CHERRY SCONES and SWEET CINNAMON BISCUITS and CHEESE BLINTZ HOT CAKES

All of this icy, snowy, freezing weather, resulting in the kids being home from school, makes me want to cook a warm, delicious, breakfast for them. Not having to rush out the door to school enables us all to have an easy, relaxing, nurturing morning, and to eat well.

CHERRY SCONES

1 1/2 cup self-rising flour
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 stick butter, cut into pieces
10 candied cherries, cut into halves
3/4 cup almond milk
Double Cream (recipe follows)

Heat oven to 400F.
In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, cream of tartar and sugars. Cut in butter. Stir in cherries. Add milk and stir to form a sticky dough. Fold dough over a few times on a floured surface until just combined. Flatten to about 1/2 inch thick. Cut with a round biscuit cutter and place on cookie sheet.
Bake for about 12 minutes. Serve with Double Cream.

DOUBLE CREAM

4 ounces cream cheese
1 tablespoon sugar
1 pinch salt
1 cup cream

In a medium bowl, beat together cream cheese, sugar and salt. Beat in cream until stiff peaks form. Chill until serving.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from The Arkansas Democrat Gazette, February 2007
www.arkansasonline.com/news/.../food/‎

SWEET CINNAMON BISCUITS

2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup buttermilk
8 tablespoons butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Combine flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl and mix well. Stir in vegetable oil. Add buttermilk and stir just until blended.
Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Roll dough into a 15 by 8 inch rectangle.
Heat the oven to 400F.
Grease a 9-inch round baking pan.
Spread butter over the dough. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and mix well.
Sprinkle over butter. Roll up rectangle, jelly roll fashion, starting from one long side. Gently pinch the seam to seal.
Cut the roll into 1 1/2 inch slices. Arrange the slices, cut side up, in prepared baking pan. Bake until lightly browned, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven.
Enjoy!

CHEESE BLINTZ HOT CAKES

2 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup Cottage cheese
2 tablespoons butter
jam and confectioners sugar to serve

In a blender, mix eggs, flour, milk, sugar and baking powder for 10 seconds. Add cottage cheese, blend until just incorporated. Heat butter in a skillet, over medium heat. Spoon batter by 1/4 cupfuls into the skillet. Cook, flipping once, until golden, 5 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter. Top with jam, dust with sugar.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Rachael Ray, January/February 2014
www.rachaelray.com/‎

FEIJOA AND APPLE FIX and SAUSAGE ROLLS and ROAST KUMARA AND CASHEW SALAD and PINK PEPPERCORN PAVLOVA WITH VANILLA CREAM AND BASIL SYRUP

I was very excited to gather together and spend time again with the wonderful ladies who lunch. I chose a New Zealand theme - preparing some of the dishes I grew up with and some that were new to me. Everything everyone contributed was fabulous - food and conversation, resulting in yet another joyful occasion for the taste buds and the soul.

FEIJOA AND APPLE FIX

1 ounce of feijoa vodka
apple juice
ice
lemon wedge to garnish

Fill glass with ice. Add vodka and top with apple juice. Stir and garnish with lemon wedge.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Food.com
http://www.food.com/recipe/feijoa-vodka-apple-fix-153867

SAUSAGE ROLLS

1 pound of sausage
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 to 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon ketchup
1/3 cup stale breadcrumbs
1 to 2 sheets of puff pastry
1 egg, lightly beaten

Lightly grease 1 to 2 oven trays.
Combine sausage, onion, thyme parsley, ketchup and breadcrumbs in a bowl, mix well.
Spread out pastry sheets and using a rolling pin, roll them until they are thin.
Place the sausage mixture down the center of the pastry.
Brush edges of pastry with lightly beaten egg, fold over sides of pastry to enclose mixture.
Trim ends of rolls, and cut into 2 inch long pieces. Repeat as necessary.
Lightly brush rolls with remaining egg, cut a couple of slits into the top of each roll.
Bake in a moderate oven about 20 minutes, or until lightly browned and cooked through.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from The Australian Womens Weekly, October 1991
aww.ninemsn.com/recipe-search/‎

ROAST KUMARA AND CASHEW SALAD

2 to 3 kumara, peeled and diced
olive oil for roasting
salt and freshly ground black pepper
fresh rosemary sprigs
1 cup cashew nuts
1/3 cup chopped fresh mint
couple of handfuls of arugula
chopped spring onion for garnish
DRESSING
200 ml olive oil
75 ml balsamic vinegar
50 ml freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tablespoon sugar
4 teaspoon curry powder

Heat oven to 180C.
Toss diced kumara in oil and season with salt and black pepper. Place in a roasting dish and scatter with rosemary sprigs. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes or until tender.
While kumara is cooling, increase temperature of oven to 200C and roast cashew nuts in a separate dish for 8 to 10 minutes. Toss after 5 minutes so nuts become evenly colored.
Add cooled cashews to the kumara, and toss with chopped mint and arugula.
Make dressing by blending all ingredients in a blender.
Add about half the dressing to kumara mixture and stir lightly. Add more dressing to taste.
Garnish with chopped spring onion.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Market Day, 2007
Vicki Winn

PINK PEPPERCORN PAVLOVA WITH VANILLA CREAM AND BASIL SYRUP

BASIL SYRUP
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup light corn syrup
MERINGUES
4 egg whites, room temperature
1 cup sugar, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon pink peppercorns, lightly crushed
VANILLA CREAM
3/4 cup chilled whipping cream
1 tablespoon sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

BASIL SYRUP
Blanch 1/3 cup basil leaves in a small saucepan of boiling water for 30 seconds. Drain, then transfer basil to a bowl of iced water to cool. Drain, squeeze out excess water from basil. Puree basil with corn syrup in blender. Cover and chill at least 2 hours or overnight to allow flavors to develop.
Bring basil syrup to room temperature before serving.
MERINGUES
Position rack in the center of the oven and heat to 275F.
Draw six 2 1/2 inch circles on parchment paper, then invert onto baking sheet. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites in a large bowl to soft peaks. Gradually add 3/4 cup sugar, beating to medium firm peaks. Beat remaining 1/4 cup sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Gradually beat sugar-cornstarch mixture into meringue, beating until very stiff. Beat in white wine vinegar. Fold in peppercorns. Divide meringue between circles, spread to fill completely. Bake until outside is dry, about 25 minutes. Turn oven off and open door slightly. Let meringues cool in oven until completely dry, about 1 hour.
VANILLA CREAM
Place cream and sugar in a medium bowl. Scrape seeds in from vanilla bean. Using electric mixer, beat cream to soft peaks.

Place a meringue on each plate, top with a generous amount of vanilla cream. Top with strawberries and fresh basil leaves. Drizzle basil syrup on plate.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit, May 2008
www.bonappetit.com/recipes‎