Cream Scones… My Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Version

I do a lot of varieties with this recipe. It is super easy to take out pumpkin and chocolate chips and add other things like dried fruit, orange peel and orange juice. You can make them savory by taking out the sugar, adding cheese and bacon or ham bits. The sky is the limit.

There are a few tools I use that you can find easily at your local grocery store or somewhere like Walmart, Target, etc… Left to right and top to bottom you see a cutter tool, a scalloped biscuit cutter with handle, a tall round biscuit cutter, and a bench scraper.

I am working on converting this recipe to a gluten free, dairy free, low sugar/no sugar version but with some quick substitutes you can make these with gluten free flour. There are several “cup for cup” or “1 to 1” substitutes that will work. I have not tested a dairy free alternative or sugar alternative at this point. If you try this recipe please let me know how it worked for you. I always love your feedback and/or questions if you have them. It is definitely one of our family favorites. We will be using this often with a house full of guests over the next two months.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cream Scones

• Servings: 8-12 scones
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 15-20 minutes
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

Scones are a delicious treat in our home that we enjoy with coffee or tea, fruit, and scrambled eggs for breakfast on lazy mornings or for an afternoon snack break

When mixing quick breads like southern biscuits or scones it is important to remember not to overmix the dough. Bring it just to incorporated and then shape it, cut it, and place it on the baking tray. You can add an egg wash or melted butter before baking or you can add a powdered sugar glaze just before serving.

Ingredients

• 2 cups AP flour
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/8 (or a pinch) of salt
• 1/3 cup chilled unsalted butter (cut into small cubes or grate it into the dry ingredients)
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream(you can substitute vanilla or plain yogurt for the whipping cream)
• 1/4 cup canned or fresh pumpkin puree
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup chocolate chips
• Make an egg wash mixture for the top (1 large egg and 1 Tbsp heavy whipping cream)

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 400-425 degrees. I go closer to 400 because my oven cooks hotter than it reads a little.
2. Mix all dry ingredients in bowl. Toss chocolate chips into the dry ingredients.
3. Grate or cut in butter cubes.
4. Mix wet ingredients together and then add to the dry ingredients.
5. Mix lightly just until incorporated. Overmixing will cause flat tough scones.
6. You can make it into one big lump and press it down to about an inch think and then cut wedges (8 to 12) or you can cut out circles with a biscuit cutter. If you use a biscuit cutter it makes about 9 large or 12 medium rounds.
7. Place on a baking stone or baking sheet. I use parchment paper when I use a baking sheet.
8. Brush the tops of each scone with the egg wash or butter and bake in a 400-425 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown on top.
9. Remove from oven and let them cool for a few minutes before you serve them.
10. If you are using a sugar glaze you can mix about 1 cup powdered sugar to about 3 TBSP milk, juice, or cold coffee depending on the flavor you want. Add a little more liquid if it is still too thick. For today I used milk and a bit of pumpkin spice to flavor.


I serve with scrambled eggs, fruit of choice, and/or some kind of breakfast meat and, of course, coffee or hot tea. Add butter, jam, and/or clotted cream or whipped cream if you like.

   

In the Kitchen This Week… a Menu Plan

For the week of October 4-10 this is mostly a list of our dinner meals. My meals are often shaped around what I need to use up for the week. I menu plan based on things that are on sale or things I have on hand. I don’t plan and then shop… I shop and then plan. LOL It actually saves us more money that way and things get used up with less waste. I will make a quick list of breakfast options we use but lunches are often leftovers or sandwiches.

Photo by Simona Sergi on Unsplash

Monday

Chili and Cornbread

Tuesday

Chicken Curry with rice and veg

Wednesday

Chicken Parmesan and Pasta with Broccoli

Thursday

Ham and Bean Soup with bread

Friday

Leftovers

Saturday

Homemade pizza and salad

Sunday

Lunch out with friends with leftovers for dinner

Breakfast Ideas

• Breakfast burritos or a fried egg sandwich
• eggs and a bread… bagel, English muffins, fruit and nut muffins, quick breads, toast, etc…
• Hot cereals like oatmeal, grits with cheese, malt-o-meal
• Breakfast hash with meat and veggies
• Yogurt with fruit and granola
• Pancakes, Waffles, Crepes, French Toast
• Omelets, Frittatas, Quiche
• Scones, Biscuits, Cake Donuts
• Coffee Cake
• We do serve bacon, ham, or sausage with some meals
• Sometimes we even do breakfast for dinner

We prefer hot breakfasts when possible. We do not buy dry cereals because they are very expensive. We also believe breakfast to be imperative and it needs to be substantial to get us all through the morning. We do coffee with breakfasts and a big glass of water to start the day. We try to eat breakfast together as much as possible and we do the same with dinner. Lunches are randomly on our own as we feel hungry or come in from running errands or work. Dan often packs a lunch to take to work. We don’t snack between meals and try to do a dessert just once a week. Dessert usually happens on weekends. This is how we do meals and it works well for us. I do love the shared meals the best.

How do you do breakfast? Do you use a meal plan? What are you eating this week? Do you have a favorite family meal you enjoy eating together?

Happy Monday!

~Leann

My Kitchen Sink Minestrone

This is a soup that I make when I have a large amount of items that need to be used up quickly. One of the places I learned how to improvise on soups and stews was a cookbook I have had for many years. The Italian Country Table (1999) by Lynne Rossetto Kasper (of The Splendid Table) shares Italian farmhouse cooking recipes. The recipes use basic affordable ingredients and she gives a variety of substitutes and alternatives if you don’t have a specific ingredient. It is loaded with recipes for nutritious food using fresh produce, pastas and grains, meats, and dairy items. I can always find a recipe to use up random ingredients in my refrigerator and pantry in this book.

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• Servings: 10-12
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 2 hours
• Difficulty: easy but with lots of chopping
• Print

This is my version of a minestrone wihtout pasta

This is a really big recipe to feed a crowd so start with a large cooking pot. The leftovers are even better the next day so I like to make enough to have leftovers.

Ingredients

• several slices of pancetta or bacon cut into small pieces
• one medium onion chopped finely
• about 1 cup finely chopped celery
• 4 to 6 large carrots peeled and chopped into small pieces
• 1/2 of a large butternut squash peeled, seeded and cubed
• 6 small to medium sized golden potatoes (I leave skins on these) cubed
• 2-3 cups cooked kidney beans (can use canned). I cook these in my Instant Pot the day I need them.
• Herbs… basil, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper. I am generous with all of these (except salt) and you can use fresh or dried of any or all of them. If using fresh garlic then mince it.
• 2 32 oz. boxes beef, chicken, or vegetable broth. If you make your own then us an equal amount or half broth and half water.
• 1 Large can of crushed tomatoes (28+ ounces)
• Some kind of green leafy favorite… about 2-3 cups of raw spinach, Kale, Bok Choy, or other green of choice
• Olive oil for sautéing.
• 1 small package small pasta (this is optional if you are staying away from wheat or high carb items leave it out)

Directions

1. The first thing I do when making any soup is heat the pan, add the oil after it heats, and then start with the base of onion, celery and carrot. In this one I also add the cut up bacon to sauté with the veggies.
2. After veggies are sauteed add the herbs… oregano, basil, garlic, some salt and pepper.
3. Add the squash and cook it some to soften a little.
4. Once that is incorporated add beans and crushed tomatoes.
5. Once everything is incorporated well I add the liquid… water or broth or a combination of both works nicely and bring to a simmer.
6. The last thing I add before fully cooking are the potatoes and then I let the soup cook until all the veg is soft. I let it go for a long time…. an hour or two to let some of the liquid cook off to thicken the broth so it’s not a thin soup. The potatoes help to thicken it.
7. If you are adding a small pasta this would be a good place to add it or you can add it just after you add the broth/water to the pot and bring it to a boil. Don’t add the pasta until the broth/water is fully hot and even starting to boil.
8. Add the green of your choice just before serving because it will wilt quickly and you don’t want it to disintegrate.
9. If you want to add some kind of meat to this you can chop up some Kielbasa sausage, add some Italian ground sausage or chorizo, some cooked pork or chicken. It is a very flexible meal. Use what you have on hand and see what happens.

An excerpt from the book on improvising a minestrone can be found here. It is straight out of the book and very helpful!

The first thing I do when making any soup is heat the pan, add the oil after it heats, and then start with the base of onion, celery and carrot. In this one I also add the cut up bacon to sauté with the veggies.

At this point I add the herbs… oregano, basil, garlic, some salt and pepper.

Once the bacon has cooked a little and the veggies are softening I add the squash and cook it some to soften a little.

Once that is incorporated I add beans and crushed tomatoes.

Once everything is incorporated well I add the liquid… water or broth or a combination of both works nicely and bring to a simmer.

The last thing I add before fully cooking are the potatoes and then I let the soup cook until all the veg is soft. I let it go for a long time…. an hour or two to let some of the liquid cook off to thicken the broth so it’s not a thin soup. The potatoes help to thicken it, too.

If you are adding a small pasta this could be a good place to add it or you can add it just after you add the broth/water to the pot and bring it to a boil. Don’t add the pasta until the broth/water is fully hot and even starting to boil.

Add the green of your choice just before serving because it will wilt quickly and you don’t want it to disintegrate

If you want to add some kind of meat to this you can chop up some Kielbasa sausage, add some Italian ground sausage, or some pork or chicken to it. It is a very flexible meal. Use what you have on hand and see what happens.

I serve most of my soups/stews with sides like a salad, some kind of quick or yeast bread, crackers and some kinds of add ins like cheese, avocado, a slice of lime, some parsley, basil, cilantro, or whatever goes with that kind of soup. Tonight’s side is a Pampered Chef recipe I have used for several years… A No-Knead Italian Bread. If you don’t have a Deep Covered Baker a Cast Iron Dutch Oven will do the trick. The sky is the limit with this kind of soup. Use what you have on hand and see what happens. We had a bit of a cold snap come through this week so soup has been on my mind a great deal and I hope to share more with you as we move through the autumn season into winter.

Do you have a favorite soup or stew you love to eat on cold days? Do you have a favorite cookbook you would like to share? I hope you try this recipe and enjoy it. It is a little labor intensive on the chopping side but it is very worth it for the cozy comfort it brings. Even without the meat it will stick to your ribs on a cold night.

Let me know if I need to make a correction… sometimes I leave something out or am not clear on something. Humans make mistakes so feel free to let me know if you need clarification.

Until next time…

Enjoy!

~Leann

Quarantine/Lockdown Meals – Eat at Home!

Two weeks ago our children drove in from college. Both of their campuses have been shut down for the rest of the semester. They have promised refunds on food and housing. We have also seen a lot of bare shelves at our local stores and so we had to revamp our way of doing shopping and how we plan our daily meals. I am absolutely certain this has been the truth for every one of you, too.

If this had occurred 75 years ago most people would have been able to make it work and cook everything from home. We live in a world now where many people do not know how to cook or what to do with a pantry, fridge and freezer full of, what my husband calls, “ingredients.” People are used to eating out every day and many people go out several times per day.

Challenging times call for challenging measures! Maybe it’s time to make a plan…

Since the children had to come home we have been making grocery lists as we run out of items and Dan has been going out about two times a week to get what he can. Most trips out he has been able to get everything on the list. He makes the early morning run to the neighborhood market when absolutely necessary. We are not allowing splurge items for our meal prep. We are eating traditional meals that my children grew up with and they are mostly budget friendly meals.

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We are also rationing things like toilet paper, eggs, bread, etc. We fill in breakfast with things like oats, grits, maltomeal and homemade breads like biscuits, scones, quick breads, pancakes, and muffins. I have been able to keep some kind of fruit in the house like apples, grapefruit, and strawberries to have once per day. Frozen veggies are restocked when we find them in the stores and fresh veg seems to be plentiful in the local Sam’s Club so I restock those when needed. Those salad kit bags are the best to stretch a meal!

I have found that, with just a little more planning, we are able to continue to feed a houseful with a low budget but nutritious meals each day. Our youngest is the only one who complains of hunger from time to time but… again… he is 15 and I don’t think he has been completely full since he was about 3 years old. LOL He is getting plenty.

I don’t advise you eat dessert every day but maybe consider some simple and comforting meals. Familiarity is very calming for us right now. The fact that Dan and the kids don’t have to think about what’s next for a meal has lowered the stress level a great deal in the house. It’s my gift to provide this service to my family right now… we all have a role to fill in making this work.

I take a mental inventory every couple of days and plan meals around what we have. We bought several turkeys back in November and now we have already cooked one. We had a traditional small Thanksgiving meal and then used the rest of the turkey for a few casseroles. Dig back in to those freezers and use this time to cook down some things you have. When we are able to restock you can refill it with sale items later. This is a routine I have used for many years so the habit is saving my brain right now. If you don’t have that habit I suggest you start that habit. It doesn’t have to be hard but it takes just a little bit of planning.

I want to share a few resources I love that might help you to feed your family with what you have or quickly and inexpensively. Start here (Supercook)… with a website/app that can tell you what to cook with what you already have. Plug in your ingredients and it will give you recipes to make to use up those items.

A few of my favorite YouTube foodies that can help right now are….

• The Stay at Home Chef – restaurant quality made easy at home
• Joanne Gaines is Quarantine Cooking and has several cooking videos up. She also has a new cookbook coming soon.
• Instant Pot Cooking videos… I use my IP about 3 to 4 days per week and when you are feeling overwhelmed it can be a serious lifesaver!
• Don’t have an Instant Pot? Use your Crockpot instead
• A favorite homemaking vlogger Faith and Flour is sharing what her family is doing.
• Looking for help using what you have? Jamie Oliver came up with Keep Cooking and Carry On videos… among all the other good stuff on his channel.
• Need a little perspective? Check out the Great Depression Cooking channel.

My mom was talking about when she was a child the other day when I called her. We really do not have anything to complain about compared to generations before us. If they could work with very little we can certainly deal with our modern abundance and convenience restriction a little better than we think. You can do this!

I love YouTube as a cooking resource… just search and find out how to make just about anything you can imagine. Do you have a favorite food channel? Feel free to share it in the comments below!

For the bread pictured above you can find this easy recipe from Pampered Chef here (no knead bread) Also pictured above is roast turkey, mashed potatoes, veg and cranberry sauce (had cranberries in the freezer, a breakfast photo with bacon, egg, grits with some cheese, half a grapefruit and coffee, and a bowl of jambalaya made with leftover chicken and some precooked sausage. I will try to put up some other things we are making with recipes.

Do you have something you have seen on my FB, IG, or here on the blog you want a recipe for? Feel free to ask and browse my archives for food I have already shared over the years.

A New Twist on Irish Soda Bread

Sometimes I don’t feel the need to reinvent the wheel and I find another blogger or foodie that has a great recipe for just the right occasion.  This is one of those times.  I found this one…. Skillet Irish Soda Bread on SmittenKitchen.com… here is the direct link to the recipe. 

I followed the recipe for this one exactly and it turned out beautifully and very delicious.  I sampled a small slice with my stew even though I am officially gluten free these days.  I did have the wheat reaction… itchy red skin and such but it was tasty.  I am planning to do a gluten free trial on it soon using some Bob’s Red Mill gluten free flour.  I will keep you posted.  In the meantime, here are the results…

We enjoyed this lovely round loaf with our breakfast for St. Patrick’s Day and then again with stew for dinner that same day.  My Irish Stew recipe is coming soon.

I happened to cook my loaf in a deeper cast iron than the regular skillet depth and I really love the results.

There is just nothing better to me than a simple tasty meal with simple ingredients and, in this case, quite budget friendly.  We did add some fruit with this to make a complete meal of it.