Cranberry Orange Wheat Scones

I have been on a baking kick lately. I don't know what it is but I really enjoy the measuring and mixing of all the different ingredients. The science nerd in me even likes doing the calculations and adjustments for altitude. I also like experimenting with different flavors and trying to making our favorite sugary treats into something more healthy.

This past weekend, I decided to take on scones! While the flavor combination is pretty standard, Cranberry and Orange, I did look for ways to tweak an old recipe so that they are a bit healthier. For me, that meant adding in whole wheat flour, using greek yogurt, and switching the sweetener. Usually, I would try to swap the butter out for something else but cold butter is essential in creating the little pockets of air that makes a scone what it is.

Next up is the fruit going in these scones. It isn't exactly cranberry weather in these parts, despite the frigid temperatures and snow on the ground, so instead of fresh cranberries which would be best, I used some I had in the freezer. A lot of people like chopping their cranberries up, I keep mine whole. I find they do not affect even baking and I love the burst of tart cranberry juice. Lastly, do not skip on the orange zest here. It is where most of your orange flavor is going to come from.

All that is left to do is mix it all up, bake it and enjoy. All three of us enjoyed these for breakfast. They aren't as sweet as a typical scone but if that is something you are looking for, you could easily sprinkle the top with sugar or make an orange and confectioners sugar glaze to drizzle over top.

Cranberry Orange Wheat Scones
ingredients

• 1 1/4 c whole wheat flour
• 3/4 c all purpose flour
• 1/4 c brown sugar
• 1 Tbs orange zest
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 6 Tbs chilled butter
• 1 c fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1 c greek yogurt
• 1 Tbs fresh squeezed orange juice
• 1 egg

directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400*F
2. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, orange zest, baking powder and baking soda. 
3. Use a pastry blender (or the two knives method) to cut the butter into pea sized pieces. Combine with flour mixture. 
4. Stir in cranberries. Optional: You can roughly chop up the cranberries before adding.
5. In separate small bowl, stir together the yogurt, orange juice, and egg, then add to the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined. 
6. Turn dough out onto a work surface. "Knead" 3 or 4 times. This may be difficult as the dough will be crumbly. 
7. Form into a circle roughly 1/2 inch thick. Cut into 10-12 wedges. 
8. Transfer onto a baking sheet and bake in preheated oven for 13-15 minutes. 

Easy Breakfast Smoothies with Jamba at Home

Due to the unpredictable nature of fire season sometimes we eat dinner at right around 6pm, and other nights Berke isn't getting home until 9pm and dinner is an afterthought. I learned early on that my traditional breakfast routine didn't keep me satiated enough to combat late morning snacking. It also helps me make it to a later lunch when I know dinner is going to be later in the evening.

This is the third year I have been doing the breakfast smoothie thing. Like I mentioned before, this year I added Kale into the mix for some extra vitamins. Another thing I have been trying is the Jamba At Home Smoothies. While I love being able to mix whatever we have in the fridge into a smoothie, it is nice to have things pre made.

My favorites so far have been Mango a Go Go (on the left) and Razzmatazz (on the right). For each, I throw the whole bag in the blender, add the required apple juice and a stalk of kale and blend it up. Every now and then it will get a little thick so I add a splash of kefir to thin it out. While the flavors don't match exactly the flavors of the Jamba Juice smoothies, they are pretty good bases for your own flavor blends.

disclaimer: I was sent coupons from Influenster at the start of the summer for testing purposes. I was not asked or required to share this product. As always, all opinions are original and my own. 

Kale Apple Berry Smoothie

Summertime means breakfast smoothies around here. Last year, I kicked it up by adding kefir to the mix. This year, I am doing kale. I know, I know. Everyone is all about kale right now. I added it to my morning smoothie to get some extra vitamins. I have noticed some impacts of vitamin deficiency recently so in the kale goes to help combat some of that. This particular smoothie is pretty heavy on the kale.

Kale Apple Berry Smoothie
ingredients

• leaves from 2 stalks of kale
• 1 half Granny Smith apple
• 1 half nectarine
• 5 strawberries
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1/4 cup 1% milk
• 1/4 cup or more water

directions

1. Throw it all in the blender and go at it until smooth. I like mine a little thicker so a little more liquid maybe needed to get it to desired consistency. Pour and enjoy!

CrockPot Cranberry Sauce

This week I am sharing some new holiday recipes that were brought to life Thanksgiving 2013. For me, cranberries are essential to my holiday meals. By cranberries, I do not mean the over sugared junk that comes in a can. I am talking cranberries from scratch!

This recipe is for a slow cooker. I find that it is the best way to get homemade cranberry sauce in throughout the hustle and bustle of the kitchen. I love that I can set it and basically forget it until about 20 minutes before the meat is ready.

Cinnamon Cranberry Sauce
ingredients 

• 12oz bag whole cranberries 
• 1/2 cup white sugar 
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup apple juice
• 1 apple chopped 
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar 
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1 cinnamon stick 
• 6 whole cloves 
• 1 large slice lemon (optional)

directions

1. Place cranberries, apples, sugars, and ginger into the slow cooker. Cover with juice and cider vinegar. 
2. Place cloves into the rind of the lemon (or into the flesh of an apple chunk). Place into the slow cooker with cinnamon stick. Gently stir, cover and cook on low for 8 hours. 
3. Halfway through remove lid, remove the cloves and cinnamon. Stir mixture and mash the apple and cranberries.Add the cinnamon and cloves back into the mixture. 
4. After 8 hours, remove the cinnamon and cloves again (they can be trashed now). Break up any remaining whole pieces of apple and cranberry. Place in a bowl and chill until ready to serve. 

Applesauce Crisp with Pears and Plums

Once again the time has come for the Get Your Chef On foodie challenge with White Lights on Wednesday and Fours Marrs One Venus. This month we are tackling applesauce. 

Although the official start of fall is not until a few more days, the cool autumn weather has definitely settled in. The cool evenings are the perfect time to enjoy a warm and gooey Apple Crisp. This recipe is   a twist on the traditional crisp and uses chunky applesauce instead of just apples. It is a great alternative if you are pressed for time or is apples are not quite in season in your area.

This simple recipe has a layer of apples, plums, and pears and is smothered in cinnamon applesauce with a crispy topping. Even though there are several other fruits in there, the crisp takes on the flavor of a slow cooked chunky applesauce with little bursts of complementary flavors. It is a warm dessert that just makes you feel like home.

Applesauce Crisp with Pears and Plums
ingredients

• 3 cups of applesauce (jarred is fine but I use this recipe)
• 2 tsp cinnamon + more
• 1/4 c white sugar + more
• 2 apples, 2 plums, and a pear (or a similar mix)
• 3/4 c. flour
• 1 c. brown sugar
• 1/2 c. old fashioned oats
• 1/2 c. granola
• 1 stick of butter

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350*F. Combine applesauce, cinnamon, and white sugar. While preheating, peel, core, and slice the apples, pears, and plums. 
2. Coat the bottom of a 9X13 casserole or 10-inch diameter glass pie pan with a thin layer of applesauce. Layer apples, plums, and pears over apple sauce. Sprinkle with cinnamon and white sugar. Cover with remaining applesauce. 
3. In a separate bowl mix together flour, butter, brown sugar, oats and granola. Add topping mixture evenly over applesauce. 
4. Bake at 350*F for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and allow 10 minutes to cool before serving. 

To view my previous Get Your Chef On recipes check here. And more entries for the Applesauce Challenge can be found below. 

Lifeway Kefir and a Smoothie Recipe

The last time there was a huge loss in my immediate family I was 16. I was a kid with no real commitments besides finishing the last two weeks of my junior year of high school. This time things have been a lot different. Mainly, it is the fact that life goes on. Your library books are still due, you still have to pay rent, work is calling, and you have to come through on your obligations (hence this post). 

Back in August, I was sent a voucher for Lifeway Kefir. I was apprehensive about it. I have heard it is similar in taste and consistency to yogurt. I am not the biggest yogurt fan so I figured I would pass it along to Berkeley and he could do the review. Much to my surprise, he told me outright that he HATES "that shit"! So I trekked to the supermarket and got a bottle of the Organic Lowfat Pomegranate Açaí Smoothie. 

I was nervous but I still poured a small glass and took a drink. Even more surprising than Berke's reaction was the fact that I enjoyed it. I thought it was delicious and quickly finished my small glass. The next morning, instead of the small thing of yogurt I put in my smoothie (recipe below), I grabbed the Kefir. 

The flavor is subtle and it was not as tart as I was expecting it to be. The probiotics and fermentation process give Kefir a light effervescence that really sets it apart from plain ole yogurt. In the smoothie, the slight tart flavors of the Pomegranate and Açaí plays well with the sweetness of the mango. It is definitely my go to now instead of a yogurt base. 

Mango Pomegranate Kefir Smoothie

ingredients

• 1/2 c Lifeway Kefir Pomegranate Açaí Smoothie
• 1/4 c ice
• 1/2 Mango
• 1/8 c uncooked oats

directions

1. Throw all the ingredients in the blender and pulse until smooth. Pour into a tall glass and enjoy!

Apple Almond Cranberry Charoset

This is another recipe from our makeshift Seder meal this year. Traditional Charoset is a paste like mixture of fruits, nuts, and wine. It's color and texture are meant to represent the mortar used by enslaved Israelites, but there are a lot of other symbolism given to this fruit salad of sorts. As mentioined previously, we are not jewish or kosher but we do celebrate the Passover. This is my modern take on Charoset. 

Apple Almond and Cranberry Charoset
ingredients

• 2 Gala Apples
• 1 cup Almonds
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 2-3 Tbsp Orange Juice
• 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

directions

1. Core and slice two apples and add to a food processor. Add the almonds and cinnamon and pulse. With the food processor running drizzle in orange juice. 
2. Pulse until apples are a small dice. Empty into a large bowl and mix in cranberries. 
3. Serve with matzah and bitter herbs.

October Foodie Pen Pals

Another month of Foodie Pen Pals has come and gone. Another month where I received some awesome food stuffs from all over the country. Over the course of October I was able to enjoy the products from my September package, as well as the October package. Those items received from Jilly are slowly getting used up. Again, it has been another month of us not being home very often. But we are getting there.

Before I start with my box, I wanted to talk a little bit about it. Foodie Penpals is a program Lindsay from Lean Green Bean started in September 2011. It was born from a random idea  and she wasn’t really sure how it would work out. Turns out, it’s amazing! The basic run down is you get paired with two people at the beginning of each month. One person is the recipient of the box you send and the other is the person you will be receiving your box from. You spend the next few days getting the items you want to send (with a $15 limit) and get your box out by the 15th of the month. Then everyone reveals on the last day of the month (usually).

This month I received my package from Elena from The Jittery Pen! She sent a Brooks box full of great  fall goodies! This month's box included:

• Vegetable Soup mix
• Sweet Potato Soup mix
• Peanuts and Candy Corn
• Caramel Apple
• Cola flavored Mentos
• 21 Seasoning Salute spice blend

When I opened this month's box I was super excited. Elena sent a mix of treats and real food, which I appreciated.

When I opened the box, I was most excited about two things. First is the soup mixes and I was secretly hoping for some colder temperatures so I could whip some up for dinner. The Sweet Potato is great! It was hearty and filling.

Also, and possibly even more exciting, was the Caramel Apple. The label says its "decadent" from Kowalski's Markets. It was a granny smith apple covered in all sorts of chocolate and maybe even some nuts. We ended up bringing it down to Tucson with us and shared with Berkeley's parents. At first we tried to cut it with an apple slicer. That wasn't working so I pulled out the big guns and sliced it up. Between the 4 of us, we ended up with one little slice left. It was delicious!

As excited as I was for that caramel apple and the soups, the first things out of the box were the Mentos and spice blend. I have never had Cola Mentos before. They have that familiar zing of a freshly opened can of Coke mixed with the crack, crunch, and chew of a Mentos. They are neat. And the 21 Seasoning Salute? Well it is just that. It is a salt free mix of 21 different spices and seasonings that pack quite the punch. It has a nice spice kick without being overpowering, while still delivering a bunch of great flavors all at once. So far, besides just tasting it as is, I used it in a bowl of dipping olive oil and vinegar for bread instead of the normal cracked pepper. It was great!

This was such a great pen pals box! It makes me really geared up for another month. Unfortunately, I will not be participating in November and possibly even December Foodie Pen Pals. With the wedding and honeymoon and holiday travel, I don't know exactly when I will be home to intercept a package. The timing would probably end up wrong and I wouldn't be able to post and/or enjoy my package. I fully encourage you to sign up with Lindsay over at The Lean Green Bean!

Carmelized Brussel Sprouts and Strawberries

While Berkeley is on assignments, I get to play with food. I get experiment with different ingredients. This is the result of one of those experiments. 

Caramelized Brussel Sprouts and Strawberries
Ingredients

• 12-14 large brussel sprouts
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 5-7 large strawberries

Directions

1. Thinly slice brussel sprouts and dice garlic cloves.
2. Heat the olive oil over medium high in a large skillet and saute the garlic for 30 seconds. 
3. Add brussel sprouts, salt and pepper. Saute for 4-5 minutes, until bright green and tender. 
4. Remove from heat and toss in brown sugar.
5. Dice your strawberries add to the cooled pan. Toss everything together and then serve.

Cranberry Salsa and Cream Cheese Spread

After seeing similar recipes on Pinterest and other blogs, I tried my hand at my making this party dip. I am so glad I went with it and came out with a great cracker dip that is both vibrant in color and in flavor. The ingredients come together to form layers of tangy, sweet, spicy deliciousness! It is so quick and so easy to throw together the afternoon before company comes over. And let me tel you, it was a hit with the guests the past weekend!

Cranberry Salsa
ingredients:

• 8oz fresh cranberries
• 1/4 C green onion, chopped
• 1 medium or small jalapeno pepper, chopped
  
• 1/2 C sugar
• 1/2 t Chili powder
  
• 2 T lemon juice
• dash salt

procedure:

1. Chop the cranberries and green onion (for this I just used a food processor). You can also do it with a kitchen knife. Add to a medium mixing bowl.
   
2. Slice open and de-seed the jalapeno. DO NOT TOUCH YOUR FACE OR FRESH WOUNDS! It is helpful if you wear kitchen gloves during this part. Chop the jalapeno and add it to the bowl (I used food processor for this as well after the seeds are gone).
3. Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl. Mix well and cover.
4. Refrigerate for a few hours to allow the sugar to mix with the cranberry. Then enjoy!
   

serving suggestions:

• Serve just as you would tomato based salsa in a bowl with tortilla chips.
• Spread cream cheese evenly over a platter and spread salsa over. Serve with crackers.
• Use as a salad garnish.
  

Spa Pop

Perfect Summer Treat! I love the sweet and tart blend of the citrus. The cucumber adds a layer of cool refreshment to the mix. It is a perfect treat for a hot summer day.

Lemonade Cucumber Spa Pop
ingredients

• 1 cup julienned seedless Cucumber
• 1 fresh squeezed Lemon, remove any seeds
• 1 fresh squeezed Lime
  
• 2 cups cold Water
• Natural Sweetener added to taste. (I used honey)

procedure

1. Slice lemon in half and squeeze it over a strainer into 2 cups of cold water. Sweeten lemon water to taste with your favorite sweetener.
   
2. Fill popsicle molds 2/3 with lemonade. Freeze uncovered for about 1 hour. Take pops out of freezer. Scrape and stir any ice crystals that have formed.
   
3. Add a spoonful of the julienned cucumber to the pop molds.
   
4. With a popsicle stick or a butter knife, press the cucumber into the mixture so it is evenly distributed.
   
5. Add your popsicle sticks, freeze pops for another 3-4 hours until solid.

Squash Experimenting

The last Sunday of the Farmer's Market, we picked up two butternut squash. One was used in my version of a Squash Makhani. The second I used for experimenting last night. I spent most of the day looking through websites trying to find something. I came across this recipe for stuffing the squash. I am so unhappy with the result, I am not going to do a full post.

The hardest part of the whole thing was getting the flesh of the squash out without ruining the shell. The recipe (and many others) say roast the squash at 400 for 40 minutes and it should be easy to scoop out. It wasn't. At 40 minutes it was still hard. In the process of getting the flesh out, I cracked one half of the squash so it ended up laying flat. The other half ended up with a hole in it from the skin peeling off with a section of the meat.

After cooking the filling, which was the best part, I put it all into the squash for the listed 20-25 minutes. We started to eat and the squash itself was quite bland. It was dull and rubbery. We saved some of the leftover flesh and squash shell and later this week I am going to try making soup with it. Stuffing Squash will need to be revisited at a later date.

Ashley Adult Beverages #2: Watermelon Cooler

During the summer months, Watermelon is a very popular part of every dinner, bbq, and random family get togethers. As much as I love watermelon, it starts to get boring just plopping a slice into your mouth. Recently, we were given a gallon size bag of watermelon chunks. Thus resulting in a delightful new drink which can be both virgin and alcoholic!

Watermelon Cooler
ingredients:

• 5-10 watermelon chunks
• 1/2 lime cut inwedges
• pinch of salt
• pinch of sugar
• water, or seltzer (optional)

procedure:

1. Place watermelon chunks into blender or food processor. If you have a smaller food processor, only use a few chunks at first. Then add smaller wedges of lime.
2. On a medium setting, blend the chunks into a rough chopped slurry.
3. Look at the consistency, if the watermelon looks like mush and not watery, you may want to add a splash of water or seltzer. Sprinkle in salt and sugar.
4. Again, blend the watermelon mixture. This time blend to the consistency of your liking, probably something that can easily be sucked through a straw.
5. Serve over ice in tall glass. At this point you can add a shot of alcohol if you'd like!

optional:
I first tried this recipe with Prickly Pear Vodka made right here in Flagstaff. I added a splash of lemon-lime soda and the result was striking resemblance to a watermelon jolly rancher. Tequila gave it a margarita vibe. Depending on the ripeness of the watermelon, you'll end up with more natural juices. Adding anything carbonated is quite refreshing and takes it to whole new level.

Adventures in MacyLand pt 3

So keeping track of my visits to Macy's proving harder than ever! Now that we have internet at the house, I rarely ever bring the laptops along. I know I wrote about the lemonade already, but I must say again it is AMAZING!! Everytime we go now, it is something I need to get.

This past week, I have been sick! And boy was it a welcome treat. It was like a medicinal treat. Something you actually want to take for your cold. The honey really soothed my throat, and it was a much better way to get some vitamin C. In fact, way better than drinking orange juice.

Orange juice is one of the worst juices to drink. One orange yields 1oz of juice. Roughly there are 8 oranges in one 8oz glass of juice. No one is going to eat 8 oranges in one day, yet many people drink way more than 8oz of juice in one morning. Blood sugar levels after drinking a glass of orange juice are similar to that of a severe diabetic! So think carefully before you gulp down that tall glass of OJ in the morning. Okay off my soapbox!

Sorry, back to the main topic. A couple weeks ago, BK's family was in town. We stopped by for a quick breakfast before running a muck downtown. I grabbed another quiche. This time it was filled with tomatoes, and onions and maybe green chilies. It was awhile ago, but still great! If you even remotely like quiche, you NEED to try it at Macy's! As always, the egg was silky smooth and packed with flavor. I think next time, I may even microwave it and try it warm.

Ashley's Adult Beverages #1: Clerico Punch

So I have a knack for coming up with great mixes for alcohol. I am not the kind of person that likes masking the flavors of good alcohol, I just need to mask the harshness of the poor quality booze people buy. So here is one of my many cocktails.

This particular recipe is for masking wine. Just like I have a specific list of approved liquors, the same goes for wine. Growing up smack in the middle of Northern California's Wine Country does that to you. This is a wine fruit punch, not just a sangria. Because fruit is used, it is best to use what is in season. Also, different people like different fruits, I will just list the fruits I used. With all wine concoctions, you need to remember one thing: The longer it sits, the stronger it gets!

Summer Clerico Punch

ingredients:

• 750 mL bottle white wine
• 1 c. water
• 1 c. seltzer water or lemon lime soda
• 1/2 peach, cubed
• 1/2 nectarine, cubed
• 1/2 mango, cubed
• 1 lime
• 15 red grapes
• 10 blueberries
• sugar
• ice

procedure:

1. Cube the peach, nectarine, and mango. Cut the lime in half and then slice. Add a few slices to cover the bottom of the jug. Add a portion of the wine and layer more slices of lime.
2. Alternate adding some of the cubed fruit, sliced lime, grapes and blueberries with adding wine.
3. Once all the wine is poured in, add the water and soda. Gently stir. Taste and add sugar to taste if needed.
4. Finish by adding any remaining cubed fruit and ice to chill.