Scones with Blackberry Sauce

I hope I placed this picture big enough that it practically punches you in the face with its awesomeness. It was delicious. If scones throw you off, you can also call this Indian fry bread.  This makes for a tasty breakfast or dessert. Blackberries were on sale this week so I topped my scones with a tasty sauce.

Scones or Indian Fry Bread Recipe

Ingredients:

For the Dough:
1.5 cups warm water
1 package active dry yeast OR 2 1/4 teaspoons bread machine yeast
4 1/4 bread flour
2 tablespoons  butter, melted
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon salt
oil for frying

Instructions:

In your bread machine, add all the ingredients as instructed by your bread machine manufacturer.  Usually its the liquids first, followed by seasonings, then flour - and very last you make a well in the flour and add the yeast.

Set your bread machine on the 'dough cycle'. When it is done, remove the dough and wrap in plastic wrap leaving room for it to raise. Place in warm space and allow to rise. Once it is done raising, heat up 1- 2 cups of oil in fryer or pan sufficient for frying with enough 2 inches of oil. Slice off large serving size off of dough and stretch carefully on all sides and place in oil. Fry each side until golden brown and then place on paper towel to dry.

For the Blackberry sauce that can be made ahead:

Ingredients:

2/3 c. butter, melted
1 1/2 tbsp. cornstarch
1 1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. orange juice
2 c. fresh or frozen blackberries
Dash of salt

Directions:
Combine butter and cornstarch in saucepan. Add sugar, salt, orange juice and blackberries. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until thick. Strain and remove stems before serving.

Assembly:
Take one fried scone and top with honey, blackberry sauce, and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve and enjoy!

Winner

Thank you to everyone who entered my little giveaway. My comments were humble in numbers and therefore the selection was fun. Congratulations to Manda! Look for your box of goods soon!

If you didn't win, you know I love you and hopefully there will be more fun stuff to come! Thank you!

Mediterranean Entertaining with Peloponnese

Phew! That title is a mouthful literally and figuratively. Peloponnese offers some tasty Mediterranean goods and I am so happy to have tried them. This is what came packaged in a pretty box ready to enhance our dinner with the flavor straight from the warmth and finesse of the Greek climate:

                     -            Peloponnese® Artichoke Spread

-          Peloponnese® Hummus Spread

-          Peloponnese® Halved Kalamata Gourmet Black Olives

-          Peloponnese® Florina Whole Sweet Peppers

-          Peloponnese® Baba Ganoush

-          Peloponnese® Antipasto Party Olives

-          Specialty Olive Bowl

That's a lot of tasty goods!

The hummus spread is delicious. I love any kind of artichoke spread and this version did not disappoint. Both are great on pita chips or any kind bread. The party olives are always a hit served as an appetizer and I was especially excited about the little serving platter that came with the olives. In summary, this is all great stuff, but let's talk about what I made with the Kalamata Gourmet Black Olives and the Florina Whole Sweet Peppers:

With the help of these two ingredients, my sister, and this recipe, I made a pretty tasty dip.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 block (1#) of feta cheese  (I don’t like the pre-crumbled kind because I think it is dry)
tomatoes (any kind)…I use about 4 Roma’s
1 bunch of green onions
1 Peloponnese sweet pepper finely chopped
1/4 cup of Peloponnese Kalamata olives finely chopped
1 baguette
1-2 tsp of Greek Seasoning (see pic below) (I used more to taste)
1 large platter

Directions:
Dice all ingredients into small pieces. Add olive oil and seasoning and mix well. Slice baguette and arrange on a serving platter with dip in a bowl in the middle. Serve and enjoy! I sure did!

 GIVEAWAY
The whole box of goods can be yours if you simply leave a comment, like their facebook page, and visit their site for future inspiration in the kitchen. It's a whole lot of tasty Greek flavor that could be yours. The winner will be picked one week from today! Good luck!

Strawverry Shortcake Cake Pops

Every chef needs one of these, a Babycakes cake pop maker. This is the most fun I have ever had. My mother-in-law gave this to me for Christmas. Why yes I do have awesome in-laws for several reasons.

The possibilities are endless with this little gem. One day on a lovely Sunday afternoon I needed dessert, an easy one to be exact. I had strawberries and cool whip, but no shortcake. Thanks to this little gadget I was able to whip up some vanilla cake pops super quick and it made for a fun dessert.

(I halved this recipe)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 Cups of all purpose flour ( I substituted in half whole wheat flour)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup milk

1 pound strawberries
1 container of cool whip

Directions:
Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside
In a separate bowl, beat together butter and sugar until light and creamy. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
Combine dry ingredients with the wet and follow instructions for your cake pop maker to bake.

Top with sliced strawberries and cool whip for a refreshing fun dessert. It's a great one for the kids.

Stay tuned for a review and giveaway of some great Mediterranean tasty goods!

Pesto and Artichoke Chicken Alfredo

I don't mean to pat myself on the back, but this was pretty tasty and came mostly from my small-ish head. It is easy to switch up the ingredients and make it your own with what you have in the fridge. I love to cook, however, lately it seems my purpose in the kitchen is a little less noble. The hubby is a firefighter and it turns out a lot of those guys at the station can really cook. I now try to outdo every recipe my lover tells me was delicious that he experienced at work. Isn't that creepy of me? He sure doesn't complain.

Ingredients:
3 Tbs. butter
3 Tbs. flour
2 cups milk (depending on how thick you like it)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup feta cheese (I just had this in the fridge, a good Italian cheese Asiago, for example, would be good)
1 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 jar of artichoke hearts
4 Tbs of pesto (in a jar in the Italian section, or homemade if you are incredible)
1 box of whole wheat penne pasta cooked
1 pound of chicken grilled with Italian seasoning

Directions:

Cook the first 3 ingredients like a basic white sauce, add seasonings as it thickens. Stir in cheese and pesto and remove from heat once cheese is melted. Grill the chicken while the sauce and pasta are cooking. When the pasta is done, drain and set aside while dicing up the grilled chicken into bite size pieces. Mix pasta and chicken into a large bowl and add artichoke hearts. Pour sauce over the pasta and chicken and mix. Serve with a salad or veggie and homemade bread sticks. Recipe for that to come! Serve and Enjoy!

Teppinyaki Valentines Dinner

I love Benhihanas! I loved it more back in the day when we could afford it. I thought it would be cool if I could somehow duplicate those flavors even without the large tabletop skillet. I found what I thought were almost the exact flavors from the Benihanas' dipping sauce. I found them here.

Ingredients:
Mustard Sauce:
Makes about 2/3 cup
Preparation time: about 5 minutes
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons Oriental mustard (can be found in the international or Asian food sections of most supermarkets)
2 teaspoons heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Ginger Sauce:
Makes about 1/2 cup
Preparation time: about 5 minutes
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 ounce ginger root (a nickel-size slice), peeled and chopped
Juice of 1/2 lemon (2 tablespoons)
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon white vinegar
Instructions:
For Mustard Sauce: In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, water, mustard, cream and garlic powder. Stir or whisk until well combined. Chill before serving.

For Ginger Sauce: In a blender combine the onion, soy sauce, garlic, ginger root, lemon juice, sugar and white vinegar. Blend on low speed for 30 seconds or until the ginger root and garlic have been pureed. Chill before serving.

Once you have the sauce prepared, here is what you do for the rest.

Ingredients:
Vegetables-
2 cups cooked zucchini. Slice two zucchini in half and cook in skillet on medium high heat with garlic butter once the under side begins to brown slice into bite size pieces and cook a little longer with the addition of 1 cup sliced onion and 1 cup mushrooms. When just tender they are done.
Protein-
1 pound steak cooked on the grill or broiled to your liking and cut into bite size pieces.
I pound chicken cooked in skillet with garlic butter. Cut into bite size pieces.
1 cup fresh shrimp cooked in pan after chicken with garlic butter.

When protein and veggies are done serve with individual servings of dipping sauce. Chopsticks make it super fun and a little more tasty.

You could also serve fried rice on the side. I made mine with garlic butter, diced green onion, egg, and salt and pepper with rice of course and lots of soy sauce.

This is a super fun meal for the kiddos as well. Just poke toothpicks in the each bite for the kids to dip and they will have just as much fun as the adults with chopsticks! As always, serve and enjoy!

Egg Rolls and Chicken Wrapped Pies

In my last post we talked about stir fry. This week let's talk about the egg rolls. I have a really hard time eating egg rolls from restaurants after eating these. My mother has always made them and now that I can make them, I would prefer to not have any other kind. It would be an easy recipe to make your own with the ingredients that you love. Here is what I love in mine.

Ingredients:
2 chicken breast cooked and shredded ( I used one rotisserie)
1 pkg egg roll wrappers
1 carrot julienned
1/2 cup celery diced
1 medium head cabbage finely chopped
3 green onions thinly sliced
1/2 cup of tofu (drained and chopped)
1 cup bamboo shoots
1 teaspoon seasoned salt (to taste)
1 teaspoon accent (to taste)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Combine all ingredients and season to taste. Place a little over a tablespoon amount in center of wrapper, wet edges of wrapper with water and follow folding instructions as pictured on package. Heat about 6-inches of oil in a wok or deep-fryer to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Fry egg rolls 3 or 4 at a time until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

WAIT!! What do you do with the leftover egg roll wrappers? You make Chicken Wrapped pies! You will probably also have celery and carrot left over. Throw it in with this recipe and you will feel very clever using your leftovers in such a tasty new way!





1- Place egg roll wrappers in cupcake tin.

2- Make chicken pot pie filling as shown here.

3. Then place 1-2 tablespoons of mixture in wrapper and fold over. Bake until crispy and delicious!
Here is the exact recipe that I adapted for my own: Chicken Pot Pie Bundles

Enjoy!