Pumpkin scones recipe!

Funny thing, I never used to like pumpkin until about a year or two ago. Now I'm pretty open to it, and it does make me feel like fall is here. Because living in California you'd never know it's fall, it's been in the high 80's most of the week. So we try to make it feel like fall, through the crazy heat and what not.
We've been all about the scones lately so I made up a recipe and have been tweaking it for abut a week, I've made a batch almost every day, and to be honest they have all been good!

Ingredients: (this makes 8 scones)
2 Cups flour (I use white unbleached organic, but I should try it with whole wheat, or at least half/half)
1/4 C. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon (add more if you like your cinnamon, I'm sure pumpkin pie spice would work fine too)
1/4 tsp. all spice
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 C. butter (1 stick)
1/2 C. pureed pumpkin
1/4 C. heavy cream
toasted pecans and dried cranberries to taste, I do about a 2 TBSP each, eye ball it.
Preheat the oven to 400 degree F.

Combine all the dry ingredients and mix them well. Take the stick of butter straight from the fridge cut it into 1/2 inch cubes and add it to the dry ingredients. Cut into the flour mixture with a pastry knife. It will look like course crumbs when you are done.

Measure out 1/2 cup of pumping puree, I do this in a glass measuring cup and add the cream on top of it then stir together.

Add the pumpkin and cream mixture to the flour & butter mixture, stir with a spoon or fork, I like to use 2 forks and toss it together. You want to handle this dough as little as possible, it's a pretty dry dough so that's not necessarily easy. Once you've got it somewhat incorporated (it will not come together at this point, it'll still resemble course crumbs, just larger ones) add the nuts and the cranberries. Toss a few more times to mix those in.

At this point I dump the dough on the counter to finish it. Try not to knead it, I sort of fold it and squash it together until it forms a mass. Then I shape it into a circle about 1" thick.

I forgot to take a picture of it cut. But cut all the way across the circle through the middle to split it into 2, then make a cross cut to split it into 4, then cut each quarter into halves and you end up with 8 wedges. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, if your oven is an over achiever perhaps check on them after 15 minutes. Mine is rather slow so it takes the full 20, they should start to brown on top. Naturally I forgot to take a picture of the finished product, and there is non left haha. I will make them again in a day or 2 I'm sure and will add a picture. Here they are going in though:

I've been debating whether or not I should make a glaze for them. I might test drive them with a glaze next time I make some. If someone tries them with a glaze I'd love to know what kind and how you like it. Bon Appetite!

Buttermilk Pancakes Recipe

Please don't use the pre made box mix! It's so easy to make them from scratch, and just as fast (maybe just a few minutes more) but well worth the effort!
What you'll need, 1 batch probably feeds 3-4 people (adults or children that eat well) I made 2 batches here and it was way too much:
2 Cups buttermilk
1 egg
1.5 Cups flour
Flax meal is optional, I add a few tablespoonfuls.
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2-4 Tbsp sugar, adjust to your preference.
2Tbsp melted butter

Mix the egg and the buttermilk until the egg is incorporated. If you using flax seed meal add it now, and  add the sugar.

Melt the butter and stir it into the wet ingredients.
In a separate bowl mix the flour, salt and baking soda well.

Add dry ingredients to the wet and stir just enough to combine. Small lumps are perfectly fine.

Cook over medium/low heat, make sure to preheat your non-stick griddle or skillet well first. I generally don't grease it, but occasionally will put a small piece of butter on the skillet, just for the first pancake.

Enjoy with some butter and maple syrup, at least that's how we like them.

Bon Appetit!

Macaroni and Cheese recipe

Some home made macaroni and cheese here, the kids love this and freezes great! When my first was a toddler I'd freeze it in 2ozs containers for her for quick meals. Now we never have enough left overs to freeze, if for some weird reason we do I freeze it in batches of one meal worth for 2-3 kids. I've also done it with ground beef mixed in (fry it first of course) to "beef" it up, and a few times have mixed in peas and corn which didn't go over as well.  So here is what you'll need.

1lb of elbow macaroni, I've done shells too but they stick too much for my liking. Still came out yummy though.
1lb cheddar cheese grated, use sharp or extra sharp. The mild doesn't give enough flavor and they come out a bit bland.
some grated parmesan for the top, probably about 2Tb worth, never measured this just make sure there is a good layer over the top of the dish.
3Tbs. butter
4-5Tbs. flour
3 Cups whole milk
1/2 tsp. grated nutmeg



Cook the pasta to al dente drain and pour into your baking dish. You can butter the dish but I don't bother, figure the sauce is buttery enough.

You can start your sauce while the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a medium size sauce once the butter is bubbly and melted start adding your flour gradually, until you have a pretty dry paste going.  Cook that for a min or 2 stirring constantly, got to get that flour taste cooked out. Basically you are making béchamel sauce (there are more detailed instructions in the lasagna recipe post).
Once the flour paste has cooked for a min or so start adding your milk gradually and either stir or whisk to get all the lumps out. Once all the milk is in salt to taste and add the nutmeg (fresh is best).


Cook the sauce until it thickens just a bit, 3-5 mins. Turn off the heat and start to stir in your cheddar. I do a handful at a time stirring until it's melted in, then add more etc until all the cheese is in. Pour your sauce all over the pasta. The sprinkle the grated parmesan all over the top. I forgot to take a picture of this step until right after it all went int the oven, so you don't really see the parmesan because it already melted.


Cook at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and turning brown, basically looks like this


Enjoy!

Yummy lasagna, the way I make it.

It's not just my judgement, I've been told by other it's good. I sort of modified a recipe from Curtis Stout when he used to do "Take home chef" years ago. Anyways here is the final product



The ingredients are:
1.5 lbs ground beef (we use the organic from costco)
1 small or 1/2 a large onion
2-4 cloves of garlic (up to you how garlicky you like your meat sauce)
2 15ozs cans of peeled diced unsalted tomatoes
1/2 cup of red wine, I use Cabernet Sauvignon
1 or so cups of basic Marinara
3-4 Tbsp of butter
3-4 Tbsp of flour
3-4 cups of whole milk
10oz + shredded mozarella cheese
a few spoonfuls of shredded Parmesan cheese
Lasagna noodles, I get the kind you don't have to pre-boil
Some thyme, fresh or dry is fine
Salt and Pepper to taste
Grated nutmeg

If you have a lot of time then start the meat sauce early and let it simmer over low heat for a couple hours, the flavors will be amazing. I usually don't have that kind of time so I cook it about 45 mins total and that's that.
First sauté the chopped onion in some olive oil


When the onions are good and translucent add the garlic, I grate it. Also add the thyme, if using fresh 1 or 2 sprigs is plenty, if dry then about a teaspoon.


Stir that up and add the beef, cook until almost no pink is left then add the wine. Stir it in and cook until the liquid has reduced, about 2 mins. Add the canned tomatoes


Bring to a simmer turn the heat down and let it cook until the liquid is pretty much cooked out. The more time you have to cook it turn down the heat more, I keep it on medium low because I never have much time for it.


While the meat sauce cooks, prep your lasagna pan. Cover the bottom in a thin layer of your basic marinara sauce and put one layer of noodles over it.


After the liquid in the meat sauce starts to reduce start the bechamel sauce. Melt your butter in a medium sized pot. I never measure it to a "T" that's why it says 3-4Tbsp. Somewhere around there.


Once the butter is melted and started to brown start to add your flour 1 Tbsp at a time, stir it in well every time. It'll turn pasty


I like for this "paste" to be very dry, almost crumbly


Once you got all the flour you need in there cook it for about a minute, you need to cook that flour taste out of it. Then start adding your milk a little bit at a time, helps to prevent from too many lumps forming.


I usually end up taking a whisk to it to get the sauce smooth. Your proportions of butter/flour/milk should be about even so if you using 3Tbsp of butter then use 3Tbsp of flour and 3 cups of milk. I always eyeball it though.  Once you have all the milk added the sauce will be quite thin but it'll thicken up as you continue to cook it, over medium low heat. Also once all the milk is in flavor it to taste with salt and pepper and freshly grated (preferably) nutmeg. Since I grate it fresh I've never measured it, but I'm guessing about 1/2 tsp.



You don't want to boil this sauce so if it's starting to bubble before it's reached the thickness you want then turn the heat down. The thickness should be about runny yogurt, thicker than buttermilk but not by much.  Usually by the time I'm done with this the meat sauce is done too. Make sure to flavor that with salt and pepper as well, to taste. I also like to break up the tomatoes a bit with the wooden spoon. Time to start building the lasagna. I use a 13"x9" lasagna pan and end up with 2 layers of meat, so approximately put half the meat sauce into your prepped pan on top of the noodles.


Drizzle that with a little bit of the bechamel sauce


And sprinkle a little shredded mozzarella on top of that


Put another layer of noodles over that and repeat for the next layer. Cover that with noodles again and pour a generous layer of the bechamel sauce all over the top of your lasagna


Sprinkle that with a generous layer of mozzarella


And top it off with a light layer of parmesan, you can hardly see it in the picture, but I promise it's there.


Bake at 375 for 40 minutes, and voila!