Second-Best Currant Cream Scones

INGREDIENTS

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 5 tablespoons white sugar
• 2/3 cup cream
• 1/2 cup currants
• Cream for brushing
  

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet or line with baking parchment.
2. Sift flour and baking powder into a medium bowl. Rub butter and sugar into flour to form a fine crumble. Make a well in center, and add milk and currants. Knead gently together, being careful not to over mix. Dough will be sticky.
3. Form dough into a flat round, about 3/4” thick. Cut like a pie into six triangles. Transfer to prepared pan, brush tops with cream, and sprinkle with vanilla sugar if desired. Allow to stand for 15 minutes.
4. Bake in preheated oven until risen and lightly golden on top, about 18 minutes minutes. Remove to a rack to cool.

NOTE: These scones are a bit more tender than some might prefer (if you like to load your scones up with lots of lemon curd and clotted crème), but they have a really delicious flavor. When Dana and I tested the recipe we doubled it and had no trouble eating the resultant dozen scones. ;>)

Also, we discovered that it works well to prepare the dough, shape the scones, and then wrap and freeze them. When you want fresh scones you can pull out what you need, brush with cream and sprinkle with sugar, let sit 15 minutes while the oven heats, then bake. They are delicious!

Lime Garlic Chicken with Rice

1.25 pounds bone-in skinless chicken thighs
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (2 limes)
1-1/2 cups chicken broth
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/4 tsp pepper
2 Tbs butter or margarine
1 cup uncooked instant rice
Chopped fresh parsley, if desired

Place chicken in a 3- to 4-quart slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients except rice and parsley. Cover and cook on low heat setting for 8-10 hours.

During the last 15 minutes of cooking, stir in rice.

Remove chicken from cooker. Place cooked rice on each serving plate. Top with chicken. Spoon any remining juices over chicken. Garnish with parsley. 6 servings.

Nutrition per serving:
Calories: 215
Fat: 9g
Protein: 16g

Note: I have not made this recipe but it sure sounds good!

White Chicken Chili

1-1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 cans (15.8 oz ea) great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 envelope (1.25 oz) Old El Paso less-sodium taco seasoning mix
1 can (4.5 oz) chopped green chiles
1 can (10.75 oz) Healthy Request cream of mushroom soup
3/4 cup chicken broth
Sour Cream, if desired
Chopped green onions, if desired (they do add a lot)

Place chicken in a 3- to 4-quart slow cooker. Top with remaining ingredients except sour cream and onions. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

Before serving, gently stir to break up chicken pieces. Served topped with sour cream and onions. 6 servings, 1-1/3 cups each.

Nutrition per serving:
Calories: 314
Fat: 3.7 g
Protein: 31 g

Apple Pie

1 pie crust
4-6 apples (preferably Harrelsons)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Prepare pie crust (or purchase a ready-made crust) for a 9" deep dish pie plate. Peel and slice apples into the crust, heaping. Pour sugar and cinnamon over the apples and shake the plate a bit so it settles (I turn some of the apple slices over so the cinnamon is facing into the pie).

With a fork, mix topping ingredients together:

1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup soft butter or margarine
3/4 cup flour

Sprinkle topping on top of pie and pat lightly. Place the pie on a foil-lined pan into a pre-heated 450 degree oven. Bake for 10 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350 degrees and bake for 40 minutes more.


To freeze: Make as directed, but don't bake. Wrap tightly and freeze. To bake, allow frozen pie to sit on the stovetop as the oven preheats. Bake at 450F for 20 minutes, then at 350F for 40 minutes. Apples will be more toothsome and the pie will sink less- even better than baked fresh.

Chocolate Crinkles

from King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking

5 1/2 Tbs butter
1 C sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 large egg
1/3 cup brewed coffee, cooled
1 3/4 cups spelt flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
2 cups chocolate chips

2/3 cup powdered sugar for dusting


Cream butter, sugar, vanilla, soda and salt. Beat in the egg and coffee, scraping the bowl, then stir in the flour, cocoa powder and chocolate chips. Refrigerate dough overnight.

Remove dough from refrigerator. Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease 2 cookie sheets. Place powdered sugar in a bag. Drop dough into powdered sugar by the tablespoon and shake to coat. Place coated balls of dough on cookie sheets and bake for 11 min, or until set around the edges and still soft in the middle. Remove from oven and loosen cookies on sheetwithout lifting after 10 min. allow to cool completely on the cookie sheet.

These cookies are delicate and may not travel well.

Curried Couscous

time: 15 min
servings: 4
skill level: easy

1 ½ cups couscous
3 cups chicken stock
1 Tbs curry powder
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1 tsp pepper (or to taste)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
½ cup raisins
3-4 cups frozen mixed vegetables
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
½ cup slivered almonds, toasted

Bring everything except for the cilantro and almonds to a boil in a large pot. Cover, remove from heat and let sit for 10 min. Add cilantro and almonds, fluff with a fork.

Ravioli with Sweet Potatoes, Mustard Greens and Country Ham

for the dough
1.75-2 cups all-purpose flour (or you can go up to half whole wheat)
2 extra large eggs
1/2 tsp olive oil
water as needed

for the filling
1/2 cup mashed sweet potatoes
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 Tbs sliced chives
1/2 Tbs chopped parsley

the rest
1 cup coarsely chopped mustard greens (or kale, chard, etc)
1 Tbs bacon fat or olive oil
1 ounce country ham or prosciutto, cut into strips
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbs butter
1 Tbs grated parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving


Mound flour on a large wooden board or marble slab to forma peak with a well in the center. Place eggs and oil in the well and, using a fork, mix them together, gradually bringing in a little flour from the sides. Continue adding flour gradually until the dough comes together and the flour is incorporated. Add water by wetting your hands, as needed, to get a workable dough. Knead until smooth and elastic, 5-7 min- it will still be a little sticky. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30-60 min.

Combine potatoes. ricotta and herbs in a bowl, stirring well to blend.

Remove dough from fridge and divide into 4 equal portions. Roll the dough out very thin, using a pasta machine or a rolling pin. Cut the dough into 4" squares and fill place 1 tsp of filling on each. wet the edges of the square adn fold over, pressing seams closed firmly.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

In a skillet, heat 1 Tbs of bacon fat or oil. Add chopped greens and ham and cook just until the greens wilt. Remove from heat.

Cook ravioli in salted water, drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the water. Return ravioli and water to the pot. Add the butter, the greens mix, salt, pepper and cheese. Toss until butter is melted. Serve with extra cheese.

Serves 6.

Note: you can freeze the uncooked ravioli by putting them in a single layer on a baking sheet dusted with cornmeal. Once frozen, transfer to a container for storage. Cook, without thawing, as directed above.