The Magic Scone Recipe

I love making scones. I've been making scones for years, and the recipe I use is really just a starting point to whatever flavors or ideas I've been wanting to try out. On New Year's Day I baked almond-apricot scones. I figure if I wanted to set a good start to the year to take it in a positive direction, I couldn't do much better than baking scones.

Apricot-Almond Scones

3 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

5 tsp baking baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cardamom

1/2 cup butter, cold

1 egg

1/4 to 1/2 cup milk

1 tsp almond extract

about 1/4 cup slivered or sliced almonds

about 1/4 cup chopped dried apricots

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a baking sheet (I use the wax paper that I take off the stick of butter I am using)

In a large bowl combine dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, spice). Feel free to use brown sugar, or other spices. I found that 1/2 tsp of cardamom was not enough, and I would use more next time.

Cut in butter, either with one of those handy pastry cutter widgets, or two knives.

Beat the egg and 1/4 cup milk in a small bowl with the almond extract. Stir this into flour mixture until moistened. Add more milk a little at a time until the dough holds together well, but is not too wet. Add the almonds and apricots and knead into the dough while in the bowl.

Now you'll want to knead the dough just a bit on a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough in half, and press or roll each half into a circle that is about 1/2 inch thick. Cut each circle into 6 wedges. Put the wedges on your prepped baking sheet, and sprinkle with turbinado sugar (you may have to press the sugar a bit into the top to get it to stick).

Bake about 15 minutes, until they are golden brown and the smell is driving you mad. Enjoy with butter, jam, clotted cream or just a glass of milk.

A Pampered Evening

I've been meaning to post again. In fact, I've been meaning to post two or three more recipes that I've made recently. But for one reason or another I haven't. Tonight was another opportunity, and yet today was not a great day, and by the time I got home I was raging hungry, which meant I was grumpy, which meant that my plans to make a delicious gourmet vegan meal went out the window. J went to get us Chipotle instead, our stand-by take-out meal.

Food definitely helped, but the combination of work disappointment, grumpy-brain and PMS did not succumb to the tasty guacamole. So I felt it only right that a little pampering was in order.

The ingredients: a hot bath with yummy smelling LUSH products, several cookies and a cup of milk, and an oft-read book. Steep one hour, then put on PJs and relax in bed.

What's your recipe for a pampered evening?

2009 Year in Review - Books

According to Goodreads (which is a great site that you should join, by the by) I read 42 books in 2009.

Of those 42 books, 23 of them were a first time read for me. 5 were graphic novels/comic volumes. I read several complete series last year: Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, The Earthsea Cycle, and yes, Twilight. I also read two of the three Millennium books (the third hasn't come out yet).

It seems like less reading than I thought I did, but I don't count how many Manga series I devoured like so many delicious candy cane jo-jo's. Let's just say that it was a lot.

That being said, I do want to read more books this year that I haven't actually read before. The problem with that plan is... which books? I want to read books that are good, so I'm not going to pick up a book and read it if it hasn't been recommended to me. So, know any good ones?

A Delightful Salad for Dinner

One of my goals this year is to try to make one new recipe each week, in the hopes of not only finding some new favorites for our household, but also to really expand my tastes and skills, learn new techniques and combinations, and get introduced to food stuffs that I don't normally use.

My mother gave me a few issues of Martha Stewart's Everyday Food, and I have been looking through them and earmarking several recipes I'd like to try. Her Arugula Salad with Sweet Potatoes and Feta from the November 2009 issue caught my eye. And when we went to the farmer's market on Sunday we found the most beautiful arugula bunches, so of course we got one. I already had some sweet potatoes in the pantry, and instead of feta I decided to use the creamy blue cheese that we had leftover from our cheese-filled New Year's Eve celebration. I added the walnuts because we just bought a half pound of lovely local walnuts from the farmer's market, and I thought they would be a great addition. The dressing originally called for fresh orange juice and orange zest, but with no oranges in the house I just made do with what we had already, and it turned out to be a delightful combination.



Adapted from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food, November 2009

Arugula Salad with Sweet Potatoes

Peel and cut about 1 pound sweet potatoes into 1 1/2 inch chunks. I used about 3 medium potatoes for two of us. Toss them with some olive oil, put onto a rimmed baking sheet. Season with fresh ground pepper and salt to taste. Bake at 450 for about 20 minutes until tenter and browned a bit. Let cool while prepping the rest of the salad.

Prep two plates with washed and trimmed arugula. Chop up about 1/4 cup walnuts, and less than 1/4 cup creamy blue cheese. Of course, use as much or as little of either as you like.

In a medium bowl whisk together 2 tbps olive oil, 1tbsp lemon juice, and 1 tbsp apple juice (I recommend organic unfiltered). Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the potatoes to the dressing and mix to coat. Spoon onto each salad, spoon remaining dressing from bowl onto salad, and top with nuts and cheese.

White Rabbit!

For the past few years I have picked up the habit of saying White Rabbit to my friends on the first of the month. I'm not consistent about it (what *am* I consistent about?) but it's something that I like to do. It's my way of wishing my loved ones a good and lucky month.

Reading the wikipedia article on the superstition is quite interesting, as there are many many variations and origins of this habit. Check it out if you're interested: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit_rabbit

And White Rabbit to you, on this first day of this first month of 2010!

What a chore.

Of all the household chores, there is one I dread above all others.

I don't mind dishes, laundry is really not a problem. I don't even mind cleaning the toilet.

It's the bath. I HATE cleaning the bathtub.

Maybe because it's large. And generally requires a lot of scrubbing. And you tend to get wet while cleaning it. For whatever reason, I hate cleaning the bathtub. I hate cleaning the bathtub even more than I hate vacuuming, and that's saying something.

Tonight I cleaned the bathtub. This week I've been doing a little cleaning up each night - last night I did the toilet and bathroom sink, but just didn't have the energy to do the tub as well. Tonight was cat litter boxes, and the dreaded tub.

I must say, however, that since I switched to cleaning with all natural products, it's a much better experience. You remember those horrible toxic fumes that come from using harsh chemical cleaners? None for me, thanks. I like to breathe while I work vigorously on scrubbing the soap scum off the faucet. How can I scrub so effectively without all those crazy chemicals? Baking soda. It's a miracle cleaner. Also, white vinegar. With those two ingredients you can pretty much keep your house sparkling clean and sanitized for very little cash. And the best part about them (other than keeping toxic evilness out of our ground-water) is the fact that you don't pass out from the fumes!

Best. Cupcake. Ever.

The title of my blog refers to cupcakes, and I have yet to post anything about cupcakes! Muffins, yes, but not yet cupcakes. Well, goodness, let's remedy that right now.



Last Thursday night I baked two dozen cupcakes. And made homemade frosting for them as well. Granted, I did not frost them right then, but it was still quite a long night. I made them for a little get together with the girls from work - I figured chocolate cupcakes are always a welcome contribution to any gathering.

And these cupcakes are literally the best cupcakes ever. Whenever I want to make cupcakes, I want to make these. They are the perfect combination of chocolatey, cakey, moist, and tender. Add to that the fluffy vanilla buttercream frosting, and they instantly transport you to cupcake heaven. These cupcakes had a supporting role in our wedding, and everyone was enchanted by them.

And the best part is the disbelief on your guests' faces when you announce (after they have eaten one or two or three) that they are vegan. No dairy products at all, not even in the buttercream frosting. "Amazing!" they exclaim. "Astounding!" they cry forth. "These are healthy?" they ask, reaching for yet another. No, no they are not healthy. Vegan does not exactly mean healthy. These cupcakes still contain sugar, and some fat. I think they are better for you than regular ones, but one cannot be fooled into thinking they are health food.

The recipe for these most amazing and delicious cupcakes comes from the book "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. Everyone who has ever cared about cupcakes should own this delightful little book, and should buy several copies to give out to people they care about. Not only is the book a smaller format than a regular giant cookbook (entirely appropriate for a cookbook detailing recipes for the cutest of all cakes), it's filled with pretty pictures, tips, tricks, and snappy writing.

I'm including the recipe below because I originally found it online, tried it out, and of course that prompted me to immediately long for the book. I'm hoping you'll feel the same way, and run out and buy that cute little book immediately.



Basic (Vegan) Chocolate Cupcake

1 cup soy milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
¾ cup granulated sugar
⅓ cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract, chocolate extract, or more vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
⅓ cup cocoa powder, Dutch-processed or regular
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
Vegan Fluffy Buttercream Frosting

Preheat oven to 350°F and line a muffin pan with paper or foil liners.

Whisk together the soy milk and vinegar in a large bowl, and set aside for a few minutes to curdle. Add the sugar, oil, vanilla extract, and other extract, if using, to the soy milk mixture and beat until foamy. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add in two batches to wet ingredients and beat until no large lumps remain (a few tiny lumps are OK).

Pour into liners, filling 3/4 of the way. Bake 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.

Vegan Fluffy Buttercream Frosting

½ cup nonhydrogenated shortening
½ cup nonhydrogenated margarine, we use Earth Balance
3 ½ cups powdered sugar, sifted if clumpy
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ cup plain soy milk or soy creamer

Beat the shortening and margarine together until well combined and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat for about 3 more minutes. (Holly's note: I find that adding the sugar in half cup increments works SO MUCH BETTER than trying to add all the sugar at once)

Add the vanilla and soy milk, and beat for another 5 to 7 minutes until fluffy.