breakfast – Peaceful Reader

We all need to connect

Happy Papa’s Day to everyone out there who takes their parenting job seriously. There are a lot of deadbeat dads out there but I’d say most are trying to do their best. I salute you. My dad was a good dad when I was growing up, he cared and was a good listener, and he often offered solid advice. He was not perfect by any means. He was a writer who always had a cigarette in his hand and life often beat him down. That’s him above with 3-year-old Tristan in the Grand Canyon.

My husband is a caring, funny father because he likes to entertain his three children and loves to tell stories. Groovy Girl is off to work today at the water park and Kaylee is out there in Brooklyn living her cool life. She sent a lovely handwritten letter that he opened this morning. Tristan surprised Greg by showing up in person. He works a lot and Sunday is his one major day to rest and recuperate yet he made the hour drive to show up. Luckily I had a heads-up that he might show up and I whipped together this potato breakfast scramble so we could eat together. This is a recipe I found a year ago on Instagram from vegan influencer Tabitha Brown and I love that she seemingly throws easy, on-hand ingredients together to make comfort food. She has a calm spirit and a sense of humor just like my yoga guide Adriene.

There is so much good stuff out there and even though I miss my dad I have lots of other dad-like influencers that I have come to rely on. My dad’s friend Marv, my friend Mike W., Rocky P. and Steve T. who died just a few months ago are all people who are just a bit older and have that dad wisdom that we all could use now and again. My brother, even though he is younger, is someone I can rely on for help. We all need people to care about us, to listen, and offer free good advice. Be a dad to someone.

I also made a non-vegan breakfast that we scarfed up earlier, that should have been served to friends but the timing just didn’t work out. It was delicious; like having your eggs and toast in one. I loved that I could put it altogether last night and then bake it this morning. I sprinkled bacon on half of it instead of using sausage so that the vegetarian (me) in the house could enjoy it. And the father in this house loves the bacon! And I shook up two Bloody Mary’s too. Oh, yeah, summertime brunch.

Enjoy. Hug all your people.

Cooking with L-O-V-E

On Father’s Day – way back on June 16th – I made some delicious flaky biscuits to serve as the base for my husband’s favorite Southern breakfast. I cooked the whole meal in about an hour that Sunday morning so both of these recipes are worth it and they tasted delicious according to him.

(My very own flaky biscuits)

Grandma’s Flaky Buttermilk Biscuit recipe came from Ann at Cooking Maniac. She talks a lot about how wonderfully flaky these biscuits are and they did not disappoint. They were very easy to split open and serve with our favorite toppings; Groovy Girl and I had ours with vegan butter and jam; he had homemade sausage gravy. I would definitely go back to her website when looking for authentic homemade recipes. I searched and searched for a good homemade gravy recipe and I found the perfect one on the Food Network from (not a surprise) Ree Drummond. My husband enjoyed several helpings and there was enough for leftovers for him to eat two other mornings.

(See link below)

I created another special meal for longtime friends of ours. Tim is retiring and moving to their cabin home in Maine while his wife, Lynne will remain here and teach for another year or two at UNI. We wanted to have them for dinner before the major move. I made this perfectly summery Lasagna with spinach and roasted zucchini; a recipe I found using my NYT food app. It was light with minimal cheese and fresh sauce and it didn’t feel wintery heavy. I had a fresh pea shoot salad and fresh baguettes for everyone. I love to cook and browse recipes so much that this app is better than Instagram for me.

(See link below)

Last night we had a Cedar Falls Food Co-op potluck at 2nd State Brewery downtown and Groovy Girl and I made a really delicious pot of Quinoa and Wild Rice Salad with Ginger Sesame Dressing. This was a last minute recipe and I did not want to run to the grocery store during a perfectly good lazy summer day and after all, I had most of the ingredients. I did not have cilantro, or fresh lime, spring onions/scallions, or Asian sesame oil. I substituted fresh basil from my porch pot, Rose’s Lime Juice (hey, it worked), left out onions and sesame oil. Our dressing instead was a spicy ginger-lime with a little cayenne and curry compliments of Groovy Girl. She can’t help herself with the spices – she just goes to town with our well-stocked spice cabinet. I would definitely make this recipe again and we had lots of wild rice and quinoa left over to repurpose.

Have a delicious rest of your week!

Breakfast Recipe: Blueberry Muffins with a hint of lemon

Tomorrow morning I’m meeting up with my team from school. We were supposed to go for a boat ride but the river is too high so we are going to just sit on her deck (our friend Mary who lives on the river here) and relax together. No children. Just us. The deck and the muffins I’m bringing.

I knew as soon as I decided to bring a morning treat where to look; The Cottage (from La Jolla’s favorite beachside bungalow)-many times I google or Pinterest a recipe but every once in awhile I know what to get from my own shelves. Tried and true excellent recipes. If you love brunch and fresh food this book is a must.

Blueberry Muffins {pg 14}

1 1/4 cups sugar
1 stick butter, softened
3 eggs, {farm fresh}
1 cup sour cream
3 1/2 cups flour, {unbleached}
1 T. baking powder
2 cups blueberries

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease and line one 12-cup or two 6-cup muffin tins. In a large bowl beat the sugar and butter together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time mixing after each addition. Mix in the sour cream until blended. In a small bowl mix together the flour and baking powder. Stir the flour mixture into the batter until just blended. {At this point I squeezed in a little fresh lemon juice} Add the blueberries and stir gently. Pour the batter into muffin cups to the top. Bake for 25 minutes. {I added grated lemon peel to the top half way through the baking process}

Makes 12 muffins

Enjoy your day tomorrow. I’ll be on a deck, watching the river flow, with friends and muffins.

Time passing…

Groovy Girl was confirmed yesterday. It was a beautiful service with lots of emotional moments. Six confirmands-all girls-have had a year of classes filled with interesting discussion. A few girls-including G.G. were able to take a trip to Nicaragua to deliver shoe boxes filled with school supplies to children. They’ve had overnights, a ski trip and a June mission trip to W. Va still to come. Most of the girls have grown up together in the church.

It is still difficult for me to wrap my brain around the fact that my baby is 13, confirmed, will soon take driver’s ed, and will be in 9th grade. Crazy. Seriously. She was a miracle baby, born early, but oh, so healthy and rambunctious. Effervescent as her youth director described her.

To celebrate her and her best pal, Katy, I hosted a brunch for family friends including our minister and his wife. Impressively ALL my dishes turned out amazing. This does not usually happen for me. I have best intentions but things fail, fall, or just don’t work. This all worked and they were new recipes so if I can do it; you too could make these brunch happy recipes. Groovy Girl loves breakfast food so brunch was the perfect choice even though it was 1:30 in the afternoon.

{laughing spatula}

I picked two dishes and two side dishes. This Mexican Breakfast casserole from Laughing Spatula was a perfect main dish and we had toppings galore with sour cream, cilantro, diced tomatoes, chopped avocado, hot peppers, and homemade salsa. I followed this recipe closely except I added a layer of frozen spinach (almost thawed) to the bottom of the pan. Groovy Girl always orders omelets with spinach so I figured this was a good twist.

I knew I wanted my second dish to be sweet and I browsed through many recipes on line and in my own cookbook cupboard. Many with apples seemed too Fall-ish and G.G. is not the biggest fruit lover. Watermelon is her favorite and that does not pair well in any baked dish that I know of. She does love bread though and I happened to find just what I was looking for in “Not Your Mother’s Casseroles” by Faith Durand. I’ve used many recipes from this book but never made this particular one. I really wanted my daughter to swoon with joy with my brunch choices and this one did it.

Cinnamon Roll Breakfast Bake

9 x 13 pan
Bake time: 50 minutes

One 12 – to 16 – loaf good quality white bread (Italian or French) with crusts removed, cut in half lengthwise and then into thin slices. {I skipped all this, left the crust on my fat French bread and sliced it into medium slices. I wanted it to be hearty}

For the custard:

5 large {farm fresh} eggs
2 1/4 cups milk
2 T. sugar
1 {big} tsp vanilla
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg

For the cinnamon cheese filling:

8 ozs cream cheese, softened
2 T. unsalted butter, softened
1 large {farm fresh} egg
1 T. cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar

More cinnamon for sprinkling.

Preheat the oven to 325*. Lightly grease the baking dish with butter or spray.

Layer half the bread in the baking dish, overlapping and wedging them in tightly so they are in an almost solid layer.

To make the custard, whisk the eggs until fully beaten, then whisk in the milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Pour half of this custard over the bread in the baking dish, letting it settle in and soak the bread thoroughly. Set aside the rest of the custard.

To make the cream cheese filling, in the bowl of a standing mixer or with a handheld, beat the softened cream cheese with the butter, egg, cinnamon, and sugar. Beat until very soft and whipped. Spread over the first layer in the baking dish. Layer the rest of the bread on top {making a sandwich} and then pour the rest of the custard on top. (At this point the casserole can be covered and refrigerated for up to 24 hours. {Think Christmas morning}

Sprinkle with extra cinnamon. Bake, uncovered, for about 50 minutes, or until it is firmly set. Cool for 15 minutes, sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar, and serve.

I skipped the powdered sugar-it didn’t need that extra sweetness. I did generously douse it with cinnamon though. Also a few years ago I downsized my kitchen and I only have one 13 X 9 -in pan so I made this breakfast bake in my slow cooker. Perfect! It worked so well I would do it this way again. I made the cream cheese filling on Saturday night (after I’d made the Mexican egg dish and it was resting in the refrigerator” and then I layered the bread, custard, and filling into the slow cooker and let it soak for about an hour. We turned it on low before we left for church and it was piping hot when I returned two hours later.

We also had a strawberry spring greens salad and grits slow cooked with gouda right before guests were to arrive and strawberries mixed with a sprinkle of sugar just like my grandmother served in the springtime when she said the berries were still a little tart. My son loves them just that way. My friend brought a dish or squared watermelon and we had glasses of mimosas to clink. It was lovely and I have not one photograph of the table. Happy guests though and a happy ~~girl~~ / young lady. Peace be with you.

Enjoy.

My own Cinnamon Scones

{source}

I made these for breakfast this morning and they were delicious and flaky. It was my turn to make something for Sunday school treats and our church has been on a Blue Zone kick, trying to bring in healthier options instead of donuts. Even though these had minimum sweetness kids and adults ate them up! I know the title of the post says cinnamon scones which is confusing since the recipe says different but trust me and keep reading…

New Hampshire Maple-Walnut Scones
KAF Baking Companion

3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup butter or shortening (or a combo)
1 cup finely chopped and toasted walnuts
1 cup milk
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 tsp maple flavoring

Preheat the oven to 425*F.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the butter or shortening until the mixture resembles course crumbs. Stir in the walnuts.

In a separate bowl, combine the milk, 1/3 cup of the maple syrup, and the maple flavoring. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until you’ve formed a very soft dough.

Flour your work surface generously and scrape the dough out of the mixing bowl onto the floured surface. Divide the dough in half.

Working with one half at a time, gently pat the dough into a 7-in circle about 7/8 inch thick. Transfer the circle to a parchment-lined or lightly greased cookie sheet or other flat pan; it will be very soft, and if you have a giant spatula, it’s the tool of choice here. Repeat with the remaining dough, placing it in a separate pan.

Using a sharp knife or rolling pizza wheel, dived each dough circle into eight wedges. Gently separate the wedges so that they’re almost touching in the center, but are spaced about an inch apart at the edges. Pierce the tops of the scones with fork tines and brush them with remaining maple syrup.

Bake the scones for 15 to 18 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and brush with any remaining maple syrup. Wait a few minutes and then gently separate scones and transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature, with jam or maple syrup butter.

Adaption:

This was the recipe I really wanted to make except I didn’t have walnuts and our maple syrup jug was ’bout empty plus it was 10:30 pm. At that point you have to improvise. Last week I’d made this scrumptious cinnamon sugar syrup (The Sisters Cafe) for fun. I still had some left and I used that instead of the maple syrup in the recipe and in the poked holes. I replaced the walnuts with golden raisins which provided a little natural sweetness. My flour was also a mixture of KAF unbleached and whole wheat.

I made only one batch of these but cut those nice wedges into half again and it made plenty for about 30 people. I easily made them in about an hour’s time including baking. Even though it kept me up late it was worth the compliments from both young and old.

Yes, you may ask why I was concocting this so late…and the answer would be busy, busy day. We worked a charity event at a local restaurant from 12:30-4:30 came home and ate dinner quickly with kids, kissed them again and then headed to our local university’s theatre to usher for The Merchant of Venice (Beach) a revised Shakespearean drama. Today we saw another play, Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse, at the children’s theatre my husband used to run. I’d not seen this, one of my favorite children’s books, brought to life and it was excellent. We had several young friends starring and it lit a fire in Groovy Girl’s belly to try out for next year’s season.

While I’ve been typing this post out my sweet son downloaded a Grateful Dead album onto my computer and I’ve been grooving to Sugar Magnolia-he just made my day as I discovered I can sing the lyrics out with his awesome headphones on which make me feel like I’m in the band. Of course I cleared the room also!

This post is linked to Beth Fish Reads Weekend Cooking post. Click her link to find many other food-related posts from all over the globe. The scones in the photo above look delicious also and closely resemble mine. I found the photo at Jenny Steffens Hobick’s website Everyday Occasions and will have to make them the next time I need a perfect breakfast treat.

Weekend Cooking; Warm soup for cold weather

Mighty blasts of cold air-that’s what I’ve felt all Spring Break. No tropical sun or sand sifting through my toes. We spent Spring Break right here in Iowa with a little weekend getaway to Minneapolis which was just as cold. A freezing Spring Break gave me plenty of inspiration for soup, reading, and writing but zero inspiration for spring cleaning. I cleaned one room over break.

College Boy (formerly Teenage Boy) -he does turn 18 this April and is almost finished with his freshman year so I think a name change is in order-anyway he spent most of the week enjoying Colorado so it was just Groovy Girl, Big Daddy, and me, all freezing together. I whipped up two fantastic soup recipes to combat the cold.

(source)

Chicken and Green Chili Stew
adapted from Super Suppers Cookbook 2
Judie Byrd

2 whole chicken (organic or farm-raised) breasts or a small whole chicken
1 cup coarsely chopped onion
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
2 tsp minced fresh garlic
1 T cooking oil
1 4-oz can chopped green chilies, undrained
1 14 1/2-oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 cup chopped carrot
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
1 tsp black pepper (to taste)

1. Place chicken in a Dutch oven; add enough water to cover chicken. Simmer, covered, 30 to 45 minutes or until meat is falling off the bone. Remove chicken from the pan. When cool, shred the chicken meat, set aside. Reserve the cooking liquid. I had two leftover breasts from another recipe that I’d tossed in the freezer so I just used those and skipped this step altogether.

2. In a large saucepan cook and stir onion, bell pepper, and garlic in hot oil over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Add the chicken, undrained chills, undrained tomatoes, potatoes, and carrots, simmer covered, 20 minutes. Stir in enough reserved cooking liquid to reach desired consistency. Add salt and black pepper.

My other alteration was to skip the green chilies because I had a half a can of green enchilada sauce from a Mexican dish I made last week so I added that instead. It was perfect. Groovy Girl will eat the mild enchilada sauce so I thought this was a safe yet flavorful trade-off.

Suggested sides: Tortillas, shredded lettuce, cheese, chips, or salsa.
We had a salad and some fresh bread from my mom. All three of us loved this soup and the leftovers made an easy lunch the next day.

(Potato soup )

Because it stayed cold all week and I had time on my hands I made a potato soup two days later that was out-of-this-world delicious. With a velvety texture this soup, served with more fresh toasted bread, kept us warm while the temperatures dropped outside. Yes, the temps actually dropped during our break! The potato soup recipe can be found here at Cooking from the seat of our pants website.

I could eat soup several times a week and I’ll definitely make both of these again.

In other news it’s my husband’s birthday and I cooked up a storm for him today. We started our morning off with homemade biscuits and gravy from Bev Cooks blog. Biscuits and gravy are my husband’s total weak spot and if we happen upon a diner this is exactly what he orders. I’ve done the biscuits before for him and this time I made the gravy myself which was far superior (of course!) than the jarred stuff. I need a bigger biscuit cutter but other than that the recipe was a huge hit.

My mom and step-dad made him a Guinness chocolate cake on St. Patrick’s Day so I made him chocolate chip cookies for an afternoon treat today. I tried a new recipe and I loved how soft and chewy they were. I found it on Pinterest and was happy to see it originally came from KA Flour.

Spring Break comes to an end this weekend (Groovy Girl is already sobbing about this) but I’m cool with it. There are still so many activities to do with my students and hopefully Spring is around the corner…although the word on the street is that snow is predicted for tonight and tomorrow. Seriously.

Have a mighty peaceful day!

This post is linked to Beth Fish Reads Weekend Cooking meme. Click over and find many other food related posts like this one.

Flipping pancakes-summer fun!

(She likes a little maple syrup with sprinkles of powdered sugar)

Summer time is all about time for me. Oh, don’t get me wrong-I’m still beyond busy but I take time to do things like make pancakes and waffles for my children because I’m not rushing off to work. They sleep in a bit more also so I can get up do a little writing, then make something fun for breakfast.

I made these pancakes just the other day and still have a small stack of leftovers in the fridge for random snacks. Leftovers~what a great idea!

(adapted from)The Vegetarian Epicure
by Anna Thomas (she wrote this book while still in college!)
(1972)
Vintage Books/Random House

Simple Breakfast Pancakes (186)
serves 3-4 pancake eaters

1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups unbleached white/wheat flour mix
1 T. turbinado sugar
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 T. baking powder
3 eggs, separated
2 cups milk
1/4 cup melted butter

Sift the dry into a mixing bowl. Beat the egg yolks with the milk and melted butter, and stir into the flour mix. Beat the egg whites until they are fluffy, but not dry, and fold them into the batter. Heat a large skillet or griddle and oil it lightly. Drop pancake batter on by large spoonfuls and brown nicely on both sides. Serve immediately with butter, syrup, honey, yogurt, jam, applesauce, or fresh fruit.

“Fresh fruit and yogurt are especially recommended for a festive and satisfying breakfast.”-those vegetarians-always ahead of their time!!

What do you take extra time for in the summer?

He looks like he should eat 20 pancakes…
love that he is reading while eating.

Weekend Cookies;Cherry Oatmeal Cookies Variation

Happy Birthday to my husband, Gregory! It’s a big one and he’s not all that excited about it. I made him a special breakfast this morning of grits, Fresh Air bacon, scrambled eggs, and biscuits and peppery gravy. He was in heaven with all his favorite breakfast foods at the table.

Last night I made these cookies for him because he loves oatmeal cookies. They are delicious and next time I would double the recipe. The directions say it makes 50 cookies-I beg to differ-as I even made mine nearly bite-sized as I could see the dough disappearing.

(Image Source)

Adapted from So Sweet! Cookies, Cupcakes, Whoopie Pies, and More by Sur La Table. (This book was well worth the $11 I paid for it and I notice it is less than $10 on Amazon now)

Cherry Oatmeal Cookies
~~(makes about 50 cookies)~~ (makes about 30 cookies)

Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 Stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup plus 1 T. granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp pure vanilla
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 salt
3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
3/4 cup dried sour cherries

1. Preheat oven to 350*F and position rack in the center. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. (I used my silicone mat)
2. Place the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer and beat on medium speed until smooth. Scrape the bowl well. Add the egg and vanilla and blend well.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add to the butter mixture all at once. Turn the mixer to the lowest speed and blend slowly, just until there are no more patches of flour. Scrape down the bowl.
4. Add the oats and cherries and blend on low until just combined. Remove the bowl from mixer and stir gently a few times to make sure everything is incorporated.
5. Using a small ice cream scoop or a spoon, portion tablespoon-sized mounds (I did teaspoon size) onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies for 13-16 minutes, until cookies are golden brown at the edges and still a bit pale in the center. Transfer to a cooking rack and let the cookies cool.

I did not have dried sour cherries in the house but I did have raisins and dried cranberries. My husband loves oatmeal raisin cookies and I tossed caution to the wind by adding the cranberries as well. He loved them-the cranberries add a snap. I would like to try the dried cherries at some point but who needs a trip to the grocery store for just one ingredient?? These cookies were very quick to make-perfect for time-crunched baking. Enjoy!

This recipe is linked to Beth Fish Reads Weekend Cooking meme. See hers and the long list of other food-related posts by clicking over to her site.

Weekend Cooking; Buttermilk Coffee Cake from La Jolla, CA

Okay, I’m not really there but one of my favorite cookbooks is Southern California Cooking from The Cottage by Jane and Michael Stern and Laura Wolfe and it makes me feel like I’m there. I whipped up this breakfast cake for overnight guests from a visiting church choir. I adore this cookbook and I remember purchasing it because of all the great breakfast recipes and I think it was the first cookbook I sat down and read like a book. It has great stories about how the restaurant was purchased by the Wolfe’s mixed with surfing and restaurant memories. I have several starred recipes with penciled in notes about when I made each and how it turned out.

The cookbook is divided into 10 typical sections (breakfast, breakfast breads, soups, salads, sandwiches, dressings and sauces, sides, dinner, and desserts) but the recipes that fill each are extraordinarily yummy!
We love breakfast at our house and I could easily make every single recipe from the two breakfast sections. Everything from Country French Toast, Breakfast Chiliquiles, 3 different eggs bene’s, to Laura’s Meatloaf Hash which uses leftover meatloaf. I’ve not made that one but now that I have several sources for good, local beef it could happen.

The sandwich section is my second favorite part of this book with recipes like the B.L.A.T (we love avocado here too), the Eggplant Panini, and the Brie, Avocado and Sun-Dried Tomato Melt. Yum! Who’s ready for lunch??

Here is the Buttermilk Coffee Cake recipe:

A great cake to serve in the morning or anytime during the day. Buttermilk Coffee Cake has been a staple at the Cottage since the beginning. We offer bites of it to customers waiting for a table when the place is packed on weekend mornings. (I love these little notes for their ability to place me right there, waiting for a table.)

1 cup canola oil
3 1/3 cups flour (unbleached)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/3 cups packed brown sugar
1 T. ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 egg
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 tsp. baking powder (aluminum-free)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (I had pecans so I used them)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 13 x 9-in pan. In a large mixing bowl combine the oil, flour, sugars, cinnamon, and ginger. the mixture should be crumbly. Set aside 1 1/3 cups of this batter. To the remaining batter add the egg, buttermilk, baking powder, soda and salt. Mix well. Pour the batter into the baking pan. To the reserved batter add the nuts and spread topping evenly over the batter. Bake for 25 minutes or until cake springs back to the touch. Makes 12 pieces of (warm, crumbly) cake. (52)

Weekend Cooking is hosted at Beth Fish Reads-click there to find many more food-related posts.
Some day I hope to take a food journey to La Jolla so I can sit at the cottage and enjoy the casual ambiance.I might even have a Sam Smith Organic Lager listed on their drink menu. Click here to see The Cottage website.

Happy Cooking!

Weekend Cooking; Oatmeal Apple Scones for our guest

It’s not a happy thing to look back on my week, blog-wise and know that my last post was my cooking post from last weekend-especially when I have many finished books waiting for review. We did have a busy week plus we had a guest this week-my husband’s cousin came from Colorado via the train and we had a great time catching up. My husband drove the two-hours to pick him up from the train station and I got inspired and made scones for the next morning. This recipe was incredible easy, fairly healthy and they tasted good. I can’t find my camera or I would share a photo of the finished scones.

Oatmeal Apple Scone Drops
(makes 12 scones)

1 cup uncooked old-fashioned cooking oats
1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking soda
1-2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into chunks
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 medium, organic tart apple, unpeeled, cored, finely chopped
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 egg, slightly beaten

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Combine oats, flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a large bowl; stir until well mixed. Cut in butter with pastry blender or fork until mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Stir in remaining ingredients until well mixed.
Drop batter by 1/2 cupfulls, 2 inches apart, onto lightly greased baking sheets. Slightly flatten each mound.
Bake for 12-15 minutes or until toothpick trick comes out clean. Remove to wire cooling rack.
Can add drizzle of powdered sugar (3/4 cup with 2-3 T of water) if desired over warm scones. Serve warm.

Drizzle would make them pretty but I chose not to add it and they were wonderful. I would add it though if I were to make them for a party or brunch. I did not have golden raisins in my pantry so I substituted dried cranberries, which totally worked. I would try other substitutions next time like slivered almonds with the apples sounds good. I always use milk mixed with a little vinegar to make my buttermilk. I just cook so infrequently with buttermilk that this easy substitution works great for me.

They turned out like a breakfast cookie, with a more casual free form shape, compared to another scone recipe I make that requires rolling the dough and cutting into neat large triangles. Everyone liked them and even though our cousin is health-conscience and is trying to stay away from sugar, he had one because, as he put it…he knew I baked them with love in honor of his visit. I didn’t have the same willpower; I ate three the first day.

Happy cooking!

Weekend Cooking is sponsored by Beth Fish Reads. Click on her link to see my cooking related posts.