Chocolate Chip Scones

I love waking up somewhat early with no place I have to be and nothing pressing on my to-do list. On these rare mornings I really want to make breakfast. One really easy breakfast is scones, but not just any 'ol plane scone--chocolate chip scones. Fresh from the oven and sprinkled with a little sugar on top--you can't get much better than that. 

Chocolate Chip Scones

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla

1 egg

2 cups flour

1 Tbs baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3 Tbs butter, cubed and chilled

3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

egg wash and sugar to top

Heat oven to 375. Mix together milk, sugar, vanilla and egg then set aside. Combine flour, baking powder and salt, then cut in butter until you have crumbly mixture. Fold in chocolate chips, then the milk mixture until everything just combines. Lightly knead the dough on a floured surface until the mixture comes together to form a round disk, about 1 inch thick. Cut the dough into wedges, place on a silpat lined baking sheet and cover the top of the scones with the egg wash. Sprinkle the top with sugar and bake in the oven for 18 minutes, or until golden on top. Best served warm and eaten immediately. 

Several of my neighbors have tasted them and love them as much as I do. They are best fresh from the oven, but still good the next day. The recipe is super simple and it doesn't take much effort to enjoy the results. 

Notes:

1. You can substitute buttermilk for the regular milk, you may need 1/4 cup more of buttermilk
2. You may add whatever you like to this base. Raspberries and very nice, and oats give a little more texture to the scone. I would add the raspberries in at the last possible minute of kneading, or use frozen fruit so the colors/juices do not run too much. If you add oats, I would add no more than 1/4 cup and you may need a bit more milk. 

Here is the raspberry version.  Mine were fresh, and leaked their color a little too much for my preferences. 

Sausage Rolls

Have you ever read the Charlie and Lola books by Lauren Child, or seen the BBC series? It's one of Bromley's all time favorites. I think that because he heard the theme song often while I was pregnant, he was born to love it! Charlie and his silly little sister Lola have some wonderful adventures. After watching the episode, "The Most Wonderfullest Picnic in the Whole Wide World," I really wanted to make some sausage rolls, a favorite of Lola's best friend Lotta. So I gave it a go and they turned out wonderfully.

Sausage Rolls

12 oz sausage meat

1 tsp corse salt

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried parsley

1 tsp onion flakes

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 eggs

2 Tbs bread crumbs

1 pkg puff pastry, thawed

Preheat oven to 400, or package directions. Roll out puff pastry and cut into squares, Combine sausage, seasonings and 1 egg. (I start with a spoon but give up and use my hands) Add bread crumbs if mixture seems too wet. Spoon approximately 2 Tbs of mixture onto one end of a puff pastry square and continue doing so until all the meat mixture is used up. Crack the remaining egg in a small bowl and beat it to make an egg wash. Brush the unoccupied end of the pastry square with the egg wash, then roll up the log and place it seam side down on a baking sheet. Once the sheet is full, brush the tops of all the rolls with egg and sprinkle with a little more corse salt (more grated parmesan too if you like). Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool slightly on a wire rack before enjoying. Makes approximately 24 sausage rolls. 

Now I know these are not authentic at all, but they are amazing! If you run out of meat before pastry like I do, you can use the leftover dough to make chocolate/Nutella croissants. Just put a dollop of Nutella instead of sausage, or you could do softened cream cheese and chocolate chips. If you run out of pastry before meat, turn the extra meat into meatballs and just fry them up in a little olive oil. Delicious! If you skip the egg wash, the tops wont be as golden and the seam probably won't stick, causing the pastry to unroll while cooking. I would have preferred mine to be a bit more brown, but I just couldn't wait any longer. My husband eats his rolls with HP Sauce--the authentic British way he says. (http://www.heinz.co.uk/Products/HP-Sauce) You can mix up the seasonings; thyme, sage or feta cheese would all be good twists. And lastly, leftovers do well in the freezer--if you have any.

Rice and Bean Salad

I found this recipe on Pinterest and thought it looked like a side salad worth trying out, but after changing a few ingredients it is well deserving of the main course. The recipe said to eat it cold but I much prefer it warm. The best part is that is so easy my husband can do everything but season it himself. It makes a ton (hooray leftovers!) and it's also really filling. I love to top with a bit of grated cheese, sour cream and some chips cause I like the crunch. We eat this for lunch or dinner at least three times a month. 

Salad:

1/2 c Sausage, cooked

2 cups Rice, cooked

1 can Black Beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup Corn

4 Green Onions, finely diced

1 Red bell Pepper, seeded and diced finely

1/4 cup Cilantro, minced

1 Avocado, cubed

1 Tomato, finely diced

Dressing:

1/3 cup Olive Oil

1 T Lemon Juice

1 clove Garlic, minced

1/2 tsp Salt

1 tsp ground Cumin

1 tsp ground Coriander 

1 tsp Chili Powder

1/4 tsp Pepper

Toppings:

Shredded Cheese

Sour Cream

Hot Sauce

While cooking the sausage and rice prep all the remaining ingredients. Mix all ingredients together then toss in the dressing. If it seems too dry add more oil. Serve as is or use for the filling of a super tasty burrito. 

You can add whatever veggies you please. The above mentioned is my favorite combination, but you can also add green/yellow/orange bell peppers, chili peppers, different beans. Sausage in this is amazing, but you can change it up or leave it out. 

Swedish Pancakes

I am a quarter Swedish and proud of it! My Great Grandmother, Edith Johnson, came to America when she was a teen. She met and married my Great Grandfather (also a Swede), and among their children was my Grandmother Elizabeth, whom we all affectionately call Mormor (mother's mother in Swedish). Grandma Johnson was a very good cook and passed on some of her traditions and recipes to us. On of my all time favorites is Swedish Pancakes. 

Swedish Pancakes:

3 Eggs

2 cups Milk

1 cup Flour

3/4 tsp Salt

1 Tbs Oil

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour just enough batter to cover the bottom of a hot, greased round frying pan and swirl the batter around to coat the bottom of the pan. Let the batter cook until golden brown on the underside. Loosen the edges of the pancake and then flip it over, careful not to tare the pancake. Cook until the second side is also golden brown, just a few seconds, and serve right away. The pancakes cook very quickly so be careful not to let them burn. this recipe should make around a dozen pancakes.

The options for fillings are as broad as your imagination. My all time favorite is strawberries and a little Nutella. Any berries would be great. We also usually have whipped cream, syrup, butter and powdered sugar on hand. My husband likes his savory and will stick cheese and ham in his. A wonderful family tradition is to eat Swedish pancakes on Christmas morning at Mormor's house. I believe the record for most pancakes eaten still stands at 13 pancakes. My record is 4.

Banana Apple Crumb Muffins

I have fond memories of muffins. If ever we had muffins for breakfast when I was young, I knew that my mom was in a good mood. My wonderful mother always preferred to leave the cooking in my dad's very strong and capable hands.  Every now and then (especially if it ever rained) she would bake something yummy like soft pretzels, chocolate chip cookies, banana bread or lemon poppyseed muffins. I made these muffins this past week and knew she would love them.

Banana Apple Crumb Muffins

1/4 cup Butter, softened
1/4 cup Banana, mashed (about 1 banana)
1/4 cup Apple Sauce
1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1 Egg
1 tsp Vanilla
1 Apple, shredded (about 1/2 cup)
1 1/2 cups Flour
1/4 cup Rolled Oats
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 cup Almonds, chopped


Crumb Topping

1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Rolled Oats
1/4 cup Butter, cut into small chunks
1/4 cup Flour
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 cup Almonds, chopped


Preheat oven to 350. Mix butter and banana together. Add in apple sauce, both sugars and mix well. Beat in egg and vanilla, then add the shredded apple. Fold in the dry ingredients until everything is just incorporated. In a separate bowl combine all ingredients for the topping. Spray and fill muffin tins 3/4 full of batter, then top with the crumb mixture. Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Makes 1 dozen.