Cherry Scones

Let me start by saying this...

I don't like cherries.

There, it's out there now.

But, I really don't think it's my fault.

I blame cough syrup manufacturers.

Cherry-flavored medicine was one of the WORST ideas.

Although, I was very fond of playing Hi-Ho-Cherry-O upstairs at my grandparent's place.
Anyone else grow up playing that game?

Well, now that it's out there, I will tell you that my husband loves them.
A sweet friend brought us a bag that she got at a fruit stand and, I kid you not, he'd have eaten the whole bag (if his stomach wouldn't have argued with him about it later).

TMI?

ANYWAY, one of my favorite memories from my childhood was making scones with my dad. Our family recipe has worked for Chocolate Chip Scones, Blueberry Cinnamon Scones, Cinnamon Raisin Scones, and Cranberry Scones (sometimes with White Chocolate Chips, too - YUM!).

So, I thought I'd see what would happen if I tried Cherry Scones.

The beauty of this recipe is that you can add ANYTHING. I think the cherry scones would be great with dark chocolate chips added in but since I didn't have any, I used white chocolate chips.

Here's how it works:

Rinse off some fresh cherries.

Chop and pit the cherries until you have a cup and a half of chopped cherries. (At this point, I set them out on a paper towel to dry a little bit... it'll help later)

Place flour, sugar, brown sugar, salt, baking powder and cream of tarter into a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir to combine.

If you're not familiar with cream of tartar, here's a picture. (You find it in the spice aisle. A certain husband, who shall remain nameless, might have thought that I was asking for a kind of cream and spent some time in the dairy section. Oops.)

Dice 2 sticks of butter and add to the flour mix.

Now, the way we used to do this when I was a kid was by using a pastry blender and combining it by hand. However, I use my fancy stand mixer with the paddle attachment to blend it all together.  It should resemble small crumbs.

Beat one egg and one egg yolk and add that to 2 tsp of vanilla and 1- 1 1/3 C half & half. (This is where it gets tricky - Use 1 C for fruit scones and 1 1/3 C for scones with things like raisins, chocolate chips, etc - or if you live in a drier climate.) Set this aside.

Add the cherries and cinnamon (and I might have added some white chocolate chips, too) to the dry ingredients and gently fold together. (I only use the paddle attachment on my mixer when making scones with hard ingredients like chocolate chips. For the fruit scones, use a spatula and be gentle!)

Make a little hole in the middle of the dry ingredients to pour the wet ingredients into.

Gently fold together until mixed... It doesn't have to be super well mixed. And, having a few little chunks of butter is ok. Scones are very forgiving.

Cover the dough and put it in the fridge overnight (or if you make the dough in the morning, you can bake them that night). DON'T SKIP THIS STEP. It makes the next part WAY easier and you'll want the butter in the dough to be chilled again.

When the dough is fully chilled, turn 1/4 of the dough out onto a floured surface. There's no kneading necessary. Sprinkle a little flour on the top and gently pat into a circle until the dough is between 1/2 and inch and 3/4 of an inch thick.

Use a large knife to cut the circle into 8 triangles.

I use a spatula to lift them onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. (Let's hear it for parchment paper! WHY DIDN'T I START USING THIS STUFF A LONG TIME AGO?!)

In another tiny bowl, beat an egg with 3 tablespoons of water and lightly brush the tops of the scones with this egg wash.

Sprinkle on as much sugar as you're comfortable with. ;)

Here's what they look like on the pan before baking:

And, after being in a 425 degree oven for 13-15 minutes:

That, my friend, is a beautiful picture. A delicious, beautiful picture.

Serve them warm with a little butter melting over the top.

I often try to convince myself that these count as breakfast, when, let's face it, they are definitely a dessert... or snack... or anytime sort of yummy treat.

I did bring a few over to the friend who brought me the cherries and she gave me her seal of approval, so now I feel comfortable sharing the recipe with YOU!

Click HERE to download a PDF of this recipe card.

***I live at a very high elevation, so to adapt this, I only use 3 tsp baking powder, I used 1 1/4 C half & half, and I did a slightly heaping cup of flour for the 4th cup of flour added.***

Enjoy!
-kt

MY Pumpkin Scones

Scones are kind of a big deal to my family.

They have been a staple at nearly every family function requiring breakfast. Or a mid-morning snack. Or a mid-afternoon snack.

And when we don't have them, someone is sure to ask why!

We even make different kinds.

My dad's famous (ok, well, they're famous in my mind since we used to sell them at the Burlington Chocolate Fest) Scotty's Scones were big, moist, and baked full of yummy things. Sometimes blueberries and cinnamon, sometimes cranberries, sometimes chocolate chips (my fav's!).

Grandma's scones, on the other hand, were carefully shaped into triangles and cooked up on a hot griddle. They were perfectly browned on the outside and warm and wonderful on the inside. She put raisins in her's, and while that was fine, once we started making them for ourselves, we switched it up to chocolate chips… or when we're feeling sassy, white chips and craisens. Yum. Talk about melt in your mouth!

Anyway, I've always enjoyed the pumpkin scones at Starbucks in the fall.

I mean, who doesn't?!

The problem is, the recipes circulating on the internet, Pinterest, etc don't do the real ones justice.

And, while I'm not claiming that mine are as good or better as theirs, I gotta say, THIS will be my go-to pumpkin scone recipe from now on.

I combined my dad's, my grandma's and my idea of what should go into a pumpkin scone and this is what I came up with.

(I just ate one and THOROUGHLY enjoyed it!)  ;)

My Pumpkin Scones
     *makes 8

For the Scones:
2 C flour
1/3 C sugar
2 T brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp ginger
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp cream of tarter

6 T cold butter

1/2 C pumpkin puree (slightly heaping)
1 large egg
1/3 C plus 1 Tablespoon half and half
2 tsp vanilla

*NOTE* If you want your scones a little more spiced, make your cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger measurements slightly heaping.
You could also use 1 1/2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice in place of these four spices.

Mix all of the dry ingredients in a bowl.

Cut in 6 tablespoons of cold butter with a pastry blender (or stick the dry ingredients and butter in a food processor until crumbly)

Mix together the remaining wet ingredients and add to the dry/butter mixture until just mixed.

Pour mixture onto a floured surface and sprinkle flour on top.

Pat down into a flat circle (about an inch thick).

Using a large knife, cut circle in half one way and then in half the other way… do this one more time to make 8 equal triangles. (See picture)

Place on a greased cookie sheet or a sheet lined with parchment paper.

Tip: I've found it's way easier to move them front he counter to the cookie sheet with a spatula!

Back in a 425 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until starting to brown. Don't let them get too brown! Watch closely!



Now for the fun part.

Instead of plain frosting or a totally spiced frosting, I decided to go with Cinnamon frosting. I'm so glad I did. I just winged this and it turned out yummy. Just enough spice and paired with the scones, it melts in your mouth.

You can decide if you want it to be more of a frosting or more of a glaze. It's your preference.

For a glaze, mix together:
1 C powdered sugar
scant 1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 T milk
1/4 tsp vanilla

For frosting, mix together:
1 C powdered sugar
scant 1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 T milk
1/4 tsp vanilla

*Adjust measurements as needed to reach desired consistency and taste. Add more milk to thin it out. Add more powdered sugar to thicken it up. Add a tiny bit more cinnamon (or any of the spices used in the scones) to make it have a little more of a kick. Or, for a plain frosting or glaze, leave out the cinnamon!

Personally, I store them unfrosted and make the topping as needed… that way you don't have to worry about the frosting melting off if you heat them up a little or thaw them in the microwave after freezing.

Light your favorite fall candle and enjoy!
-kt

The easiest, tastiest, most customizable soup… ever!

Here's the thing. 

Camp life means that you never really know if you're going to be home in time to make dinner. Or if your husband is going to be home in time to eat the dinner you make. 

Some nights are fine. Some are big question marks.

And, because we live so very far from where we grocery shop (about an hour and a half - one way), it is so helpful when a recipe makes extra that I can freeze for nights when dinner is awfully difficult to prepare.

This recipe is a winner.

Not only is it super easy and so delicious you'll think you're sitting at Olive Garden, but it's completely customizable for any dietary restrictions you might have!

It can be gluten free, dairy free, meat free, whatever!

And, it's still delicious.

Promise.

Make it without the noodles, freeze it, and then the only thing you need to have on hand is pasta to cook up! Simple, quick, and perfect for cool fall nights and cold winter nights!

(I also keep dinner rolls frozen for this very situation, although my husband likes Ritz and slices of cheddar cheese on the side.)

Hearty Minestrone Soup

1 T olive oil

2 diced carrots (I do 3 - we like carrots)

2 diced celery ribs (I cut them big because my family members pick them out)

1 large onion (again cut big to pick out)

2 chopped garlic cloves (honestly, I just use minced garlic)

1 can diced tomatoes and juice (I ALWAYS use 2 cans. Makes it richer)

1-2 bay leaves (I do 2 because of the extra tomato juice and I sometimes add more broth)

1 scant T dried sage

6-8 cups chicken broth (homemade - I'll post this recipe soon!)

1 can kidney beans

2 C kale, chopped

6-8oz pasta (could use gluten free)

salt, pepper, parmesan (optional)

Heat olive oil and garlic in large soup pot over medium/high heat and sauté until the garlic is lightly browned. 

Add carrot, onion, celery and cook until starting to soften. Season with salt and pepper. 

Add tomatoes, bay leaf, sage and chicken broth. Simmer 30 minutes.

Add bean and kale and simmer 20-30 minutes. Season.

Put pasta in bowls and serve soup over.

Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top, if wanted.

Serves 6-8 (supposedly - I fill up two large ball jars after we're done eating to freeze. It makes a good amount!)

       *adapted from www.dontwastethecrumbs.com

Hope you enjoy this as much as we do!

It's delicious!

-kt

S'more Pie

I'm making dinner for the JAW banquet tonight.

In other words, I'm cooking dinner for more than 15 people who are hungry.
All the time, hungry.

Camp life makes you very, very hungry.

So, I'm having 3 desserts.

Why not?!

(The JAWs are our Junior Assistant Wranglers. They are high school kids who come to camp for 3-5 weeks during the summer for intense training in teaching lessons, riding, and discipleship. They work hard and they play hard. On their last week here, we have a banquet for them. It's kind of a 'sending off' dinner and a chance for them to wrap up their session.)

When trying to decide on which desserts to make, I finally settled on one of them being a s'mores pie. I looked and looked and finally settled on this one because so many of them were actual pies, but THIS particular recipe looked like a s'more in a bowl.

Yes, please.

This is so easy, so delicious, and so so so much better than microwaving a s'more when you don't have a fire… this will be my new go-to in the winter when I just gotta have a s'more!

So, here you go!

Ingredients:
1 stick softened butter
1/2 cups sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1 cup graham cracker crumbs (I used my food processor to crush my grahams)
1 tsp baking powder
7 oz marshmallow creme
8 whole Hershey's bars, unwrapped
1 cup marshmallows
1/4 cup chocolate chips

To make:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9" pie pan.
In a large bowl beat butter and sugar together until combined, then add egg and vanilla and stir together. Stir in flour, graham crumbs and baking powder.
Divide the dough in half. Press half the dough in the bottom and up the sides of the prepared pie pan. Evenly spread the marshmallow creme over the bottom crust. Separate chocolate squares and place on top of the marshmallow creme.

This is where the Little Mister was happy to help; although, if you do have a 3 year old helper, you may want to open an extra bar. ;)

Place 1 cup of marshmallows on top.
Using the remaining crust, pat sec ions of dough on top of and around the marshmallows (they will still show through - I even left bigger holes than PW did). Sprinkle with 1/4 cup chocolate chips.

Bake 20 minutes or until lightly browned.
Cool completely before cutting.

We're serving it with vanilla ice cream and the kids' choice of toppings, not that this will need it. :)

This recipe was originally found on the Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen blog. To see the original recipe with more pictures and for a printable version, go here.

-kt