Berry Oaty Muffins

2c. oats
2c. milk
2 eggs
2/3 c. honey
2/3c. oil

Mix these together then add:

2c. wheat flour
2t. baking powder
1t. baking soda

Then fold in:
1/2c. chopped strawberries
1/2c. blueberries
1/2c. blackberries

Grease 18 muffin tines. Fill with batter and bake at 400 for 18-2o min.

Chef Hannah

Pumpkin Scones

There are so many ways to use pumpkin, both sweet and savory. While pumpkin pie is the most popular dessert containing pumpkin puree, its mild and sweet, almost earthy, flavor make it ideal in quick breads, including scones. In this scone recipe, pumpkin replaces some of the liquid and you end up with a dough that is slightly firmer and less sticky than a regular scone dough. I have used canned pumpkin puree (not the pumpkin pie filling that already has spices and sometimes sugar added) because of its consistency of flavor and texture. Ground ginger and cinnamon, along with brown sugar, are used to enhance the pumpkin flavor. If you like, add the white chocolate and toasted pecans for more taste and texture.

Using buttermilk, instead of cream, and omitting the egg makes a lighter, more bread-like scone. They are baked at a higher than normal oven temperature to give them a dark, crisp crust. Use two baking sheets (place one pan inside another) when baking these scones so the bottoms do not brown too much.
Note: Have you ever wondered why sometimes your scone dough is too sticky or maybe too dry? The cause of this is your flour. Flour absorbs different amounts of liquid depending on the weather (how humid) or its freshness. So if you find your dough a little too sticky or dry, try adding a little more flour or liquid.


Scone Dough:
2 cups (280 grams) all purpose flour
1/3 cup (72 grams) light or dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (113 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/3 cup (50 grams) raisins or white chocolate chips
1/4 cup (30 grams) toasted and chopped pecans (optional)
1/3 - 1/2 cup (80 - 120 ml) buttermilk
1/2 cup fresh or canned pure pumpkin (if using canned pumpkin make sure there are no spices or sugar added)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Egg Wash:
1 large egg
1 tablespoon milk or cream
Turbinado sugar for sprinkling the tops of the scones (optional)



Spice Glaze(opt)
1c. powdered sugar
1/2t. cinnamon
1/4t. ginger
1/8t. cloves
milk

Add as much milk till desired consistency. Drizzle or spread over scones.


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, 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 raisins and pecans, if using. In a separate bowl mix together the buttermilk, pumpkin puree and vanilla and then add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture. Mix just until the dough comes together. Do not over mix the dough.
Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead dough gently four or five times and then pat the dough into a circle that is about 7 inches (18 cm) round and about 11/2 inches (3.75 cm) thick. Cut this circle in half, then cut each half into 3 pie-shaped wedges (triangles). Place the scones on the baking sheet. Brush the tops of the scones with the egg wash and sprinkle a little Turbinado sugar on top, if desired.
Place the baking sheet inside another baking sheet to prevent the bottoms of the scones from over browning. 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.
Makes 6 scones.











Turbinado sugar for sprinkling the tops of the scones (optional)
Turbinado sugar is a raw sugar that has been steam cleaned. It is light brown in color and coarse grained, with a slight molasses flavor.


Buttermilk has a nice thick creamy texture with a rich tangy buttery taste that makes baked goods tender. It is now commercially made by adding a bacteria to whole, skim, or low fat milk. However, in the past it was the liquid left over after churning butter. You can make your own by adding 1 tablespoon of white distilled vinegar, cider vinegar, or lemon juice to 1 cup of milk. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes before using.

Sweet Maple Glazed Carrots

12 medium carrots cut into 1/8inch slices or baby carrots

3T. butter

2 T. pure maple syrup

1/4 tsp. salt

Steam the carrots for 10 min. or until tender. In a large, heavy sauce pan, melt the butter. Add cooked carrots, maple syrup and salt. Stir well, thoroughly coating carrots with butter sauce.

This is the my Dads favorite way to eat carrots. The maple syrup really brings out the sweetness in the carrots. Enjoy!

Chef Esther

Twist on an Oatmeal Cookie

Tahini Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups rolled oats
1c. cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup tahini
4 tbsp butter softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg white
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup cranberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)



Preheat oven to 350F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.Whisk together oats, flours, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl.Beat tahini and butter together until blended. Add sugars and beat until well combined. Add in egg, egg white and vanilla until thoroughly combined. Stir in oat mixture until nearly incorporated, then add in chocolate chips. Do not over mix.Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheet.Bake for 10-12 minutes (or 15 minutes for a crispy cookie), until golden brown at the edges.Remore to a wire rack to cool completely.Makes 4 dozen.

Strawberries with a Twist

For Mothers day Esther and I bought strawberries to make a dessert, hm.. I thought lemon and strawberries sound really good, so I can up with this recipe. No regrets whatsoever! Please try it!

Strawberry Ice cream(we used bluebell)
4c. sliced strawberries

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread Recipe:
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup (60 ml) milk
1 1/2 cups (210 grams) all-purpose flour, sifted
3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (outer yellow skin of the lemon)
3 tablespoons (30 grams) poppy seeds
13 tablespoons (184 grams) unsalted butter, softened
Lemon Syrup:
1/4 cup (60 ml) fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup (65 grams) granulated white sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place the oven rack in the center of the oven. Butter and flour (or spray with a non stick vegetable/flour spray) the bottom and sides of a loaf pan (8 x 4 x 2 1/2 inch) (20 x 10 x 7 cm). Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and butter and flour the paper. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla extract, and milk. Set aside.
In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, lemon zest, and poppy seeds until combined. Add the softened butter and half the egg mixture and mix on low speed until moistened. Increase the speed to medium and beat for about one minute. This aerates and develops the cake's structure. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the remaining egg mixture in two batches, beating about 30 seconds after each addition. This will strengthen the structure of the batter.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 55 to 65 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. You may have to cover the bread with buttered foil after about 30 minutes if you find the bread over browning.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring the sugar and lemon juice to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
When the bread is done, remove from oven and place on a wire rack. Pierce the hot loaf all over with a wooden skewer or toothpick and then brush the top of the loaf with about half the hot lemon syrup. Cool the loaf in the pan for about 10 minutes then invert onto a greased wire rack. Brush the remaining syrup onto the bottom and the sides of the loaf. Re -invert the bread so it is right side up and then cool the bread completely before wrapping. Store at least overnight before serving to allow the lemon syrup to distribute throughout the loaf.
Makes 1 loaf.

Light Lemon Curd

1/3 cup strained, fresh lemon juice2 tsp fresh lemon zest5 tbsp sugar1 large egg, room temperature1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a small sauce pan, over medium heat, combine sugar and lemon juice. Add zest and stir until sugar is dissolved completely.In a medium bowl, lightly beat egg. Whisking constantly (or with an electric mixer on low), very slowly stream the hot lemon-sugar syrup into the egg. Beat for 2 minutes (only 1 if you’re using a mixer), then transfer back into the saucepan by pouring the mixture through a sieve.Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the curd just comes to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.Transfer to a small airtight container and store in the fridge. After it is cooled, fold in 1/3c. whipped cream.
Makes about 2/3 cup. Recipe can be doubled.


To assemble slice the bread, put on a plate and put on 1/2c. of strawberries, a scoop of ice cream, then a final dollop of lemon curd. For a even nicer presentation sprinkle with a little zested lemon!

French bread to die for! (maybe not quite :)

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups bread flour

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, stir together warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
To the yeast mixture, add the oil, salt, and 2 cups flour. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough has pulled away from the sides of the bowl. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat. Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
Deflate the dough, and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Shape into a 18x4in. loaf. Place on lightly greased baking sheet. Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. After rising, cut 5 diagonal slits on the top of the loaf, brush with water or sprinkle with flour. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Bake for 20-25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.


You can also turn these into rolls by dividing the dough into 16 balls (place them 2in. apart on baking sheet) and bake for 18-20min!

Enjoy!
Chef Hannah

Jam Filled Scones

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) and place rack in middle of oven. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder 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 or orange zest. In a small measuring cup combine the whipping cream, beaten egg and vanilla. Add this mixture to the flour mixture. Stir until just combined. Do not over mix.
Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead dough gently four or five times and then divide the dough in half. Pat or roll each half of the dough into a circle that is about 8 inches (20 cm) round. Spread the jam on one round of the dough and then place the second layer of dough on top of the jam, gently sealing the edges. Cut this circle in half, then cut each half into 4 pie-shaped wedges (triangles). Place the scones on the baking sheet. Make an egg wash of one well-beaten egg mixed with 1 tablespoon milk and brush the tops of the scones with this mixture. This helps to brown the tops of the scones during baking.
Bake for about 15 minutes or until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center of a scone comes out clean. Remove from oven and then turn your broiler on high. Sift confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar heavily over the tops of the scones and place them under the broiler. Broil for just a few seconds, turning the pan as necessary, until the sugar has melted and turns golden brown. Make sure to watch the scones carefully as the sugar will burn very quickly. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Before serving, garnish with a dollop of Devon cream or softly whipped cream.
These scones freeze very well.
Makes 8 scones.


2 cups (280 grams) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar
2 teaspoons (10 grams) baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup (76 grams) cold unsalted butter
Zest of 1 lemon or orange
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup jam or preserves
Egg mixture for brushing tops of scones:
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon heavy cream
Garnish:
Devon Cream or lightly whipped heavy cream

These are so delicious especially with clotted cream :) They are really good fresh out of the oven, but you can eat them cold and they are great also!

Chef Hannah