Caramel Apple Scones

Okay, these scones are just phenomenal.  Seriously.  Make them.  I am considering whipping up a batch of these babies right now since I just found out that we have yet another snow day.  Also, since there are not enough days built into the year, I might be going to school until July at this point.  I mean, we might even have another day off tomorrow.

With all this time off, I have been working out, cooking, and blogging.  I keep telling myself to be productive and get ahead on schoolwork, but I am currently enjoying a glass of wine while watching the Grammys instead.  I don't have any regrets.

But seriously, I should be productive.  With all this first year of teaching thing, I am now also taking two courses to further my own education and go for my Illinois license.  So, I have lesson plans and my own homework!  So far, the classes are interesting and not too much work.  I know there are some projects on my horizon and so I want to try to get ahead so that I do not feel too overwhelmed when things become more intense.

However, I am still just sitting around planning recipes instead.  In fact, I just made these amazing Baked French Fries with a Homemade Cheese Sauce as well as a huge pot of Healthy Vegetable Soup.  Yum!  And tomorrow, I am planning a crock-pot meal of Chicken Marsala so that I have lunch/dinner ready for the rest of the week! I guess that is productivity in its own right...right?  I love being able to do all this and sleep in, but I know that I will have to go back to reality eventually and schoolwork is just as important!

Caramel Apple Scones
(adapted from Recipe Girl)

Ingredients:
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 granny smith apple, peeled and diced
2 tsp cinnamon
3 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes
1 cup non fat plain greek yogurt (I used Chobani)
1 tsp vanilla
Caramel Icing:
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp skim milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a pan over medium heat, melt butter.  Place diced apple and cinnamon in the pan and cook until apples soften, about 5-7 minutes.  Turn off heat.
3. In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, and baking powder.  Using a fork or pastry cutter, cut in the butter until just combined.  Stir in the yogurt, vanilla, and apples.  Mixture will be lumpy.  Do not over work it too much.  Roll out the mixture on a lightly floured surface or piece of parchment paper until you have it formed into a rectangle about 4-5 inches in width.  Cut diagonally into scone (triangle) shaped pieces.  Place on parchment lined baking sheet.

4. Bake for about 15 minutes or until scones have risen and bottoms begin to brown.  Let cool.
5. While baking, make the caramel sauce: in a medium saucepan, melt butter and stir in brown sugar and milk until well combined.  Whisk for a minute.  Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla and powdered sugar until well combined.  Drizzle over finished scones.

Enjoy :)

Chocolate Chip Scones with Vanilla Glaze

Good Morning! Today I have a great recipe to share.  I made these amazing scones to bring in as a breakfast treat for our last student teacher meeting.  Every Monday, one of the teachers at the middle school would meet with all the student teachers.  This sort of "support group" was a great way to stay in touch with the school, learn about teaching, and be open to talking to each other about our experiences.  We talked about stresses in our university classes, difficulties with student teaching, and successes both through school and our outside lives.  On top of these therapy sessions, we learned about practices used at the school for discipline, school culture, and teacher collaboration.  We heard from guest speakers such as the vice principal and a first year teacher.  Also, we got to see sample interview questions.  These meetings were incredibly informative and helped me to feel even more part of the school.  It was great to have this as a support system in my first semester student teaching.  I can't believe that we arrived at our last meeting and that in a few short days, I will be off to high school.  I hope to find ways to continue to connect with staff and students as I enter my next semester of student teaching.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Scones with Vanilla Glaze (adapted from Food Network)

Ingredients:
2 cups white whole wheat flour
4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup sugar
6 tbsp unsalted butter
3/4 cup Non-Fat Greek Yogurt (I used Vanilla Chobani)
1 egg
3/4 cup chocolate chips
Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 375 and lightly grease a baking sheet.
2.  In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar together.  Cut in the butter and using your hands, pinch the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles wet sand.
3.  In a separate bowl, combine the greek yogurt with the egg.  Pour into the flour mixture and stir to combine.  Do not over mix.  Stir in chocolate chips.
4.  Form the dough into a ball and press into a circle.  The circle should be about as thick as your hand.  Cut the circle like a pizza to form 8-12 wedges.  Place on the baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Let cool.
5.  Make the glaze by mixing all the ingredients together.  For a thicker glaze, add more sugar, for a thinner glaze, add more milk.  Brush over cooled scones.

Enjoy :)

Pumpkin Spice Scones

Sundays are the perfect day to whip up a nice batch of scones.  That is why I am sharing this recipe today! I found the original recipe at Bespangled and she described the scones as "inspired by Starbucks." Now, I LOVE coffee, I LOVE scones, and I LOVE Pumpkin Spice Latte Season.  So, this recipe for Pumpkin Spice Scones sounded just perfect to pair with a pumpkin spice latte!  I am working on the Pumpkin Spice Latte idea, but here are the scones.  I adapted the recipe to use some lighter ingredients and it tasted fabulous! I brought them to study night and my DTS taste testers all agreed that these were just amazing.  I must admit, I may or may not have licked the spoon I used to make the glaze when I was done and it was crazy good.  Beware of that glaze and enjoy these scones!

Pumpkin Spice Scones

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
3 tbsp half and half
Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp skim milk
Pumpkin Spice Glaze:
1 cup + 3 tbsp powdered sugar
2 tbsp skim milk
1/2 tbsp pumpkin puree
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
dash of cinnamon

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.  Stir in the melted butter until you have a mixture that resembles wet sand.  Use your hands to pinch the butter through the flour mixture.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk the pumpkin puree, egg, and half and half until well combined.  Pour in the flour mixture and stir until just combined.
4. Place the dough on some parchment paper and form it into a rectangle about a foot long, 4-5 inches wide, and 1 inch thick.  Using a knife, cut this into thirds and then cut each third into 8 pieces by cutting diagonally, horizontally and vertically.  You will end up with 24 mini triangles.

5.  Place on parchment lined sheet and bake for 12 minutes.  Let cool.
6. Make both glazes: make the basic glaze by stirring the milk into the powdered sugar until well combined.  Make the pumpkin glaze by stirring all the ingredients together until well combined.  If you want a thicker glaze, add more sugar and if you want a thinner glaze, add more milk.
7.  Spread the basic glaze over each cooled scone and then drizzle the pumpkin glaze over the top.

Enjoy :)

Dodgeball

Today we have the well anticipated game of Dodgeball.  DTS is participating as a Dodgeball team the the Dodge-for-a-Cause Tournament.  I am slightly nervous because if it is anything like the last dodgeball tournament I participated in, we are going to get creamed!

Action shot...

Yes, that is me getting hit...needless to say, I am scared. I am also pretty excited.  I get to spend some time with DTS playing one of the greatest games ever.  Also, win or lose, my friend Max is making stir-fry and a broccoli slaw salad for dinner!

Max and I go WAY back...like all the way to kindergarten.  Now that we are in college together, we get together fairly often to try out different restaurants in Madison or make our own dinner.  Last year, when I had an apartment, I cooked dinner all the time and I would invite Max over.  This year, we have a chef for my house and so I have not spent as much time with substantial meals.  Instead, I do a lot of baking.  However, on the weekends there is no chef and I have to figure out something else for food.  I can't wait to see what Max cooks up tonight.  I, of course, offered to do dessert and since the last batch of scones came out so great, I think I am going to try another!

This time, per request of Max, I am going to make some cranberry-orange scones and since I have some lying around, I am going to throw in a white-chocolate glaze!  I can't wait for this amazing dinner...yum!

Cranberry Orange Scones

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp orange extract
1 1/4 cups half and half
1 cup fresh cranberries

Glaze:
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
2 tbsp milk

Roll out the dough

Directions:

Right out of the oven

1. Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl
2. Mix half and half with the orange extract
3. Pour half and half mixture into the dry ingredients and combine with a fork.  Do not over mix. Add in the cranberries.  The mixture should be dry so add some flour if necessary.
4. Roll out the dough onto a lightly floured service and slice into wedges.
5. Bake at 400 degrees for about 13-15 minutes.  While baking, melt the white chocolate in the microwave and stir in the milk.  When scones are done, drizzle glaze over the scones.
Enjoy :)

Dancing and Scones

Currently, I am sitting backstage at the OPTIMA Dance Show.  OPTIMA is a dance organization at the University of Wisconsin where students choreograph and students perform.  I have an insanely busy schedule with my fraternity, job, and academics.  In OPTIMA you can do as many dances as you want.  Therefore, this organization is perfect for me!  I am only in one dance for this show and thus, I have a lot of waiting to do before I perform.

Check out some of these great photos from our dress rehearsal:

My Dance: Poison and Wine

OPTIMA Dance

Kimmy and Amy are two girls who are also in the show and they are pretty awesome.  They are helping me be creative with this post as we speak!  Kimmy and I work together as Information Guides for the Visitor Information Program at UW.  While at work, I am usually talking about food and what I am excited about making.  Kimmy pointed out that I should not tempt them with my delicious food stories without offering some food to try.  I took this advice to heart, and now I bring in whatever I happen to be making for almost every shift.  This way, my coworkers can stop drooling over my stories and feeling left out and I get advice on things to make and how to improve what I am making.

Exhibit A: Kimmy suggested chocolate chip scones.  Ever since that suggestion, I have not stopped looking for the perfect scone recipe to wow Kimmy. 

I think I have found the perfect one...I usually like to find recipes that are amazing, but also not awful for your health.  Scones provided me with quite the struggle.  However, I found a recipe that attempted to make these treats slightly less awful while still tasting amazing. Plus, they are orangey and chocolaty!

I made these after dinner with my friend Margo.  I was super nervous because I had never really just made up a recipe before.  However, these came out AMAZING.  Seriously, you have to try them!  I believe this is the beginning of a new love affair with scones.

Here it goes:


Orange Chocolate Chip Scones 

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp orange extract
1 1/4 cups half and half (or heavy cream) 
1 cup milk chocolate chips 

Eggwash:
1 egg
1 tbsp of cold water


Directions:
1. Mix the dry ingredients together.

Oven Ready!

2. Mix the half and half with the orange extract.  Then whisk the half and half into the dry ingredients.  Mixture should be dry, so add some flour if necessary. Mix in the chocolate chips.
3. Spread mixture over a lightly floured surface and slice into wedges. I made mine mini scones.
4. Brush each scone with the egg wash and sprinkle with some sugar. (Margo got a little crazy with the sugar :))
5. Bake at 400 degrees for about 13-14 minutes.

Enjoy :)