Gingerbread Scones

I have not been a very good food blogger in the last month. My only defense is that I successfully gifted an awful lot of homemade items this Christmas, and so, you know what I've been doing instead -- knitting, wiring, sewing. I'm afraid I wasn't doing a whole lot of exciting cooking either (I guess you didn't miss anything great). I did, however, make these yummy Gingerbread scones a few Sundays ago, with some sausage patties, for breakfast before Mass. They were delish, and would be a nice, annual, holiday treat.

The recipe came from Joy of Baking.com, though I omitted the dried fruit and lemon zest, and used a simple vanilla glaze (powdered sugar, milk and vanilla) instead of the maple glaze they used.

Gingerbread Scones

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats

1/3 cup light brown sugar

2 t. ground ginger

1 1/2 t. ground cinnamon

1/8 t. ground cloves

1/4 t. salt

2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Zest of 1 lemon (optional)

1/3 cup (35 grams) dried cranberries or cherries (optional)

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 1/2 T. unsulphured molasses

1 t. pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and place rack in middle of oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, sugar, spices, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Stir in the lemon zest and dried cranberries, if using. In a separate bowl mix together the buttermilk, molasses and vanilla and then add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture. Mix just until the dough comes together. Do not overmix the dough (you may have to knead it a few times to get it to come together).

Transfer to a lightly floured surface and then pat the dough into a circle that is about 8 or 9 inches round and about one or so inches thick. Cut this circle in half, then cut each half into 3 pie-shaped wedges (triangles). Place the scones on the baking sheet so that they are near each other but not touching.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Christmas Menus

This week has been an incredibly different week for me. If you read my other blog you know my oldest son (Geoff, 22) had his tonsils out on Monday. So instead of baking cookies and wrapping gifts, like I would in a normal week before Christmas, I've been making jello, cream of wheat, and chicken noodle soup, and handing out the pain meds. It doesn't feel like Christmas, but it doesn't help that it feels like a spring day out. No white Christmas here.

I'm trying to get myself in the mood, and today I made my list of dishes I'll cook on Christmas Eve and Christmas day and put together my grocery list. My extended family comes to my house on Christmas Eve, and we will attend 10 p.m. Mass, but Christmas day will be low-key with just my own family and Doug's parents over during the afternoon. We ordered a smoked turkey from Honey Baked Ham for Christmas Day, and I'll just make a few side dishes. We'll munch on apps during the afternoon instead of a lunch-time meal.

Christmas Eve Dinner

Braciole

Cheese Manicotti (much like this recipe but with store-bought shells)

Salad

Bread

Christmas cookies

~~~~~

Christmas Day

Overnight French Toast

Sausages

BBQ Smokies

Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts

Braunschweiger Spread & crackers (this is the same recipe I use)

Shrimp Cocktail

Smoked Turkey

Au Gratin Potatoes

Asparagus

Dinner rolls

Buche de Noel

What's up around here

Sorry to be such an absent blogger. Please check in over on my other blog to see what we've been up to.
I'll be back tomorrow (God willing) to post Christmas menus.

Scottish Shortbread

The feast of St. Andrew was Nov. 30 -- mid week last week. It was a busy week day, as they all are, but I simplified dinner (Tuna Noodle Casserole -- St. Andrew was a fisherman) so we could enjoy a nice feast day dessert. I made the Scottish Shortbread featured at Catholic Cuisine, and some simple, comforting Vanilla Pudding. It was a nice treat. St. Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland (and has many other patronages as well) and so the Scottish shortbread was a lovely way to remember him. The Scottish translation of that being: "It's a brammer way tae min' heem. "

Scottish Shortbread II

2 sticks of butter
2 C. flour
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 C. white sugar

Pat into a small jelly roll pan (I used a 13x9 with a short lip), prick all over (I sprinkled mine with some Turbinado sugar) and bake at 350 for 10 minutes, then lower to 300 for 30 minutes or until slightly browned on top.

I used a sharp knife and cut my shortbread into rectangles as soon as it came out of the oven and then left it in the pan to cool. Shortbread will last for a week or more in a cookie jar.