Fresh Orange Scones

Fresh Orange Scones (on plate with Raspberry Almond Scones)

Fresh Orange Scones

⅓ cup sugar

zest of one large orange or two medium oranges

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

½ cup butter, frozen (this makes it much easier to grate and handle!)

½ cup sour cream

1 large egg

(I also added some freshly squeezed orange juice because I thought the batter needed a bit of moisture.  I just squeezed the two oranges that I had zested - setting aside a couple Tbsp for the glaze below.)

Orange Glaze

3 Tbsp. butter, melted

1 cup confectioners (powdered) sugar

½ tsp. vanilla extract

2-4 Tbsp. freshly squeezed orange juice.  

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and set oven rack to the middle position.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.  (I just used my PC stone with no parchment paper.)

In a medium sized bowl, gently toss flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.  In a separate small bowl, whisk sour cream and egg until completely smooth.  Set aside.  

In a large bowl, stir sugar and orange zest together until sugar is moistened and zest is evenly distributed.  Pour in flour mixture and toss to combine.  Grate the frozen butter into the mixture.  Using your hands, work the butter into the mixture until it resembles a coarse meal.  Gently stir in sour cream mixture until just about combined.  Do not overwork the dough.  Very gently press the dough against the sides of the bowl a few times and form a ball.  The dough will be sticky at first but will come together at you form it.  

Place dough on a lightly floured surface and lightly pat into an 8 inch circle about ¾" thick.  Use a sharp knife to cut into 8 triangles.  Transfer triangles to prepared baking sheet.  Leave about 1" between each one, if possible.  

Bake scones for 15-17 minutes or until the tops begin to turn golden.  Don't take them out too early or they will be too soft.  Allow to cool for 10 minutes on the pan.  

Prepare glaze by stirring together melted butter, confectioners sugar, vanilla and orange juice until smooth.  Drizzle glaze over scones and serve.  

Raspberry Almond Scones

Raspberry Almond Scones (on plate with Fresh Orange Scones)

Raspberry Almond Scones

2 cups all purpose flour

1 Tbsp. baking powder

3 Tbsp. granulated sugar

½ tsp. salt

6 Tbsp. cold butter, cut into ¼ inch cubes (or freeze it then grate it - much easier!)

1 cup heavy cream, plus 1 Tbsp. divided (I used half and half)

¼ tsp. almond extract

⅓ cup sliced almonds

1 cup raspberries

Almond Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

4-5 Tbsp. heavy cream or half and half

½ tsp. almond extract

¼ cup sliced almonds, for garnish

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.  

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.  Quickly cut in the butter using a pastry blender (or grate the frozen butter in and use your hands to gently mix together).  Mix until it resembles a coarse meal, with butter lumps.  Pour 1 cup heavy cream and almond extract over the ingredients and stir with a spatula until dough begins to form.  Don't over mix.  Gently fold in sliced almonds and raspberries.  The raspberries will get a little smashed, but that is okay.  

Transfer dough to a floured countertop or cutting board and knead dough by hand just until it forms a ball.  Shape the scones by patting the dough into a ¾ inch thick circle.  Cut the scones into 8 even triangles.  

Place scones on baking sheet and using a pastry brush, brush scones lightly with the additional heavy cream.  Bake for 15-18 minutes or until scones are light brown.  Cool on wire cooling rack.  

While scones are cooling, make the almond glaze.  In a small bowl whisk together powdered sugar, heavy cream, and almond extract.  Whisk until you achieve desired consistency.  Drizzle the glaze over the scones.  Top with additional sliced almonds if you like.  Serve.  

NEMO Alumni dinner

We attended the NEMO Alumni dinner in mid-November.  Brianna was unable to join us, although she was in the same building!  She and her a cappella group, Minor Detail, were together just down the hall from us.  :)

We always enjoy this smaller gathering of local alumni of Truman State University.  And any time we get to hear True Men perform is a special treat.  Although it seems weird to not see Matthew in that group anymore.  (He chose not to continue in True Men in this, his Masters year at Truman.)

Jackson and Jonathan

True Men

Jonathan and Marvin

Julie, Daddy, Mama, Laura

President Thomas and Daddy

I always love the lights of Pickler Memorial Library - and the full moon was lovely.

Biscuits Supreme

These are the biscuits that I have been making for decades (when I make biscuits from scratch, that is!).  It is from the old red and white checked Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.  (That is where my Fudge Brownies recipe comes from, too.)  I really should make these more often.  They are simple to make and so much better than canned biscuits.  (Although I have to admit that the frozen Grands biscuits are pretty darn close!!)  :D

Biscuits Supreme

2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. sugar

½ tsp. cream of tartar

½ tsp. salt

½ cup shortening

⅔ cup milk

Stir together flour, baking powder, sugar, cream of tartar, and salt.  Cut in shortening till mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Make a well in the center; add milk all at once.  Stir just until dough clings together.  Knead gently on a lightly floured surface for 10 to 12 strokes.  Roll or pat to ½ inch thickness.  Either cut dough with a knife into rectangles or use a round biscuit cutter.  Transfer to ungreased baking sheet.  Bake in a 450 degree oven for 10-12 minutes or till golden.  Serve warm.  

To make them Buttermilk Biscuits...

2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. sugar

½ tsp. cream of tartar

½ tsp. salt

½ cup shortening

¾ cup buttermilk  (or you can use a powdered buttermilk added to water)

Their finished room

As I posted in November, Jackson & Marvin have been hard at work renovating the garage on the house in town.  They got it finished around Thanksgiving and it sure is a nice room for Jackson and Brianna!  Here are the final photos of the new space.

"His and Hers" desks

This certainly expands their closet space in the house.

Very nice space for Jackson and Brianna.  Hard to believe this used to be their garage!

They have come a long way from this!!  :D 

Garlic Parmesan Chicken with Potatoes

Boy, this was yummy!

Garlic Parmesan Chicken with Potatoes

6 bone-in, skin on chicken thighs

1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning

salt and pepper to taste

3 Tbsp. butter, divided

3 cups baby spinach, chopped

16 oz. baby Dutch potatoes, halved

To make the sauce...

¼ cup butter

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp. flour

1 cup chicken broth (or more as needed)

1 tsp. thyme and ½ tsp. dried basil (I used 1½ tsp. Italian seasoning)

½ cup half and half

½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray 9x13 baking dish with nonstick spray (I used a large sheet pan).  

Season chicken with Italian seasoning, salt & pepper to taste.  Brown chicken, skin side down, in 2 Tbsp. butter in a skillet over medium high heat.  Sear both sides and set aside.  

Melt remaining 1 Tbsp. butter in skillet and stir in spinach, cooking just until it begins to wilt (about 2 minutes) and set aside.  

To make the sauce... melt ¼ cup butter in skillet over medium heat. (I don't know that you have to use this much butter...)  Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, about 2 minutes.  Whisk in the flour and brown for a minute.  Whisk in chicken broth and seasoning.  Cook, whisking constantly, about 2 minutes.  Stir in half and half and parmesan until slightly thickened (1-2 minutes).  If mixture is too thick, add more milk or broth as you like.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  

Place chicken in a single layer on baking pan.  Top with potatoes and spinach, then pour the cream sauce overall.  Place in oven and roast until cooked through.  Chicken should reach internal temperature of 165 degrees.  About 25-30 minutes.  

Serve immediately.  Yum!

Round two - steps

Along with the garage renovation at Jackson and Brianna's house, Marvin got the steps for the side deck built.  He and Jackson installed them and they do look nice.  Plus, they are functional.  Very nice.

My tree

It is the end of an era, so to speak.  Daddy planted this tree for me when I was a baby.  It stood in the corner of a little fenced in play yard they made for me as a toddler.  As I grew, the tree grew - and it was always just called 'Laura's tree'.  I am grateful and thankful for a Daddy who thought to do such a lovely thing for me.  I have been blessed.

Mama and Daddy had to have 'my tree' removed from their yard in November.  Honestly, they let the tree stand for about a decade too long.  I appreciate that they didn't want to take down 'Laura's tree'.  It was sad to see it come down, but it had to be.  It was too close to the house (after the addition of the back porch way back in 1990) and in recent years it had become infested with ants.  It was in danger of falling down on their roof in a storm.  It simply had to come down.

It turned out to be quite an involved process to bring it down because of the proximity of the power lines and the danger of the limbs falling on the roof during the removal.  They had to remove it piece by piece, then pull the remaining trunk down carefully.

A few days before it was due to come down, I stopped by on my way to town to take some photos.  The sun was shining through the branches and it looked quite pretty.  A nice way to remember 'my tree'.  :)

Crispy Parmesan Garlic Chicken with Zucchini

Crispy Parmesan Garlic Chicken with Zucchini
4 Schwans chicken breasts (or 2 larger chicken breasts sliced in half)
8 Tbps. butter, divided
½ cup Italian bread crumbs
½ cup plus 1 Tbps. grated parmesan, divided (I used shredded Parmesan)
¼ cup flour
2 medium zucchini, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced

To make the chicken, melt 4 Tbsp. butter in a shallow dish.  In another shallow dish combine bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and flour.  Dip the chicken in the butter then coat in the bread crumb mixture and place in skillet with 2 Tbsp. butter melted over medium heat.

Cook on each side for about 3-4 minutes or until the outside is crispy and chicken is cooked throughout.  Set aside on plate.

Add 2 Tbsp. butter to skillet and sauté the minced garlic for a minute.  Add the zucchini to the skillet and sauté until tender.  Salt and pepper to taste, then add 1 Tbsp. parmesan.  Add chicken back to skillet and heat through.  Serve immediately.

Turkey Tetrazzini

Turkey Tetrazzini
1 pound spaghetti or linguine, cooked according to package directions
½ cup unsalted butter, divided
½ sweet onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup all purpose flour
3 cups low sodium chicken stock or broth
2 cups half and half
2-4 cups leftover turkey
1 cup frozen peas
(may add mushrooms and/or small broccoli florets)
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
½ cup shredded parmesan

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Heat skillet over medium heat.  Add ¼ cup butter and, once melted, add onions.  Cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and cook for one minute more.  Sprinkle flour over onions, cooking for one to two minutes, stirring occasionally. Whisk in chicken broth and half & half.  Bring just to a strong simmer, reduce heat, and cook until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally.  (about 5 minutes)  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Stir in turkey, cooked noodles, and frozen peas.  Pour mixture into a greased 2 quart casserole dish or 9x13 pan.  Melt butter in and add breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese.  Mix thoroughly then sprinkle mixture over top of casserole.  Bake for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly and topping is lightly browned.