Month: October 2015

Pumpkin Spice Scones

pumpkin scones 008

Pumpkin spice and apple flavors have made their fall appearance again. You would think it’s too warm to start craving these flavors, but it’s just not so!  

Last week my mother and I made a trip to Ellijay for apples. It’s a quick drive from her house, and she is always up for a road trip. Unfortunately, there were not many varieties ready. This just means that another trip is in the near future. We were able to pick up a few Honeycrisp apples, but it was the fried apple pies that made the drive well worth it!

If you are a fall spice lover, you will enjoy these delicious pumpkin scones. They have the perfect balance of sweetness, pumpkin, and spice. They are delicious for breakfast with a cup of coffee or as an afternoon snack. 

Scones are always best the day they are baked, so surprise a neighbor or coworker with a few of these tasty treats. They will be a million times better than anything you’ll find at the coffee shop and cheaper too!

Pumpkin Scones
 
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Ingredients
  • Scones:
  • 2 c. all-purpose flour
  • ⅓ c. packed brown sugar
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • ¾ tsp. ground cloves
  • ½ tsp. ground ginger
  • ½ tsp. ground nutmeg
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, frozen, and grated with a cheese grater
  • ½ c. pumpkin puree
  • ½ c. whipping cream
  • 1 lg. egg
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • Glaze:
  • 1 c. confectioners' sugar
  • ¼ c. whipping cream
  • Spiced Glaze:
  • 1 c. confectioners' sugar
  • ½ tsp. cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp. ground cloves
  • ¼ tsp. ground ginger
  • Pinch nutmeg
  • 3 tbsp. whipping cream
Instructions
  1. For the scones:
  2. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  4. Place the butter in the freezer for about 30 to 45 minutes. Remove from freezer and shred, using a cheese grater. Return the shredded butter to the freezer until you are ready to use.
  5. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg.
  6. In a small bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, whipping cream, egg, and vanilla.
  7. Add the frozen shredded butter to the flour mixture and toss with fingers to coat with flour.
  8. Stir in the pumpkin mixture just to combine. Transfer dough to a well-floured board and dust top with additional flour. Working quickly, knead the dough a few times. Flatten, using your fingers, and roughly shape into a 9-inch x 4-inch rectangle.
  9. Cut crosswise in the middle, then again in the middle of each piece. Cut each piece diagonally into two triangles. Place on prepared pan.
  10. Bake 10 to 12 minutes in preheated oven. Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes.
  11. In the meantime mix up the glaze mixtures. Brush the first "plain" glaze onto each scone using a pastry brush. Cool for a few minutes.
  12. Spoon spiced glaze into a ziptop bag. Snip off a small section of the corner of the bag. Pipe the spiced glaze on top of the glazed scones.
  13. Allow glaze to air dry at room temperature then serve.

 

 

 

 

 

Ultimate Tomato Soup and Over-the-Top Grilled Cheese Sandwich

ultimate tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich

Sometimes the only thing that will satisfy the stomach and the soul is comfort food. There’s just something about creamy mac and cheese, delicious chicken and dumplings, melty chocolate chip cookies, or this ultimate homemade tomato soup with over-the-top grilled cheese sandwiches. This combination has always been a favorite of mine. It’s like a warm hug and especially good when the weather turns chilly.
I start my tomato soup as I do marinara sauce, with onions, garlic, carrots, and celery. After adding tomatoes and simmering for a while, I then blend it until smooth and add a can of diced tomatoes for a few small chunks of tomato scattered throughout the soup.

The name of this grilled cheese could not be more fitting. It is over-the-top good! However, you can change it up to your liking. I usually start with good, fresh bread. Then I add a creamy cheese, like Monterey Jack or Brie, and a sharp cheese, like Cheddar, topped off with goat cheese crumbles. As if that wasn’t enough, I add sliced onion and tomato, with some arugula, basil, or spinach. Grilled to perfection in a skillet or Panini press its divine when dipped into a delicious bowl of tomato soup!

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Ultimate Tomato Soup
 
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Ingredients
  • 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 celery stalk, chopped
  • 1 carrot, chopped
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 (28-oz.) can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 (28-oz.) can diced tomatoes
  • 1 (14.5-oz.) can diced tomatoes
  • 1 (14.5-oz.) can chicken broth
Instructions
  1. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Add onions and garlic and cook about 10 minutes over medium heat, until onions are translucent. Add celery, carrot, salt, and pepper and cook until soft. Add bay leaf, crushed tomatoes, 28-oz. can diced tomatoes and bring to a boil, uncovered. Lower temperature and simmer, uncovered, for about 1 hour.
  2. Remove bay leaf and puree in a blender, in batches. Pour the pureed tomato soup into the Dutch oven and add the 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes and chicken broth. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if desired. Simmer until heated through.

Over-the-Top Grilled Cheese Sandwich
 
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Ingredients
  • Good bread
  • Monterey Jack cheese, sliced
  • Sharp Cheddar cheese, sliced
  • Goat cheese, crumbled
  • Arugula leaves
  • Onion, thinly sliced
  • Roma Tomato, thinly sliced
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
  1. Place the Monterey Jack cheese on one side of the bread. Add arugula leaves, onion, tomato, salt and pepper. Crumble goat cheese over top and then add Cheddar cheese. Top with second slice of bread and grill in a buttered skillet or a Panini press until the cheese has melted and the bread is lightly browned.

 

Rice Krispie Treats

rice krispy treats 2

 

 

 

I have a feeling that I know what most of you are thinking right now. “Why Rice Krispie treats?” I mean, we all know the recipe is right there on the box, right? Yes, it is. However, this recipe is slightly different. This recipe is a Pioneer Woman recipe and my very favorite. Such simple changes, but I love how the pinch of salt wakes up the flavors, and I like adding just a few miniature marshmallows at the end. The original recipe calls for one bag of miniature marshmallows, but that is too many in my opinion, I usually throw in about 2 cups. Add the amount that makes you happy!

I used molds that I have had since my children were small to make the bats and pumpkins. Wes and Savannah stood on chairs beside me in the kitchen making dozens of these through the years. We made them for school parties, subdivision parties, and friends. They are still adorable and making these, alone in my kitchen, while the kids are off in college, brought back sweet memories.

Rice Krispie Treats
 
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Ingredients
  • 4 tbsp. butter, plus more for greasing pan (if using molds spray with nonstick cooking spray
  • 1 (10-oz.) bag marshmallows
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • 6 c. Rice Krispies cereal
  • ½ bag miniature marshmallows
  • Sprinkles, to decorate, if desired
Instructions
  1. Grease a 9 x 13-inch pan with butter.
  2. In a large pot, melt the butter. Stir in the regular marshmallows until they are melted. Stir in the salt. Remove from the heat and add the cereal, folding gently until well combined. Add the miniature marshmallows and gently fold in. Turn into the buttered pan and press flat. Immediately top with sprinkles.
  3. Cool completely and cut into squares.
Notes
If using molds, spray your hands with nonstick cooking spray. Grab a handful of the mixture and gently press into the molds. Turn out onto wax paper immediately. Let air dry.

 

 

Apple Bread Pudding

apple bread pudding 2

I just returned home from a week visit with my mom. I love going home, but I especially love North Georgia during the fall. Peak color is still several weeks away, but I could see the changes already taking place. This visit was just the two of us, and we had a great time catching up, shopping, cooking, and going to the apple house.

I now have two large bags of apples. Should I make applesauce or apple butter? Maybe a little of both! Before I start with that, I had to make this scrumptious apple bread pudding! I became a fan of bread pudding after trying it for the first time when I moved to the Gulf Coast. Bread pudding combines stale bread and a cinnamon custard mixture, and in this case raisins and apples. Serve with warm bourbon sauce for a delicious fall dessert!  Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.

Apple Bread Pudding
 
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Ingredients
  • Pudding:
  • 4 c. stale bread cubes (French or Italian)
  • ¼ c. raisins
  • 2 c. peeled and sliced apples
  • 1 c. packed brown sugar (light or dark)
  • 1¾ c. milk
  • ¼ c. unsalted butter
  • 1½ tsp. ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp. vanilla extract
  • 2 lg. eggs, lightly beaten
  • Bourbon Sauce:
  • ¼ c. granulated sugar
  • ¼ c. brown sugar (light or dark)
  • 2 tbsp. heavy cream
  • 3 tbsp. bourbon
  • ½ c. unsalted butter
Instructions
  1. For pudding:
  2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 2-quart baking dish and set aside.
  3. Toss bread cubes, apples, and raisins in a large bowl, set aside.
  4. In a medium saucepan combine 1 c. brown sugar, 1¾ c. milk, ¼ c. unsalted butter, and cinnamon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until butter melts.
  5. Beat eggs in a small bowl. Add a little warmed milk mixture to eggs and stir to combine. Add egg mixture to milk and sugar mixture in saucepan and whisk to combine. Add vanilla extract. Pour mixture over bread mixture and stir to saturate bread.
  6. Pour into prepared baking dish. Bake in preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes until center is set.
  7. In the meantime make bourbon sauce. In a small saucepan combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cream, bourbon, and butter. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from heat and serve warm over bread pudding.

 

Chocolate Nutella Lava Mug Cake

mug cake

It seems that microwave mug cakes have been around forever. At least as long as microwaves have been in homes. They are extremely popular; there are entire cookbooks on the market filled with only mug cake recipes. I think I have tried all of them! Every recipe from a tablespoon or two of this and that to a couple of tablespoons of different cake mixes and water. Some of them have been okay, but I’ve never made one particular recipe more than a couple of times. However, there is something very alluring about making the perfect size cake in a matter of minutes.
 

Savannah recently made this fantastic mug cake that she found on Pinterest.  I have already made this particular recipe more than a couple of times!  The warm, melty center will stop any chocolate craving you may have! It is a large mug cake. In fact, big enough to share with a friend. She made the cake in a jumbo 20-oz. coffee cup, but you could also use a small bowl. Top the cake with your favorite ice cream and serve with two spoons for an incredible treat.

 

 

 

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Chocolate Nutella Lava Mug Cake
 
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Ingredients
  • 4 tbsp. all-purpose flour
  • 4 tbsp. granulated sugar
  • 2 tbsp. cocoa powder
  • ½ tsp. baking powder
  • 1 lg. egg
  • 2 tbsp. milk
  • 3 tbsp. Nutella
  • ½ tsp. vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. In a large mug mix flour, sugar, cocoa, and baking powder. Add egg and mix with a fork. Add milk, Nutella, and vanilla extract and mix to combine.
  2. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Cake will be set on the outside and melty on the inside. Serve with your favorite ice cream and two spoons.