Vanilla Bean Scones

This is good 

This is very good

This is so good that is has looped around to bad.

This is bad.

This is VERY bad.

...I am in trouble!!

Gather your ingredients

Cut up 2 sticks of butter- put 'em in the fridge

Slice 2 vanilla beans down the center

Scrape out the specks, known as caviar

Add the vanilla caviar to 3/4 Cup heavy cream (I was out of cream... I used bailey's coffee creamer- it worked just as well)

  

Sift together 3C flour, 1/2 C sugar
5tsp baking powder, 1/4tsp salt
*this sifter is ALSO my strainer*

**Sifting is important**

TA-DA!

Put your chilled butter into the bowl

Go at it with a pastry blender- This is called "cutting in the butter" it's not quick or super easy but the end result will make you happy that you did it.

This is about what it will look like when you are "there"

mix your egg into the cream/vanilla mixture

(look t that action shot! Once handed no less. Be jealous. Very jealous)

  

Add the wet mix into the try mix

Mix JUST until it comes together

Flour your surface

Turn your crumbly mixture out onto your floured surface.

This makes a great, big mess. But this recipe is so worth it!

Trust me.

Pat into a rectangle- careful not to handle the dough too much

Roll . I went WAY to thin this time. Next time I will keep this in mind!

LOOK at those beautiful butter specks! That is why butter needs to be "cut in". This will create flaky deliciousness.

Trim the edges with a knife of pizza cutter

 (I saved the scraps to make a few extra)

Here is where you can be flexible-

 I made MINI scones, you can just as easily make large scones...

 just cut 2 lines lengthwise and 4 across

Cut each rectangle diagonally to get your triangles

This makes A LOT of mini scones. But My Herd prefers little nibbles to large servings.

After all, who wouldn't love THREE instead of just one?

Bake. I am currently using stone wear but hope to switch over to metal and silpat soon.

Mini scones took about 12 minutes, larger ones take 18-20

Cool on a wire rack

See how flaky they are?!

 and my kitchen smelled SO good!

Next is the glaze:

SIFT 5cups of powdered sugar, add in 1/2 cup of milk.

 I probably could have used the Bailey's creamer again but went with skim milk.

 My glaze was a little thin because of it but I am okay with that.

My dipping station

One side...

Flip...

Drip...

Dry

These are the large scones I made from the scraps. They look bloated and that is because the butter in them came to room temperature. CHILLED butter is key to light, flaky pastries!

Funny looking, but still tasty!

Don't these remind you of the Vanilla Bean Scones from my favorite coffee house?!

 (hint.. Starbucks)

Let me tell you- they taste just like them!

They are The Hubster's favorite thing in the bakery case there.

 He was excited- the kids were excited. Heck, I was excited.

*Special Notes*

Butter: the colder, the better

Don't over work the dough

Be sure to keep the dough around 1 inch thick

These gems are even BETTER the next day!

Try adding your favorite things in place of the vanilla bean.

Don't throw away the bean pod! Make Vanilla Sugar!

The glaze provides a lot of sweet. I prefer only 1/3 cup of sugar in my dough

Best served with coffee

Mmmmmm... coffee

  

My Best Banana Bread

This is THE easiest and tastiest recipe I have come across... and it came from Starbucks! No joke. I have been keeping this gem to myself and tweaking it a little each time to get it just right for my family. My Sister-in-Law loves it. My Mother-in-Law asks for it all the time but I have always smiled and said it's my secret weapon!

So, with the encouragement of The Hubster, I shall blog it. He is certain that my highly coveted banana bread just won't be the same when his mom makes it, as happened with his favorite french toast  (minus the grand marnier and brulee).

Brace yourself for how easy this is!

Preheat oven to 325 and gather two mixing bowls, a whisk, rubber spatula, 1 Cup measure, 1/4 Cup measure and your measuring spoons.

I like to gather my ingredients before I start- you will need flour, baking soda, salt, 3 over ripe bananas, sugar, unsweetened apple sauce, buttermilk, one egg, and vanilla

In the smaller bowl, whisk together your dry things:

2C flour, 1tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp salt

In the larger bowl, mix your wet ingredients: 1 cup + 2 TBS sugar, 1/2 Cup UNsweetened applesauce*, 1 egg.

Pour your Dry mix into your wet mix and combine

(all mixed)

Prep bananas for mashing (I reuse the small bowl I used for the dry mix) 

All Mashed up...with a whisk!

Add the mashed bananas, 2 TBS buttermilk, 1/2 tsp vanilla to your batter bowl

mix

pour into pan and bake for 60 min. you can line two bread pans with parchment or use a square baker like I did. I have also baked this recipe off in muffin tins with paper liners. The loaf pans look prettiest once baked, muffins are the most convenient for grab-and-go breakfasts and the square baker is easiest to prep, bake and clean.

Ta-Da!

*The original recipe calls for 1/2 Cup vegetable oil. I sub the applesauce to save on fat and calories which changes the texture slightly but it's worth it! Sometimes I will grind up oats in the old food processor and replace some of the flour with the oats. This also changes the texture up and boosts the nutritional values a little.

**1/2 to 1/3 cup chopped walnuts may also be added but I only put them in when I bake off two loaf pans- one with nuts, one with out.

 

There you have it. Coffee house Banana bread at home.

Simple ingredients, easy process, crowd pleaser.

My secret is out!

HAPPY EASTER!

This year we opted NOT to do the egg hunt and basket thing... I know, I know. And guess how thrilled our kids are!! Instead of the traditional Easter-y stuff we are all getting brand new, shiny bikes! I think everyone will love that more than candy and small trinkets (in the long run anyhow)

Big-Breakfast-Sunday is a tradition here, Easter is no exception. This week I made Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake and thick cut bacon. YUM!

creaming

Batter was thicker than I thought it would be hence "cake" being in the title. It was more like a biscuit, a surprise but still tasty!

I rarely sift, instead I whisk.

before baking (that is sugar on top, to make a nice crust!)

The recipe called for 35 min in the oven but additional 10 may be necessary. I did an extra 14.

Time to eat!

Mine seemed a little dry. But still delish for a first time!

The verdict: Adults loved it, kids did not. I think the cooked fruit is what the little ones did not love. Will I make it again? yes. They can eat frozen pancakes next time!! Any kind of berry would be very good in this dish. I would add a little more sugar to the mix and possibly a dollop of whipped cream

On a side note- my sister is here for a visit!! We only get to visit a couple of times a year so we make the most of it. That is code for "stay tuned, shenanigans are to follow and I will defiantly blog about it"!

HAPPY EASTER everyone! Enjoy the family, the day off and hopefully a little bit of beautiful spring weather! Eat a chocolate bunny and some peeps for me, a candy filled Easter morning is a tradition I kind of miss...

Italian Beef Sandwiches

Italian beef is a sandwich loved by nearly everyone I know from the Chicago area. Including my husband, who loves food and really misses his favorites from back home. Portillos is probably the top spot to score this regional favorite which is no where near where we live.

Then Jeff Mauro came into our lives via The Next Food Network Star. Luckily he won and got his own show because I learned how to make a sandwich that TASTED just like the Hubsters back-home favorite. It has a different mouth feel but the taste blew him away!

London Broil

Stove top braising

pure beefy love taking a rest!

Roasted red peppers. These are super tasty on salads and on all types of sandwichy things!

Shredding the meat

Build it your way. I prefer equal amounts of beef and peppers.

never mind the gnarly Tupperware bowl...this picture is all about the gravy! Deliciously seasoned juices from the beef

many folks will saturate their sandwich with the gravy. I am not one of those people. In fact, this amount of moisture was overkill for me

Mmmmmmm!

You can find the recipe HERE - it is slow cooker style so low fuss and very good!

Thank you Jeff, you have made a happy boy out of a guy who gets homesick for his favorite Chicago land favorites!

A New (and Safer) Corn Dog

Corn dogs are a childhood favorite. I loved them (still do!) and so do my kids. I never worried much about the threat of a corn dog until I had boys... this is something I say a lot! There are three causes for my concern; the hot dog, the tasty coating and the stick

Wait, WHAT?! Yep, that is pretty much the entire thing! Before you think I am one of those over protective spaz-mommies, let me explain and I think you will agree. And don't worry- at the end you will find a super easy and equally accepted adaptation!

THE MEAT: Choking has always been in the back of my mind. It all started when my little sister was maybe four years old and was sucking on the brilliant Tootsie Pop Drops. They were just the right size to get stuck in her throat. We happened to be on a family drive and I will never forget watching her turn blue and my mom pulling her into the front seat and whacking on her back before the drop flew out and hit the passenger window. I have also heard personal accounts of children choking to death on food. Hot dogs are a top culprit. (as are grapes- so cut those babies up!) I have always, always been very diligent about cutting food into very small pieces. Yes it takes some time, but it is well worth it. The idea of handing a child a whole hot dog terrifies me.

THE BATTER: While allergens are not a concern for all families, they are for mine. Soy and Rice are major concerns for us but more that that, nutritional content has become an area of national focus. What makes the corny part of the beloved corn dog is packed with fats, sugars and refined ingredients. It's fried and I know that makes everything taste heavenly but kids don't need that...and neither do adults!

THE STICK: Now, my girls, they would nibble daintily around the stick. Not the case for my boys- the older of which will gag himself every time! My little ladies never minded me pulling the stick out and lovingly dicing their corn dogs for safety. The boys- well, I may as well have pulled the sword from the stone and thrown THAT in the trash. Eating things off of a stick is cool. It is daring. It is rebellious. Adults go to the local and state fairs to get as much fried food on a stick as they can. What's not to love?

My clever compromise: CORN DOG MUFFINS

I got the idea from pinterest and modified it a little. The original idea had half of a hot dog baked in the middle of a corn muffin. No stick, better corny exterior...but the hot dog was still too large and too much of a choking hazard. When I made them, I cut the dogs in half lengthwise, then again before slicing. After mixing together a boxed cornbread mix (milk+mix. simple) I stirred in my hot dog slices.To get a crispier outside I sprayed my muffin tin with nonstick spray and did NOT use paper liners. Fifteen minutes later we had a tasty lunch. Even M, my oldest (who hates cornbread) loved it!

This recipe was gobbled up by my five kids plus the one little girl who came to daycare today- WIN!

Easy things to add are shredded cheese, frozen corn (or another kind of veggie), or your favorite variety of onion. Next time I am going to make the batter from scratch since I have just about everything on hand. Most homes have hot dogs and a box of corn muffin mix is .49- so besides being safer and healthier, it is less expensive and takes less than five minutes to prepare, fifteen minutes to bake!