Big Yellow Taxi and My Foray into Modern Quilting

It's not that I've stopped cooking (exactly); rather, I've been cooking old favorites or eating salads and other light meals. Since I haven't posted any recipes in two weeks, I thought I'd blog about what I've been doing with the time usually spent in the kitchen.

Last week I took a workshop with Rayna Gillman, a fabric artist known for her free form quilts. Anyone who knows me will tell you I'm not a "fly by the seat of my pants" type of person. While crazy quilting may seem to have fewer rules than sane quilting, that is not the case. And while I am comfortable not following patterns and seeing where my own designs will lead, free form quilts and/or modern quilts are not genres that fall within my comfort zone. That said, I actually ended up enjoying the process.

Rayna had suggested that we bring orphan blocks and strips of fabric in a multitude of hues. My quilting friends and I turned up with bags, boxes, and piles of fabric (probably enough fabric to make several very large quilts and there were only about 15 of us).  I chose a pieced block, an extra from a year-long color study course I'd taken and a foundation pieced block I'd made when I was experimenting with that technique. Having listened to Rayna's suggestion that we include black and white fabrics in our stash, I began cutting and piecing and cutting some more. At one point, I had 4 free form blocks which I ultimately decided to square up and piece together. This produced a 9 inch block which cried out for a thin, yellow border. As soon as I made that decision, the lyrics to Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi" started running through my head. That yellow border (and those lyrics) lead me to the black and white checkered fabric and my outside border.

I hung the finished piece on my design wall and stared at it for the next few days, but my original idea to quilt it in gold metallic thread won out over several other ideas. Understand that I am brand new to free motion quilting. I recently took Leah Day's class on Craftsy and she has fanned the flame of interest in FMQ. In fact, be sure to check her blog to see what others are doing on FMQ Friday. After several trial runs on my trusty muslin sandwich, I decided it was now or never and just did it. A few ripped out lines of quilting and one broken needle later, I was done. It took me approximately 3 hours to quilt. I did some simple wavy lines, horizontal and vertical on the block itself. I quilted a chain of pearls in the thin, yellow border. And in the black and white checkered border, I quilted spirals.

To finish the quilt, I applied a facing. All that remains is to add a label. I'm calling the quilt "Big Yellow Taxi" and, though it's far from perfect, I will admit that I'm rather pleased with the results.

Fried Ice Cream (Not)

I was all set to try a new version of this treat, one that would contain a top crust and a bottom crust and be cut like a cake, when my better judgment intervened and I decided a pre-portioned fried ice cream ball might be safer to have in the freezer. For those of you who've never had this treat, it isn't fried at all. By using a light ice cream and making the portions just 1/2 cup each, I was able to keep this a healthy option.

1 half gallon Turkey Hill coconut almond fudge light ice cream
3 cups Kellogg's Frosted Flakes
2 tsp cinnamon

Let the ice cream soften slightly. Place a sheet of parchment paper on a large cookie sheet and use an ice cream scoop to make 12 half-cup "balls." Place in the freezer to harden (at least 2 hours or overnight).

Place the Frosted Flakes and the cinnamon in a gallon-sized freezer bag, seal, then roll with a rolling pin until they are chunky, but not pulverized.

Dip one ice cream ball at a time in the crumbs, shaping the ball, and refreeze.

At this point, I packaged each ball in a baggie and place all of the baggies in a gallon-sized freezer bags.
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TASTE NOTES
The fried ice cream is delicious as is or it can be "embellished" with a drizzle of chocolate syrup and some whipped cream. By itself, each serving is 5 WW points (for those who care).

Crispy Peanut Butter Cookies

The old adage that "good things come in small packages" describes these cookies perfectly. While I've had delicious, chewy peanut butter cookies, there's just something about that satisfying crunch when you bite into something sweet and salty. The dough goes together very quickly, though it does require an hour in the fridge before baking, so plan accordingly. The recipe yields 4 dozen 2-inch cookies.

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

additional sugar

Directions

In a bowl, cream butter and sugars. Add peanut butter, egg, and vanilla and beat until smooth. Combine the flour, baking soda, and baking powder and add to the creamed mixture, mixing well. Chill the dough for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Shape into 1 inch balls and place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Flatten each ball by criss-crossing with the tines of a fork dipped in sugar. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned and cookies are set. YIELD: about 4 dozen.

Nutritional Info:  2 cookies per serving; 125 calories; 7 g fat; 15 g carb; trace fiber; 2 g protein

TASTE NOTES
These little bites were perfectly crispy and nutty. Best enjoyed with a glass of cold milk, they are a peanut butter lover's delight.

Italian Beef and Lentil Slow-cooker Soup

Each week at our Weight Watcher meeting we are given a weekly brochure which contains, among other things, recipes for healthy meals. A few weeks back the weekly contained a recipe for a slow-cooker stew. I was attracted to it both for the ingredients and because it offered a generous serving yet was low calorie. You'll notice the title of this post indicated a "soup." As you'll note when you peruse the ingredients, other than a small amount of tomato paste, there is nothing in the list that would serve as a thickening agent. This was a soup, not a stew. I also should have followed my instinct and replaced the lean beef round called for with chuck, which has a good marbling of fat. The small amount of beef in each serving would have still qualified the dish as healthy. With that understanding and the replacement of chuck for round, I can heartily recommend this soup.

Serves 6
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cups fresh green beans, cut into 2 inch lengths
1 lb beef chuck, cut into 1 inch chunks
1/2 tsp dried oregano, crushed
14 1/2 oz canned diced tomatoes, undrained
1 tbs tomato paste
3/4 cup dry lentils
4 cups lower sodium beef broth
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup fresh, slivered basil

freshly grated Pecorino-Romano

Place all ingredients except the basil in a 5-quart or larger slow cooker. Stir well. Cook on low setting for 6 hours. Remove cover and stir in basil. Cover and cook 5 minutes more. Yields about 1 1/2 cups per serving.
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TASTE NOTES
Despite the lean round being a bit dry, the flavor of this soup was excellent. I did remove the beef and shred it then add it back to the pot before serving. I also took the liberty of adding some grated cheese before serving. With some garlic bread and salad, this made a satisfying dinner.

Roast Prime Rib

When I saw prime rib on sale right before Easter, I bought one and put it in the freezer. I've made prime rib before, mostly roasting it though I did once grill it on the advice of the butcher. Somehow it just tastes better as a roast. While it isn't difficult to do, the smaller the piece of meat, the more vigilant you need to be to roast it to the desired temperature. I bought a five pound roast which had 3 ribs. That's very small, though it can feed 4-6.  I had bookmarked a site (here) and followed the guidelines suggested. The most important advice:

• do NOT salt the roast before cooking
• place melted butter on the two cut ends prior to roasting
• sear the meat at 450 degrees for 15 minutes
• roast at 325 degrees for the remainder of the time
• check well before you think it will be done
• be sure to use accurate thermometers (I used 2 to be sure)

Though the chart indicated my roast would be done between 60 and 70 minutes, it actually took 80 minutes to get it to 120 degrees, perfect for medium rare meat. The incidental cooking while the meat rests for about 15 minutes will raise the temperature to about 125-130 degrees.

My mom used to make prime rib for Easter and it always tasted better than what you are served in restaurants. Of course, mom used to make a huge roast. I would have loved some popovers to go with the beef, but exercised restraint and served it with baked potatoes and spinach sauteed with garlic.

Don't be intimidated by this cut of meat. When it's on sale, give it a try. With a little care and an accurate thermometer, you can master this dish and enjoy it at home.

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TASTE NOTES

Served with a horseradish sauce and some au jus the first night, leftovers are tagged for some upscale cheesesteak sandwiches and some hash. You should have smelled the kitchen!

S'mores--Grown-up Style

• 
  
• I have a confession to make. I was never a Girl Scout. In fact, it took just one Brownie meeting to convince me that this wasn't something I cared to pursue. I will also confess that the only camping I've ever done (outside of staying at a Red Roof Inn one time) happened while I was Principal of an elementary school and took the entire fifth grade on an overnight each year. There weren't any tents, but the bunk beds in the very austere cabins assured me that I'd made the right decision regarding my brief encounter with scouting. All this by way of explaining that s'mores are not something I've much experience with. 
• 
  
• Nevertheless, a few weeks ago there were recipes for s'mores cookies and cookie bars all over the internet and ever since I've been keeping an eye out for a jar of marshmallow fluff (something else I have no experience with). Today I found a jar of that ingredient during my weekly shopping trip and decided that I'd whip up a batch. "Whip" generally means a quick in-and-out of the kitchen before I move on to more interesting things like quilting and beading or vegging out in front of the TV for a housewives' marathon. This did not happen. 
• 
  
• I had no idea what I was getting into with this marshmallow fluff. Suffice it to say that next time I'm inclined to reach for the epoxy or the Crazy Glue, I might just reach for the fluff instead. After breaking a plastic spatula trying to wrestle it out of the jar and working up a sweat cleaning it off my hands and counter, I have new respect for chemistry in the kitchen.

• 
  
• Ingredients - 16 squares (7 Points Plus per serving)
• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 6 oz dark chocolate chips
• 7.5 jar marshmallow creme/fluff 
• OPTIONAL:  a glass of your favorite wine, beer, or cocktail (see paragraph above and photos below)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking dish or pan.
2. In a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla.  Whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed until combined.
3. Divide the dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared dish or pan. Place dark chocolate chips over the dough. Drop the marshmallow creme or fluff in blobs all over the chocolate, spreading as well as possible. Take the remaining dough and pat out in small pieces on a sheet of waxed paper. Lay over the fluff, smoothing and patching as best you can to cover completely.
4. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

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TASTE NOTES

Notwithstanding my battle with the marshmallow fluff and the ensuing clean up, these cookie bars were absolutely delicious. A little bit is more than enough between the sweetness of the graham cracker cookie and the fluff tempered with the richness of the dark chocolate. If you plan ahead--have that glass of wine at the ready and a sturdy wooden spoon to spoon out the fluff--you can make it out of the kitchen in less time than it took me. I'd also recommend not making these at the same time you're preparing dinner and making caramel for flan. This recipe is definitely a keeper.

Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake

Let me begin this post by saying that I haven't been paid by or even contacted by anyone for product endorsement and the opinions expressed here are solely my own.

It wasn't until I became a serious cook that I started using King Arthur products. I grew up using Gold Medal flour, as I'm sure many people did, and  I didn't expect there to be any difference in my baked goods when I switched brands.  I was wrong and I've been a convert ever since. If you haven't visited the King Arthur website, you should (click here). I've used quite a few of their recipes, mostly for baked goods, and I haven't been disappointed yet. I've never ordered any of the products they sell online, so I won't comment on those, but their flours are available in most grocery stores.

It was my turn to bake for one of my quilt guilds last week and I had bookmarked this recipe for cinnamon streusel coffee cake. If you've followed my blog, you'll know that cinnamon is a favorite ingredient of mine, particularly in baked goods. I've cut and pasted the recipe right from the site. It did take me the 30 minutes to put the cake together, but it was well worth it.

streusel topping

• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt (if you use unsalted butter)
•  1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted (I will definitely use more butter next time, at least 1 1/4 sticks since the crumbs were a bit dry)

filling

• 1 cup brown sugar, light or dark
• 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder

cake

• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon salt (1 ¼ teaspoons if you use unsalted butter)
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
• 1 1/4 cups milk (anything from skim to whole)
• 3 3/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 
  

• Directions

  1) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan, or two 9" round cake pans.

  2) Make the topping by whisking together the sugar, salt, flour, and cinnamon. Add the melted butter, stirring till well combined. Set the topping aside.

  3) Make the filling by mixing together the brown sugar, cinnamon, and cocoa powder. Note that the cocoa powder is used strictly for color, not flavor; leave it out if you like. Set it aside.

  4) To make the cake: In a large bowl, beat together the butter, salt, sugars, baking powder, and vanilla until well combined and smooth.

  5) Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

  6) In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream or yogurt and milk till well combined. You don't need to whisk out all the lumps.

  7) Add the flour to the butter mixture alternately with the milk/sour cream mixture, beating gently to combine.

  8) Pour/spread half the batter (a scant 3 cups) into the prepared pan(s), spreading all the way to the edges. If you're using two 9" round pans, spread 1 1/3 cups batter in each pan.

  9) Sprinkle the filling evenly atop the batter.

  10) Spread the remaining batter atop the filling. Use a table knife to gently swirl the filling into the batter, as though you were making a marble cake. Don't combine filling and batter thoroughly; just swirl the filling through the batter.

  11) Sprinkle the topping over the batter in the pan.

  12) Bake the cake until it's a dark golden brown around the edges; medium-golden with no light patches showing on top, and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 55 to 60 minutes for the 9" x 13" pan, 50 to 55 minutes for the 9" round pans. When pressed gently in the middle, the cake should spring back. (*In fact, I baked my cake for 70 minutes and it probably could have used another 5 minutes, though it was delicious, so the time frame is a guide)

  13) Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool for 20 minutes before cutting and serving. Serve cake right from the pan.

  nutrition information

  Serving Size: 1 slice (98g) Servings Per Batch: 24Amount Per Serving: Calories: 340 Calories from Fat:100 Total Fat: 11g Saturated Fat: 7g Trans Fat: 0g. Cholesterol: 55mg Sodium: 250mg Total Carbohydrate:56g Dietary Fiber: 1g Sugars: 36g Protein: 5g.

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  TASTE NOTES
  

  

  
  

  If you like cinnamon, you will love this cake. If you like streusel topping, you will love this cake. If you like coffee cake, you will love this cake. Seriously, I cannot imagine anyone not loving this cake. I wish it were a vegetable so I could eat it with impunity, but I'd rather enjoy a small piece than never to eat it at all.

Mom's Easter Egg Bread

It's been quite a few years since I've thought about this Easter egg bread. My mom used to make it in a wreath shape and it was quite a novelty then. Since I didn't start eating egg yolks until I was well into adulthood, one of my memories of Easter was all the little yolks lined up in the refrigerator egg tray (where I'd put them for my dad after I ate the egg whites). Back then I don't even remember us refrigerating the colored eggs. I'm sure they sat on the kitchen table in a basket until they were all gone (and none of us died from that action). I also know I was much more interested in eating chocolate bunnies and crosses back then. Through the eyes of an adult, it seems just a bit off that we got these ornate chocolate crosses in our Easter baskets and thought nothing of chomping on them. Holidays always make me nostalgic, and with both mom and dad gone such memories are a way of keeping them alive in my heart.

Once I got it into my head to make this bread, I had to search high and low for mom's recipe. I have quite a few binders and folders filled with recipes and finally found the right one. I decided to make the bread into individual loaves since not much bread gets consumed here and this would make it easy to gift a few out (and let the results end up on someone else's hips). Such generosity!

Makes 1 wreath loaf or 6 individual loaves

1 pkg. active dry yeast
1 1/4 cups milk, scalded then cooled
1/3 cup butter, at room temperature
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup plus 2 tbs. sugar
3 1/2 - 4 cups all purpose flour
salt--a pinch or two
6 raw eggs, dyed
1 egg beaten with 1 tsp milk

multi-colored nonpareils*
* (note that my breads have colored sprinkles; I had run out of nonpareils and didn't realize it until too late)

In a stand mixer, add yeast, slightly cooled milk, butter, beaten eggs, sugar, half the flour, and a pinch of salt. With the dough hook attachment, begin mixing, gradually adding as much of the remaining flour as necessary until the dough is no longer sticky. This should take about 5 minutes. After the first 3 1/2 cups of flour, I add it by 1/8 cup until the right consistency is achieved. Remove the dough to a floured surface and knead about 12 times. Place in a greased bowl, cover,  and let rise in a warm place until doubled, 1 - 2 hours. Meanwhile, color the raw eggs, then refrigerate until ready to use.

When the dough has doubled, punch it down then divide into 3 ropes (for a large wreath) or into 12 ropes (to be twisted into 6 small loaves). Roll out each rope to about 12 inches in length; braid two together, making certain to pinch the ends together and place on a baking sheet with Silpat mats (or a greased baking sheet). Cover again and let rise in a warm place until doubled (about another hour).

Gently place a colored egg in the middle of each loaf, pressing down a bit. Brush loaves with egg wash, then add sprinkles.

Bake at 350 degrees until the tops are golden brown (25-30 minutes). Cool on a rack.

Buona Pasqua!
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TASTE NOTES
Seeing these come out of the oven was a flashback to my childhood. The bread is just a little bit sweet and tastes good with just a bit of butter or with some butter and preserves. The eggs cook up nicely in the oven and round out breakfast or can be saved and made into egg salad later.

Sonya's Chicken and Artichoke Bake

It's a fact of life that if you have more than a five minute conversation with me, at some point the topic of food is going to come up. One of the upsides is that I get inspiration to try new dishes. Sonya, my nail tech, was eating her lunch while I was sitting waiting for my nails to dry and I got to see (and sniff) a dish she'd described to me before, her chicken cutlet and artichoke bake. While it had always sounded like something I would like, getting to smell it sealed the deal. The beauty of this dish is its simplicity. What follows is my rendition:

Serves 2-4
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 egg plus 1 egg white, beaten
flour
panko bread crumbs
vegetable oil

1-2 cans of artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
1/2 cup Italian dressing (feel free to use low fat or fat free)

6 oz yolk free egg noodles
1 cup shredded mozzarella (my addition)

Set up a station to dredge the cutlets in flour, dip in egg, then cover in panko bread crumbs. Place uncovered in the refrigerator for at least a half hour. This helps the bread crumbs adhere to the chicken better. Fry in vegetable oil 3-4 minutes on each side or until browned. Drain on paper towels and let cool for 15-20 minutes (to keep the breading from falling off). Cut into bite sized pieces.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

While the chicken cools, prepare the egg noodles according to package instructions. Drain.

In a 9 X 13 baking dish toss the noodles, chicken, artichokes, and salad dressing. Top with the cheese. Bake 15 minutes or until heated through.
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TASTE NOTES
This was a very simple dish to prepare. I prefer thighs to breasts, but you could certainly use conventional chicken cutlets. I love all the ingredients and so I enjoyed the dish a lot. I will share that I am not a "sauce" person, so you might want to increase the amount of salad dressing if you find the bake dry. Thanks, Sonya, for a new easy weeknight meal.

Seahorses

Saying you're not going to begin a new project until you've completed your UFO's is wonderful in theory, but most quilters I know (myself included) find it almost impossible to do. This is my latest cakewalk, an 18" X 18" wall hanging using a technique developed by Terry Kramzar. It isn't actually quilt-as-you-go, though you do quilt each block individually. Terry presented at our guild last year, and while I didn't take her workshop, I admired the blocks as background and went ahead and experimented with how I thought it was done. I learned my mistakes on the fly and will attempt it again as I think it makes a nice background for beading.

Glazed Vegetables

For some reason, I've only ever glazed carrots. I can't imagine why it never occurred to me to use the same preparation for other vegetables. That changed when this month's Fine Cooking magazine arrived. Food writer Michael Ruhlman waxes poetic about super chef Thomas Keller's "eye opening" lesson on how to glaze vegetables, a preparation often used at Keller's French Laundry.

I typically use chicken or vegetable broth along with a bit of sugar and butter to glaze my carrots. I decided for the purposes of food research to use Keller's version on some cut up butternut squash. The major difference is that Keller uses water, not broth. While there were no hard and fast measurements for the sugar and butter, there were some useful tips about how to ensure the vegetables don't overcook before the liquid, sugar, and butter mixture glazes them. Here's what I did:

3/4 - 1 lb butternut squash, peeled and cut into large chunks
2 tbs unsalted butter
1 tbs sugar
chopped tarragon

Use a large pot that will hold all the vegetables in one or more snug layers. It's important not to spread them out in a huge pot. Add just enough water to cover the vegetables and add the sugar and butter.Bring to a boil over high heat. Check the vegetables after they've been boiling for 10 minutes. If they're cooked through but there's still a lot of liquid in the pot, remove the vegetables and let the liquid continue to cook until it's syrupy, then add the vegetables back in. If the glaze forms before the vegetables are cooked, just add a bit more water and let them cook longer. Mine were done perfectly after 12 minutes of rapid boiling.

The most useful hint was to listen for a "sharp, frenetic bubbling sound, almost a crackle." Ruhlman was right about this. When you hear this sound, lower the heat because the glaze is just about done. Sprinkle with chopped tarragon and serve.
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TASTE NOTES
I was afraid that substituting water for the chicken broth would produce a less flavorful dish, but that was not the case. The suggestions regarding the timing of cooking and the sound to listen for to catch the glaze at precisely the right moment were spot on. That said, while the glazed butternut squash was delicious, I prefer to roast this winter vegetable with some olive oil. That produces a lovely carmelization that just tastes better to me. I will, however, use Keller's method on my usual carrots and on the next bunch of broccoli I buy.

Snickerdoodle Scones

A few months ago I made snickerdoodle bread and while eating it was certainly the best part of the experience, the wonderful smell permeated the house for hours. Since I don't like keeping sweets around the house, but enjoy indulging every now and again, I decided to make something that was already portioned: snickerdoodle scones. I figured I'd use a basic scone recipe and add the spices and some of those wonderful cinnamon chips that I discovered in the chocolate chip aisle.

For the Scones:

1/2 cup sour cream
1 large egg
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup unsalted butter

For the Cinnamon/Sugar Topping:
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together sour cream and egg; refrigerate until needed.
In a separate small bowl, make the cinnamon/sugar topping be stirring together the sugar and cinnamon; set aside.
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cream of tartar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg until combined about five 1-second pulses. Add butter and toss with a fork to cover in flour mixture. Pulse until mixture looks like coarse cornmeal flecked with pea-sized bits of butter, about 10 to 12 pulses. Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl.
Add sour cream mixture to flour mixture; fold with spatula until just combined. With rubber spatula, transfer dough to lightly floured work surface. Knead dough 6 to 8 times, until it just holds together. Shape into an 8-inch circle. Sprinkle with cinnamon topping. With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough into 8 wedges. (I have a scone pan, so I used that.)
Place wedges on prepared baking sheet and bake 15 to 18 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

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TASTE NOTES

Because I wanted to squeeze in my morning walk (yes, there was an element of guilt there), I prepared the scones the night before and placed the pan in the refrigerator. I took them out of the refrigerator and left them on the counter for about 30 minutes before placing them in the oven. The smell drifted downstairs to where I was on the treadmill trying to burn some calories in anticipation of this Sunday morning treat. The scones had a wonderful crumb, were as delicious as they were fragrant, and leftovers have been wrapped in freezer bags to be enjoyed on a future Sunday morning.

Oreo Truffles

The recipe for these easy-to-make truffles was all over the blogosphere this past Christmas and I tasted one at some point, thinking I'd make them sometime when I needed a quick and easy dessert. This month's quilt guild meeting was just the occasion.

Makes 40-45 small truffles
1 (16 oz) package Oreo cookies
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
16 oz semi sweet baking chocolate, melted (you can use the Wilton chips or regular baking chocolate)
OPTIONAL:  small candy cups

Crush 9 of the cookies in a food processor until they are fine crumbs. Set aside. Crush the remaining cookies into fine crumbs and place in a large bowl. Add the softened cream cheese and mix well. Shape the mixture into 45 one-inch balls.

Melt the chocolate in the microwave, heating and stirring in 15 minute increments until it is completely melted.

Set up a station. Use 1 fork to dip the truffle in the melted chocolate, letting the excess drip off. Use a second fork to roll the truffle in the reserved crumbs. Place in a candy cup or on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill before serving.
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TASTE NOTES
While these are not your usual chocolate ganache truffles, how can anything with Oreos in them be bad? They are sweet, chocolaty, and delicious. If you're not a purist, you might want to make them with the colored melts available from Wilton. I saw some wild turquoise and purple melts.

Brickle Brownies

I go back and forth on what kind of brownies I really, really love ( See cake-like brownies), but sometimes nothing but a fudgy, candy-enhanced brownie will do. It doesn't hurt that these brownies are made in one bowl either.

Makes 24
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 X 13 inch baking pan with aluminum foil, letting the foil hang over the short edges (to use to remove the brownies later). Spray with nonstick butter-flavored spray.

1 1/2 cups butter
4 oz semi sweet chocolate
2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup flour
1 cup Heath English toffee bits

In a microwave safe bowl, microwave butter and chocolate in 30 second increments, stirring after each 30 seconds until chocolate is completely melted.  Add sugar, stirring well. Add vanilla and eggs and stir to combine. Add flour and brickle bits and stir thoroughly. Pour into prepared pan and bake 30-35 minutes until a cake tester inserted in the middle of the pan comes out clean. Do not overbake! Cool in the pan or on a rack. Use the aluminum foil to remove from the pan and cool another 30 minutes. Remove foil and cut into 24 brownies.
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TASTE NOTES
When you first see these brownies out of the oven, you may be disappointed that they are very thin. The taste more than makes up for that. These are dense, chewy, and scream for a glass of cold milk.