Scones

I love breakfast foods! My favorite thing about the weekend is having time to sleep in, then cook a nice big, breakfast or brunch.
This recipe is from the Betty Crocker cookbook. I have made it twice already. It is so simple, and cooks quickly (unlike other coffee cakes and breads I make)!

There are many varieties of scones (suggestions are listed below). We have tried the chocolate chip and cranberry orange! (pictured: cranberry-orange)

Scones

-1 3/4 cups flour

-3 tablespoons sugar

-2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

-1/2 teaspoon salt

-1/3 cup butter

-1 beaten egg

-1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

-4-6 tablespoons of cream (I used plain old milk)

-more sugar

1. Heat oven to 400F. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

2. Add butter (I melted mine to make it easier).  Cut in until mixture looks like "crumbs".

3. Stir in egg, vanilla, and just enough of the cream/milk that all the flour leaves the edge of the bowl. Save the extra cream/milk.

4. Add any extra toppings. 

We have tried chocolate chunks (1/2 cup) and cranberry-orange (1/2 cup of dried cranberries &1 teaspoon of grated orange peel). Other options are dried cherries, dried cherries+lemon peel, dried or frozen raspberries, white chocolate.

5. Knead lightly on a floured board 10 times.

6. On an un-greased cookie sheet, roll or pat the dough into an 8-inch round, flat shape. With a sharp knife, cut into 8 pieces (but don't separate the wedges).

7. Pour additional cream/milk over the scones, then sprinkle with white sugar.

8. Bake 14-16 minutes, until golden brown.  Immediately remove from cookie sheet and separate wedges. Serve warm!

Chicken Marsala

This is one of my favorites to eat at Olive Garden, but this was my first attempt at making it at home.
This recipe is another one from my new cookbook! It was easy and delicious! The chicken broth or wine sauce keeps the chicken very tender, and makes a great, flavorful sauce for the pasta.

Chicken Marsala

- boneless skinless chicken breasts

- flour

- salt, pepper, other spices (parsley, rosemary, etc.)

- 2 teaspoons olive oil

- a fresh chopped garlic clove (or dry garlic)

- mushrooms (I used canned mushrooms)

- 1/2 cup Marsala wine or chicken broth (I used chicken broth)

- pasta 

1. Coat each chicken breast with flour, salt, and pepper. 

(The original recipe said to pound each chicken breast... but I like mine fat and juicy, so I left the chicken breasts as they came.)

2. Heat olive oil in a skillet. In another pan, start boiling the pasta of your choice. 

3. Saute garlic, mushrooms, and spices in olive oil for 5 minutes. Add chicken and cook 5-8 minutes.

4. Add wine or chicken broth. Cook 5-10 minutes longer, until chicken is no longer pink.

5. Serve with pasta.

Stuffed Steak with Red Wine Sauce

I recently received a new cookbook from my wonderful sister-in-law, Mindy, when they drove down from Germany and spent a weekend with us. So far, (almost) every recipe I've tried from the "Betty Crocker Cookbook" has been a success! The original recipe was "Gorgonzola and Mushroom-Stuffed Beef Tenderloin with Merlot Sauce". However... we didn't have Gorgonzola or beef tenderloin or Merlot. So here was my adaptation!

Stuffed Steak with Red Wine Sauce

- beef steak

- mushrooms (I just used canned mushrooms)

- butter

- bread crumbs

- cheese (I used Parmesan and Guda)

- seasonings (I used salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, rosemary)

- beef broth 

- red wine

1. Tenderize the beef steak with a mallet until it is thin and pliable.

2. Saute mushrooms in butter until tender.

3. Cover steaks with mushrooms, breadcrumbs, and cheese.

4. Roll the steaks up like a burrito. Pin closed with 2 toothpicks.
 (the Betty Crocker recipe says "tie with kitchen string". I'm not sure what kitchen string is... and I definitely don't have that on hand. I always have toothpicks, and I'm not afraid to use them).

4. Coat the outside of the steak with spices.

5. Bake at 425F until they reach a desired done-ness. (The steaks are thin, so don't over-cook! I watched ours closely and took them out in less than 10 minutes).

6. Meanwhile, heat 1/2 cup of beef broth, 1 tablespoon of butter, and a small amount (maybe 1/4 of a cup) of red wine. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.

Spoon the sauce over the steaks and enjoy!

(even Sierra was eager for a taste....)