Golden Raisin Scones

These were a special request from someone at work. I've never made scones before so I browsed a few recipes on food network & Martha Stewart before stumbling upon this recipe. Of course, I substituted blueberries for raisins. I also mixed-in golden raises with the regular kind as well. Martha says that the most important thing to remember when making scones is that too much kneading and stirring could make it dry, something to be conscience of when making these.

Try it out!

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons sugar, plus more for sprinkling on top

1 tablespoon baking powder

3/4 tablespoon salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 & 1/2 cups of mixed sun-maid raising & golden raisins

1/3 cup heavy cream

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Recipe:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place a rack in the direct center of the oven for best baking quality. In a large bowl, sift together flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry cutter or a knife, cut in butter until the largest pieces are the tiny. Stir in raisins.

Using a fork, whisk together cream and egg in a liquid measuring cup. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients, and pour in cream mixture. Stir LIGHTLY with fork until dough just comes together. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead a FEW times to mix well.

Pat dough into a 6-inch square about 1 & 1/4 inches thick.

*Here's an added tip. If you have an ice-cream scoop (large tablespoon will do as well) just scoop up some of the mixture and place on your cookie sheet. Sprinkle each top with a pinch or two of sugar. Bake until golden brown, 20 to 26 minutes.

Enjoy!

Love,

us.

Peanut M & M Brownies

Ooopsie. These pictures are a little shaky. My iPhone doesn't have the most trustworthy camera.

Regardless, these brownies were amazing. Just take your average brownie mix and and layer with nuts, chocolate chip morsels, & peanut m&m's.

love

us.

Garlic Fingers

Unfortunately this is not a recipe for some sort of mozzarella stick or chicken finger....although...sidetrack.

Anyway remember this post from a few days back? Well it turns out it really made my fingers smell like garlic, for, like, days. A friend told me this cute trick. Rub your fingers on the inside of any pot or pan (be careful you're not actually using it because then you have a whole new set of problems) for a few seconds. Wallah! The coating on the inside of pots & pans naturally takes away the smell of garlic or any strong food smell.

Little trick from me to you.

love,

us.

Oatmeal Pancakes

Sunday morning pancakes are THE best. This morning, we tried something different. A new twist to an old favorite. Try it out!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup oatmeal oats

*Follow your own recipe for pancakes

Recipe:

Heat greased griddle on medium high-heat.

Combine all of your ingredients, and let sit for 10 minutes at least. This will let the batter thicken for better tasting pancakes.

Cook pancakes on each side for 1-2 minutes, or until golden brown.

Add syrup, butter, powder sugar, and ENJOY!

love,

Us.

Also, where is this truck? And is there a side-car filled with french cheese to accompany it?

(Thanks Cup of Jo)

Capellini with Shrimp and Creamy Tomato Sauce

Alright, alright. We haven't posted in a while. But we are BACK in action, starting with this creamy & delicious pasta adapted from Gourmet Magazine.

It takes about 10 minutes to make & most of the ingredients (besides the shrimp) I already had in my kitchen. It'll also leave your fingers smelling like garlic for a few days, but a small price to pay for this amazing dish!

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons of olive oil

1 lb peeled large shrimp

3 large garlic cloves, forced through a garlic press

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 cup sweet (red) vermouth

1 (14 to 15 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice

1/2 lb. capellini (angel-hair pasta)

Recipe:

Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then cook shrimp and garlic with oregano, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper, turning once, until golden, about 2 minutes total. Stir in vermouth and tomatoes, scraping up any brown bits from bottom of skillet. Add cream and briskly simmer until sauce has thickened slightly, about 1 minute. Stir in lemon juice.

Meanwhile, cook capellini in a pasta pot of boiling salted water until al dente.

*Be careful, thin pasta such as angel-hair takes about 4 minutes to cook to al-dente.

Reserve 1 cup pasta-cooking water, then drain pasta.

Serve immediately, topped with shrimp and sauce. Thing some of reserved water if necessary. * This wasn't necessary for me.

Enjoy!

Love,

Us.

Courtesy of Apartment #34.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

Have you ever gone to the Martha Stewart website? Let me tell you, that Martha knows what she's talking about. I found a great recipe named "Skillet Baked Chocolate Chip Cookie", which is basically making chocolate chip cookie dough and placing it in a skillet to turn it into a cake! Martha recommends topping the cake off with homemade caramel sauce, but we used vanilla ice-cream instead! Give it a whirl!

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar

1 large egg

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups mixed semi-sweet & milk chocolate chips

Recipe:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt, set aside. In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugars until mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla; mix until they are fully incorporated. Add flour mixture, and beat until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Transfer dough to a 10-inch ovenproof skillet, and press to flatten, covering bottom of pan. Bake until edges are brown and top is golden, about 40 to 45 minutes. Don't over bake, it will continue to cook a few minutes out of the oven. Serve warm with a generous tablespoon of vanilla ice-cream on top.

Enjoy!

Love,

us