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/‎

VANILLA MAPLE SCONES

Perfectly delicious for a lazy Saturday morning!

VANILLA MAPLE SCONES

SCONES
12 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cups plus 2 tablespoons of flour
1 tablespoon vanilla powder
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup buttermilk
GLAZE
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
2 teaspoons milk

TO MAKE SCONES
Heat oven to 350F. Butter and flour a baking sheet, set aside.
In a large bowl, stir together flour, vanilla powder, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut the butter into 1/2 inch pieces and add it to the dry mixture. Use your fingers to break down butter into small, pea size pieces. Stir in buttermilk until just combined.
Scrape the dough onto a well floured surface. If dough is too sticky to work with, fold in a little flour. Shape into a circle about 8 inches in diameter and 1 1/2 inches thick. Cut into 8 triangles and transfer to prepared baking sheet. Bake, rotating sheet halfway through until scones spring back to the touch, 23 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool.
TO MAKE GLAZE
In a small bowl, stir together ingredients. Once scones have cooled, drizzle glaze on tops and let set.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Oprah Magazine, October 2011
www.oprah.com/food.html‎

ROASTED BANANA SCONES WITH PEANUT BUTTER GLAZE

After Christmas, our family rented an RV and took a trip down South. We stopped for lunch in Tupelo, Mississippi and visited the birthplace of Elvis Presley. Having to explain to the kids who he was took a little of the fun out of it, and they really couldn't have cared less about the King of Rock and Roll.
It is rumored Elvis's favorite food was a peanut butter and banana sandwich, here is an interesting take on the combination. I roasted 3 bananas, but was short on butter so decided to make 1/2 the recipe - the bananas by them selves were absolutely delicious, and made for a sweet treat for breakfast.
My husband commented on how moist these scones were and my daughter just kept correcting my pronunciation of scones! I am sure Elvis Presley never had his accent ridiculed.

ROASTED BANANA SCONES WITH PEANUT BUTTER GLAZE

3 bananas, sliced
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, cut into small pieces
2 eggs
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 egg, beaten
GLAZE
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Heat oven to 325F. Place bananas in a medium baking dish. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons melted butter and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons brown sugar and bake for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until bubbly and caramelized. Let cool.
Increase oven temperature to 375F. Spray two large baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt and 1/3 cup light brown sugar. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
In a medium bowl, beat together 2 eggs, the ricotta cheese and the roasted bananas with a hand mixer until mixed. Mixture will be lumpy. Add banana mixture to the flour mixture and stir by hand until just combined.
Drop dough into 12 equal mounds on baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart. Brush tops with the beaten egg (I skipped this step). Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.
About 5 minutes before scones come out of the oven, make the glaze. Place the peanut butter and 2 tablespoons of butter in a small, heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring often until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and whisk in the powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. When scones come out of oven, place them on a wire rack over a baking sheet and drizzle with the glaze (my glaze turned out to be more of an icing consistency, so there was spreading instead of drizzling).
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from The Dining Guide, July 2012
www.nwaonline.com/news/2012/jul/01/diy-delicious/

BACON PARMESAN SCONES and PIMIENTO CHEESE TARTS and LEMON CURD CAKES WITH POPPY SEEDS and CHOCOLATE TOFFEE BARS

There is almost no place I enjoy more than a library - there is something so enchanting about being surrounded by books and silence, an orderly cataloging system and so much available knowledge.
It was an honor to be asked to provide the refreshments for the dedication of the new library, at the local Elementary school my children attend. The PTA and the Starr Foundation had given so much of their time and resources, and I was very glad, and very excited to be able to contribute in some way.

BACON PARMESAN SCONES

4 slices of turkey bacon, chopped
3 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 1/2 cups parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup finely chopped green onions
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup cream, plus 2 tablespoons

Heat oven to 400F.
In a medium skillet, cook the bacon, stirring until crisp, about 5 minutes.
Into a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Cut in the butter, cheese, green onions and pepper with a pastry blender or fork, and work just until it starts to form lumps and come together. Add the bacon and 1 cup of cream and work just until it becomes a sticky dough.
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and pat until it comes tougher, Form into a large circle, about 3/4 inch thick, and cut out scones with a 2 inch round cookie cutter. Transfer to cookie sheet, paint the tops of the wedges lightly with the remaining 2 tablespoons of cream and bake until golden brown, about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly on the baking sheet.
Best if served warm.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Emeril Lagasse, 2002
www.foodnetwork.com › Recipes

PIMIENTO CHEESE TARTS

2 cups grated extra sharp white cheddar cheese
1/2 cup finely chopped drained pimientos
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3/4 teaspoon celery salt
mini filo tart cases

Heat oven to 350F.
Mix cheese, pimientos, mayonnaise and celery salt together in a large bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Scoop a tablespoon of the cheese mixture into the mini filo tart cases.
Bake in oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until filling is heated through and bubbly.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit, October 2008
www.bonappetit.com/.../2008/10/pimiento_cheese_...

LEMON CURD CAKES WITH POPPY SEEDS

CAKE
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
5 eggs, separated
3/4 cup whole milk
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup cake flour, sifted
LEMON SYRUP AND POPPY CREAM
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup cream
3 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons poppy seeds

MAKE THE CAKES
Heat the oven to 350F.
Place liners in a cupcake tin, then place tin in a roasting pan.
Using an electric mixer, beat the butter with the sugar until pale, about 1 minute. Beat in the egg yolks 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Slowly beat in the milk, lemon juice and flour.
In a large bowl, using clean beaters, beat the egg whites to firm peaks. Fold the whites into the batter and spoon among the prepared dishes. Add enough hot water to the pan to reach halfway up the sides of the cupcake tin. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until the cakes are slightly puffed and just set. Transfer the cupcake tin to a rack and let cool. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
MAKE THE LEMON SYRUP AND POPPY CREAM
In a small saucepan, combine the lemon zest, juice, vanilla bean and seeds and 1/4 cup sugar. Cook over low heat, stirring, until the sugar has melted, about 3 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean.
In a bowl, beat the cream with the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar to soft peaks. Beat in the sour cream until firm. Stir in the 2 teaspoons of poppy seeds.
Place the cupcakes on a plate, spoon the lemon syrup onto cakes and top with the poppy cream. Garnish with poppy seeds, if desired, and serve.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Food and Wine, January 2010
www.foodandwine.com/recipes/lemon-curd-cakes-with-poppy-seeds

CHOCOLATE TOFFEE BARS

FOR THE CRUST
3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
FOR THE TOPPING
1 tablespoon instant coffee
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons butter
6 ounces chocolate, chopped
6 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1 cup toasted walnuts

TO PREPARE CRUST
Heat the oven to 350F. Line a baking pan, 13 by 9 inches, with aluminum foil, lightly butter the foil.
In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar until smooth. Add the egg yolk and beat well. Stir in the flour and salt until well mixed. Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool slightly.
To prepare the filling, stir the instant coffee and vanilla in a large microwavable bowl until well blended. Stir in the condensed milk and butter until well blended. Microwave on high for 4 minutes, or until the mixture is thick and smooth, stirring every minute. Spread evenly over the baked layer in the pan. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until set. Sprinkle the surface evenly with the chopped chocolates. Bake for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the chocolate is melted. Use a spatula to smooth the surface. Sprinkle with the walnuts.
Cool completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until the chocolate is firm. Cut into bars to serve.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from The Northwest Arkansas Times, December 1999