Scones

2 cups flour

1.5 teaspoons Baking Powder

.5 teaspoons Baking Soda

.5 teaspoons of Salt

3 Tablespoons Sugar

1 stick of Butter

1 Egg

1/2 cup of Buttermilk

Preheat oven to 400. Put dry ingredients in food processor, pulse to mix. Cube cold butter and add to food processor, pulse till crumbly. Add Egg and Buttermilk and pulse till just together. Turn out onto a parchment lined baking sheet (glass pan if you don't like browned bottoms). Separate into 8 roughly even pieces. Bake for 15-20 minutes till lightly golden on top.

Alternate: for sweeter scones use 1/2 cup of Sugar. You could even add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Three (3) Bean Salad

 1 lb of fresh Green Beans washed, trimmed, halved, and parboiled for 5 minutes

1 15-oz can of Garbanzo Beans, drained and rinsed

1 15-oz can of Dark Red Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 medium Red Onion sliced finely

1/3 cup of White Wine Vinegar

1/3 cup of Apple Cider Vinegar

1/3 cup of Olive Oil

3 Tablespoons granulated White Sugar

1 teaspoon Salt

Combine all ingredients and serve, or let marinate. Keeps refrigerated for 3 days.

Hot Chocolate Mix

1 cup confectioners' sugar

1 cups chocolate chips (milk)

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch process)

1 1/4 cups nonfat dry milk powder

1/2 teaspoon fine-grain salt

1 teaspoons cornstarch

1 pinch or more to taste ground cayenne pepper and/or cinnamon, optional

Hot milk or water to serve 

Put all ingredients in a food processor and pulse/blitz till mixed. Use 1 Tablespoon mix for every 1/2 Cup of Liquid.

Spicy Pimento Cheese

This next recipe I came up with in an effort to imitate (sincerest form of flattery, right?) a specific flavor from a local company but without the preservatives, or the cost.

1-8 oz. package of cream cheese softened

6 oz. of Aged White Cheddar, shredded
3 Tbs. Mayonnaise
3 Tbs. Sour cream or milk
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
dash of black pepper
1 4 oz. jar of pimentos, drained

1 teaspoon Jalapeno flakes + 1/2 teaspoon Habanero flakes

Carrot or Pumpkin Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Carrot or Pumpkin Spice Cake

1/2 cup (1 stick) of Unsalted Butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
3 cups shredded carrot (or 1-15 ounce can of Pumpkin puree)
1/3 cup Buttermilk or yogurt
1/2 teaspoon Pure Vanilla extract (optional) 
3/4 cup of flour White flour
3/4 cup of Whole Wheat flour (I really love Bob's Red Mill Pastry WW flour)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda 
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground Cardamom
1/4 teaspoon Cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground Ginger

You could add nuts and/or raisins if that's your thing

Preheat oven to 350.  Melt the butter in the microwave. Stir in Sugar, salt, and spices. Beat in Eggs, mix in Buttermilk and Carrots. I simply add the flour on top, mixing in the baking powder and soda into the flour prior to combining with the wet ingredients beneath. Pour into a greased glass baking dish.

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes, 25-30 if cupcakes. Remember, spice cake is always better the next day.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1/4 cup butter
8 ounce package of cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon Pure Vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar

Soften butter in microwave, add cream cheese. Beat till combined, add vanilla and sugar, beat till smooth.  Keep leftovers refrigerated.

Deviled Eggs

1 dozen hard boiled eggs, peeled and split lengthwise

2 Tablespoons Prepared Dijon Mustard 

6 Tablespoons of Mayonnaise 

3 Tablespoons minced onion 

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh Parsley or Chives

Sea Salt to taste 

Paprika or Cayenne Pepper 

 

To Hard Boil Eggs: Place cold eggs in a 2 quart saucepan and cover eggs by an inch with cold water. Bring to a boil over medium heat, and boil for 12 minutes then immediately transfer eggs to an ice bath and let rest till cool. 

 

Refrigerate eggs. By getting the eggs really cool, peeling will be much easier. The cold helps the egg shrink inside the shell. Peel the eggs and rinse under cold water to remove any shell fragments. 

 

Halve the eggs lengthwise and you are ready to devil. 

 

Remove the yolk from the egg halves and collect in a large bowl. Mash with a fork. 

Add the Mayonnaise, Mustard, Onion, and pinches of salt, and blend until smooth. 

 

Warning: for some reason Deviled Eggs do not need much salt and it is very easy to over salt the yolk mixture.

 

Spoon or pipe the yolk mixture into the egg halves. I like to place the halves on paper towels so they don’t slide around. As a finishing touch sprinkle Paprika or Cayenne Pepper and the minced Parsley or Chives on top.

 

Transfer the eggs to a serving platter.

Tuna Fish Salad

1 can of Tuna Fish packed in water (I use Wild Planet)

1/3 cup of Mayonnaise

1 large rib of Celery finely diced

2 Tablespoons of minced Red Onion

1 teaspoon Lemon Juice

1 Tablespoon minced fresh Parsley

Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper to taste

It never hurts to let this sit covered in the fridge for 4 hours before eating, if you can wait. I like it on whole wheat bread sprinkled with a little Cayenne pepper.