Apple Cheddar Scones

I stumbled on the recipe for these scones on pinterest a few weeks ago.  They sounded absolutely fantastic, and though quite fall-inspired, I didn’t really care and decided I absolutely needed to make them.  Plus, they’re from my absolutely favorite real food blog, Smitten Kitchen.

Wow, totally worth it.  My friend Megan and I are OBSESSED with them and have made at least 3 batches of them in the last month.  Also, I’ve learned that the most important aspects of making scones are three-fold: 1. DO NOT over mix, 2. don’t freak out by how sticky the dough is before you bake it.  I freaked out when I made orange-cranberry scones and added more flour, but this time I was more laissez faire about stickiness (I trust SK), and it totally worked out.  3, and possibly most importantly, egg washes are AMAZING.  Oh my god, I’m giving an egg wash to every batch of scones I ever bake, they turn out so beautiful.

So, without further ado, apple cheddar scones (slightly adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

Ingredients (makes 8 scones):

2 firm tart apples; peeled (actually do this, I didn’t the first time, and it turned out way better the 2nd time when I did), cored, and cut into chunks
1 1/2 c flour
1/4 c sugar, plus a small handful for sprinkling
1/2 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt, plus a smidge for egg wash
6 tbsp unsalted butter, chilled and cut into chunks
1/2 c sharp cheddar, shredded (white is recommended, you know, for aesthetics)
1/4 c heavy cream
2 eggs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place apple chunks in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake them for about 20 minutes; let them cool completely (I put them in a bowl in the freezer) and leave oven on.

2. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together; set aside. Place butter in the bowl along with cooled apple chunks, cheese, cream and one egg. Sprinkle flour mixture over the top and mix with an electric mixer on low speed until the dough comes together.  Be careful not to over mix!  (You can do this by hand as well, but make sure you chop the apples more beforehand).

3. Flour your counter top or cutting board and place the dough on top of it.  Mold the dough into a 1 1/4-inch thick, 6-inch circle. Cut circle into 8 wedges.  Transfer them to a baking sheet that has either been buttered or sprayed with cooking spray.

4. Beat the second egg in a small bowl with a pinch of salt. Brush the scones with egg wash and sprinkle them with a small handful of sugar. Bake until firm and golden, about 30 minutes.

Parmesan Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta

I was planning on making this (hopefully) delicious Latin Chicken with sweet potatoes and black beans in my slow cooker today.  But…I used the rest of the rice yesterday making curry.  Alas, it’ll have to wait until we get a chance to go to the store.  Sooo, instead, today was basically a random-stuff-in-the-fridge pasta.  The best kind of pasta?  Perhaps.  Definitely always an adventure.  I decided to go with a cream sauce made with the rest of the heavy cream, a half bottle of sun-dried tomatoes, random leftover asparagus and green onions that definitely needed to be eaten like now.  It turned out quite delicious, actually.  Very rich and creamy, definitely not the most diet friendly pasta…whatever I went on a run before I made dinner, so that makes it ok, right?  If you’re not at all concerned about the calorie count, add a few slices of crumbled bacon…that would REALLY make this fabulous.

The only adjustment I’d make, was that the asparagus was really superfluous.  The creaminess of the sauce and the strong flavor of the sun-dried tomatoes really over-powered them.  Oh well, they had to be eaten anyway.  Instead, I’d suggest adding sliced mushrooms.  If I’d had any in the fridge, I definitely would have used those as well, I’m going to put them in the recipe here, because I’d definitely including them the next time I make this recipe.  You could easily make this pasta vegetarian by omitting the chicken.  The flavors are great and the dish as a whole would be just fine without it.

Ingredients (serves 4):

2 tbsp olive oil

1 chicken breast, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 small onion, diced

1/2 c mushrooms, sliced

1 c heavy cream

1/4 c white wine

1/4 c Parmesan cheese

1 cube chicken bouillon

1/2 c sun-dried tomatoes

4 green onions, sliced

1/4 tsp paprika

salt and pepper to taste

8 oz pasta

Directions:

1. Saute chicken in olive oil over medium heat.  After 2-3 minutes, add garlic, onions and mushrooms and saute until onions become translucent.

2. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions

3. Reduce heat to low and stir in cream, wine, cheese, b0uillon, sun-dried tomatoes, green onions, paprika, salt, and pepper.  Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.  Adjust spices to taste.

Chicken Milano

This pasta dish is a fantastic change from the usual tomato-based pasta sauces you usually see.  Sun-dried tomatoes and chicken make for a great combination; the cream and chicken broth makes the sauce thick and decadent (though a bit fattening of course, swap for half and half if you’re calorie conscious).  I highly encourage making this dish for company, it takes a bit over half an hour, so it’s quick, but the taste will definitely impress your guests and make them think you spent a lot more time in the kitchen than you really did.  Serve with garlic bread and a green salad and you’ve got a perfect meal!

Ingredients (serves 4):

1 tbsp butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 onion, diced

1/2 c sun-dried tomatoes

1 c chicken broth

1 c heavy cream (or half and half; makes for a slightly thinner sauce, but much less calories)

1 tbsp olive oil

2 chicken breasts, cut into pieces

salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp basil

8 oz pasta of your choice

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.

2. In a saucepan over low heat, melt butter; add garlic and onions and cook for about 1 minute.  Add tomatoes and chicken broth, increase to medium heat and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes.  Add cream and bring to a boil; simmer over medium heat until the sauce thickens.

3. Meanwhile, Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and saute in oil over medium heat.  When fully cooked, stir chicken and basil into cream sauce.  Serve sauce on top of sauce.

Spicy Potato Soup

 

I think New Years is easily my favorite time of year.  It really has nothing to do with the holiday, however, and everything to do with the fact that for the last 5 years I have spent NYE with my best friend from college.  It’s fantastic, especially now that we’re all “real adults” now and whatnot.  For the last 2 years, we’ve spent the new year at his place in Chicago, and delicious food always results.  Adam likes to cook, but he claims he doesn’t have the time to do it very often.  Also, I figure living by himself probably contributes to the lack of a desire to cook as well, I know I get lazy when I’m only cooking for myself too.  When we’re together though, we always cook at least half of the time.  Sadly, our NYE ham turned out a little questionable…I’ll take the blame for that one though after a terrible brain fart moment of bad conversion between minutes and hours…yeah, that ham may not have been fully cooked…whatever, it still tasted good.  Plus, the green bean casserole (only the best holiday dish ever, fyi) and sweet potatoes con marshmallows were delicious, so whatever.

Our other meal, I am happy to say, was much more successful.  I actually made this soup for Adam for the first time last year during my new years visit, he liked it so much that he requested it again this year.  Even our friend Derek, who doesn’t like spinach, thought it was delicious!  I’ve made this recipe with both the andouille and with the chorizo, frankly it’s just a matter of what I can find at the store.  Both turn out delicious.  If you have the option though, go with the andouille sausage, it’s far less greasy.  If you’re not a fan of heat, you can always make this soup with polish sausage or a mild Italian sausage instead.

Ingredients (serves 8):

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp olive oil (omit if using chorizo)

1/2 onion, diced

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb andouille sausage, sliced into rounds OR 1 lb chorizo, casings removed

6 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces

3 cups chicken broth

2 cups milk

1 3/4 cups heavy cream

2 tsp Italian seasoning

1 (10 oz) package frozen spinach, thawed and drained

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions if using andouille (or other sliced sausage):

1. Heat the butter and oil together in a large stock pot over medium heat and cook onions and garlic until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add sausage slices, cook and stir another 5 minutes.  Stir in potatoes; cook and stir 15 minutes.  Add chicken broth, milk, heavy cream, and Italian seasoning.  Bring to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.  Stir in spinach and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes until spinach has heated through.  Top with Parmesan cheese to serve.

Directions if using chorizo (or other crumbled sausage):

1. Heat butter in a large stock pot over medium heat and cook onions and garlic until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add chorizo and cook until meat has browned thoroughly, about 5-7 minutes.  Drain excess grease.  Stir in potatoes; cook and stir 15 minutes.  Add chicken broth, milk, heavy cream, and Italian seasoning.  Bring to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.  Stir in spinach and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes until spinach has heated through.  Top with Parmesan cheese to serve.