Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
In a food processor, combine the flour, ½ cup of sugar, baking powder, and salt. Pulse briefly to blend. Add in the cold butter pieces and pulse again briefly until the mixture resembles coarse meal and the butter pieces are no larger than peas. Transfer to a medium mixing bowl.
In another small bowl or a liquid measuring cup, combine the egg, egg yolk, vanilla, and heavy cream; whisk to blend. Add the liquid ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir gently with a spatula or wooden spoon just until all the dry ingredients are moistened. Add in blueberries. Gently stir them in.
Knead gently to be sure the dough is evenly mixed, being careful not to overwork the dough.
Place a 2½- or 3-inch round biscuit cutter on the lined baking sheet. Scoop some of the dough inside the cutter and pat down gently to form a 1-inch thick round. Repeat with the remaining dough, placing the rounds 2-3 inches apart on the baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with additional sugar.
(To freeze before baking, flash freeze at this point. Place the baking sheet with the shaped scones into the freezer and chill until frozen. Transfer to a freezer-safe plastic bag and store until ready to bake.)
Bake in the preheated oven until light golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. (If baking from the freezer, add approximately 5 minutes to the original baking time)
Banana, oatmeal, chocolate chip scones
Posted: March 18, 2011 Filed under: Breakfast, Brunch, scones 3 Comments »We had weekend guests and I had made some blueberry scones, plain vanilla scones (same base recipe as I use but no add-ins except vanilla bean paste) and these banana oatmeal chocolate chip scones. I used my favorite recipe as the base but changed it up to a few items I had on hand that I wanted to try in my scones. I switched up the cream with greek yogurt, used oatmeal, chocolate chips, and bananas. These were great. Flavorful, moist, and super easy to make. Freeze up the shaped scones and bake as you need them!
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
2½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
6 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 mashed bananas
1/2-1 cups oatmeal-I found 1 cup was perfect but some like less
1-1/2 cups chocolate chips-depending how much you like
1/2 tbsp cinnamon-depending on how much spice you like
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
3/4-1 cup plain ff greek yogurt
Additional sugar for sprinkling
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat
In a food processor, combine the flour, ½ cup of sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Pulse briefly to blend. Add in the cold butter pieces and pulse again briefly until the mixture resembles coarse meal and the butter pieces are no larger than peas. Transfer to a medium mixing bowl.
In another small bowl or a liquid measuring cup, combine the mashed banana, egg, egg yolk and heavy cream; whisk to blend. Add the liquid ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir gently with a spatula or wooden spoon just until all the dry ingredients are moistened. Add in oatmeal and chocolate chips. Gently stir them in.
Knead gently to be sure the dough is evenly mixed, being careful not to overwork the dough.
Place a 2½- or 3-inch round biscuit cutter on the lined baking sheet. Scoop some of the dough inside the cutter and pat down gently to form a 1-inch thick round. Repeat with the remaining dough, placing the rounds 2-3 inches apart on the baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with additional sugar.
(To freeze before baking, flash freeze at this point. Place the baking sheet with the shaped scones into the freezer and chill until frozen. Transfer to a freezer-safe plastic bag and store until ready to bake.)
Bake in the preheated oven until light golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. (If baking from the freezer, add approximately 5 minutes to the original baking time.)
Green Velvet Whoopie Pies
Posted: March 17, 2011 Filed under: Cookies, Dessert, Holiday Recipe, Irish/St. Paddy's Day 4 Comments »HAPPY ST. PATTY’S DAY! Here is a great festive dessert found on Annie’s Eats. She made hearts, I made clovers! Make any shape and any color!
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
For the cookies:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. cocoa powder
½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 oz. green food coloring
For the frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese
5 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2½ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375.
Using a clover template cut out from card stock, trace evenly spaced clovers onto pieces of parchment paper sized to fit two cookie sheets. Place the parchment on the cookie sheets so that the side you have drawn on is facing down; set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Blend in the vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, beat in about a third of the dry ingredients, followed by half of the buttermilk, beating each addition just until incorporated. Repeat so that all the buttermilk has been added and then mix in the final third of dry ingredients. Do not overbeat. Blend in the food coloring.
Transfer the batter to a pastry bag fitted with a large plain round tip. Pipe the batter onto the parchment paper using the clover tracings as a guide. Bake 7-9 minutes or until the tops are set, rotating the baking sheets halfway through. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets at least 10 minutes, until they can be easily transferred to a cooling rack. Repeat with any remaining batter.
Allow cookies to cool completely before proceeding.
To make the cream cheese frosting, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed until well combined and smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Mix in the vanilla extract. Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar until totally incorporated, increase the speed and then beat until smooth.
Transfer the frosting to a clean pastry bag fitted with a plain, round tip. Pair the cookies up by shape and size.
Flip one cookie of each pair over so that the flat side is facing up.
Pipe frosting onto the flat-sided cookie of each pair, leaving the edges clear. Sandwich the cookies together so the flat sides are facing each other and press gently to help the filling reach the edges. To store, refrigerate in an airtight container.
Spicy Grilled Chicken
Posted: March 16, 2011 Filed under: Chicken, Clean eating, Grilled 1 Comment »To go with our grilled skewered potatoes, I whipped up this new chicken recipe. We grill so often that I am always in need of new, fresh ideas. I found this recipe on allrecipes.com and we loved it. The flavors were perfect together, grilled up well and is a recipe we will try again very soon!!!
ENJOY!
Ingredients: (serves 6 adjust to your needs)
1/3 cup evoo
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 teaspoon grated lime zest
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh oregano
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
Directions:
In a shallow glass dish, mix the oil, lime juice, lime zest, garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper. Add chicken, and turn to coat. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour, turning occasionally.
Preheat grill for medium-high heat.
Lightly oil the grill grate. Drain and discard marinade. Grill chicken for 6 to 8 minutes each side, or until juices run clear.
Skewered Grilled Potatoes
Posted: March 14, 2011 Filed under: Grilled, Potato, Side dish 2 Comments »Ahhh I love grilling out on a nice, warm evening. Open a bottle of wine, fire up the grill, eat outside. Ahh perfect! For tonight’s grilling I wanted some new ideas. I found this recipes off allrecipes.com and they were great and easy to whip up!
ENJOY!
Ingredients: (serves 8 adjust to your needs)
2 pounds red potatoes, quartered
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 teaspoons crushed dried rosemary-I used oregano as we dont like rosemary
1 teaspoon garlic powder-I used fresh garlic
wooden skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes
Directions:
Place potatoes and water in a microwave safe bowl. Cook potatoes in microwave on high until just tender, about 15 minutes, stirring half-way through. Drain potatoes and allow to steam for a few minutes to dry.
In a large bowl, stir together mayonnaise, wine, rosemary, and garlic powder. Mix in drained potatoes and toss to coat. Marinate, covered, in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat and lightly oil grate.
Remove potatoes from marinade, and skewer. Grill, covered, for 6 to 8 minutes, brushing occasionally with marinade, turning half-way through. Remove potatoes from skewers and serve hot.
Raspberry jam omelette
Posted: March 11, 2011 Filed under: Breakfast, Brunch, Clean eating, Light and healthy, Low Carb, Meatless, Quick 1 Comment »When I first saw this recipe in the latest Clean Eating Magazine I was skeptical. I thought no way could those flavors work well together but I was inclined to try it. While my omelette didn’t flip well (excuse the bad photo) this did taste great. Amazing actually. I was totally shocked how well all these flavors came together! Definitely give this a try!
ENJOY!
Ingredients: (serves 4 adjust to how many people you have)
1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
1/8 tsp cinnamon
olive oil spray
2 whole large eggs
6 large egg whites
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
pinch sea salt
1/3 cup all-fruit raspberry jam
Directions:
In a small bowl, mix the yogurt and cinnamon. Set aside.
Mist bottom and sides of a medium non-stick skillet with cooking spray and heat on medium.
In a medium bowl, whisk together whole eggs, egg whites, oj, and salt. Pour egg mixture into hot pan. Cook, occasionally lifting omelette around edges with a rubber spatula to allow uncooked egg to flow underneath , until egg is no longer runny on surface and bottom is golden, about 6 mins. Spread jam across surface and gently loosen omelette from pan bottom and sides in order to fold omelette in half.
Slide omelette onto a platter and cut into 4 portions. Transfer each portion to a plate and garnish with a dollop of yogurt-cinnamon mixture. Serve immediately.
Crispy Chicken Sandwiches-Clean Eating
Posted: March 9, 2011 Filed under: Chicken, Clean eating, Light and healthy, Sandwich 2 Comments »The latest issue of Clean Eating Magazine arrived and I fell in love with almost all of the recipes!!! The first one we tried was the crispy chicken sandwiches. I did make a few changes..I didnt pound ours thin, baked ours in the oven for 30- 45 mins and H had his on Hawaiian rolls and I had mine on a low carb wrap. This was easy and super good! Next time I will try frying them as suggested but I didnt want to make a fuss…throwing in the oven was easier for me!! 
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
1/3 cup nonfat plain Greek style yogurt
3 tbsp chopped fresh dill
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp sea salt and gr black pepper divided
4 egg whites
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 cup whole-wheat panko bread crumb
1/3 cup whole-wheat flour
4 4-oz boneless, skinless chicken cutlets, pounded 1/4 inch thick
1 tbsp olive oil
4 thin whole-grain sandwich buns toasted
2 cups watercress-we used spinach leaves
1/2 English cucumber thinly sliced
2 jarred roasted red peppers, drained and sliced
Directions:
In a small bol, whisk together yogurt, dill, and lemon juice. Season with 1/8 tsp each of salt and pepper.
In a separate bowl, whisk together egg white, mustard and remaining 1/8 tsp salt and pepper. Set aside. Transfer panko to a shallow pan or plate. Transfer flour to a second shallow pan or plate.
Dredge each chicken cutlet in flour, shaking off excess, then in egg white mixture. Press cutlets gently into panko and transfer to a baking tray or plate.
Heat oil in pan (I heated oven). Working in batches if necessary, sear breaded chicken cutlets for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until golden brown and fully cooked. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate.
Assemble sandwiches with preferred toppings. Serve immediately.
Meatless meals….
Posted: March 7, 2011 Filed under: Random Thoughts about cooking 2 Comments »With Lent upon us, I often get asked by friends and family what good meatless meal recipes do I have. Well this year I thought I would do a round-up of our favorite meatless meals we like to enjoy in lent….Here are a few meals to get you started…but browse around the blog for several more ideas!!!
ENJOY!
Fish and seafood-While I have a ton of fish and seafood recipes on my blog, here are a few of our favorites:
Crab/lobster mac and cheese
Crab linguine
Fish tacos with avocado cream
Roasted Shrimp Cocktail
Fish Fritters
Salmon Florentine
Grilled Tuna Steaks
Grilled Sword Fish
Salmon melts
Peel and Eat Shrimp
Pizza
Crab and brie Pizza
Fig and goat cheese pizza
Margarita pizza
Grilled pizza
Meatless meals:
Veggie melts
Tomato, basil, mozz salad
Cherry tomato salad
Meatless tator tot casserole
Dinner sized spanakopitas
Crab nachos
Blueberry scones
Posted: March 4, 2011 Filed under: Breakfast, Brunch, scones 3 Comments »We had another weekend of guests visiting and I decided once again to have scones on hand for the mornings with our other breakfast items. This time I made my fave cranberry orange and chocolate chip ones and then decided to switch up the add-ins to blueberries. These were GREAT. Moist, flavorful and full of blueberry goodness! I always use this recipe as the base and change in the add-ins. So far all the variations have been great!
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
2½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
6 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2-1 cups fresh blueberries
1-2 tsp vanilla
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
3/4-1 cup heavy cream
Additional sugar for sprinkling
Champagne Cocktail
Posted: March 2, 2011 Filed under: Beverages, Brunch 8 Comments »A great nestie friend of mine is getting MARRIED and all of us nestie girls decided to throw her a blogging wedding shower of great eats and treats. I decide to make a great cocktail in pink, her favorite color. You can find all the great eats here. Congrats Kelsey!! Share all the wonderful wedding details with us!!
Check out the bride-to-be’s site for all the great recipes as well!
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups Cointreau or Grand Mariner
1 1/4 cups cranberry juice cocktail
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons superfine granulated sugar
4 cups chilled Champagne or other sparkling wine
Directions:
Stir together Cointreau, juices, and sugar and chill, covered, 2 to 6 hours. Just before serving, divide among 10 Champagne flutes and top off with Champagne.
