by jphilo | Feb 15, 2012 | Recipes
Believe it or not, there are still two more recipes to share from our Christmas celebration, one of which is lemon-blueberry scones. As this post shows, both the younger and more mature (I’m not ready to say older yet) generations of our family takes cooking and baking seriously. Why do I say that? Because this recipe comes once again from niece Leslie who loves to experiment with baked goods.
Leslie made from scratch lemon and blueberry scones for breakfast one day. By the time we arrived, only the pictured scone and half of another one remained. I polished off the half-scone and begged my niece for the recipe. Once again, I forgot to ask where the original recipe came from. Leslie, if you can provide that information, please leave a comment!
Blueberry Lemon Scones
Scones:
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons cold butter
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cup blueberries
zest of 1/2 lemon
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix dry ingredients – flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Cut in cold butter. Mixture should look like coarse crumbs.
Make a well in center and pour in buttermilk. Fold everything together. Do not overwork. Fold blueberries and zest into batter being careful not to mash them. (Leslie says she uses her hands on this step.)
Separate dough into two equal lumps. Form into circles and cut into fourths. Bake on cookie sheet for 15 – 20 minutes, until golden brown.
Glaze:
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 cups powdered sugar
zest of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon butter
Mix lemon juice and sugar together in a microwave-safe bowl. Add zest and butter. Microwave for 30 seconds on high. Whisk glaze until smooth, then drizzle over scones.
Note: The glaze is delicious, but I would probably half the amount since Hiram and I are watching our sugar intake. To tell the truth, these lemon-blueberry scones were so delicious, they would taste great without any glaze at all!
by jphilo | Jan 11, 2012 | Recipes
For the next few weeks, Wednesday’s recipe posts will feature foods our family enjoyed during our Christmas celebration over New Year’s. Today’s recipe comes from my niece, Leslie. She’s halfway through her first year of teaching English at a large Iowa high school, and it’s been a great adventure for her!
Leslie is also a talented baker. She made scones for breakfast on the day of our family Christmas celebration and two kinds of muffins for dinner. She’s sharing all three recipes over the next few weeks. Today’s contribution is for cheddar cheese muffins which were delicious. She found the recipe in a muffin cookbook, but I can’t remember it’s name. Leslie, if you read this post, will you leave the name of the cookbook in the comment box so credit is given where it is due?
Leslie’s Cheddar Cheese Muffins
1 3/4 cups flour
1 1/4 cup sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1 egg
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 12 cup muffin pan.
In largge bowl, stir together cheese and dry ingredients. In another bowl, whisk together egg, olive oil, and milk until blended. Make a well in the dry ingredients, add milk mixture, and mix until just evenly moistened.
Spoon batter into muffin cups. Sprinkle each muffin with sesame seeds. Bake until golden, dry, and spongy to the touch, 20 – 25 minutes. Best served warm with butter.
by jphilo | Jan 6, 2012 | Family
Anne Socks.
When the original post on this topic went up on March 17, 2009 I wasn’t trying to start a series. I mean, think about it. Would anyone other than footwear manufacturers be interested in sock serialization?
Not usually.
Therefore, the title of today’s post is a bit of a surprise to me. As was my daughter’s Christmas present. A pair of my very own, custom-made, cable knit Anne Socks. Unlike the pair pictured in the March, 2009 post, these socks actually match. And they’re made of a silk/wool blend that doesn’t scratch my tender tootsies in the least.
I love them.
So does Anne. That’s why I shamelessly posed and allowed her to take pictures. Though there’s a risk my feet will go viral and our family’s privacy will be a thing of the past, the world needs to see her handiwork. So she’ll be posting my feet encased in her handiwork on her etsy site in an attempt to generate income and/or paying customers.
Anne Socks.
I never thought the original post would become a series. But these days, I’m dreaming big. Who knows? Maybe one day Anne Socks will be a household word. If that happens, remember, you heard it here first. The phrase has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?
Anne Socks.
by jphilo | Jan 4, 2012 | Family, Recipes
Today’s recipe comes from my mother’s mother, Josephine Newell Hess. She made huge batches of this tapioca fruit salad when her 8 children, their spouses, and her 39 grandchildren gathered for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Once she was unable to host the gatherings, the recipe was lost for many years. Finally, my sister and I were so hungry for it, we recreated the dish with help from Mom. Now we serve it at Thanksgiving and Christmas and eat it as greedily as hobbits do mushrooms.
Though the recipe below doesn’t make as big a batch as Grandma whipped up in her prime, it’s still enough to fill a large Tupperware bowl. Why make so much? Because we love to eat what’s left over the next morning for breakfast!
Holiday Tapioca Fruit Salad
1 box (8 ounces) large pearl tapioca
4 cups water, divided into two equal parts
1/2 cup sugar
1 20 ounce can pineapple tidbits
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar
1-2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups seedless red grapes, halved
1 cups chopped walnuts
2 apples, cored and diced
2 bananas, sliced
2 oranges, diced
The night before the meal, put tapioca in a medium bowl. Add 2 cups of water to the tapioca, cover, and let soak overnight.
Several hours before serving, place soaked tapioca in heavy saucepan. Add 2 cups water and the sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until most of the tapioca is translucent and the mixture is very thick. Pour into a large bowl and immediately add pineapple (juice and all) into the thick tapioca. Stir thoroughly. Put in the refrigerator or on the porch to cool.
An hour before serving whip the cream. Add sugar and vanilla. In a large bowl mix the tapioca, fruit, (except the bananas), and whipped cream together. Immediately before the meal, slice the bananas and stir them in, along with the nuts.
by jphilo | Jan 3, 2012 | Daily Life, Uncategorized
Sigh.
The kids left Monday morning, and ever since the house has been quiet. Too quiet in my opinion, even with the washer, the dryer, the dishwasher and the radio going. Nobody wanted the celebration to end, and the good-byes were hard. To keep the good times in mind a little longer, I’m rolling out the top ten events from our holiday weekend.
10. My blow dryer died. You may consider this a wacky top ten entry unless you’re privy
to this important fact. The blow dryer was over 30 years old. Used almost every day.
If word of its longevity gets out, the blow dryer industry could pay big bucks for the
relic. They’ll want to study it to learn how not to construct future blow dryers since
they prefer small appliances to wear out the day after the one year warranty expires.
9. The Google Analytics program installed as part of this website’s facelift is working.
No big deal to computer geeks, but this aging non-techie goes to sleep dreaming of
conquering the internet one successfully installed program at a time.
8. I won 2 (or possibly 3) of the half-dozen Carcassonne games I played. Granted, the
wins were due more to lucky draws than well-thought out strategy. But it’s nice to
know a strategy game can be won by someone more at home in Candyland than in
medieval France.
7. The most hotly contested item in our extended family’s white elephant gift exchange
was the Romance Novel Magnetic Poetry Kit. The copy on the package described it
as “a box full of bodice-ripping word magnets.” And as their final winner, all I can say
is boy howdy, are they ever! Should the fact that they were my son and new
daughter’s contribution to the game disturb me?
6. Integrating word magnets from the Romance Novel Magnet Poetry Kit into its
owner’s turns while playing Carcassonne makes for a very interesting game. Don’t
ask me how I know this.
5. The winner of the New Year’s drawing at www.DifferentDream.com (for a copy of
Different Dream Parenting) was a mom who stumbled onto the site looking for a
devotional book for parents of kids with special needs. How cool is that?
4. We met my brother’s new vizsla pup, Maisie, during our extended family Christmas
on Saturday. His beloved dog Maggie was recently diagnosed with cancer, and he
will be saying good-bye to her in the next few months.
3. The digital picture frame was a hit with Mom. She spent all afternoon on Saturday
watching the pictures go by.
2. Sunday was a blast: cooking with the kids, watching the pilot of Parenthood
together, playing games, opening presents, walking, and talking. (Watch for
recipes from our holiday week in future posts!)
1. Our Christmas Eve service was a time to reflect upon how deeply God loves his
children. These good times with family are just a foretaste of the eternity made
possible through the gift of God’s Son, Jesus.
What were your top family events this holiday season? Leave a comment to share a few!
