Sausage Pepper Jack Scones

This recipe is from my friend Debra at Debra's Kitchen. She does some great catering work and can be found on the Square in Liberty during the summer at the market.

3 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 ½ cups shredded Pepper Jack cheese
1 pound sausage, cooked (I use half regular and half spicy)
¾ to 1 ½ cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 400. In the mixer, combine the flour, baking powder and salt on low speed. With the mixer running, gradually add the cubes of butter until the mixture is crumbly and studded with flour-butter bits about the size of small peas. Add the cheese and mix just until blended.

Add the sausage and ¾ cup of the buttermilk to the flour and cheese mixture. Mix by hand just until all the ingredients are incorporated. If the dough is too dry to hold together, use the remaining buttermilk, adding 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough is pliable and can be formed into a ball. Stir as little as possible to ensure a light-textured scone.

Remove the dough from the bowl and place it on a lightly flour flat surface. Pat the dough into a ball. Using a well-floured rolling pin, flatten the dough into a circle about 8 inches wide and ½ inch thick. Cut the dough into 8 equal wedges.

Place the scones on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown and no longer sticky in the middle.

Honey-Glazed Chicken Thighs

Yum, yum, quick and healthy. This was originally published in Cooking Light magazine.

Serves 4

2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin (or 1/2 t for less heat)
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
Cooking spray
6 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons cider vinegar

Preheat broiler. Combine first 6 spice ingredients in a large bowl. Add chicken to bowl; toss to coat. Place chicken on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Broil chicken 5 minutes on each side.

Combine honey and vinegar in a small bowl, stirring well. Remove chicken from oven; brush 1/4 cup honey mixture on chicken (or just dip each piece in the mixture). Broil 1 minute. Remove chicken from oven and turn over. Brush other side with remaining honey mixture. Broil 1 additional minute or until chicken is done.

Roasted Cauliflower

1 head cauliflower (about 2 pounds), cut into bite-size florets (about 8 cups)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons roughly chopped fresh thyme leaves

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Toss the cauliflower with the olive oil, garlic, and red pepper on a baking sheet; sprinkle with the salt and thyme and toss again. Roast until golden and tender, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve.

Butternut Squash and Leek Soup

Yum, Yum, Yum, Yum…Yum. Eating healthy never tasted so good. Were we just starving last night or was this a great combination? I’ll try it again next week and see. It began with a goal of healthy meal planning. After a season of not going to the grocery store on a regular basis with a 6 day meal plan, I am determined to get back on track. 1 beef, 1 pork, 1 chicken, 1 fish and 2 veggie meals. This was supposed to be one of my veggie meals but I forgot to replace the chicken stock with vegetable stock. So close… The original recipes of Butternut Squash and Leek Soup and Roasted Cauliflower called for fresh thyme. But as I searched my refrigerator I realized that I only had rosemary. So good – I’ll always use rosemary in the future. And I got double duty out of my rosemary by using it to infuse the soup and then chopping it up and including it in the Roasted Cauliflower.

Butternut Squash and Leek Soup
(adapted from Food and Wine Magazine)

4 1/2 pounds butternut squash, halved lengthwise
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 large leeks, white and tender green parts, coarsely chopped (I only had one large leek, so I added a sweet onion, chopped)
3 fresh rosemary sprigs or 1 teaspoon dried
5 cups chicken stock or unsalted canned broth, or vegetable stock
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup sour cream
About 3 tablespoons chopped chives (optional)

Finish with 2- 4 T apple cider vinegar 

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°. Place the squash, cut side down, on a baking sheet and bake until tender, about 40 minutes. Let cool slightly. Using a spoon, scoop out and discard the seeds. Scrape the squash from the skin.

Meanwhile, in a large heavy saucepan or flameproof casserole, melt the butter over low heat. Add the leeks and rosemary and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and browned, about 40 minutes. Discard the rosemary sprigs after about 20 minutes and reserve for the Roasted Cauliflower.

Stir in the stock and the squash. Simmer over moderate heat for 20 minutes. In a blender or food processor, puree the soup in batches until smooth. Pour the soup back into the pan and season with the salt and pepper.  Finish with 2-4 T apple cider vinegar to taste

To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and garnish each serving with 1 tablespoon sour cream and 1 teaspoon chives


To Make Ahead
The recipe can be prepared through Step Three up to 2 days ahead. Reheat the soup before proceeding.

Roasted Cauliflower

(adapted from Television Food Network

1 head cauliflower (about 2 pounds), cut into bite-size florets (about 8 cups)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons roughly chopped fresh rosemary leaves, reserved from Butternut Squash and Leek Soup

Directions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Toss the cauliflower with the olive oil, garlic, and red pepper on a baking sheet; sprinkle with the salt and thyme and toss again. Roast until golden and tender, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve.

Chai Tea

I'm always on the look out for an authentic Chai Tea recipe While this one definitely sounds good, I'm dubious about it coming any where near what we had in India. Pretty sure I'll never get that wonderful, oily skim layer on the top.

Regardless, I am grateful to Pham Fatale for posting this recipe...
http://www.phamfatale.com/id_72/title_Bajis-Masala-Chai/

Yields: 12

12 cups water 2 sticks cinnamon, broken in half
30 cardamom pods, crushed with a mallet
4 cloves 1 (2-inch) chunk fresh ginger (optional), thinly sliced
5 cups organic whole milk
1 can evaporated milk
8 black tea bags

Preparation
Fill a large pot with water. Add the cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and ginger and bring to a boil. Cover and turn the heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes.Add the milk, evaporated milk and sugar and bring to a simmer again. Add the tea bags, cover, and turn off the heat. Let the tea steep for no more than 4 minutes otherwise the tea will release its acidity. Strain the tea and serve immediately. It should be hot and fragrant. I also like to add a dash of heavy cream (Don't feel guilty, just enjoy the creaminess) Serve with tea cakes or cookies. Time to relax and enjoy!

Connie's Meatloaf

I have never made a decent meatloaf in my life. How hard can it be? My friend and co-worker Connie suggests that I try this recipe.

1/2 c ketchup
1/3 c brown sugar
1 1/2 t mustard
2 t vinegar
1/2 t nutmeg
2 lb ground beef
2 eggs
1 c cornflake crumbs
2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
2 T minced parsley
1 onion chapped

Prepare the sauce: In a small bowl mix the first 5 ingredients; set aside.

Prepare the meatloaf: Combine the remaining ingredients; mix lightly. Stir in 1/2 sauce mixture. Put into loaf pan and bake 350 for 1 hour. Cover with remaining sauce and bake for 30 additional minutes.