(fall is here) scones

I admit...I've been a little grumpy as I roll out of bed in the morning and hurl myself into the gym. But knowing that one of these is waiting for me during my 10 AM coffee break somehow makes this transition into Fall a little less painful. So bring it on mother nature. I'm ready....

(fall is here) scones. adapted from this site

1/2 c whole wheat flour
1 1/2 c white flour
1 T b powder
1/2 tsp b soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 rounded tsp cinnamon
7 T cold butter
3 T buttermilk
1 egg
1/2 c (rounded) cooked squash, any kind...I used butternut
7 T sugar
1 tsp molasses
2 T chopped crystallized ginger

preheat oven to 425. combine cold butter and dry ingredients in bowl, with a pastry cutter mix the butter in until there are big crumbs. 

combine the buttermilk, egg, squash, sugar, and molasses in bowl until smooth, I used my immersion blender, but you might want to use your egg beater if you don't have one. add this to the dry ingredients. mix JUST until combined, stir in crystallized ginger. 

dump mixture onto a floured counter, press into a disc, approx. 8-10 inch round. using a floured knife, cut into 8 triangles.

place on cookie sheet, bake 12-15 minutes

glaze:
1 package soft cream cheese
1/2 tsp cinnamon
splash of orange, apple or lemon juice
powdered sugar to taste

combine all ingredients in bowl, beat, frost cooled scones

enjoy!

apple pie preserves

Adapted from the recipe found in Put 'Em Up by Sherri Brooks Vinton

12 lbs peeled, chopped apples (any combination of apples...)
4 c sugar
5 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1 T molasses
3/4 c lemon juice
6 c water

combine water and lemon juice in big pot, as you peel and dice apples - add them to the pot to prevent browning. when finished, bring apples and lemon juice and water to a boil, stir in the sugar, molasses, and spices, simmer until thickened, about 10-15 minutes. feel free to adjust the sugar content, my apples were quite sweet, so 4 c did the trick, but you may need to add more...

can using the boiling-water method. leave 1/2 inch headspace. process for 15 minutes, unless you live at elevation, in which case, adjust using this guide.

makes about 6 quarts.

ginger plum jam

ginger plum jam, adapted from this site

24 c pitted plums
4 boxes low-sugar pectin
1/2 c grated ginger (don't bother peeling it...)
4 c water
7 c sugar

(if 24 c of plums sounds daunting....just cut the recipe in half)

Halve the plums, don't worry about chopping them up, they cook down well. In a large stockpot, bring plums, pectin, ginger, and water to a boil, cook for 5 minutes. Add sugar, stir well and boil for 5 more minutes. If you want a smooth jam, cook for a little longer to allow the plums to cook down further until they are the size you want. you can even use an immersion blender to smooth it out. I used mine and it worked like a charm. 

Fill hot, sterilized jars, leave 1/4 inch head space  process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes, if you live at elevation, use this chart and adjust accordingly. enjoy.

Peach Pie...why not?

I baked this pie and put it in the window to cool. I half expected some kid to come up and snatch it...it smelled that good. I adapted it from this site, there were way too many steps in the original recipe that made making a peach pie a little too complicated for my taste. With a little planning, you can have this pie ready in no time, enjoy....

Crust:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting surfaces

1 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 sticks butter, very cold

1/2 cup water, very cold

1 T milk or cream

1 T sugar

Filling:

1 T lemon juice

1/4 c EACH brown and white sugar, depending on how sweet the peaches are

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Enough peaches to mound into your pie plate, I know, this sounds a little too rough, but approx. 4 lbs, and I used frozen peaches, cut in about 1/2 inch slices

pinch nutmeg

1/8 salt

2 tablespoons minute tapioca, ground to a powder (I was too lazy to grind it, and it still came out fine...)

To finish:

Crust:

mix flour, sugar, salt, and with a pastry blender or in a cuisinart, mix in cold butter until mixture is the size of small peas, add water in a couple additions, you might not use all of it, mix just until dough comes together and you can pat it into 2 round discs. wrap in plastic wrap and put in refrigerator (if you have patience) or in freezer if you don't.

When the dough is cold, roll into 2 pie shells, place one in bottom of pie pan.

Make the filling:

Mix peaches (you don't have to peel them, I used frozen, unpeeled peaches), lemon juice, spices, salt, and tapioca together. Mound into pie shell. If it seems like too many peaches, its fine...they will cook down...

Cover peaches with 2nd pie shell, crimp edges, brush with milk or cream, sprinkle with sugar and bake at 425 for 20 minutes, then reduce oven to 375. bake for another 30-40 min. You might want to cover edges or entire pie with foil to prevent burning...I did...

Caesar Salad

  Caesar salad with a homemade bagel after a nice bike ride. Sounds like a good day to me.... 
1 T fresh chopped garlic
1 egg
1 tsp anchovy paste
1/2 T mustard seed, any color (you can sub plain ole' mustard, I recommend a grainy mustard, not your typical French's mustard)
3 T lemon juice
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp EACH salt and pepper
3/4 c olive oil
parmesan cheese

If you have an immersion blender, use it...I have this one and it has changed my life... OK well that might be a slight exaggeration, but it's totally awesome and makes blending hot soups or making salad dressings so much easier than using a blender...

blend everything but the oil, when it is all mixed well, slowly pour in the olive oil. taste and adjust seasoning. mix with romaine lettuce and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. this will keep for at least 1 week in your refrigerator. enjoy!

No Bake S'mores Tartlets

Guest Post! Thanks to Ashley D'Antonio for this awesome recipe.

Summer is ending but before it fully turns to Fall in Utah I wanted to sneak in one last “summer-y”, no-bake dessert.  I recently bought a few small tartlet pans and have been thinking about making Smore’s tartlets for a few weeks now.  I wanted to combine some of my other favorite recipe components to make what hopefully results in an amazing Smore’s tartlet.

I created my recipe using a combination of these recipes (makes two tartlets):

For the graham cracker crust: http://thebeeroness.com/2012/04/10/chocolate-beer-cheesecake-with-a-pretzel-crust/

For the chocolate ganache (halved this recipe): http://www.loveandoliveoil.com/2012/08/no-bake-blueberry-truffle-tartlets.html

For the marshmallow cream (halved this recipe): http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/17/now-baking-first-prize-piess-smores-pie/

Basically, I followed the recipe for the graham cracker/pretzel crust and refrigerated the crust for an hour.  I filled the refrigerated crusts with chocolate ganache and let the ganache solidify in the fridge for about 30 minutes. While the ganache was in the refrigerator, I made the marshmallow cream. Then I topped the ganache with a bit of the marshmallow cream and refrigerated the almost finished tartlet for another hour.  As an optional finishing touch, you can follow the directions for the Smore’s Pie and use a torch or broiler to brown the top of the marshmallows.  I did not do any toasting this time as I do not own a kitchen torch and have not quite mastered the broiler in the house that I just moved into. So, I just took the safe route and ate the tartlets as is.

A note on the homemade marshmallow cream – it does contain gelatin but there are some gelatin alternatives that you could use if you wanted to make this recipe vegetation.  I have used agar-agar as a gelatin replacement with success.  The crust could also be made gluten-free using almond flour, honey, and cinnamon instead of graham crackers and leaving out the pretzels completely. 

carrots...

(We squealed like little kids as we dug these babies up....)