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....)

Asparagus Frittata

My friend Emi recently took on a wild asparagus hunt in the mountains, and taught me this simple way of cooking them! I have never liked asparagus before, but this combination is really great!

Looking for asparagus with Emi and Sierra: 

Asparagus Frittata

1. Heat oil in a large skillet.
2. Beat eggs with a dash of water, like for normal scrambled eggs. Add spices (we used onion powder, salt, pepper, and Tony's).
3. Add eggs and asparagus and scramble!

This is an easy meal with a nice kick to it! Try it out!

(this picture is actually a frittata made by Dante... I didn't take a picture of the first round!!)

Chicken-Fried Steak, Gravy, and Potatoes

This is my favorite meal that my Mom cooks. I always request it on my birthday!
She makes it with fresh deer steak... yum! Another alternative would be beef steak. This week, we made it with pork chops. And... it still hit the spot!!!

Chicken-Fried Steak

1. Beat the steak to a thin pulp, to tenderize it. (this is Dante's favorite job. He carried the cutting board around the house, beating the steak while chasing Sierra.)

2. Beat 2 eggs with salt & pepper. Dip the steak first in the eggs, then coat thoroughly in flour. (Dante: "now I see why it's  called 'chicken-fried'... because you coat it in eggs, which are chickens.")

3. Fry in a skillet in 1/2 inch of hot oil until golden brown, then drain on paper towels. (This is a time-consuming process if you're cooking many steaks... our skillet can only hold 2 pieces at a time, so be prepared to spend some time on this!)

Cream Gravy

1. After you finish cooking the steak, rinse out the skillet well and add fresh oil.
2. Once the oil is well-heated, add flour to make a thick roux. Stir continually. Once this mixture is thick, add milk, salt, and pepper. Stir constantly. You can always add more milk to make it thinner, but you can't add more flour later... so add it gradually.

Serve with mashed potatoes. I just learned the quickest way to make potatoes... instead of boiling, fork and cook in the microwave for 6-8 minutes. (You can peel before or after... or not at all... I just leave the skins mixed in.) Then blend with butter, milk, and spices, as usual.

Momma's Buttermilk Biscuits

When I was growing up, I loved it when my mom would make biscuits! In Texas, these more commonly accompany dinner (than the rest of the US, where biscuits are a breakfast food). Easy to whip up when you need to add some carbs to your dinner. We all need that.

Momma's Biscuits

1. Mix:
           - 3 teaspoons baking powder
           - 1/2 teaspoon salt
           - 6 tablespoons shortening or butter (I always use butter!)
           - 2 cups flour

2. Add - 1 cup buttermilk (I never have buttermilk on hand, just sour milk by adding a bit of lemon juice.)

3. Flour your hands and a flat surface well. Roll the dough into a ball, then flatten the ball with a rolling pin or whatever you have on hand. Cut into circles.
(I rolled my dough with an old wine bottle and cut my circles with a small glass!)

4. Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 450F for 8 minutes.
Serve with butter, jelly, or my favorite--- butter and honey!

Oatmeal Cookies

I had never made this recipe till I moved to Slovenia... but I jumped on it because the ingredients were simple and easy to find! They are now Dante's favorite cookie!
This simple recipe is from a friend's grandmother. We like to add chocolate chunks and nuts to ours, but the original recipe didn't have those things. They're chewy and delicious, as cookies should be!

Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies

1. Mix:
            - 1 cup shortening or butter (I use butter in every recipe!)
            - 1 cup brown sugar (we prefer light brown sugar)
            - 1 cup white sugar

2. Then add:
            - 2 well-beaten eggs
            - 1 teaspoon of vanilla

3. Mix well, then add:
            - 1 teaspoon soda
            - 1 teaspoon salt
            - 1 1/2 cups flour (the recipe says sifted flour... but who has time for that? they taste fine un-sifted!)

4. Mix well, then add: 
            - 3 cups oatmeal.
If you wish, add nuts, chocolate chips, or chocolate chunks.

5. Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Bake at 350F for 12-15 minutes. Be careful not to over-bake or they'll get hard!