Cheddar and Sweet Corn Scones

Jess!

I miss you so much! I am so sorry to hear you were sick over the holidays. I was as well. And my brother. And my sister. And my brother-in-law. And on the day before he returned to work, my husband. That being said, it was a wonderful holiday! I have an amazing entry on the way about the Turducken we all chipped in the make. What an adventure!

Today's entry came from a BBC Good Food email that I received. The subject read 'Homemade Soup Recipes for Cozy Nights In.' I had to open it and check it out. I didn't find a soup, but I found these scones, and let me tell you... so yummy. I would serve this with a chili or soup any day!

Cheddar and Sweet Corn Scones
adapted from bbcgoodfood.com
1 1/2 - 2 cups yellow corn
1 cup all purpose whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose white flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground mustard
1/4 tsp ground cayenne or paprika, plus extra for sprinkling
1 tsp dried thyme (fresh would be yummy if you have any)
1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
3/4 cup cheddar cheese, grated
3/4 cup skimmed milk, plus extra for brushing
juice of 1/2 a lemon

1. Heat oven to 450F. Mix the flour, baking powder, mustard, cayenne, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp thyme leaves in a large bowl, then rub int he butter until the mix lookes like fine crumbs. Tip in most of the cheese and all of the corn. Mix the milk with the lemon juice, them stir into the bowl to make a slightly sticky dough. Don't over-work the dough.

2. Tip the dough onto a floured work surface, knead 2-3 times to smooth a little, then divide into 10 balls. Shape each roughly with your hands and put onto a floured baking sheet. Brush each with a little milk, then scatter with a little cheese, cayenne and a few thyme leaves. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the scones are risen, golden and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Cool on a rack.

I was able to use the corn that we froze this fall, so they had a lovely 'fresh corn' flavour!

I can't wait to see you again. We need to schedule a date! We are heading out west pretty soon for a week or so. Maybe after we get back?

Lots of Love,

Stuffed Fillet Steak, and Savory Cheese and Bacon Muffins

Dearest Jess,

I hope your holidays have been everything you hoped them to be. I found mine to be busy, but perfectly balanced with relaxation. As always, there were many family dinners, and friends in from out of town. It was all wonderful.

Yesterday was my first day back to work since the 23rd. Jason and I had planned a dinner to make on Sunday night, but other things came up, so it was pushed to last night. We got the recipes from this great book that Robin gave me for my birthday. It's called Mix & Match Meals. To fully appreciate this book you really need to go pick one up. When you open it, the pages are split horizontally in three sections. The top one: appetizers, the middle: entrees, the bottom: desserts. So as you pick which one you want for each stage of your meal, you can flip through all the sections separately and in the end have all three recipes open at the same time. This means the process of making your grocery list is greatly simplified.

The Menu: Stuffed Fillet Steak with chili and parsley butter, with Savory Cheese and Bacon Muffins.

I have mixed feelings about this meal. The muffins were surprisingly amazing. If you make them with whole wheat/grain bread crumbs they become a healthier option. The steak was... interesting. I'm not sure I'm a fan of a cream cheese filling for a steak. Maybe if it was whipped with some fresh herbs and spices? Or spinach? Or feta and/or goat cheese instead? It needed something else. The butter I would put more chili flakes in. That being said, it would be delicious spread on some fresh bread.

All in all, it was a pretty plate.

Savory Cheese and Bacon Muffins
adapted from Mix&Match Meals, Page 108 (starters) 
5 1/2 oz (150g) Canadian bacon, sliced
7oz (200g) Cheddar cheese, cut up into small cubes
1 1/4 cups whole wheat/grain bread crumbs
1/2 bunch of scallions, finely chopped
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
salt and ground black pepper
Pam for greasing

1. Fry the bacon until cooked but not too crispy, then cut into bite-sized pieces. Mix together the cheese with the bread crumbs, scallions, eggs and milk. Stir in the bacon.
2. Season generously with salt and pepper, then spoon into 4 buttered ramekins (or into your muffin trays). Bake in the oven at 375F (190C) for about 25 minutes until risen and golden. Serve hot or cold.


Stuffed Fillet Steak with Chili and Parsley Butter
adapted from Mix&Match Meals, Page 64 (Main Course)
4 sirloin steaks, about 8oz (225g) each, cut to a minimum 1 inch (2.5cm) thick
4 1/2oz (125g) light cream cheese
1 tbsp olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

for Chili and Parsley Butter
5 tbsp salted butter
1 tsp hot red pepper flakes
2 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves


Spinach to serve

1. To make the chili and parsley butter, mix together all the ingredients in a bowl until well combined. Form into a sausage shape, and place in a piece of parchment paper. Roll up into a tube, twist each end of pepper, and chill for 30 minutes.
2. Heat the barbecue until hot. Take each fillet steak and, using a thin pointed knife pierce the side and move the knife from side to side to create a cavity, trying not to increase the size of the opening too much. Place a portion of cream cheese into each opening. Do not over stuff.
3. Grill the steaks on the barbecue over high heat for 3 minutes on each side, turning once. Set on a plate, and let rest for 5 minutes.
4. Serve on top of fresh spinach with a dollop of Chili and Parsley Butter for garnish.

I can't wait to hear about your travels! I hope all is and will continue to go safely.


Love,

Mediterranean Vegetable Bean Soup with Sweet Potato and Walnut Fritters

To My Beautiful Jessica,

I am very excited about this entry for a couple reasons. The main one being: I didn't expect it to be an amazing meal... but it was!

It was a bit of a crazy weekend. We were at a Christmas party late Friday night.  Poor Jason then had to get up and work early on Saturday, only to come home and head to Toronto with me to see some friends who just came back from living in Italy. We did not make it back to Peterborough until 3 in the morning. On Sunday morning we had an amazing Sabbath and truly rested. We slept until we wanted to get up and when we did, we relaxed some more.

Looking in the fridge, I realized how much of a disaster it was and how little food there seemed to be. Following this realization, I flipped through the only cook book I had there which turned out to be the Autumn edition of Food and Drink. I chose these two recipes because they contained many of my favourite things and seemed low maintenance. We bundled up and made a leisurely trip to the grocery store. Upon our return I cleaned out the fridge and slowly began putting dinner together in the same attitude I do with painting pictures. I had no expectation of how it would turn out. I was cooking merely for the pleasure of the process. No rush. No pressure. Just fun.

Mediterranean Vegetable Bean Soup
adapted from this recipe
Serves 8
12 plum tomatoes (3lbs), chopped
2 sweet red peppers, chopped
1 small eggplant, about 1lb, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
6 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1/2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
4 cups chicken or veggie broth (or water)
1 can (540mL) white pea (navy) or kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (for garnish)


1. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. Combine tomatoes, red peppers, eggplant and onion. Sprinkle with 1 tsp each salt and pepper and drizzle with oil. Toss and evenly coat. Divide among baking sheets and spread out into a single layer. Toss garlic with oil left in bowl and arrange together on one of the baking sheets. Roast in upper and lower thirds of oven, rotating sheets halfway, for about 45 minutes or until vegetables are soft and browned.
4. Set roasted garlic aside. Transfer remaining roasted vegetables and all juices to a large pot. Stir in oregano, thyme, rosemary and water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes or until flavours are blended.
5. Using a slotted spoon, transfer about 3 cups of vegetables into a blender or food processor or large bowl. Add reserved garlic and half of the beans to blender, food processor or bowl. Purée or mash, adding a little of the broth from the pot if necessary, until smooth. Stir back into pot along with remaining beans and return to a simmer over medium heat, stirring often. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish each bowl with feta cheese.

Sweet Potato and Walnut Fritters
adapted from this recipe
1 lb sweet potato
2 tbsp melted butter
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp fresh chopped mint
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 egg lightly beaten
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup ground toasted walnuts
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts

Dip
1/2 cup Greek-style plain yogurt
1 tbsp minced onion
2 tbsp fresh chopped mint
1/4 tsp each salt and fresh cracked pepper


1. Prick sweet potato all over with a knife and bake at 475F for 45-60 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes, or until cool enough to handle. Slice in half and spoon out enough potato to make 1 cup. Put into bowl and mash with butter until smooth. Stir in sugar, mint, salt, mustard and cayenne. Stir in egg.
2. In separate bowl, combine flour, ground walnuts and baking powder. Stir into sweet potato mixture with chopped walnuts until well combined.
3. Preheat oven to 325F. Spray mini muffin trays. Spoon heaping portions into muffin trays. Bake for 12-15 minutes.
4. In a bowl, combine yogurt, onion, mint, salt and pepper. Serve with hot fritters.

A couple main changes I made were: I didn't have a blender, so I mashed some of the soup instead. For the fritters the recipe said to deep fry them with oil in a pan. I didn't want to do this so I just baked them. They worked really well. Try both of these!

Also, I'm sorry about the quality of the images. Jason lent his camera to Jim again, so we had to resort to using my phone.

I hope you are doing well. I miss you of course, but know I will see you shortly for wedding dress shopping!

So much love,

Yummy In My Tummy Dark Chocolate and Raspberry Scones

Dearest Jess,

The 30 Day Hot Yoga Challenge is complete. I put on my bathing suit the day after I completed this crazy challenge and... it was too big! What an awesome feeling. So needless to say, things are going great.

We had a party to celebrate this achievement (the 30 Day Challenge... not the bathing suit being too big) and I was supposed to make and bring a Greek Salad. When I went to make it, I decided it was a little boring for what I wanted. Please don't make the mistake of thinking that I do not enjoy Greek Salad. You know it's one of my favorite things (especially with chicken!) I just was not feeling it for this particular day/event. Instead: Dark Chocolate and Raspberry Scones happened.

I am so excited to share this one with everyone. What a treat! When it is pared with a cup of piping hot tea (even iced tea would be sublime) it is magical.

The only suggestion I would make is to do a tiny bit less chocolate and a tiny bit more frozen raspberries! Mmmmm. Enjoy...

Raspberry Chocolate Tea Scones
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and chopped into small pieces
1 cup miniature chocolate chips or finely chopped chocolate
1 cup frozen raspberries, chopped (keep frozen until you’re ready to add them to the dough)
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 egg, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone baking mat.


2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and sugar. Add the chopped cold butter and rub with your fingers into the flour until the bits of butter are roughly the size of peas. Stir in the chocolate chips/chunks.

3. Separate the egg; reserve the white for later use (you’ll use it to brush on the tops of the scones before baking.) In a separate bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the cream, egg yolk, and vanilla extract.

4. Add the chopped frozen raspberries to the flour mixture. Pour in the cream, and using light, quick strokes, stir with a fork until just moistened (there may still be some flour on the bottom of the bowl.) Use your hands to gather the dough into a ball and knead it lightly a few times, just to gather it together. Don’t worry if there’s still a little flour remaining on the bottom of the bowl.

5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and divide into two balls. Gently flatten each ball into a 1-inch high disk, and cut each disk into 6 wedges (for 12 scones total.) Place on baking sheet and brush the tops with the reserved egg white; sprinkle with sugar.

6. Bake for about 12-15 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and scones are cooked through.



I hope all is going well with your applications. As you already know you are in my prayers.

I am learning so much. I never realized (until the last 2 years or so) how much I truly enjoy purposefully learning. In a lot of ways school distracted me from it. Don't get me wrong, I hold great value in education, and know how privileged I am to have had the opportunity to go to university. I just have been enjoying the extra 'brain room' and time to do so. Discussions are more interesting and even going into certain topics, I am beginning to feel more confident in my reasons for believing things the way that I do.

I am thankful to have you as my friend. So thankful. I'm not sure you fully realize how thankful.


So much Love,
Sally

Winter Stew in April

Hi Sally,

It was SO good to see you on Tuesday and I am very excited for Esther. Just reading the introduction made me so happy! But now for food. As we all know it has been cold lately . . . much too cold. There is nothing better than a warm rich stew to take away the chills from April rain so I rummaged through the books and found a delicious recipe in Eat Shrink & Be Merry.

It took just over an hour but I have to tell you that it was totally worth it! The entire apartment was filled with a delicious aroma of savory beef, vegetables and a rich creamy broth. I also baked rosemary biscuits and made mashed potatoes. Might I just point out that I ate a salad and that this meal was really for Jesse. That being said, it was still a pleasure to be cooking in the kitchen again.

I bought all the ingredients for those yummy looking burritos so they will be the next thing I make for sure.

Seeing you for an hour or so is great but I think we should work on hanging out for a little longer next time :) Love ya!

Jess


Just Stew It!
From Eat Shrink & Be Merry
2 lbs stewing beef, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tsp olive oil, divided
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
2 tsp. minced garlic
2 tsp herbs de provence (I didn't have this so I used Montreal Steak Spice which seemed to work)
2 cups beef broth
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt and pepper
2 cups chopped carrots
1/2 light sour cream (I used plain yogurt)
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup frozen peas

1. Trim beef of fat and sprinkle with flour. Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a large non-stick pot over medium-high heat. Add half the beef cubes and cook until lightly browned. Remove from the pot and set aside. Repeat process with remaining 1 tsp olive oil and beef cubes.

2. Return all beef cubes to pot. Add onions, celery, and garlic. Cook and stir until onions begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in herbs. Cook 1 more minute. Add broth, vinegar, tomato paste, sugar, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour. Add carrots and simmer 20 minutes more.

3. Combine sour cream and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add to stew along with green peas. Mix well.

Rosemary Biscuits
Modified from The Joy of Cooking
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
6 tbsp cold butter
3/4 cup cold milk
pinch of salt
1 tsp crushed, dried rosemary

Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl. Grate in cold butter and mix with dry ingredients. Slowly add the milk while mixing with a fork. Bring together carefully into a ball and knead for about 30 seconds. Roll out to 1/2 inch thickness and cut out into circles.
Bake in a 450 oven for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.