St. Swithin -- the weather saint

On Monday, you'll find the feast of St. Swithin on the liturgical calendar. For a lovely summer cake to celebrate the day, pop over to Catholic Cuisine and you'll find a recipe for a delicious blueberry cake.

Strawberry Yogurt Cake

I am loving Pinterest if for no other reason than I see a lot of recipes I would not otherwise see. This cake recipe is one of those, and as soon as I saw the words strawberry, yogurt, and cake in the same recipe, I knew it was a done deal. It took about two days for me to stop at the market and get what I needed.

This cake was like no cake I have ever had. It was so moist, almost like a cheesecake, and packed with flavor. Sweet, but not too, and tangy from the yogurt. Delish! As I said, I spied the recipe on Pinterest, but it came from A Spicy Perspective.Thanks, Sommer, for a great recipe.

I modified a little, to cut back on the acid and then just because. I omitted the lemon zest, but surely did not notice (though if acid is not an issue for you, go for it!). I also used a scant 2 cups of sugar, (maybe 2 cups minus 2 T) but might cut back even farther next time. I also used milk for the glaze instead of lemon juice and doubled the powdered sugar because I wanted a substantial glaze. (For less sugar, use the original measure.) I like a not-so-sweet cake with sweet icing.

Fresh Strawberry Yogurt Cake

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

scant 2 cups sugar

3 eggs

3 Tb. lemon juice, divided (or use milk for glaze)

Zest of 1 lemon (optional)

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, divided

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

8 oz. plain or vanilla, Greek yogurt (I used plain)

12 oz. fresh strawberries, diced

1 cup powdered sugar (double for a white glaze like mine)

Preheat oven to 325*. Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan (10-15 cup pan.) 

Sift together the 2 ¼ cups of flour, baking soda and salt. Mix in the lemon zest, if using, and set aside.

With an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in 1 Tb. lemon juice. Alternate beating in the flour mixture and the yogurt, mixing just until incorporated.

Toss the strawberries with the remaining ¼ cup of flour. Gently mix them into the batter.

Spoon batter into the Bundt pan (I find using an ice cream scoop to be helpful). Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Allow to cool at least 20 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. Once cooled whisk together the remaining 2 Tb. of lemon juice (or milk) and the powdered sugar. Drizzle over the top of the cake.

Source: Modified from A spicy Perspective

Irish Soda Scones

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Yummy, yum. You know I love scones (just click on "scones" in my sidebar), and I really love Soda Bread. So, I knew when I saw this recipe for Irish Soda Scones I would love them, it just took me a while to get around to making them. But this morning I did, bright and early before it got too hot. The oven doesn't have to be on all that long, so it did not warm things up much at all. And these little yummies were more than worth any heat they generated. Little Irish Soda Bread loaves is what they are -- soft and slightly sweet, with raisins and caraway, just the way I think soda bread should be.

One note to make: I used shortening because I was low on butter, but I did brush the tops with melted butter after they came out of the oven. Serve them with jam or butter or on the side of a plate of eggs -- anyway is good, just serve them!

Recipe modified just a tad from the Brown-eyed Baker.

Irish Soda Bread Scones

makes 12

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3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cake flour
¼ cup granulated sugar
1½ t. baking soda
1½ t. cream of tartar
1 t. salt
4 T. unsalted butter, softened
1¼ cups buttermilk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup currants or raisins
1 T. caraway seeds (optional)
2 T. butter, melted (for brushing)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and position rack in upper-middle position. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat (or lightly grease).

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Work the softened butter into the dry ingredients using a pastry blender or a fork or your hands until the flour mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Add the buttermilk, egg, raisins and caraway seeds and stir with a fork just until the dough begins to come together. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead gently just until the dough is cohesive. It should be bumpy – overworking it will cause the resulting scones to be tough instead of tender and flaky.

Divide the dough evenly into two pieces and pat each into a round shape. Using a sharp knife, each round into six triangular scones. Place on baking sheet in the rounds, but separating scones so they are not touching. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. The scones should be golden brown and a thin knife or skewer should come out clean. Remove from the oven and immediately brush with the melted butter. Allow to cool to room temperature.

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Carpe Diem -- Hot Pumpkin Pie Milk

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Seasonal eating does not just mean eating fruits and vegetables that are available locally and seasonally. That's healthy seasonal eating.

Seasonal eating in a broader sense means eating those yummy foods that are only available at certain times of the year, like Trader Joe's Joe Joes, and Peeps, and Pumpkin Pie ice cream.

We created a treat this year with Pumpkin Pie ice cream based on a recipe I saw for Pumpkin Pie lattes made with Pumpkin Pie ice cream. My kids loved them made with just milk and so we are drinking our way through the grocer's ice cream freezer of Velvet Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream. Yum!

Hot Pumpkin Pie Milk

1/2 mug filled with milk

a large scoop pumpkin pie ice cream

whipping cream

cinnamon or nutmeg

Place ice cream in mug with milk. Heat in microwave for 90 seconds or until as hot as desired (alternately you can place milk and ice cream in a saucepan and heat on the stove until steaming). Top with whipped cream and a sprinkling of cinnamon or nutmeg.

To enjoy the Pumpkin Pie Latte, fill the mug halfway with coffee and proceed with ice cream the same as with the milk.

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Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Caramel Frosting

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Wow, is this a food blog? I have been a little preoccupied with life the last two weeks and neglected this place. Not that I haven't been cooking, just don't have time to talk about cooking. One of the kids had my photo files open yesterday and I saw this backlog of photos that have never been posted here. Gotta get on that.

These yummy cinnamon rolls are where I left off last, I think. I made them a few weekends ago for Sunday breakfast and they were a huge hit. Huge. They are yummy like regular cinnamon rolls, but with the added flavor and moistness of pumpkin in the dough.

I have a confession of sorts to make. I don't make cinnamon rolls for my family. My mother-in-law makes cinnamon rolls and my husband goes so gaga over her rolls that I gave up a long time ago trying to make rolls that beat, or even match, hers. I make this Cinnamon Bun bread, which is really good but not quite close enough to real cinnamon rolls to make a comparison. But these, these rolls are good enough to keep them wanting, and it's not grandma's rolls they're wanting.

The dough is soft, but not gooey on the inside, and the frosting...much better than plain old butter frosting. I used the bread flour, as the recipe instructs, and I do think it makes them a little different than all-purpose flour. But if you don't purchase bread flour, go ahead and try them with all-purpose. I have a feeling the pumpkin contributes a lot to that texture, and certainly flavor. I doubled the recipe to get a big plan of thick rolls, because I knew my gang would devour them as written and there wouldn't even be enough. I also modified a few of the ingredients, including the spices because I don't buy pumpkin pie spice -- if you keep the basics in your spice cabinet, you don't need mixes. I also omitted the spice from the frosting because I didn't think it needed it, at all, but add it back if you like.

The recipe comes from The Girl Who Ate Everything.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Caramel Frosting
makes 12 rolls

2/3 c. milk

1/4 c. butter

1 c. canned pumpkin

1/4 c. sugar

1/2 t. nutmeg, preferably freshly ground

2 t. cinnamon
1 t. ginger
1/4 t. cloves

1 t. salt

2 eggs, beaten

1 T. dry yeast

4 c. bread flour (you can use regular all purpose flour but bread flour makes them lighter)

1 c. brown sugar, packed

1 T. cinnamon

1/3 c. softened butter

Caramel Frosting

1/2 c. butter

1 c. brown sugar, packed

1/4 c. milk

1/2 t. vanilla

1 dash salt

1 -1/2 cup sifted confectioners' sugar

In small saucepan, or in the microwave, heat milk and 1/4 c. butter just until warm and butter is almost melted, stirring constantly. In large mixer bowl, combine pumpkin, sugar, spices, and salt. Add milk mixture and beat with electric mixer until well mixed. Beat in egg and yeast.

Add half of the flour to pumpkin mixture. Beat mixture on low speed 5 minutes, scraping sides of bowl frequently. Add remaining flour and mix thoroughly (dough will be very soft). A dough hook can be used for easier mixing. Turn into lightly greased bowl, then grease surface of dough lightly.

Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch dough down. Turn dough onto a floured surface. Knead a few turns to form a smooth dough, sprinkling with enough additional flour to make dough easy enough to handle. Roll dough into 24 x 10 inch rectangle.

In a bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon. Spread softened butter over surface of dough surface of dough. Sprinkle with brown sugar mixture. Beginning with long side of dough, roll up jellyroll style. Pinch seam to seal. With sharp knife, cut roll in half. Cut each half in quarters, and then cut each quarter into thirds for 12 2-inch rolls. Place rolls, cut side up, in greased 13x9 inch square baking pan.



Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, 30 to 45 minutes.

Bake rolls at 350 degrees about 30-35 minutes or until golden.



Remove from pan to waxed paper-lined wire rack.



Cool 10 to 15 minutes. Drizzle with Caramel frosting. Makes 12 rolls.

Caramel Frosting:

In small saucepan, heat butter until melted. Stir in brown sugar and milk.

Stir in brown sugar and milk. Cook over medium low heat 1 minute.

Transfer to small mixer bowl and cool mixture. Stir in vanilla, salt, and confectioners' sugar. Beat with electric mixer until well blended. If necessary, add more confectioners' sugar for desired consistency.

Spread over rolls and serve.

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Lemon Blueberry Scones

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On Father's Day morning I dragged my sorry behind out of bed (yes, I would much rather have snoozed) and scraped together something hot and sweet for the father of my children. I had not planned ahead and when I gathered the blueberries, butter, sugar, flour together on the kitchen counter, I realized I had no oranges for my Orange Blueberry Scones. I did however, have lemons, so with a quick switch of ingredients I made Lemon Blueberry Scones instead of orange with the same recipe. The lemon scones were just as yummy as the orange, and my husband probably liked them more because he appreciates tart and sweet flavors.

Lemon Blueberry Scones
12 scones


Printer-friendly version
2 c. plus 2 T. all-purpose flour
2 T. sugar, plus additional for sprinkling
1 T. baking powder
1 t. salt
2 t. grated lemon zest
12 T. cold unsalted butter, diced
2 eggs
1/2 c. cold heavy cream
3/4 c. blueberries

1 c. confectioners’ sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
2 t. freshly squeezed lemon juice
few teaspoons milk to make a runny glaze

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix 2 cups of flour, 2 T. sugar, the baking powder, salt and lemon zest. Add the cold butter and mix at the lowest speed until the butter is the size of peas. Pour the cream into a measuring cup and add eggs. Whisk with a fork and then, with the mixer on low speed, slowly pour into the flour and butter mixture. Mix until just blended. The dough will look lumpy! Combine the blueberries and 2 T. of flour, add to the dough, and mix by hand -- very gently.

Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead gently it into a ball. Cut dough into two equal size pieces. Flatten, with your hands, into a round about 1 inch high. Repeat with other half. Cut each round into 6 triangles. Place triangles onto a baking sheet and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 20 minutes, until scones are lightly browned on top. The scones will be firm to the touch.

Allow the scones to cool for 15 minutes and then whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice, and milk, and drizzle over the scones.

Source: modified from Smells Like Home

Taste Fall

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What is it about the taste of spices and pumpkin that tastes like fall? Is it in our DNA -- ancestral memories of yummy spiced baked goods that used up autumn's harvest? I don't know, but nothing tastes like fall like good, spiced, baked goods. The cool turn of weather makes them taste even better. On Saturday, I was up early with the puppy (just when my children learn the pleasures of sleeping late, we get a puppy so I can get up early with her!) and decided I might as well make something yummy for breakfast. With a can of pumpkin in hand, a quick Google search landed me at those Mennonite Girls and a delicious Pumpkin Coffeecake. The whole family truly enjoyed this coffeecake and I have a feeling I'll be making this moist, light cake for more than breakfast. It would make a great dessert or afternoon tea snack, too. Not too spicy, but just enough. And the applesauce gives it just a little bit of tang. Mmmm.

I made this coffeecake exactly as directed (except for omitting the almonds in the streusel for allergies) and I am posting it just as it appeared on their blog.

Sorry, bad picture. It was early and still a little bit dark out.

Pumpkin Coffeecake

Streusel:
¼ c. brown sugar
¼ c. sugar
¼ c. flour
¼ c. rolled oats
¼ c. slivered almonds (I omitted)
1 ½ t. cinnamon
3 T. butter

Cake:
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 c. canned pumpkin
1 t. vanilla
2 c. flour
2 t. baking powder
1 ½ t. cinnamon
½ t. baking soda
½ t. salt
¼ t. ginger
¼ t. nutmeg (I used a pinch)
pinch cloves

Filling:
½ c. unsweetened applesauce

Combine streusel ingredients, cutting in the butter to make crumbs; set aside.

Cream butter and sugar and beat in eggs one at a time. Add pumpkin and vanilla.
Combine dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture. Spoon 1/2 into greased 10”springform pan (this will be a thin layer, but it bakes up much higher). Spread applesauce over batter. (as directed, "spread it, leaving a hole in the center because otherwise the cake looks like it’s not done in the middle once you slice it") Sprinkle with half of the streusel. Spoon remaining batter evenly over streusel and then spread carefully. Top with remaining streusel. Bake at 350F. for 50 - 55 min. or until cake tests done. Cool 10 min: remove outside ring.

Combine glaze ingredients: 1/2 c. powdered sugar,
1/4 t. vanilla, 1 1/2 T. hot water
Drizzle over coffee cake.

Source: Mennonite Girls

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Old Fashioned Lemon Cream Scones

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I mentioned, a few posts ago, that I'm on a scone kick. There's just something about that crunchy-on-the-outside, soft-in-the-middle treat that I love for breakfast. A scone is the perfect pair to a cup of hot black coffee. I made these lemon scones and had a few more fans gathered around the breakfast table. My kids weren't so keen on the dried cherries in the Chocolate Chip Cherry Scones (there's no accounting for taste), but they were all over the lemon. Smeared with blackberry jam, they were heavenly. The base for the recipe came from Beth Hensperger's The Best Quick Breads, but I modified the method a little. The modifications are in italics. If you don't like using the grater method that I like to use for cutting in the butter, you can use the traditional method.

Old Fashioned Lemon Cream Scones

makes 8 scones (I cut mine into 12)

2 c. all-purpose flour
2 T. sugar (plus a bit for sprinkling the tops)
1 T. baking powder
grated zest of 2 lemons
1/4 t. salt
1/4 c. butter, cut into pieces (leave it whole if you will use the grater method and pop it in the freezer for 10 minutes)
2 large eggs
1/2 c. heavy cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet or line with parchment.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest, and salt. Cut in the butter with a fork or heavy duty mixer until mixture resembles coarse crumbs (or grate butter with a box grater into flour). In a measuring cup, pour in 1/2 cup cream and add eggs. Whisk. Add to dry mixture and stir until dough is formed (you may need to add another tablespoon or so of cream -- my dough was pretty dry at this point).

Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and knead a few times. Divide into two circles of dough, patting to about 1-inch thickness. With a sharp knife, or bench knife, cut each round into six triangles (or four for larger scones).

Place scones on prepared baking sheets, 1 inch apart. Sprinkle with table sugar.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned and crusty on the top. Serve warm or cool and freeze.

To reheat from the freezer, bake for 5 to 8 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven.

Source: The Best Quick Breads

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Chocolate Chip Cherry Scones

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I've been trying so many yummy recipes lately, and have had so much success, that I have loads of pictures on my computer, all waiting their turn. Are you tired of seeing new posts here? I hope not, because for at least another couple days I have lots to share.

I realize I've been sharing lots of chicken lately, so this evening I'm sharing baked goods. If you could stop over, I'd brew a pot of decaf and we could share in real life.

But, if you can't stop by for real, then you'll have to make your own.

This recipe is modified from Beth Hensperger's The Best Quick Breads. I picked it up at the library and had a good time just browsing through it one night in front of the TV. The book is not too glamorous to look through (no pictures) but has a great store of yummy-looking, not-too-complex bread recipes. There's a whole section on scones and soda breads, which is why I picked it from the shelves and shelves of great cookbooks at my library -- I'm in the mood for scones.

If I could wake up to these scones and hot black coffee every morning of my life, I would never complain about anything ever again.

O.k. Maybe not ever again, but I would be very happy, I tell ya.


They are a basic scone -- light, mildly crumbly, slightly sweet, and with two of my favorite flavors, cherries and chocolate. Heaven.

P.S. That's not my Buckeye mug!

Chocolate Chip Cherry Scones

2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. oats
1/4 c. light brown sugar
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1 t. cream of tartar
1/4 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
5 T. cold butter (place in the freezer for about 10 minutes)
1 egg
3/4 c. buttermilk
1 1/4 t. vanilla
1/2 c. dried tart cherries (halve or quarter with kitchen shears)
1/2 c. milk chocolate chips



Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with baking spray.

Place flour, oatmeal, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt in a medium-large bowl. With a hand grater, grate butter into the flour mixture on the large holes. Stop periodically to remove butter from the back of the grater and toss into the flour. Toss flour and butter with a fork.

Add cherries and chocolate chips. In a 2-cup measuring cup, add egg to buttermilk and break up with a fork. Add vanilla. Pour milk mixture into flour mixture and stir gently until dough holds together. You may find it necessary to add another tablespoon or two of buttermilk, if dough is too dry.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead just a few times until dough holds together. Cut dough in half and form two circles, about 1-inch thick. Place circles on baking sheet and using a knife (bench knife or sharp knife) cut each round into 6 triangular wedges. Push each wedge apart from the others so they don't touch. Sprinkle with table sugar, if desired.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until golden brown. Serve immediately or cool and freeze in freezer bags.

(To reheat from the freezer, bake for 5 to 8 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven.)

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Spring Snow Cake and Quick Lemon Mousse

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This past week presented itself with the opportunity to have a couple of little celebrations with dessert, one of which was this beautiful cake. Mid-week we had a visitor for dinner. College boy brought a "girl" friend for dinner. He says they're just friends, but she is a girl and she is a friend, so she's a girlfriend in my eyes. Irregardless of their relationship, she was a guest and so I prepared a special dessert, which also resulted in a take-off dessert the next night for The Feast of the Annunciation. Both desserts were a little bit Martha, a little bit Sandra Lee. In other words, a little bit scratch, a little bit short-cut. But the cake was awesome tasting and gorgeous, so I will most definitely be making it again.

I had a hankerin' for something lemon, and a pretty cake is always a nice dessert for guests, so I pulled together a beautiful scratch cake, used Jell-o Cook 'n' Serve lemon pudding for filling, and frosted it with real whipped cream. It looked like a gorgeous spring daffodil covered with a fluffy spring snow, hence the name. It would be a beautiful cake for Easter, and would also be a lovely addition to many a feast day celebration -- at the very least, the angel feasts.

I frequently use Jell-o Cook 'n' Serve Lemon Pudding in cooking. Though the base comes from a box, it calls for the addition of real eggs, and I always add a bit of lemon extract at the end to boost the flavor. It's a quick way to get a lemon curd without squeezing all those lemons. If you just can't bring yourself to using a boxed pudding, make a real lemon curd. I'm sure you can find a recipe at Martha's.

I borrowed the Lemon Cake recipe from the ladies at Mennonite Girls Can Cook. It didn't disappoint. I baked two 8-inch cakes and split them in half for four layers.

Spring Snow Cake

4 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
3/4 cup whole milk
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1 T. grated lemon peel
2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted, cooled

1 sm. box Jell-O Cook 'n' Serve Lemon Pudding,
prepared according to package
(you will need more eggs and water)
1/2 t. lemon extract

2 cups whipping cream
1/3 c. powdered sugar
2 T. Jell-O instant vanilla pudding

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Spray two 8-inch-diameter cake pans with baking spray.
Line bottom of pans with parchment paper; spray again.

Whisk eggs, yolks, milk, lemon juice, and lemon peel in medium bowl to blend.
Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in large bowl to blend.
Whisk oil and butter into flour mixture.
Add egg mixture and whisk until smooth.
Divide batter between prepared pans.
Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
Cool cakes on racks 10 minutes.
Run knife around edge of pans to loosen cakes.
Turn cakes out onto racks. Cool completely.


Prepare lemon pudding as directed on package.
After pudding has come to a boil, turn off heat and add the lemon extract.
Stir and cover with plastic wrap.
Cool in the refrigerator until room temperature, but not cold.

When cakes are cool and pudding is room temp.,
split both cakes horizontally with a serrated knife.
Place one layer on a cake plate and spread with one third of the lemon pudding.
Repeat with two more layers and the pudding and top with a top layer of cake.

Whip the cream with the powdered sugar and instant pudding,
until you achieve stiff peaks.
Frost the entire cake with the whipped cream.
Refrigerate until ready to serve and refrigerate any leftovers.



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The day after we had our Spring Snow Cake, which I also shared with our neighbors so we could avoid having leftovers, we celebrated the Solemnity of the Annunciation with some delicious Lemon Mousse and Angel Cookies. I had made a double batch of lemon pudding and had a full half of it left over. I also had two cups of whipping cream left in the carton. In order to use up my leftovers, I created a quick, but yummy, Lemon Mousse to go with the Angel Cookies I made for the feast. I don't know why these are called angel cookies, but their official name, as published in Midwest Living magazine is Ohio Angel Cookies -- the perfect cookie for us. They were a yummy, crispy sugar cookie, and the mix of granulated and brown sugar gives them a good flavor. They were easy to make and all the kids really enjoyed them, as did I. They are a nice tea-time cookie and went well with the mousse, and would go well with a bowl of ice cream or sherbet, too.

Lemon Mousse

1 sm box Jell-O Cook 'n' Serve Lemon Pudding,
prepared as directed (requires eggs and water)
2 cups whipping cream
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 t. vanilla

When lemon pudding comes to a boil, pour into a glass bowl
and cover with plastic wrap.
Refrigerate until cold and set.
When pudding is chilled,
whip cream with powdered sugar and vanilla until you achieve stiff peaks.
Whisk lemon pudding into whipped cream,
just until pudding is completely incorporated.
Pour into individual dishes or one large bowl and cover with wrap.
Chill until ready to serve.
To , with additional whipping cream, if desired,
and a raspberry, strawberry or mint leaf for garnish, if desired.

Ohio Angel Cookies

1 c. shortening
1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 t. baking soda
1 t. cream of tartar
1/4 t. salt
1 egg
1 t. vanilla extract
2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees; grease cookie sheets.
In a mixing bowl,
beat the shortening with an electric mixer on medium high speed
for 30seconds.
Add the brown sugar, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, baking soda,
cream of tartar and salt; beat until mixed.
Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until combined.
Add the flour and mix until combined.
Shape the dough into 1-inch balls; roll in the remaining 1/2 cup sugar.
Place 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown.
Remove the cookies and cool completely on a wire rack.


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Cup o' Tea?

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I have a bunch of yummy foodie posts in my head, or in the recipe box, as the case may be, honest I do. But there are just not enough hours in the day to get them posted here (or maybe I just cherish a long winter's nap too much). I'll (hopefully) get to them this weekend. I always (like in the last 18 months that this blog has existed) swore this blog would not just become a dumping ground for my menus, but, alas, it has become just that.

I promise. I promise.

In the mean time, I'd like to turn you on to a lovely cup o' tea. My friend Deborah sent me a box of this gold last year. I treasured every single one of those tea bags and have thought of them longingly since the last one disappeared. What I didn't know is that I can actually buy this lovely Irish tea in my own hometown, thanks to World Market. I don't shop there much, since it's not a made in the USA kind of place, but they do have California wines, and occasionally there is something that I really like that I can't buy anywhere else (this soap for one -- I like Lavender -- which for some reason is not available online-- but I only use it on my face so a whole bar lasts six months).

Anyway, I was shopping for soap and happened over by the teas where I spotted Barry's. I was so excited, the kids thought I was nuts. And, I have been enjoying a cup every afternoon since. What a treasure! (Get it? Gold? Treasure? Ah, forget about it.)



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Frosted Lemon Cookies

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Last week I needed a lemon fix. I know most people are like that with chocolate, and I do love a good piece of chocolate now and again (yes, now and again), but more often I crave something lemony. My oldest son is like that too -- his favorite dessert flavors are lemon and cinnamon (not together) and he'll walk right past chocolate to get them. My mom is a chocoholic and doesn't understand it at all.

But, I digress. I needed a lemon fix and these cookies are a perfect lemon fix. The cookie itself is tender and sweet, but the frosting has a real zing to it -- tart and creamy. What a combination! These cookies are a great dinner dessert, a tea time treat, or even the perfect addition to a Christmas cookie tray. The recipe came from Land o' Lakes website and I make them just like the recipe states. They are a very easy cookie to bake and worth every minute spent in the kitchen. One tip: put a piece of wax paper under your cookie rack when you ice them. Not only does it make clean-up easier, but the drips are yummy kid (and baker) treats!

Frosted Lemon Cookies

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 c. unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs
1 T. freshly grated lemon peel
1 T. lemon juice
1 1/2 t. cream of tartar
1 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt


Heat oven to 400°F.
Combine all cookie ingredients in large bowl.
Beat at low speed, scraping bowl often, until well mixed.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls, 2 inches apart,
onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake for 6 to 8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.
Cool for one minute and transfer to baking racks to cool.


Glaze

2 1/2 c. powdered sugar
¼ c. lemon juice

Combine glaze ingredients in small bowl; stir until smooth.
Frost cool cookies with glaze.
Sprinkle with additional lemon peel, if desired.

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Oatmeal Raisin Scones

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These scones are great in the morning or at tea time, although they are so close to an oatmeal cookie you almost feel guilty eating them for breakfast. But, the oatmeal and raisins make them fairly healthy and if you use a whole wheat pastry flour you can knock the healthy up a few notches. Just a smidge of butter while they're hot is all you need to enjoy these.

Oatmeal Raisin Scones

2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
⅓ cup brown sugar
2 t. baking powder
½ t. baking soda
½ t. salt
¼ t. cinnamon
½ cup unsalted butter, chilled, cut into small pieces
¾ cup buttermilk, chilled
½ cup raisins
1 egg yolk beaten with 1 T. water


Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Grease large cookie sheet.
Combine oats and flour in large mixing bowl.
Add brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
Mix thoroughly.
Add butter and cut in until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Add buttermilk and mix briefly to form dough.
Add raisins and mix to disperse.
Divide dough in half and place one half onto a floured surface and sprinkle with flour.
Pat into a 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick round.
Cut round into 6 triangles.
Repeat with other half.
Transfer scones to baking sheet.
Bake 15 minutes or until golden. Serve warm.

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