Starbucks' Pumpkin Scones

Have y'all been to Starbucks and had their Pumpkin Scones?!  They're heavenly and with a Pumpkin Spice Latte (especially with Autumn's first sign of arrival), it's pumpkin overload, but in a good way!  A really good way!  I don't know if I've ever talked about my Starbucks craziness or my little method of how I choose my drinks from there, but I'll keep it short....

When it gets to be the time of year that Autumn is arriving, I always go for the Pumpkin Spice Latte (and sometimes treat myself to the decadent Pumpkin Scone or the low fat Banana Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake, which is also scrumptious).  Then, as Fall moves out and Winter quickly approaches, my  mind goes directly to the Peppermint White Mocha, which is oh so good!  Any other time of the year, my go-to drink is just a regular White Mocha but when it's my favorite time(s) of the year, I splurge and get something special!

Sorry, I digress a little.  Back to the scones....I came across this recipe, I don't know, quite some time ago and had it bookmarked on my computer ever since.  I've made pumpkin scones before...remember these?  They were good, but nothing beats the ones from Starbucks.  There are so many copycat recipes out there (and I've tried a few), but they don't always meet your expectations of the real thing.  This recipe, however, was quite the opposite.  These scones turned out exactly like Starbucks' and the sugary white icing drizzled over them was the cherry on top...haha, get it?!

I actually made mini-scones because, along with the Cranberry Soda Bread with Lime Glaze and the Mini- Zucchini & Basil Quiches, I took these into work for Black Friday.  I figured it would be easy to grab a small one versus a much larger one and they went a lot further and saved me time from having to make duplicate batches of scones just to feed everyone!  They're great in the morning with coffee or tea and sometimes I even found myself snacking on them in the evening just to curb my sweet tooth!

Starbucks' Pumpkin Scones

Ingredients

2 cups Flour

7 Tbsp. Sugar

1 Tbsp. Baking Powder

1/2 Tsp. Salt

1/2 Tsp. Ground Cinnamon

1/2 Tsp. Nutmeg

1/2 cup Canned Pumpkin

3 Tbsp. Heavy Cream

1 Egg

6 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter, cold and cubed

1 cup plus 1 Tbsp. Powdered Sugar

2 Tbsp. Milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg; set aside.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, heavy cream, and egg.

Crumble the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles a coarse mixture.  Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. 

Using your hands, for the dough into a ball.  Pat the dough lightly onto a floured surface and form a 1-inch thick rectangle (9-inches long and 3-inches wide).  Using a large knife or pizza cutter, slice the dough twice through the width, making three equal portions.  Cut those pieces diagonally so that there are 6 triangles of dough (I took it even further to make smaller, mini-size pieces).

Bake on a parchment lined baking sheet for 14-16 minutes or until light brown; let cool completely.

To make the icing, combine the powdered sugar and milk in a small bowl; mix well until no lumps are present.  Using a spoon, carefully drizzle the icing over the scones and let sit for at least 1 hour.

Yield: 6 Servings (full size)/24 Servings (mini)
Source: Adapted from The Nest

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Cranberry Soda Bread with Lime Glaze

I'm not a big "bread" person in terms of actually baking bread.  I don't know, it sort of scares me!  I've made homemade bread before and it always just turns out alright.  It's never anything special, but it's certainly not horrible either.  I've just always envisioned homemade bread as being really, really good.  And the times that I've had it, it is!  This is definitely a cooking hurdle I need to get over and I'm working on it. 

I think, more than anything, it's working with yeast that scares me.  Making bread can be a delicate process; there are a lot of steps in between to let the bread rise (sometimes more than once) and kneading it just so.  For one reason or another, mine usually comes out dry.

This recipe I actually consider a "cheater" recipe in that it doesn't utilize yeast.  It's quite simple and ends up coming out as a cross between a scone and biscotti.  It has a hard shell on the outside, but is rather dense on the inside.  I made this recipe for work on Black Friday.  I thought it would be a nice little "something" to help fill us up but also kill our sweet cravings!

The bread itself was pretty good, although it did seem a little dry (not too bad), but I might've overbaked it as well (again, if you've followed any of my other Turkey Day/Black Friday posts, you'll know that I had lots going on in the oven and some things ended up staying in there too long)!  And I missed a step in the process to help vent it and let steam escape during baking.  It certainly didn't ruin the flavor and the best part of this recipe is the lime glaze!  Holy smokes, people, I'm telling you that I could not keep my hands off of the glaze once I was done using it on the bread.  It was so good and just that hint of lime was really refreshing and such a nice complement to the somewhat sweet, yet somewhat tart cranberries in the bread.  It was a really  nice combination and if I make it again, I will definitely be sure not to overbake it!  I think this bread would be great for a bridal or baby shower of some sort or perhaps a brunch!

Cranberry Soda Bread with Lime Glaze

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups plus 1 Tbsp. Milk

1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice

4 cups Flour

1 1/2 Tsp. Baking Soda

1 Tsp. Salt

3 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter, chilled and cubed

1 cup Dried Cranberries

1 Egg

1 cup Powdered Sugar

1 Lime, zested and juiced

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, whisk together 1 1/3 cups milk and the lemon juice; let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt.  Rub in the butter until coarse crumbs form.  Stir in the cranberries.

Beat the egg into the milk mixture and then add to the flour mixture, mixing until just combined.  Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead until it just comes together.  Form the dough into an 8-inch round and place on the prepared baking sheet.  Using a knife, score an "X" 1/2-inch deep in the center.  Bake until golden and crusty (about 25-30 minutes).  Let cool completely.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the powdered sugar, lime zest, lime juice and the remaining tablespoon of milk.  Drizzle over the cooled bread and slice for serving.

Yield: 8-12 Servings

Source: Every Day with Rachael Ray

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Cheddar & Jalapeno Popovers

For some reason people always ask about ideas to make alongside a big pot of soup and with all of the soups and stews I've made recently (and with more to come), I've found that the best sides include a nice, green salad and bread of some sort.  Determining what type of salad and/or bread to make to accompany your soup will depend a lot on the ingredients and flavors your soup will have.  Playing up the flavors of your salad and the texture of the bread can really help to complement the soup itself.

To give you an idea, the Squash Bisque I made recently was paired with a salad of romaine, sliced pears, Gorgonzola cheese, dried cranberries, candied pecans and a cider vinaigrette.  Alongside it, was a fresh loaf of French bread, perfect for dipping!  In this case, you could easily add some grilled chicken to the salad to boost up your protein, but I found the soup hearty enough that it wasn't necessary.  This combination provided the perfect Autumn meal while utilizing fresh, in-season ingredients and still rather figure-friendly.

If it's a nice hearty Chili, for instance, I usually opt for a simple green salad with a few fresh veggies and a nice vinaigrette.  To have a little fun and play up the spicy flavors of the chili, I might make a salad utilizing fresh tomatoes, red onion and a cilantro lime vinaigrette (a little Mexican cheese would be great on top as well).  For bread pairings, you can never go wrong with a good old-fashion Southern cornbread!  Mexican cornbread is great as well as is this recipe for Cheddar & Jalapeno Muffins!

I actually made these recently to go alongside a large pot of Chili and it was a nice contrast to the normal cornbread we usually have.  Personally, I thought they could've used a tad more salt than what the recipe called for and next time, I'll definitely add more jalapeno.  But all in all, I really liked them...the only trouble we really ran into was getting them out of the cupcake liners!  I thought I had bought decent liners; they were made by Wilton after all, but to our surprise they stuck terribly to the popovers, making it rather difficult to peel away.  So, unfortunately, remnants of the popovers went to waste but we still managed to work with the best part: the middle!  I guess lesson learned...don't buy Wilton cupcake liners again!

Cheddar & Jalapeno Muffins

Ingredients
3 Eggs
1 1/4 cups Milk
1 1/4 Flour
1/2 Tsp. Salt
3 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter, melted
2 Jalapenos, minced
3/4 cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Line a muffin tin with cupcake/muffin liners.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs until foamy.  Gradually add in the milk, beating at low speed.  Add in the flour and salt; beat until smooth.  Mix in the butter.

Fill each cup half-full with the batter.  Sprinkle evenly with the cheese and jalapenos and top with more batter, filling the cups up. 

Bake for 45-50 minutes or until brown.  Let cool for 1 minute and serve warm.

Note: The ingredient list above reflects the changes I would make to the recipe, including adding more salt and jalapenos.  The original recipe calls for 1/4 Tsp. of salt and does not include jalapenos.


Yield: 8 Muffins
Source: Adapted from Grand Temptations

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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Scones with Maple Glaze

Well hello there!  Long time no see, huh?!  Oh my goodness, I cannot believe that it's been several months since I've been on here!  I really had no intention of taking that long of a hiatus but it was very necessary and some much needed time off.  I hope you can understand. 

So much has happened in the last few months....we found out we were moving for Chris' job, we actually made the move to Atlanta (with several commutes back and forth to South Carolina and a month in temporary housing), we found a house and are still making progress on settling into it, and we got engaged!  Yep, Chris finally popped the question and I couldn't be more happy or more excited about how it all came together!  And oh my goodness, y'all, the ring he picked out is absolutely gorgeous!  He did such a good job and I'm so proud of him!

So, with the whirlwind of events taking place in our lives, the idea of cooking and baking was not very appealing to me!  And the idea of staging the food, taking pictures, writing up a post and then adding it to the blog was even more unappealing.  I temporarily lost my passion to have anything to do with the kitchen!  You would think that after eating out for over a month, I would've been excited to get in there and make a home cooked meal.  Well, I really wanted a home cooked meal, but I didn't want to make it!  But I finally got back in there and I finally got my drive back to start blogging my cooking adventures here again!  I'm really sorry to leave y'all hanging like that.

So without further ado, let me introduce to you this yummy Autumn-flavored Pumpkin Scone!  What better way is there than to get back into the swing of things with a tasty Fall treat?!  There isn't.  I know I said it last Fall year and I'm sayin' it again now....I LOVE PUMPKIN!  And this scone is such a nice addition to any Autumn breakfast, tea (or coffee) with friends or dessert after a nice warm meal.  It is so good and the addition of chocolate chips really balance out the pumpkin flavor.  I decided to add a drizzle of maple glaze on top to add just a touch of sweetness and boy, did it do the trick!  These are great little things you can quickly throw together for an unexpected guest or even to freeze for future use.  They've got substance to them and hold up nicely!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Scones with Maple Glaze

Ingredients - Scones
2 cups Flour

1/3 cup Brown Sugar, packed
1/2 Tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/2 Tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1 Tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp. Baking Soda
1/4 Tsp. Salt
8 Tbsp. cold, Unsalted Butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup Chocolate Chips
1/2 cup Buttermilk
1/2 cup Pumpkin Puree'
1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract

Ingredients - Glaze
2 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter
1/4 cup Maple Syrup
1 cup Powdered Sugar

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Add in the butter and stir with a fork to combine.  Using the fork or a pastry blender, but the butter into the dry mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs (the largest pieces of butter should be no larger than the size of a pea).  Add in the chocolate chips and mix to combine.

In a small bowl, combine the buttermilk, pumpkin and vanilla; mix well.  Add into the dry ingredients and stir together gently just until the dough comes together.  **I found the dough to be quite sticky, so I kneaded it for a bit on a floured surface just to help it come together more.  Be careful, though, to not overwork the dough if you do this**


Move the dough to the prepared baking sheet and pat it out into a 9-inch round.  Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (about 22-25 minutes).  Allow it to cool and slice it into wedges.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat the butter and maple syrup over medium heat until combined.  Gradually whisk in the powdered sugar until smooth.  Allow it to cool just enough to transfer to a pastry bag (or Ziploc bag with the tip slightly cut off) and drizzle the glaze over the cooled scones.

Yield: 8 Servings
Source: Scone recipe adapted from Annies Eats, originally from Joy of Baking and Maple Glaze recipe from Martha Stewart.

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Asiago Garlic Bread

In every meal, I try to incorporate a vegetable and carbohydrate to go with the protein or main portion of the dish. Typically, carbs for us, tend to be various forms of potatoes, pasta, rice and bread. Although, I do try to shy away from eating bread for dinner often (as we normally have it quite a bit throughout the day in other meals). And usually the type of carbs I choose will reflect the meal, itself, and complement it.

That goes without saying that garlic bread is one of those carbs that goes with nearly everything! When most people think of garlic bread, their mind immediately is drawn towards Italian foods, primarily pasta. But, it's great with steaks, seafood, soups and even the lightest version of a salad! It can also be prepared in a variety of ways; aside from the basic method of baking, you can grill it or broil it. And while it's garlic-y goodness is wonderful on it's own, it's substantially tasty substituted as a hamburger bun, making croutons out of it or even just "sopping" up the juices from a wonderfully prepared seafood dish with it.

I love garlic bread and I went all out with every form of traditionalism in making this recipe. I baked it and I served it with pasta. You don't get much more traditional than that folks! But sometimes tradition is good and I am a bit of a traditional gal! Making homemade garlic bread is so easy and it tastes so much better than the frozen version and it's much better for you without all of those nasty preservatives. I can't truly call it homemade-homemade because I didn't make the bread - I cheated there - but it's close to being homemade and it was GOOD.

Asiago Garlic Bread

Ingredients
2 Asiago Cheese Rolls (from bakery)
4 Tbsp. Butter
1/2 Tbsp. Fresh Basil, minced
3 Tbsp. Garlic, minced
1 Tsp. Fresh Parsley, minced
1/2 Tsp. Oregano
2 Tbsp. Parmesan Cheese, grated

Directions
Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Slice each roll in half and place on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, sliced side up.

In a small sauce pan, melt the butter over med-high heat. Add in the remaining ingredients and stir until combined. Brush the butter sauce on each piece of bread.

Bake for 7-8 minutes or until browned.

Yield: 4 Servings
Source: With a Cherry on Top

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Pork Loin with Peach Marmalade Sauce, Collard Greens, Black Eyed Peas & Mexican Cornbread

Happy New Year!!!  2009 seemed to go by rather quickly for us and certainly had its ups and downs.  But it's a new year and we're anxiously anticipating what is to come in our lives within the next 12 months!
As many of you know, I'm a "Yankee" girl from West Michigan and recently moved to the South for Chris to pursue a great opportunity with a new company.  What you may not know is that Chris is a true southern boy - born and raised in sweet-home Alabama!  Living in the South has definitely provided me with new experiences (mostly good)!  With that, though, comes Southern cooking and Southern traditions.  Today is New Year's Day and it's certainly a day filled with traditions and superstitions; I feel it's necessary to abide by them 1). Because I'm with a Southern boy and it's "a must" and 2). I'm very superstitious!  Let me indulge you....Never wash clothes on New Year's Day because if you do, you'll wash someone out of your life...If your house isn't clean at the beginning of the year, it won't be clean all year long...Whatever you're doing on the first day of the year, you'll be doing all year long! 

The most popular of them all....One must eat collard greens and black eyed peas if they want a year full of wealth.  Collard greens represent the money you'll have and the black eyed peas represent the pennies or coins.  Today, our house is filled with the aroma of smoked pork, onions and garlic...yum!  I am learning how to make these items and also taste them for the first time with the hopes that I will be pleased with their Southern flavors and the wherewithall to make them in the future!  Our menu consisted of a Roasted Pork Loin with a Peach Marmalade Sauce, Collard Greens with garlic and spice, Black Eyed Peas, and Mexican Cornbread. 

After sitting down to a nice, warm meal, I found myself going for seconds on the Collard Greens and Black Eyed Peas - they were delicious and to my delight, tasted much different than I had imagined!

Peach Marmalade Sauce

Ingredients
1 cup Peach Preserves or Marmalade
2 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard
1 Tsp. Cumin
1/4 Tsp. Chili Powder

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over med-high heat, stirring frequently.  Cook until heated through (approximately 3-4 minutes).  Adjust ingredients and their amounts according to taste.  Serve immediately over meat or poultry.

Source: With a Cherry on Top

Black Eyed Peas

Ingredients
1 lb. Black Eyed Peas
1/2 lb. Smoked Ham, diced
1 Lg. Onion, diced
1 Tbsp. Garlic Powder
1 Tbsp. Zatarain's Crab Boil Seasoning
1 16 oz. can Diced Tomatoes
3 cups Water
Salt
Pepper

Directions
Carefully sort through black eyed peas, tossing out the bad ones. 

In a large pot, combine all ingredients and cook for 1 1/2 hours on low heat.  Turn the heat down and simmer for 30 minutes more.  Remove from heat for 30 minutes to thicken and then simmer for an additional 45 minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve immediately.

Source: With a Cherry on Top

Collard Greens

Ingredients
1 Lg. bunch of Collard Greens, rinsed and stems removed
1 1/2 lb. Ham Hock
5 qt. Water
2 Tbsp. Garlic Powder
2 1/2 Tbsp. Zatarain's Crab Boil Seasoning
2 Tbsp. Sugar
Pepper

Directions
In a 8 qt. pan, combine all ingredients except the collard greens and bring to a boil over high heat.  Boil for 20 minutes, then reduce heat to medium and cook for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.  Add collard greens and simmer for 75 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Season with pepper to taste.  Serve immediately.  - Note: we like our food spicy, so if you don't, it is recommended that you cut back on (or omit) the crab boil seasoning.

Source: With a Cherry on Top

Mexican Cornbread

Ingredients
1 pkg. Mexican Cornbread mix
1 Egg
3/4 cup Milk
4 Tbsp. Jalapenos, sliced
1 lb. Cheddar Cheese, shredded

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium bowl, combine cornbread mix, egg, milk, jalapenos and 1/2 lb. cheese.  Mix together and pour into 9x9 greased dish.  Sprinkle remaining cheese over top of mixture and bake for 20 minutes or until cheese browns.  Serve immediately.  - Note: we like our food spicy; if you do not, it is recommended that you decrease the amount of jalapenos used or omit them altogether.
Source: With a Cherry on Top

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