Here’s the thing . . . I could kind of live on scones. Sure, I have my obsessions with goat cheese and sourdough bread, but a scone is the kind of comforting little treat that is not too sweet, not too savory, and extremely satisfying. Paired with an afternoon cup of tea it’s delicious, rejuvinating, and probably a smarter way to de-stress than a 2-martini lunch (I said ‘probably’ – let’s not debate it).
I’m a smidge obsessed with finding and making the world’s most perfect blueberry scone. It’s a situation where all stars need to align — the blueberries need just the right sweetness and pop, the outside needs to turn crispy while the interior needs to maintain its give, and warm from the oven they should hold their shape for immediate devourment (<– I’m not sure that this is an actual word, but does happen to be a death metal band in Dallas – ha!).
Now, depending on the sort of day that you make them (dry, rainy, etc.), the dough might be super sticky and seem impossible to cut into wedges for baking. Trust me – cut them, fumble to get them on the board, and bake away. Also, handle the dough as little as possible for the softest scones. Seriously, try them, eat them, love them. Relax, breath deep, and take simple pleasures in a scone made right.
Blueberry-Buttermilk Scones
Adapted from Martha Stewart
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup cake flour (not self-rising)
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
4 ounces (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup (½ pint) fresh blueberries
½ cup low-fat buttermilk
1 large egg, plus 1 large egg lightly beaten for egg wash
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Fine sanding sugar, for sprinkling
Preheat oven to 375°. Line a baking sheet with either a Silpat or parchment paper.
Whisk together flours, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter, or rub in with your fingers until mixture has the texture of coarse meal. Gently stir in blueberries.
Whisk together buttermilk, 1 egg and the vanilla. Drizzle over flour mixture, and stir lightly with a fork or rubber spatula until dough comes together but a small amount of flour remains in bowl.
Turn out dough onto a work surface, and gently knead dough once or twice just to incorporate flour. Pat dough into a 1-inch-thick round. Cut into 12 wedges and transfer to prepared baking sheet.
Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake until golden brown and cooked through, about 22 minutes.
Transfer scones to wire racks to cool. Scones are best served immediately but can be frozen for up to 1 month and then thawed and reheated in a 350° oven for 10 minutes.
It doesn’t happen terribly often, but once in awhile this little voice creeps inside my head and shouts, “Must eat meat!”. I typically enjoy eating mostly vegetarian, but in those times the voice is so loud that it not only manages to drown out the other, more regular, voice telling me to buy more shoes, but it literally won’t shut up until I’ve had a delicious cut of filet or a pulled pork sandwich (depending, of course, on just how highbrow it’s feeling that day).
So there I was, about to get in the shower when I stumbled across a recipe for Cuban braised beef and peppers. Immediately I was transported to our trip to South Beach, where we had a couple fabulous Cuban meals so delicious that they left us downright speechless. I’ve modified this one a bit and included an avocado-lime side that was inspired by one of my favorite restaurants in San Francisco: Pomelo (if you go, have the ‘Havana’).
Anyway, this recipe will surely satisfy the carnivore in you, whether a regular voice in your head, or one that infrequently hits your like a ton of bricks! Did I also mention this is a slow-cooker one-pot meal, and absurdly easy? That is right, that is right!
Cuban Braised Beef with Lime-Avocado Salad
Adapted from Real Simple
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
2 red bell peppers, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 onion, cut into 8 wedges
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
kosher salt and black pepper
1 1/2 pounds flank steak, cut crosswise into thirds (grass fed is extra delicious!)
1 cup long-grain white rice
2 avocados, sliced
1-2 limes
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
In a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the tomatoes, bell peppers, onion, oregano, cumin, 1½ teaspoons salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Nestle the steak among the vegetables. Cook, covered, until the meat is tender and pulls apart easily, on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 7 to 8 hours.
Twenty-five minutes before serving, cook the rice according to the package directions.
Cut the avocado into slices and place in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, and drizzle juice of 1-2 limes over the top to taste. Mix well and set aside.
Using two forks, shred the beef and mix it into the cooking liquid.
Serve with the rice and top with the avocado and cilantro. Serves 4 – bon appétit!
I’m not sure what’s better — eating so much cookie dough you feel sick, or eating so many warm cookies straight from the oven that you feel sick. Tough call, but a win-win really.
I always scout out new chocolate chip cookie recipes in the eternal quest for a crisp outside and chewy, soft inside. While I’m not going to be so brazen as to tell you that these are the ‘best chocolate chip cookies ever’ or the ‘most amazing chocolate chip cookie of your life’ or even ‘the last chocolate chip cookie recipe you’ll ever need’ (all cookie titles when doing a recent search!), but I will tell you that they have great depth of flavor with a nice crisp outside and a ’sink your teeth in and exhale slowly in pleasure’ chewy center. Straight from the oven with a glass of cold milk, what else can you ask for?
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from allrecipes.com
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons hot water
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups semisweet mini chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional, but recommended!)
Preheat oven to 350°F.
With a stand or hand mixer, cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until combined, and then mix in the vanilla.
Dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add to the batter along with the salt.
Switch to a paddle attachment on your mixer (if you have one, otherwise keep the beater attachments intact) and stir in the flour, chocolate chips and nuts until just combined (be careful not to overmix!).
Drop by large spoonfuls onto ungreased pans (or use a Silpat).
Bake for about 10 minutes until edges are nicely browned. Serve warm from the oven and bask in your cleverness!
I’m totally into the one-pot meal lately. How delightful to throw a mess of stuff in one big pot, leave it for awhile, and come back to a meal. It’s almost as if I had a personal chef! I don’t know why I looked down on one-pot meals before. Perhaps I’ve always had that “if I didn’t take me three hours to make it’s not worth it” mentality, but let me promise you that grad school has knocked that attitude right out of me! Besides, one-pot meals can be incredibly complex, what with all the marinating and marrying of flavors.
So let’s talk chili. I’ve never been a big chili girl and I think this mostly had to do with being born and raised in San Diego where big pots of steaming food don’t totally fit in. When it’s 75 degrees most of the year, you think salad, not chili. Well folks, here in New England, all I can do it think about chili, soups and slow cooker meals. Dreamy Dish has gone all sensible and what not!
OK, so turkey chili. The Californian in me really wanted something lighter and healthier, with some smokiness, complexity and interest. Voila! This dish delivered. I thoroughly enjoyed it with a glass of cabernet, but drink as you choose!
Turkey Chili with White Beans
Adapted from Bon Appétit
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 medium onions, medium chop
1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
1 ½ pounds lean ground turkey
¼ cup chili powder
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ½ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
3 cups beef stock or canned beef broth
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
3 15-ounce cans small white beans, rinsed, drained
Chopped red onion
Chopped fresh cilantro
Light sour cream
Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onions; sauté until light brown and tender, about 8 minutes. Add oregano and cumin; stir 1 minute.
Increase heat to medium-high. Add turkey; stir until no longer pink, breaking up with back of spoon. Stir in chili powder, bay leaves, cocoa powder, salt and cinnamon. Add tomatoes with their juices. Mix in stock and tomato sauce. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add beans to chili and simmer until flavors blend, about 10 minutes longer. Discard bay leaves.
(Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium-low heat before continuing.)
Ladle chili into bowls. Pass red onion, cilantro and sour cream separately. ENJOY!
