order.