Cheddar Dill Scones- Barefoot Contessa

Happy Sunday! Are you recovering from a green beer induced hangover or maybe a corned beef food coma? I hope you had a great St.Patricks Day. It was raining here all day yesterday so I spent it cozied up on the couch and baking in the kitchen. How do you like to spend a rainy day? Maybe baking something with so much butter and cream that you vow to spend the rest of the week exercising? Such as these Cheddar Dill Scones....flaky, cheesy and oh so good.

Cheddar Dill Scones- Barefoot Contessa

Ingredients

• 4 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
• 4 extra-large eggs, beaten lightly
• 1 cup cold heavy cream
• 1/2 pound extra-sharp yellow Cheddar, small-diced
• 1 cup minced fresh dill
• 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water or milk, for egg wash

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Combine 4 cups of flour, the baking powder, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is in pea-sized pieces. Mix the eggs and heavy cream and quickly add them to the flour-and-butter mixture. Combine until just blended. Toss together the Cheddar, dill, and 1 tablespoon of flour and add them to the dough. Mix until they are almost incorporated.
Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead it for 1 minute, until the Cheddar and dill are well distributed. Roll the dough 3/4-inch thick. Cut into 4-inch squares and then in half diagonally to make triangles. Brush the tops with egg wash. Bake on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for 20 to 25 minutes, until the outside is crusty and the inside is fully baked.

Homemade Granola Bars That Travel Well

These granola bars are the perfect snack or even dessert as my grandma likes to eat them.  I made them especially for her and since I was sending them in the mail I had to make sure they would travel well. The bars arrived to her perfectly.

You can cut them as big or little as you like. I prefer the standard long rectangle shape.

I swapped the dates for golden raisins since I couldn't find any at the store.

Guess who didn't have enough honey and had to add a little maple syrup.....still just as yummy.

I swapped flax seed and oat bran (which I already had) for wheat germ. I was going to buy it but at $5.99 a jar-no thanks.

Packaged and ready to send.

Do you send treats to your family or friends?

Homemade Granola Bars
by Ina Garten

Ingredients


2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal

1 cup sliced almonds

1 cup shredded coconut, loosely packed

1/2 cup toasted wheat germ

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2/3 cup honey

1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup chopped pitted dates

1/2 cup chopped dried apricots

1/2 cup dried cranberries

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 by 12-inch baking dish and line it with parchment paper.

Toss the oatmeal, almonds, and coconut together on a sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ.

Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.

Place the butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for a minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture. Add the dates, apricots, and cranberries and stir well.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Wet your fingers and lightly press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool for at least 2 to 3 hours before cutting into squares. Serve at room temperature.

Blueberry Sour Cream Pancakes cooked in Coconut Oil

Have you ever cooked with coconut oil? Trader Joes recently started carrying it so I picked up a jar and then for the longest time couldn't figure out when to use it. It just didn't seem right to use it for savory foods and baking with it didn't seem like an option so it sat in my cupboard until pancake Saturday. And we have a winner. I actually prefer it to cooking pancakes in butter. The coconut flavor is very subtle and seems to have a pretty high smoke point so it doesn't burn easily.

I used Barefoot Contessa's Banana Sour Cream Pancakes recipe but instead of bananas I added blueberries. This is my favorite pancake recipe. The batter has a nice tang to it which is great with real maple syrup. Yum!

How do you like your pancakes? I'm a big fan of strawberries and whipped cream.

Banana Crunch Muffins- It's been a rough couple weeks....

So, it's been a rough couple weeks and I haven't been able to do much blogging. In late December I found out I was pregnant, for the first time, and then shortly thereafter I found out it was an eptopic pregnancy. I'll spare you the details of what that is but you can google it for more info. So far, I've been able to avoid surgery and had a dose of a very powerful drug that has made me so tired and cranky that I haven't done much but sleep. Tonight however, I'm inspired. I miss cooking. I miss blogging. I miss reading and commenting. Well, there's a lot I miss right now and I'm hoping to find a little joy in recipes and writing until I'm physically and emotionally healed.

I'm going thru all the photos I have saved since before the pregnancy and thought what better place to start then with the muffins I made on a stormy cold morning when the only care I had was what to make for breakfast. 

Ina Garten is one of my very favorite cookbook authors. I've never had a recipe fail. I sat at my kitchen counter on a rainy weekend morning and flipped thru the breakfast section in several of her cookbooks. I settled on Banana Crunch Muffins since I had a few bananas ready for use.

A hot cup a chamomile tea and I'm ready for baking. I must share my mug with you since it's too cute. Every year we take a trip to Disneyland and each pick out a coffee mug. It's a fun tradition and an inexpensive souvenir.

Muffins hot from the oven. I chose to top them with coconut. It added a nice sweet crunch.

My muffin posing for you. I'm still learning about food styling. It's definitely not my forte but I'm trying.

If you're like me, you break pieces of your muffin off to eat in bite sized chunks. I'm not a civilized cut in half, spread with butter and daintily pick up to eat person.

I debated sharing my pregnancy story but I'm hoping that maybe someone will read this and feel a little less alone with her own struggle with miscarriage, infertility or other pregnancy issue. When I found out I was pregnant, the only thing I wasn't worried about was losing the baby so imagine my shock when the ultrasound showed an empty space where the baby should have been. Talking about it has really helped. Hearing other women tell their stories has really helped.  Finding comfort in the support of family and friends has kept me from being swallowed into that pit of sadness that seems to ready to suck me in. So if you read this and want to send me an e-mail or comment because you need a little support, I'm here.

Brisket with Carrots & Onions

We had some family over for Sunday dinner recently and I decided to make brisket. I cooked it in my Crock Pot since I was gone for most of the day. I chose Ina Garten's recipe since it called for tomato juice and I had a lot leftover in the fridge from a gazpacho recipe I made. Although the dish turned out good, I don't know that I'd make it in tomato juice again. I hate to say it, but I prefer the Lipton onion mix recipe. I served the brisket with baked potatoes, rolls and a bottle of red wine.  We ate outside in between sessions of football watching. Typical Sunday LOL

Brisket with Carrots & Onions
by Ina Garten

ingredients
6 to 7 pounds beef brisket


2 tablespoons kosher salt

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon minced garlic (4 cloves)

2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves

1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks

8 stalks celery, cut into 2-inch chunks

6 yellow onions, peeled and sliced

6 fresh or dried bay leaves

1 (46-ounce) can tomato juice

directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. (I cooked mine in a slow cooker)


Place the brisket in a heavy roasting pan. In a small bowl, combine the salt, pepper, garlic, and oregano. Rub the mixture on the brisket. Pile the carrots, celery, onions, and bay leaves on the brisket and pour in enough tomato juice to come about 3/4 of the way up the meat and vegetables. Cover the top of the pan with 2 sheets of parchment paper, then with aluminum foil. (The tomato juice will react unpleasantly with the aluminum foil if they touch.)

Bake for 3 1/2 hours, or until the meat is tender. Remove the meat from the pan and keep it warm. Place the pan on 2 burners and boil the vegetables and sauce over medium heat for another 30 minutes, or until the sauce is thickened.

To serve, slice the meat across the grain. Serve with the vegetables.