Lemon Scones

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed

1 cup buttermilk

1 egg

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, lemon zest, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Using pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in butter until in coarse crumbs.  Whisk buttermilk with egg; add to flour mixture, stirring with fork to make a soft dough.  Avoid overmixing.

With lightly floured hands, press dough into a ball.  Turn out onto floured surface; knead gently 10 times. Avoid overkneading. Pat out into 3/4 inch (2cm) thick round.  Using 1 3/4 inch (4.5 cm) floured round or fluted cookie cutter cut out rounds. I used a larger cookie cutter, about 3 inches.  Place on parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

Topping: Brush scones with lightly beaten egg; sprinkle with sugar.  Bake in 400 degree F oven just until bottoms are golden, about 12 minutes.  Let cool on pan on rack.

Serve with strawberries and whipping cream.  Strawberries can be sweetened with sugar and flavored with lemon zest (about 1 tbsp. sugar and 1 tsp. lemon zest to 2 cups sliced strawberries).

Tasty served with afternoon tea.

To change it up, try mini chocolate scones.  Reduce the flour to 2 cups and add 1/2 cup cocoa powder.  Increase the sugar to 1/4 cup.  Omit the lemon zest.

Victorian Cream Tea Scones

Oma and Grandma enjoyed Victorian Cream Tea Scones with butter and blackberry jam along with a steaming cup of mandarin orange green tea for Sunday lunch today.  

2 cups flour

2 tbsp. white sugar

4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/3 cup butter

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1/2 cup light cream

egg white, lightly beaten

granulated sugar for sprinkles

Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
(Oma's tip: can also grate cold butter)
Combine egg, egg yolk and cream in small bowl.  Beat with fork to blend.
Add all at once to dry mixture, stirring with fork to make soft, slightly sticky dough (you may add more cream if needed, I did).
Press into a ball and knead gently on floured surface about 10 times.
Roll out dough to 1/2 inch thickness.
Cut into triangles or circles.
Place on ungreased baking sheet (I used parchment paper).
Brush with egg white and sprinkle lightly with sugar.
Bake in 425 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden.

Makes 12 to 16 scones!!!

Serve warm with butter.  Spread with raspberry or strawberry jam, grape jelly or honey.

This recipe is easy to double.

Popovers

This is Oma's recipe, served often on a Sunday along with roast, gravy and vegetables in season.  

Late Fall Hiking in Alberta

Johnson's Canyon, Banff National Park

Mommy and Miss Reegs enjoying the crisp Fall mountain air.

A few weeks ago, we took the family to Johnson's Canyon to do some late Fall Hiking in the mountains.  We are so fortunate to live so close to the beautiful Banff National Park.  The mountains and trees were gorgeous.  Our crew is getting really skilled at hiking and the boys love every second of the exploring and adventuring.  When we returned home, we enjoyed this great soup recipe.  It is so quick and easy that it can be made after a day of hiking.

This is no ordinary veggie soup!  This Winter Vegetable Chicken Soup is my new favourite.  Unusual ingredients but so yummy.  I adapted this recipe from the Everyday Food Magazine by Martha Stewart.  Her recipe was good (without chicken), my version is even better (right?).  My crew ate this soup with no complaints and the leftovers were perfect warmed up from the fridge a couple days later for lunch.

I served this soup with cheesy baking powder biscuits.  Whenever I make baking powder biscuits, I think back to my junior high days and the adventures of Home Ec.  Biscuits was one of the first recipes we made and since it was a group effort, they were horribly tough (because of too much mixing) and burnt on the bottom.  Needless to say, the below biscuit recipe is delicious and easy.  It comes from Muffins & More Cookbook by Jean Pare.  Biscuits with butter are always a hit with my crew.  I think the love for butter must be genetic.  My grandma Stella used to LOVE butter.  My crew likes to be able to see teeth marks when biting into a buttered biscuit too.  Who can argue, it is the best way to eat them!
Enjoy!
Love Twin B

Winter Vegetable Chicken Soup

2 tbs butter
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
salt + pepper
1 medium acorn squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch chunks
2 bunches of kale, ribs cut away and discarded, leaves torn
2 cartons of low-sodium chicken broth
1 can of white kidney beans, rinsed
3-4 left-over cooked chicken pieces or 1 deli rotisserie chicken, diced
3 sprigs of thyme
grated Parmesan, for serving

In a large soup pot, melt butter over medium heat.  Cook onion and garlic until fragrant, 3 minutes; season with salt and pepper.  Add squash and kale and cook until kale is wilted, about 3 minutes.  Add broth, beans, chicken and thyme.  Bring to a simmer and cook until squash and kale are tender, about 12 minutes.  Season soup with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle each bowl of steamy soup with grated parmesan.  Don't skip the cheese step and use real parmesan cheese, it makes the soup!

Cheesy Baking Powder Biscuits


2 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/3 cup cooking oil
3/4 cup milk

Measure first 4 ingredients into bowl.  Add grated cheese.  Stir.
Add cooking oil and milk.  Stir to form a soft ball of dough.  Add more milk if needed to make dough soft.  Turn out on lightly floured board and knead gently 8 to 10 times.  Roll to 1 inch thick.  Cut with biscuit cutter or drinking glass.  Place on ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake in 425 degree oven for 15 minutes until nicely browned.  Serve with butter.  Makes 1 dozen.

T-man on the hike.

E-man on the hike.

One of the many waterfalls.  There is so much for the kids to look at along the trail.

The crew and Mommy.  Love the silly boy faces.

It's a Soup & Biscuits Day

After a few days camped out in the house, no real reason, I guess just lack of motivation, we headed out to our town's Science Museum this morning.  The big little ran off some much needed energy and this Mommy needed to clear her head.  We had a great morning, splashing with the ducks, vacuming up the pieces, lots and lots of ball action, button pushing and overall craziness.  The big little loved the turtles, fish and the snakes during this visit, naming each one and making sure EVERYBODY in the room knew what color they were and it's "number".  He always has to "wake-up" the nigh-nigh "sleeping" taranchula (it is covered, you get to pull back the drape and push a button to illuminate his habitat).  Poor bug (they ARE bugs right?).  I'm not even entirely sure it is a taranchula, I never get close enough to verify!
Headed home crossing our fingers for a nap, but a no-go once again.  I cut up the veggies for the soup and pre-roasted them for dinner tonight.  We are running out to do some Halloween errands, then we will return home to finish off this dinner.  Very windy out today, so this soup should help get our bellies toasty and warm for the night.
These recipes are both from the Canadian Living magazine that we get sent to us from our dear Pop.  Kinda a girls family tradition to receive this magazine.  So nice to have a Canadian reminder in my mailbox every month.  I know Twin B made the soup earlier in the week, we didn't discuss it.  It's just that weird twin thing when we both see a recipe and think it might be good to try.  She didn't get it posted though, so here it is!
Sending Love,
Twin A

Roasted Red Pepper & Sweet Potato Soup

3 sweet red peppers, chopped
2 sweet potatoes, peeled & cubed
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried Italian herb seasoning or dried basil
1/4 tsp each S & P

4 cups vegetable broth (I used chicken broth, because I couldn't reach the veggie stock at the grocery store, how embarassing!  I can't reach the top shelf!)

1/2 cup plain yogurt (greek is good!)
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

In roasting pan, toss together peppers, potatoes, onion, garlic, oil, & seasonings.  Roast in 425 degree oven, stirring once, until tender, about 1 hour.
In food processor (blender or hand-held), in batches, puree vegetables with broth, strain into saucepan (I didn't bother straining).  Whisk in 1 cup water.  Bring soup to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 min.
Stir yogurt (or sour cream) with parsley.  Dollop on bowls of soup.

Three-Seed Biscuits

1 1/4 cup flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup sunflower seeds (I didn't have any, used sliced almonds instead!)
1/4 cup flaxseeds
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup cold butter, cubed
1 cup milk

1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tbsp sesame seeds

Whisk together first 8 ingredients.  Using pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in butter until coarse crumbs.  Stir in milk to form soft slightly sticky dough.
With floured hands, turn out onto lightly floured surface. knead gently 10 times.  Pat out to approx. 7 inch square.  Cut into quarters, cut each quarter into 3 strips.  Place about 1 inch apart on un-greased baking sheet.  Brush tops with egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Bake at 425 degree oven until golden, about 12 min.  Let cool.

Watching "TOY Story" together, so sweet, while I whip up the soup.

Excuse the crazy mess!