Cranberry Orange Scones

I made these scones this morning! By far the BEST scone recipe I have made. I adapted it from a recipe from Zuni Cafe. If you visit The City by the Bay, make sure you go to Zuni Cafe!

Happy Cooking and Enjoy!                                                                                       

Vonnie

Ingredients:

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour ( I use King Arthur Flour)

4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup sugar

1/2 pound butter (2 sticks) cold salted butter cut into small pieces

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1 Tablespoon finely grated orange zest

1 egg

1/2 cup  2% cold milk

1 Tablespoon orange juice

Turbinado sugar

Directions:                                                                                                     

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 jelly roll pans with parchment paper or Silpats (I use Silpats and LOVE them). 2. Stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Mix well.

3. Cut in the butter using a pastry blender or 2 forks until the butter is the size of small peas.

4. Add dried cranberries and orange zest and toss well.

5. Whisk together the egg, milk, and orange juice. Stir this into the dry ingredients, and GENTLY mix until the dough comes together and everything is well moistened.

6. Divide the dough in half and form each half into a ball. On a lightly floured work surface, pat each ball into a flat 7 inch circle. Roll out each circle until it is 3/4 inch thick. With pizza cutter, cut each round into 8 wedges.

7. Arrange the wedges in the parchment paper or Silpat lined pans without crowding(this is really important as these rise really well and they will end up touching and not toast on the edges). Sprinkle each scone with Turbinado sugar and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown and firm to the touch.

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Buttermilk Double Chocolate Bread

To love Some say it’s hard 

But I think otherwise 

Love is the easiest feeling 

No need to hide it, express it with pride                                    

It’s a kiss, a hug or a smile 

It’s hidden in our eyes 

Nothing compares To love

On this eve of Saint Valentine’s day I wanted to share a recipe that included chocolate.  This bread will put a smile on your special Valentine’s face and love in their heart.

Happy Valentine’s Day.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking,

Vonnie

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 cup sugar

2 egg

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup baking cocoa

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup white chocolate chips

 Directions:

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar.  Add vanilla.   Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Combine the flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder and baking soda;  add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk.  Fold in white chocolate chips.  Pour into a greased 9-in. x 5-in. x 3-in. loaf pans.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.

Oatmeal Bread

This recipe was given to me from a dear childhood friend.  At the very beginnings of Challengeu2cook, Sue Hardman Ford jumped on board!  She has always been very supportive and giving with her tried and true family recipes. This recipe is now a staple in my household and for many of the families for which I cook.  It is simple and most definitely delicious.  I love it because you just put everything in the bread machine and let it do all the hard work for you.   My bread machine is a 90′s edition Sunbeam.  Nothing fancy.  My family was growing and I was in need of some time-saving assistance. ”Betty the Bread Machine” as I named her, has never failed me. Every time I use her she produces beautiful homemade bread for my family/families.

For this recipe I use the 1.5 pound setting.  I add the 4 TBSP. of honey instead of the 2 TBSP.

of brown sugar. This bread makes wonder Ham and Pineapple Sandwiches (I will post the

recipe soon) or Leftover Turkey Sandwiches too!

Enjoy and Happy Cooking,

Vonnie

Sue Hardman Ford’s Oatmeal Bread

Ingredients:

2/3 cup water

1 cup milk

3 TBSP. butter

2 tsp. salt

4 TBSP. honey or 2 TBSP. brown sugar

1/4 cup oatmeal

4 cups flour

2 1/4 tsp. yeast (1 pkg.)

Directions:

Follow the directions for your bread machine. I let my water and milk sit for 30 minutes to take the chill off. I put my liquid in machine pan. Next I add flour, salt, honey, oatmeal, butter. Last, I make a little well and I pour package of regular yeast ( I use Fleishmann’s). I set “Betty” to 1.5 pound loaf, basic bread setting, and medium crust color setting. When bread is done, (3 hours) pull pan out and let sit for 3 to 5 minutes. Turn upside down and shake bread out of pan. Make sure you pull paddle out. Let cool on rack completely before slicing.

 

Cantaloupe Bread with Praline Glaze

I stopped at the market and got some great deals on cantaloupes.  They are absolutely mouth-watering.  But, knowing we won’t able to finish them all before they went bad I went to my computer in search of a way to freeze my leftovers.  I discovered this wonderful recipe on http://www.allrecipes.com

I hope you enjoy it as much as we are. I also pureed the extras and poured into ice-cube trays. Once frozen I will put the cubes in freezer bags. This way when melon is at a premium in the fall and winter months and definitely not as tasty,  I will be able to make this delicious bread and remember how sweet summer has been!

As always,

Enjoy and  Happy Cooking.

Vonnie                                                                    

 

 

Original Recipe Yield 2 – 9×5 inch loaves

Ingredients

3 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

2 cups white sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 cups cantaloupe – peeled, seeded and puree

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 cup butter

1 2/3 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease and flour two 9×5 inch loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, vegetable, sugar, vanilla and cantaloupe. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and ginger. Stir flour mixture into cantaloupe mixture; stir to combine. Pour batter into prepared pans.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted into center of a loaf comes out clean. Meanwhile, combine margarine and brown sugar. Microwave for 3 minutes, stirring at 1 minute intervals; mix in pecans. Pour sauce over warm bread. Let cool for 1 hour before serving.

Panzanella Bread Salad

Oh the joys of summer! On the top of the list is fresh, ripe tomatoes, garden cucumbers, and basil that the more you cut, the more it grows. And the tomatoes… Beefsteak, early girls, heirlooms,roma, plum, not to mention the all the varieties of cherry and grape!  Finally the heat is upon us and the garden has finally started to be promising.  This classic Tuscan bread salad is a perfect thing to make with the bounty.  Panzanella at its core is really a way to use up crusty bread that has gotten hard and to celebrate perfect summer tomatoes. It is a cooling summertime salad that relies on the bread as the “filler” to soak up the juices of fresh tomatoes and cucumbers, as well as the olive oil you pour over everything.

Once a poor man’s dish, it has become rather trendy. Once you make it, you’ll see why. It’s a great way to show off wonderful, fresh, summer produce and with so few ingredients you will be amazed at how good it is.  I am serving my with my leftover Herb and Dijon Mustard Glazed Turkey Breasts I had for dinner last night! You can serve the salad with any of your favorite grilled meats or it will stand alone for a great Meatless Meal. 
Enjoy and Happy Cooking,

Vonnie                                                                                                                                                              

Ingredients:
4 cups tomatoes, cut into large chunks
4 cups day old (somewhat dry and hard) crusty bread (Italian or French loaf), cut into chunks the same size as the tomatoes*
1 cucumber, skinned and seeded, cut into large chunks
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 bunch fresh basil, torn into little pieces
1/4 to 1/2 cup good olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
* If you don’t have hard old bread sitting around, you can take fresh crusty bread, cut it into big cubes, lay the cubes out on a baking sheet, and put in a 300°F oven for 5-10 minutes, until the outer edges have dried out a bit (not toasted, just dried). If you use fresh bread without doing this, the bread may disintegrate into mush in the salad.

Directions:
Mix everything together and let marinate, covered, at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, up to 12 hours. Do not refrigerate or you will destroy the texture of the tomatoes.

Serve at room temperature.

Serves 6-8.

Easter Bread

My cousin Darlene asked me if I had a recipe for Easter Bread and of course I do! So instead of just sending it to her I decided to share it with all of you. This recipe comes from Loretta Ricci Sellars. She lived next to my parents and was my second mother. She was a wonderful Italian lady and an excellent cook. I used to love sitting in her kitchen watching her prepare meals. She never seemed to follow a recipe, but everything always came out perfectly. She would just zip around the kitchen while the old radio was on in the corner, tuned to the Italian station out of Cleveland. I could sit there for hours watching her and listening to her stories of her youth growing up in Italy. The sounds and smells were heavenly and the food divine. Loretta taught me to love the art of cooking.
I hope you enjoy this recipe. It is pretty involved, but well worth the effort.
Enjoy and Happy cooking,
Vonnie                                                                           

Ingredients :
12 cups of flour
2 1/4 cups sugar
8 eggs, room temperature
2 sticks butter
1 cup prepared mashed potatoes (can use instant) room temperature
4 pkg. dry yeast
1 tsp.salt
2-3 caps yellow food coloring
rind from 3 oranges
2 TBSP. anise seed
2 cups milk
2 1/2 cups additional flour for kneading
1 1/2 cups raisins, optional

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine yeast and 2 1/2 cups flour and set aside. Heat together milk, butte, sugar and salt until slightly hot, stirring occasionally. Add this mixture to dry mixture; beat 30 seconds with mixer. Add eggs and mashed potatoes. Beat at low-speed until blended and then beat on high-speed for 3 minutes. Add anise seed, food coloring, orange rind, and raisins. Stir by hand adding enough additional flour to make dough stiff. Turn dough out on a floured surface and knead 10 to 15 minutes. Adding flour if dough begins to get sticky. Place in a greased bowl; turn once to grease all of dough. Cover and allow to double in size (about 2 hours). Punch down. Divide onto 6 balls. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Cut each ball into 3 pieces. Roll into to strips and braid. Place in greased loaf pans. Let rise again for 1 hour.
Bake at 325 for 40-45 minutes.