Blueberry Scones

A former co-worker of mine (who I miss dearly) gave me the recipe for these amazing blueberry scones.  I have to admit, before trying these, I have never had a scone before....at least I don't think I have.  They always sounded kind of fancy and intimidating to me, but these definitely are not either!  The nice thing about these scones is that you can prepare them the night before and stick them in the freezer.  Then, in the morning when you wake up, take them out and let them sit on the counter while the oven is preheating.  Then, bake them while you are getting ready, and before you know it you have delicious warm scones ready for you....people will think you slaved over them in the kitchen that morning, or woke up really early.  Go ahead, just let them think it:)

This recipe was given to me by my friend and fellow baker Jenni, and originated from Taste of Home

You will need:

-2  (7oz) packages Martha White Blueberry Muffin Mix

-1/4 cup butter, chilled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

-1/2 cup sour cream

*Preheat oven to 400.  Place muffin mix in a large bowl.  With a pastry blender, cut in butter until crumbly and until the texture of small peas.  (This can take a good 3-4 minutes)  Stir in sour cream until combined.  With floured hands, press together mixture and place on a lightly floured surface.  Press together and knead 3 to 4 times until a smooth ball forms.  Pat out with hands a round 8 inch circle.  Cut into 8 wedges with a pizza cutter and place wedges on a parchment or foil lined baking sheet.  Bake for 13-14 minutes until the edges are barely turning brown.  Cool for a few minutes and transfer to a cooling rack.  Dust with powdered sugar if desired.  I also serve mine with Country Crock's Honey Butter.  *If you are making these the night before simply place the wedges in between parchment paper on baking sheets and place in freezer.  Take them out on the counter while oven is preheating in the morning and then bake.  This recipe makes 8 good sized scones, but can easily be doubled if you are serving a crowd.

 



Funfetti Cake Batter Cookies

I thought I would catch up on my blogging with a fun, easy recipe that's kid friendly.  We made these cookies for the kid's to take on the first day of school....which happened to be their 5th birthday!!!  I thought about making cupcakes, but to be honest I think everyone was a little "cupcaked out" after the birthday party a few days prior...plus, I figured these would be a little less messy for the first day of school.  I didn't want the teachers to hate me right of the bat:)  I found this recipe via pinterest on cookincowgirl.blogspot.com and it was exactly what I was looking for.  If you want something quick and easy, that the kids can help you out with....this is exactly what you are looking for!

Funfetti Cake Batter Cookies

You will need:

-1 box vanilla cake mix

-1tsp baking powder

-2 eggs

-1/2 cup vegetable oil

-1/2 tsp vanilla extract

-1 cup colored sprinkles

 

Preheat oven to 350.  In a large bowl combine cake mix and baking powder.  In a small bowl whisk together eggs, oil, and vanilla.  Add the egg mixture to the cake mixture and stir well to combine.  Stir in the sprinkles.  Drop by spoonfulls onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes.  *Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for a full 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack..they will be pretty soft. 

*I used a tablespoon scoop to measure out these cookies and it made about 40 small cookies.  I probably would have made them a little bigger, but silly me forgot that I have 2 kids in 2 different classes, therefore from now on will have to double the ingredients for school treats....duh!

Grilled Balsamic Skirt Steak

I thought I'd share this awesome recipe, since I seem to be on a balsamic everything kick right now.  I found this marinated skirt steak recipe on www.plainchicken.com and decided to try it out.  The marinade is super easy to prepare.....we have made it a few times now and used it on skirt steak both times, but I'm pretty sure it would be good on any cut of meat.  I paired it with the "not so dumb" salad previously posted and Bush's Grillin Beans (Black Bean Fiesta flavor)...they are also my favorite right now!
You will need:
-1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
-1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
-2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
-1 garlic clove, minced
-1 pound skirt steak (we cut into 2 pieces)
*Combine first 4 ingredients into a ziploc bag.  Add steak and turn to coat.  Marinade for at least an hour, or overnight, turning once. 
*Remove steak from bag and discard marinade.  Grill steak 3-4 minutes on each side and let rest for a few minutes before slicing.

Not- so- Dumb Salad

I found this amazing salad recipe on www.kalynskitchen.com recently and am seriously addicted to it.  I'm not sure how it got it's name, but it's not dumb....it's just good, really good.  I've made this 3 or 4 times already now, and the nice thing is that you can make as little or as much as you want to.  I changed up the original recipe by adding a lot more avocados, which in my opinion totally make the salad.  I also added a little freshly squeezed lemon (even added some lime juice once) to give it an extra zing, and to keep the avocados from turning brown.  This salad is perfect as a side dish, eaten alone, or even as a topping for fajitas.  The possibilities are endless.....
You will need:
-1 large cucumber, cut into chunks (peeled or unpeeled, whatever you choose)
-1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut into halves, or quarters if they are large
-1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion
-2 large Haas avocados, cut into chunks
-juice from one lemon
-balsamic vinegar (start out with 1 tbsp, then add more to taste)
-sea salt
-fresh ground black pepper
*Combine all vegetables in a medium bowl.  Add juice of one lemon and one tablespoon of balsamic vinegar.  Add a generous amount of sea salt/pepper.  Give it a taste...drizzle on more vinegar if you need to.  Toss well and serve at room temperature.

Buffalo Chicken Tacos

I found this super simple recipe via pinterest recently and decided to try it out.  Obviously, we LOVE anything with buffalo sauce, since I've posted a few other buffalo chicken recipes, but this was a nice change from our usual versions.  I have to say, I think the toppings (avocados, ranch, green onions, lettuce) definitely makes the dish....so don't leave it out!  Will definitely be making this again for a simple weeknight meal!
You will need:
-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
-1/3 cup flour
-3 tablespoon cornstarch
-1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
-1 tsp garlic powder
-1/3 cup buffalo wing sauce (Franks Buffalo sauce)
-1 tablespoon olive oil
-corn or flour tortillas (we used fresh flour tortillas from krogers bakery)
Toppings:
-shredded lettuce
-avocados
-thinly sliced green onions
-sliced avocados
*Heat a large dutch oven, or deep pan, over medium-high heat
*In a large bowl combine flour, cornstarch, cayenne and garlic powder.  Season chicken in salt/pepper and then dredge in flour mixture.
*Add 1 Tbsp olive oil to dutch oven and once it gets hot, add chicken.  Cook on both sides, about 3-4 minutes per side.  Once chicken is done, set aside in a bowl and toss with buffalo sauce.
*Assemble tacos with toppings of your choice and enjoy!

Loaded Baked Potato Salad

I found this great recipe on noordinarymomentsblog.com for a loaded baked potato salad and decided to try it out.  This is super easy and makes a ton, so it's perfect for a crowd.  It's a great twist on regular old potato salad!  I altered the original recipe and used a bag of real bacon bits instead of frying bacon...because I was feeling lazy.  Definitely will be making this one again!

You will need:
-3 lbs. small red potatoes, washed and cut into chunks
-1 1/2 cups sour cream
-1/2 mayonnaise
-1 tsp salt
-1/4 tsp black pepper
-1/4 tsp garlic powder
-1/2 lb of bacon, cooked and chopped....(I cheated and used REAL bacon bit pieces)
-6 green onions, diced
-1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
*Boil potatoes in water until they are just shy of being cooked (you want them fork tender but not too soft) this took me about 15-20 minutes.  Drain potatoes
*While potatoes are cooking, in a large bowl mix sour cream, mayo, spices, green onions, and bacon together. 
*Mix potatoes into sour cream mixture and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour
*Add shredded cheese to the potato mixture and mix well

This salad was great cold and kept for several days, but I liked it so much that I may try serving it warm next time....sounds good to me!

Easy Chocolate Lava Cakes

I thought I would start off with this easy chocolate lava cake recipe that I found off of the Taste of Home's website.  This is the perfect dessert if you have a sweet tooth after dinner, and you just want a few servings without a lot of fuss.  Plus, the majority of the work is done in the microwave and they are finished off in the oven....these literally took about 10 minutes of prep time!  The original recipe that I will include below made for 4 individual cakes.  Since these were just for me and Kevin, I halved the entire recipe (really easy to do) and made only 2 cakes.  Turned out perfect!  You can serve these with a dollop of whip cream or ice cream on top, or a dusting of powdered sugar like we did.  They reminded me a lot of my favorite chocolate torte dessert at Brio Tuscan Grill, so good!

 Chocolate Lava Cakes

courtesy of Taste of Home

You will need:

-4 tsp sugar

-1/2 cup butter, cubed

-4 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped (I used ghiraldehllis)

-1 cup powdered sugar

-2 eggs

-2 egg yolks

-1 1/2 tsp instant coffee granules (we use nestle french roast, but you can omit these if you don't have)

-3/4 tsp vanilla extract

-6 tablespoons all purpose flour

-1/2 tsp salt

powdered sugar, whipped cream, or ice cream to garnish

*Grease bottom and sides of 4 small ramekins, and sprinkle each with 1 tsp sugar.  Place ramekins on a baking sheet and set aside.

*In a medium, microwave safe bowl, melt butter and chocolate and stir until smooth.

*Stir in powdered sugar until smooth.  Whisk in the eggs, egg yolks, instant coffee, and vanilla.

*Stir in flour and salt until smooth.  Pour evenly into prepared ramekins.

*Bake at 400 for about 14 minutes, cake sides should be set and the center soft

the internal temperature should reach 160, if you are a dork like me and want to use your thermometer

*Remove ramekins to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes.  Carefully run a small knife around cake to loosen edges and carefully invert onto the serving dishes.  Garnish with powdered sugar, whip cream, or ice cream.