Tag Archives: Recipes

Barkley Scones

Posted on by Laurie

The recipe for these plain, but moist, scones – the type that is good for slathering with butter and jam – was sent to me by some lovely guests from Oregon who have stayed with us a number of times over the years.  Enjoy!

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Barkley Scones

3 c. flour

1/2 c. sugar

1 T. + 1 t. baking powder

1/4 t. salt

2 c. heavy cream

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Whisk together dry ingredients, then beat in heavy cream.

3. Turn mixture out onto a floured work surface. Divide in half. Shape each half into a disk 6″ wide. Cut into four wedges. Transfer wedges to baking sheet.

4. Allow scones to sit for 15 minutes, then bake for about 18 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Banana Mocha Coconut Muffins

Posted on by Laurie

The other morning, I had a guest on an almost vegan diet; so I made these delicious muffins which one would never know were free of dairy products and eggs. I hope that you enjoy the recipe!

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Banana Mocha Coconut Muffins

3/4 c. sweetened shredded coconut

2 c. all-purpose flour

1 c. granulated white sugar

2 T. instant coffee or 2 t. espresso powder

1 T. baking powder

1 c. mashed ripe bananas

1 c. coconut milk

1/2 c. canola oil

1 T. coconut rum

1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips, preferably miniature ( use vegan chocolate if needed)

1 recipe Coffee Coconut Milk Glaze (below)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spread coconut on a baking sheet. Toast in oven for 3 to 4 minutes or until just starting to turn golden at the edges. Remove coconut from baking sheet and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, prepare 12 standard muffin cups or 10 four-ounce ramekins with baking spray.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, 2 T. of the instant coffee or 2 t. of the espresso powder, and baking powder. Set aside.

4. In a medium bowl, whisk together bananas, coconut milk, canola oil, and rum. Stir banana mixture into dry ingredients. Fold in chocolate chips.

5. Divide batter into ramekins or muffin cups. Using the back of a spoon, shape each cup of batter into a slight mound. Bake 15 to 20 minutes for 12 muffins or 20 to 25 minutes for 10 muffins. Muffins are firm to the touch when done.

6. Meanwhile, prepare Coffee Coconut Milk Glaze. Glaze muffins immediately upon removing from oven and  then sprinkle them with toasted coconut.

Coffee Coconut Milk Glaze

1 c. confectioner’s sugar

2 T. coconut milk

1/2 t. minced orange or lemon zest

1/2 t. instant coffee or 1/4 t. instant espresso powder

1/2 t. coconut rum, light rum, or orange or lemon extract

1. In a small bowl, slowly stir coconut milk into confectioner’s sugar. Stir in coffee, then zest, then rum or extract. Stir until smooth, then warm glaze to dissolve coffee.

2LC Monthly Cooking Challenge: Mexican Wedding Cookies

Posted on by Laurie

Thank you once again to Bebe and Ridha for hosting this month’s Two Little Chefettes Cooking Challenge. The theme for this month is nuts. I just made a batch of Mexican Wedding Cookies – the pecan version – to put out for our guests. Here is the recipe. Enjoy!

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Mexican Wedding Cookies*

Makes about 32

Known by various names, including Russian Tea Cakes, these buttery nut cookies, rolled in confectioner’s sugar, are good for entertaining because you can make them up to a week ahead of time and store them in an airtight container without any loss of quality.

1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened

2 T. confectioner’s sugar + about 1/2 c. extra for rolling cookies

1 t. vanilla extract*

1 c. all-purpose flour

1 c. pecans or walnuts finely chopped or ground to the texture of coarse kosher salt

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In large bowl, beat butter until light and fluffy. Beat in 2 T. of the confectioner’s sugar and the vanilla extract. On lowest speed, beat in flour and then nuts. The mixture will be very crumbly.
  3. Spoon a small about (about 1 heaping teaspoon) of mixture into one of your palms. Squeeze lightly until the mixture holds together then shape into a ball. Place on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining mixture, spacing the balls well apart on the 2 baking sheets.
  4. Bake for about 11 to 13 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned on the bottom. Place baking sheets on wire racks and allow cookies to cool. Once cool, roll the cookies in confectioner’s sugar until well coated. If desired, roll a second time.

* This recipe is from my cookbook, Confectionately Yours: A Collection of Cookies, Candies & Yummy Confections.

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Sweet Shepherd’s Noodles

Posted on by Laurie

I’ll just say this up front – some of you are going to think that this is a strange dish. It’s either like the pasta version of rice pudding or the dessert version of macaroni and cheese. The only category that it squarely fits into is that of comfort food.

I came across the original recipe many years ago in an old edition of Better Homes & Gardens Italian Cook Book. According to the book, Sweet Shepherd’s Noodles is a dish from “a mountainous sheep-grazing region in southern Italy.” Since the sweet creamy flavor reminded me of a rice pudding, I added dried fruits, walnuts and nutmeg to the original recipe and doubled the amount of cinnamon in it.  I love this embellished version of the dish for lunch on a grey winter’s day. A hot main dish and dessert all in one! Do you make anything similar?

SweetShepherdsNoodlesSweet Shepherd’s Noodles

(serves 2)

4 oz. pasta (any shape, gluten-free ok)

1/2 c. ricotta cheese

1/3 c. milk

2 T. granulated white sugar

1/4 t. ground cinnamon

1 1/2 T. dried cherries

1 1/2  T. yellow raisins

1 1/2 T. finely chopped walnuts

fresh nutmeg, optional

(1) Place pasta in a pot of boiling water to cook.

(2) When the pasta is almost done cooking, place ricotta cheese, milk, sugar and cinnamon in a medium-size pot. Cook over medium-low heat for about 3 minutes, stirring until there are no large lumps in the mixture.

(3) When pasta is cooked to desired tenderness, drain thoroughly and then stir into cheese mixture. Stir in walnuts and fruits. Serve immediately. If desired, grate a little fresh nutmeg over pasta. Enjoy!

Mmmm … Apple Pancakes

Posted on by Laurie

Our breakfast special today was Apple Pancakes. Mmm!

Recipe

1 c. all-purpose flour

1 T. granulated white sugar

1/2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. baking soda

1/4 t. ground mace

2 – 4 T. melted butter (how much depends on how “sticky” or non-stick your cook surface)

1 – 1 1/2 c. low-fat buttermilk, divided

1 lg. egg

2  medium apples, peeled, cored and cut into chunks (2 c.)

2 T. fresh lemon juice

Confectioner’s sugar, yogurt, warm maple syrup, and apple slices for serving

(1) In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together butter, 1 c. of the buttermilk and egg. Gently stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients just until dry ingredients are absorbed. If needed, stir in more buttermilk. Batter will have small lumps.

(2) Toss apple chunks in lemon juice then fold into pancake batter.

(3) Meanwhile, preheat grill or griddle until a drop of water sizzles but does not skate across surface. Grease well with canola oil or vegetable shortening.

(4)  Ladle pancake batter onto cook surface. (Makes 8 medium or  6 large pancakes.) Cook until bottom is light golden brown and bubbles appear on top of pancakes. Flip and cook on the second side until done in the middle and bottom is light golden brown. Garnish and serve immediately.

Piquant Pieper Sauce and Pieper Eggs

Posted on by Laurie

My husband always tells me that the one draw back to my recipes is that I am not sufficiently creative when it comes time to name them.  Despite the unimaginative name -when writing my first cookbook, I ran out of appellations and named this dish after myself – this is quite delicious. It can be served warm or cold to top eggs, tofu, pasta or pizza. It can also be served as a dip for French bread, pita bread or chips. Shown below, Pieper Eggs … what else?

Piquant Pieper Sauce

4 lg. ripe red bell peppers

1 1/2 c. tomato sauce (unseasoned)

1/2 c. chopped white onion

1 jalapeno pepper

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 T. granulated sugar

2 to 3 T. fresh lemon juice, divided

2 t. paprika

1 t. salt

1/4 t. salt

1/4 t. fresh ground pepper

1 pinch ground thyme

1 clove garlic, crushed

(1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange peppers on parchment paper. Place baking sheet in the oven and  roast peppers, turning them occasionally with a pair of tongs, for about 20 minutes or until their skins are very blistery. Place peppers in a paper bag. Close the bag and let the peppers cool for 10 to 15 minutes or until they are cool enough to handle.

(2) Meanwhile, wearing plastic gloves, remove the stem and then chop the jalapeno. Place jalapeno in the bowl of a food processor.

(3) Working over the food processor bowl, peel the peppers, removing as much of the skin as  you can. Remove the stems and slice the peppers open. Remove and discard the seeds. Place peppers in the bowl of the food processor.

(4) Add remaining ingredients, starting with just 2 T. of the lemon juice. Process until almost smooth.

(5) Preheat a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Pour the sauce into the skillet and cook for about 20 minutes or until the liquids have cooked off and the sauce is very thick. Stir frequently. If the sauce begins to spatter while it is cooking, reduce the heat.

(6) When the sauce is thickened, taste to see whether it needs more lemon juice, salt or pepper. Adjust seasonings if necessary. Use right away or store in the refrigerator in a covered glass jar. Yields about 1 quart.

Pieper Eggs

(per serving)

1 t. unsalted butter

2 lg. eggs

1 T. milk

3 to 4 T. warm Piquant Pieper Sauce, divided

2 slices French Bread, warm and buttered

1 c. baby spinach, optional

1 T. chopped fresh parsley

(1) Preheat a skillet over medium heat. Add butter and swirl it around the skillet. When butter just starts to sizzle, the skillet is ready.

(2) Meanwhile, beat together the eggs and milk. When the skillet is ready, pour in the eggs. Let eggs start to set on the bottom. Use a turner to pull them toward the sides of the skillet. Repeat, without stirring constantly, until the eggs are about half-cooked. Add 1 t. of sauce to eggs and continue to scramble until they are set.

(3) Place French bread on a warmed plate. Optionally, top with spinach. Then top with eggs. Garnish with remaining warm Piquant Pieper Sauce and then parsley. Serve immediately.

Variation: add 1/4 c. shredded mild cheddar cheese to eggs while they are cooking.

Just Out of the Oven: Strawberry Buttermilk Muffins

Posted on by Laurie

A summertime favorite of our guests at The Morning Star Bed & Breakfast …

Strawberry Buttermilk Muffins

2 c. all-purpose flour (or, for gluten-free muffins, white rice flour)

1 c. granulated white sugar + 2 to 3 T. extra for sprinkling tops of muffins

1 T. baking powder

8 T. unsalted butter, melted

1 c. buttermilk

2 lg. eggs, beaten

2 t. orange extract

2 c. chopped ripe, fresh strawberries (washed & stems removed)

(1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Prepare 10 one-half cup ramekins or 12 standard muffin pans for baking using one of the following methods: spray with baking spray (not for gluten-free), butter and flour (rice flour for gluten-free), or line muffin pans with muffin papers/foils. (Using foils is the safest way to prevent cross contamination of foods for people who are gluten-intolerant.)

(2) In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar and baking powder. In a medium bowl, whisk together butter, buttermilk, eggs and orange extract. Stir buttermilk mixture into dry ingredients. Fold in strawberries.

(3) Scoop batter into ramekins or muffin pans. Sprinkle tops of muffins with sugar. If using ramekins, place them on baking sheets. Bake for about 20 minutes or until muffins are firm to the touch and lightly golden brown. (Gluten-free muffins will just be brown around the edges.)

(4) Place muffin pans or baking sheets on wire racks until muffins are cool enough to serve – about 10 minutes.

I’ve Been Inspired by …. Fennel

Posted on by Laurie

A few days ago, I was reading a recipe for Fennel & Basil Chickpea Salad on Becca’s Green Kitchen – a wonderful blog for vegetarian cooking – and I was surprised to see that it called for sauteing the fennel. I have only used raw fennel in salads. I have used cooked fennel in soups, but not in ages; and I actually had forgotten about doing so until I read Becca’s blog. When I commented on this, Becca encouraged me to give cooked fennel a new try. So this morning – as part of my Let The Inspiration In Challenge – our breakfast special was a Bacon, Mushroom and Fennel Omelette served with a side of fresh fruit and a strawberry buttermilk muffin. I hope that Becca isn’t cringing over my having used bacon, but for the group of guests that I had this morning, I thought that would be an appealing special. The guests who ordered the omelette gave it two thumbs up and  told me that they liked the texture and flavor of the fennel with the mushrooms and bacon. Having now tried cooked fennel for the first time in a long while, I have a greater appreciation for this vegetable’s versatility. Raw fennel is quite crunchy and has a strong licorice flavor which I enjoy. Cooked, it has a subtle herbaceous flavor and, I think, is not recognizable as the same vegetable. Becca said that she caramelizes hers so that it gets almost a charred flavor. To cook the fennel this morning, I sauteed it in olive oil until crisp-tender and seasoned it with sea salt and fresh ground green and pink peppercorns. (While it was cooking, I sauteed mushrooms and cooked bacon, then tossed them together for the omelette filling before topping the filling with cheese.) Having new found appreciation for fennel, I can imagine sauteing it for use in pasta dishes and risottos as well as in Becca’s chickpea salad – which I am definitely going to make, just not for breakfast. Thanks for the inspiration, Becca and forgive me for the bacon!

Onions, Sweet Onions

Posted on by Laurie

I’m not usually one to go into a swoon over onions; but they just looked so good at Farmers’ Market on Saturday that I came home with a bag full of little vidalias. Then I said to myself, “Bill hates onions … what on earth am I going to do with these?” The answer, I realized, could certainly be found in Ruth Spear’s The Classic Vegetable Cookbook – first published in 1985, and amazingly, still available. When I found Ruth’s recipe for Confiture d’Oignons, I knew that it would be wonderful.  However, I didn’t have any sherry vinegar in the house, so I substituted balsamic vinegar which I just love the flavor of.  This made my confiture much darker colored (a dark brown instead of amber) and stronger flavored than it would have been if I had followed her recipe exactly.  Also I added a small chenzo pepper when cooking the onions, just to add a little heat.

What does one do with onion marmalade? All kinds of things: serve it on crackers with cream cheese or chicken salad; serve on French bread; mix it into sour cream or Greek yogurt to make onion dip; serve with grilled portobello mushrooms; serve on top of meats in place of grilled onions; use to create gourmet burgers or sandwiches; add to sauces near the end of cooking; use in onion tarts; and, well, that’s all that I came up with for now. My husband ate about 6 Onion Marmalade Canapes before I told him what the topping was. Bill liked it! He liked it!  The next night we had it on bison cheeseburgers and he declared them outstanding. Yeah!  The onion dip with potato chips was really good too! (Photos below.)

Confiture d’Oignons (Onion Marmalade)

(makes about 1 pint)

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 lbs. sweet onions

1 small finely minced chili pepper

1 c. dry red wine

3/4 c. granulated white sugar

1/3 c. balsamic vinegar

pinch of salt (or to taste)

(1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

(2) Prepare onions. Cut the ends off and peel. Cut in half lengthwise, then thinly slice. Add olive oil to a large skillet and warm over medium-low heat. Add onions, separating the sections as they soften up, and cook until translucent and lightly golden. Do not brown onions.

(3) Meanwhile, make syrup. Add wine and sugar to a small stainless steel or enamel-lined pot. Stir. Bring to a full boil and cook until the wine is reduced to a syrup or reaches 230 degrees F. on a candy-thermometer. Stir in vinegar. Stir syrup into onions. Add pinch of salt.

(4) Finish cooking. Pour onion mixture into a 9 x 13-inch glass baking dish. Bake for about 1 hour or until mixture reaches a thin jam-like consistency, stirring mixture about every 15 minutes. Be sure not to burn the onions. Pour into a clean glass jar, being careful not to splash marmalade on yourself. Close jar with a lid and allow to sit at room temperature until cool enough to refrigerate. Marmalade should keep for about 3 months in the refrigerator.

Onions at Saturday’s Farmers’ Market

Onion Marmalade Canapes

Onion Dip made with Sour Cream and Onion Marmalde

Bison Burger, Monterey Jack Cheese, Confiture d’Oignons

Peach & Tomato Salsa

Posted on by Laurie

The other day I went to the downtown Farmer’s Market with one of my friends. (Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my camera. Oh, well, next trip!) When I got home I realized that I had the fixings for Peach & Tomato Salsa, so made a batch the next morning for breakfast. I love being able to use fresh ingredients!

Peach & Tomato Salsa

Combine the following ingredients and serve with chicken, fish, or eggs:

1 – 2 T. jalapeno or serrano pepper, finely diced (wear gloves when handling pepper)

2 lg. tomatoes, chopped

1 lg. peach, pitted and chopped (peeling is optional)

1 T. diced red onion, optional

1 T. fresh lemon or lime juice

pinch of salt