Maple Oatmeal Scones

I woke up this morning to a rainy dark day and nothing sounded better then a big mug of hot tea. So, I decided this was the perfect day to try out scones. I didn't realise I was almost out of white flour, so I only used a cup and used white whole wheat for the rest. I also didn't have enough glaze to coat all of my scones. I am a glaze lover, so next time I would double the glaze for sure.

Maple Oatmeal Scones
(this recipe has been halved)
yield: 7-8 scones
Ingredients:
Scones:
1 ¾ c. all purpose flour
½ c. whole wheat flour
½ c. quick cooking oats, plus additional for sprinkling
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
½ lb. (2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter, diced
¼ c. cold buttermilk
¼ c. pure maple syrup
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 egg beaten with 1 tsbp. water for egg wash
Glaze:
½ c. + 2 tbsp. confectioners’ sugar
¼ c. pure maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400°. In a mixing bowl, combine the flours, oats, baking powder, sugar and salt. Blend in the cold butter with an electric mixer on the lowest speed and mix until butter is in pea-sized pieces. (If using a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment.) Combine the buttermilk, maple syrup and eggs and add quickly to the flour and butter mixture. Mix until just well blended. The dough may be sticky.
Dump the dough onto a well floured surface and be sure it is combined. Flour your hands and a rolling pin and roll the dough ¾ to 1 inch thick. You should see lumps of butter in the dough. Cut into 3-inch rounds with a plain or fluted cutter and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. (I cut mine into wedges.) Brush the tops with egg wash. (I forgot this step, and I didn't find it necessary.) Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the tops are crisp and the insides are done.
To make the glaze, combine the confectioners’ sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla. When the scones are done, cool for 5 minutes, and drizzle each scone with 1 tablespoon of glaze. Sprinkle with some uncooked oats for garnish.

Sourdough Bread

I love sourdough bread. Like deeply, truly love it. I would eat it everyday if I could! So why haven't I tried to make it at home? Because I have a fear of bread baking, never mind one that requires a starter. But I told myself this year I would tackle my fear of yeast bread, and starting with sourdough was the natural choice. While the bread was delicious, it wasn't "sour" enough for me. But I will try again soon with the starter that is still in my fridge. Maybe it will get better with time! I sliced mine thick and used 3 different cheeses to make grilled cheese with homemade tomato soup. YUUMM!

Sourdough Starter  (Courtesy of Annie's Eats)
2 cups warm water
1 tbsp. sugar or honey
1 tbsp. active dry yeast
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Pour the water into a 2-quart glass or ceramic jar or bowl.  Stir in the sugar or honey to dissolve.  Stir in the yeast. Gradually whisk in the flour.  Cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel or dishcloth (not plastic wrap) and place it in a warm area. Let it develop 2-5 days (I let mine go for 5), stirring once a day due to the separation that will occur.  When bubbling has subsided and a sour aroma has developed, stir once more and refrigerate until ready to use.

Sourdough Bread

1 Cup Starter
3 Cups Flour
2 Cups Warm Water
1/4 Cup sugar
Mix together and let stand in a warm place overnight (no more then 8-10 hours.)

Take out 1 cup and add to your starter to replenish, adding 1Tablespoon of sugar. Stir and replace starter in the fridge. To the remaining dough add:
1 Cup Warm Milk
1 Egg
1/4 Cup softened butter
1/4 Cup Sugar
2 Teaspoons salt
4-5 Cups Flour

Mix well, adding flour as needed. Knead on floured board until smooth and elastic. Place in a large greased bowl, cover and let rise until double. Punch down and shape (I baked mine in loaf pans.) Allow to rise, bake 30 minutes at 400.
*This recipe makes 2 large loaves of bread, so it may take more then 30 minutes for them to cook through in the middle.

On a cold rainy day one of the things I crave the most is tomato soup with grilled cheese. I do like the soup in a can, but I always knew there was something better out there. I love the tomato basil soup from Applebees, and this one tastes very close. I pureed mine in the blender in 3 batches and didn't feel the need to strain it afterwards. I liked mine a little thicker so I didn't add all of the broth. There was plenty of leftovers, which I think I may thicken more and put over pasta with more basil and Parmesan cheese :)

Creamless Creamy Tomato Soup

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
pinch hot red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
2 28-ounce cans whole tomatoes packed in juice
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 large slices good-quality sandwich bread, crusts removed, torn into 1-inch pieces
2 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth (I used homemade)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
Directions:
In a Dutch oven set over medium-high heat, heat oil until shimmering. Add onion, garlic, red pepper flakes  and bay leaf. Cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent. Add tomatoes and their juices. Mash tomatoes using a potato masher, until tomato pieces are all smaller than 2 inches. Add sugar and bread. Increase heat to high and bring soup to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium and and cook, stirring occasionally, until bread is completely saturated and beginning to disintegrate, about 5 minutes.
Remove bay leaf, add remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and use an immersion blender to blend the soup until smooth (I didn't add the additional oil). Transfer half of soup to a blender and blend for 2-3 minutes, or until smooth and creamy. Transfer to a large bowl and repeat with remaining soup. Strain if desired. Return soup to pot and stir in broth. Season to taste with salt and pepper and return to a boil. Sprinkle basil over the top of each serving of soup and drizzle with additional olive oil, if desired.

Oops! Falling off the wagon

Since becoming pregnant I haven't been good AT ALL at blogging. At first I was so sick I didn't feel like eating anything. Now, although I am back to eating regular foods I still don't have much energy. I'm sad to say that there have been a few recipes that I have tried that are on my list that I didn't document. All of them I will make again, and will make sure to document. But here is how I felt about what we have tried since I "fell off the blogging wagon."

Cuban Sandwich- Marinated pork roast, ham, Swiss, mustard, french bread and bread and butter pickles. Yummy! This was the first time we had tried this sandwich, and we will make it again for sure. We went light on the mustard and pickles on the side- both good decisions. But I wouldn't omit the pickles entirely, you really need that sour bite with the rich sandwich.

Gumbo- I received a recipe from a lady I talk to online who lives in Louisiana, so I knew she would know what she was talking about when it came to gumbo. I only used andoullie sausage and shrimp. I was spicy but good, very filling and perfect for a cold night.

Bananas Foster- Very rich, but yummy!

Marshmallows- For our Christmas dinner dessert at my moms we made homemade s'mores. I made the graham crackers, mallows and a yummy chocolate ganache. The mallows had great flavor. Next time I will make sure to coat the top with powdered sugar so they would be easier to cut. We had plenty leftover chocolate and mallows, which I made into a decadent hot chocolate the next morning. How sweet it is!!

Cheesecake- For Christmas dinner at the in-laws I attempted my first cheesecake. I made The Girl Who Ate Everything's Turtle Cheesecake. Everyone loved it, so much so that my mother in law had a slice for breakfast the next day! The chocolate layer was a bit to bittersweet for me, but the cake turned out nicely, so I can't wait to try out another variation.
I have a list of the next recipes I am going to try, and made a sourdough starter on Monday, so I hope to be baking a loaf of delicious bread soon!