Chocolate Chip Scones and Campblogaway

I am not a morning person, but I love breakfast.  What's a gal to do?  Make these flaky Chocolate Chip Scones, (freeze them before baking) and just pop one in the oven for 15 minutes while making my morning coffee.  

Of course, no one is going to blame me for having one with an afternoon tea, or a midnight snack while watching a taped segment of Shark Tank, either.  

The key to these flaky scones is in the ingredients.  Using good chocolate makes a huge difference.  Using a great quality butter is an absolute.  Many of the European butters are wonderful, and for mine I used Kerrygold butter.

I'm not kidding when I tell you, Kerrygold is luscious and it will make you butter a scone.  I know my friends from "ye ol'London-town" are gasping out loud at the idea of using butter on a scone, but I couldn't help it.  I was taking the pictures for this post, the scones were fresh, hot out of the oven, the Kerrygold package was sitting there and then I opened it. 

A moment later I had smeared it on the inside of my scone and eaten half of it while moaning in a butter induced dream. 

I learned a lot about Kerrygold butter and cheeses while I was at sleep-away camp.  It wasn't when I was a kid, I went to camp last week.  Crazy, right?  It's called CampBlogAway and it's a blast.  This was my second year (see last year's post here for Avocado Bacon Margarita.)

I slept in a cabin with a FoodBlogging buddy:

Cheryl from BlackGirlChefsWhites.com

I took walks in the beautiful San Bernardino enclave known as de Benneville Pines-

We toasted S'mores over the fireplace at night.

Patti (WorthTheWhisk & Creator of CampBlogAway), Priscilla (She'sCookin), Dara (CookinCanuck) with Rachel (LaFujiMama)

CampBlogAway is a chance for Foodbloggers to hangout with other peeps who like to talk/write/photograph/eat and marvel over food.

There were many wonderful sponsors:

Wente Wines

Roland Food

National Honey Board, National Mango Board, Kerrygold Butter and Cheese

Paperchef Products

 We had beautiful salads made by Nancy of Melissa's Produce.

Nancy, Stacy, Dorothy (Shockingly Delicious)

We had breakout sessions where other bloggers lead discussions on topics of interest (like Sarah from AverageBetty.com lead a session on Video.)

Throughout the day we also had speakers (people with experience in journalism, internet matters and techniques) telling their personal stories of growth and gladly answering our questions.  

It's not a stuffy conference where everyone is straining to hear or see the screen.  It's casual.  It's friendly.  It's camp!  

If you have "camp envy", go to CampBlogAway.com and get ready for next year's camp on Memorial Weekend, 2013.

If you have "Scones made with butter so good it will make you butter a scone-envy", make these:

Recipe:  Chocolate Chip Scones

1 1/4 cup Flour (plus more for board)

1 Tablespoon Sugar

1 Teaspoon Baking Powder

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

2 oz. (4 Tablespoons Butter, preferably Kerrygold) cold, cut into small cubes

1 Egg

2 Tablespoon Sour Cream

2 Tablespoon Milk

1/3 Cup Chocolate Chips

1)  In a bowl, whisk together Flour, Sugar, Baking Powder and salt.

2)  Toss in the Kerrygold Butter cubes and using your fingertips, rub the cubes into the flour just to break them up a bit.

3)  Add the Chocolate Chips into dry ingredients and toss to coat.

4)  In a separate bowl, whisk the Egg, then whisk in Sour Cream and Milk.

5)  Using a fork, stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until combined.

6)  Pull the dough together with your hands and place on a well floured board.  Roll over once to coat with flour, pat into a disk (approx. 8 inches round).

7)  Cut into fourths, then cut each fourth in half to make 8 small triangle shaped scones in total.

8)  Place on a parchment covered baking sheet and bake in a preheated 375-400F oven for 18-20 minutes.

***These can also be frozen on the tray before baking, then bagged and kept in the freezer for several weeks.  Take out as needed, place on a baking sheet or toaster oven tray and bake for 20 minutes in a preheated 375-400F oven.***

Bacon Studded Polenta with Tomato Gravy - Ciao, Yawl!

Bacon Studded Polenta with Tomato Gravy~

Some of us were born to color outside the lines, inside the lines and sometimes draw our own lines.  Combining Italian Polenta with crispy bacon bits, then smothering it with a deep Southern Tomato Gravy is one of those meals where the lines between the countries get blurred.  What comes out of this marriage of "Ciao and Chow" is good country eating, no matter what country you're talking about.

And speaking of countries, this month the Lets Lunch Bunch (my virtual lunch buddies from all over the globe) are celebrating a very special debut of a new cookbook:

Cowgirl Chef: Texas Cooking with a French accent.

Ellise (Cowgirl Chef) is a true Texan who has been living, learning, teaching, growing and loving in Paris, France for the last few years.  Her story of how she embraced her authentic and true self, talents and dreams by meeting the challenge of a brand new environment is inspiring (and the recipes are down right "must-makes.")  Ellise is one of the original foodbloggers to start our unique monthly lunch meeting online several years ago.  I was there for the very first one and we all made our own versions of a BLT sandwich.  It's a great example of one of the good things that come from our tech-driven journey.

This month's challenge was to create and share a meal that represented our own past experiences and another country, too (ala: Texas and France.)  

Picking something Italian was a no-brainer for me.  I've been obsessed with all things Italian for many years and will be fortunate enough to be packing this week to visit our good friends in Cossignano, Italy and stay at their Organic Agriturismo (Fiorano.)  Paolo and Paola are part of the Slow Food Movement and are very active in Organic wines, foods and conservation. 

Agriturismo Fiorano in Le Marche

I speak a little Italian from years of studying and soaking it up, although it seems to be with a good ol' Southern twang no matter how hard I try to pretend.

My grandmothers in North Carolina made Tomato Gravy and poured it over biscuits, toast, rice and grits.  It's a poor man's marinara sauce and it's packed with tomato bits, bacon flavor and rich roux.

Polenta is ground corn meal and considered an Italian comfort food.  Depending on the region, it's served warm and loose like soupy grits, or thick and cut into sections or even baked.  If you've seen the pre-made tubes of something they call Polenta in grocery stores, please don't judge Polenta by that gross congealed yellow tube food product (smiling, but serious.)  

Making Polenta is as easy as rice. There are just a few tips for making it successfully:

1)  When the liquid begins to simmer, rain in the Polenta grains.  This means do NOT pour it all in (that makes it clump.)  Rain it in, sprinkling it gradually and stirring while it goes.

2)  Reduce heat and stir often so not to scorch the Polenta.

3)  Keep in mind, it's easy to add a little more liquid if it's too thick, but not so easy to make it thicker if you add too much liquid too quickly.

4)  Adding butter makes it a little bit looser, cheese will make it a bit thicker.

The liquid used in Polenta, like rice, can be water or stock, milk, or something in your imaginative recipe developing "coloring book."

When I made this Bacon Studded Polenta smothered in Tomato Gravy, I also ate almost the whole plate of it.  So, be careful. :D

Check below to see the many varied and delectable recipes of country fusion cooking from other Let's Lunch pals: 

Chery's Goin Pork Curry Tacos at Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan
Eleanor‘s  Wok Picadillo at Wok Star
Ellise‘s Salty Lime Sablés (Margarita Cookies) at Cowgirl Chef
Emma‘s Kimchi Bulgogi Nachos at Dreaming of Pots And Pans
Felicia‘s Mexican-Lebanese Hummus at Burnt-Out Baker
Grace‘s Taiwanese Fried Chicken at HapaMama
Jill‘s Southern Pimento-Stuffed Knishes at Eating My Words
Joe‘s Grilled KimCheese Sandwich at Joe Yonan
Karen‘s Ukrainian-German Cabbage Rolls at GeoFooding
Leigh‘s Venezuelan-Italian Cachapas Con Queso at Leigh Nannini
Linda‘s Project Runway Pelau: Rice & Beans Trinidad-Style at Spicebox Travels
Linda‘s Edible Salad Totes at Free Range Cookies
Lisa‘s Sunday Night Jewish-Chinese Brisket at Monday Morning Cooking Club
Lucy‘s Coconut Rice Pudding with Mango at A Cook And Her Books
Nancie‘s Chili-Cheese Biscuits with Avocado Butter at Nancie McDermott
Rashda‘s Mango Cobbler at Hot Curries & Cold Beer
Renee‘s Asian-Spiced Quick Pickles at My Kitchen And I
Steff‘s Chicken Fried Steak at The Kitchen Trials
Vivian‘s Funky Fusion Linguini at Vivian Pei
*********

Recipe: Bacon Studded Italian Polenta-

3-4 pieces of Bacon

1 cup Nonfat Milk

1 cup Water

2 Tbls. Butter

salt, pepper

1)  In a skillet, cook the bacon on Med. until crispy, remove and chop into small pieces. Pour off the fat/grease and save for the Tomato Gravy.  Save the bacon coated skillet for cooking the gravy in also.

2)  In a deep saucepan, bring the water, milk, salt and pepper to a low simmer, stirring so the milk doesn't curdle.

3)  Rain in the Polenta, stirring constantly until the Polenta is creamy.  

4)  Reduce the heat to low, stir often so it doesn't scorch.  Now is when to add a bit more liquid if needed. Stir in the bacon pieces now.  Cook and stir often for about 15 minutes.  The Polenta should be thick for this recipe.

5)  Stir in the butter and turn out into a buttered 8x8 baking pan. Leave to room temp or chill for later.

Press into a buttered baking dish

6)  Before serving, cut into squares and triangles and broil or fry for just a couple minutes until crisp on the outside. *It can also be used without this step.

Recipe:  Tomato Gravy

1/4 cup Bacon fat (use butter if there's not enough bacon fat)

1/4 cup Flour

2-3 Tomatoes (peeled, chopped)

2 cups Stock (veggie or chicken) warmed

salt/pepper

1) Using the same pan the bacon was cooked in, add the bacon fat/butter and the flour, salt and pepper.  Cook and whisk on Med. until light brown and a nice roux has been created.

 

2)  Add the chopped tomatoes and any reserved juice from chopping.  Lower heat to Low/Med and Whisk together.

3)  Slowly whisk in the warmed stock and continue cooking on Low for about 15-20 minutes.  If it's too thick, add a little water or more stock a little at a time.  Season to taste.

4)  Serve poured over the Polenta or biscuits, rice or scrambled eggs. Mmmmm.

Congrats to Cowgirl Chef!  Hope to see you on tour!

Drunken Grapes with Wine Poached Shrimp

Drunken Grapes with Wine Poached Shrimp

So many people loved my Drunken Grapes with Goat Cheese that I decided to get more grapes drunk and see what happened.  This time, I soaked the seedless yummies in a nice bright Smoking Loon Chardonnay.  

I'll admit some of the fun was popping a few of these while I decided what to do next.

 

With the rest of the white wine just sitting there staring at me, I was inspired to use it for poaching a few shrimps.  It was so easy, I'm almost embarrassed to put it into a recipe form, but I'm too food-nerdy to not do it.

 

 It probably doesn't come as a shock to find out that crisp Chardonnay, grapes, Herbs de Provence and large fresh lightly poached Shrimp are delicious together, right?

These are easily prepped ahead and chilled, making them perfect Spring, Summer and anytime party favorites.  Pour it, soak it, poach it and serve it, guys.  Party on with ya bad selves! :D

Recipe: Drunken Grapes with Wine Poached Shrimp-

1 bunch seedless grapes

1 bottle Chardonnay (or another light white wine)

1 Dozen large (21count,etc) Fresh frozen Tiger Shrimp in the shells

1 cup water

1 Tbls. Herbs De Provence (or mixture of dried basil, thyme, lavender, savory, fennel, etc)

**Optional - Fresh parsley, fennel fronds or dill chopped fine

1)  Put the picked grapes into a container and pour the wine to cover.  Let soak for at least 2 hours, or up to 3 days in the fridge.

2)  Pour the rest of the wine (at least 1-2 cups) into a deep saucepan or skillet, add the herbs and the water.

3) Bring to a boil, then immediately turn down the heat to a bare simmer, no rolling.  Add the shrimp and poach (below the boiling point) for about 3-5 minutes.  Drain the shrimp and chill.

4)  Peel the shrimp and assemble by putting one grape inside the curl of each shrimp and attach with an appetizer pick or skewer.

5)  Arrange on a bed of finely chopped fresh parsley, fennel fronds or dill.  Serve chilled or room temp.

Drunken Grapes with Wine Poached Shrimp by SHOWFOODCHEF~

Sweet Bok Choy Smoothie

There are a plethora of Green Smoothie recipes out there, but this one uses Bok Choy and is just so naturally sweet.

I've been traveling, which also means I've been eating non-stop. So, it's payback time, which means a couple days of protein juices and green smoothies for me. It's a way of hitting the re-set button for my body. After a couple days I'm more clear headed and can make better food choices naturally. It's what works for me. I've never been one to follow fad diets and I've always said it's just science; if you burn more calories than you take in there will be weight loss or at least maintenance. It doesn't make it easy, and it doesn't mean I do it, but it's still true.During my travels I visited New York. So, 'nuff said, right? How can you be in New York and not eat at Shake Shack, or Eataly, Back Forty West or Gennaro's? How can you not have a cupcake at Magnolias and a drink with appetizers at Saxon and Parole?Then I was in Boston (with their Oysters and Seafoods), then to North Carolina (I can't NOT eat Carolina Barbecue, it's a sin), and then Chicago (Rick Bayless is in Chicago, for goodness sake.) I'm only human.

When I returned home to Los Angeles there was a box from my Farm-to-Door program waiting for me. It was full of greens, and fruits and fresh healthy foods to help me get back on track. I'm loving these Green Shakes this year, and the combinations are limitless. I found that using Bok Choy, which has such a mild and light taste, made the shake naturally sweet and very easy to slurp right down to the last bit. Let me know if you have other combos you've been trying, and I hope your travels are tasty.Recipe: Sweet Bok Choy Smoothie

1 Bunch Fresh Bok Choy (loose chop)
1/2 Avocado
1/2 Orange (juice and zest)
1/2 Lemon (juice and zest)
1 apple (cored and quartered)
1 cup Cold Water or Ice

1) Place all ingredients into a blender and mix until smooth and creamy.
2) Serve chilled or freeze and re-blend for drinking later. (Good for about 3 days.)

Wheat Berry Cinnamon Porridge – Superfood Breakfast

Wheat Berry Cinnamon Porridge – Superfood Breakfast

When I wake up in the morning, I’m hungry. Maybe, like my dog, I phantom-chase teasing squirrels while I’m sleeping, working up a giant appetite. My morning hunger is calmed with a flavorful healthy green smoothie, or a light whipped yogurt splash, but honestly what I really want is a big fat muffin.

My compromise is grain. I’ve been experimenting with whole grains for breakfast and learning about a few I’ve never cooked. I’ve loved Quinoa for a while, Oatmeal since childhood, but this week I’ve fallen in love with Wheat Berries. Ever hear of them? They look a bit like Barley, but darker and harder. Most of us have eaten them only after they’ve been ground up, hulls removed and turned into flour.

Wheat Berries are the actual seed from which the wheat plant grows. It has three parts: the endosperm, the bran, and the germ. Each part has it’s own super nutrients, vitamins and fiber. A lot of those qualities get pounded out by the time we use the flour for bread.

The kernels are so easy to cook: Pour them into a pot, add two and half times the water, stock, soup or milk, bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for about 45 minutes and fluff with a fork. For this recipe I used a package of Wheat Berries that had been par-boiled and it only took 15 minutes to prepare.

While they were cooking, I already knew I had found a new favorite. The whole kitchen became cozy and the fragrance was like roasting nuts. When they were done, I scooped some out into a container to save for a savory dinner or salad (cooked Wheat Berries can last in the refrigerator for several days.)

Then, I filled a bowl with the rest of the warm Wheat Berries, poured in the milk I had infused with a cinnamon stick, vanilla and honey, and topped it with toasted pecans and chopped dried apricots. I ate my breakfast by the window, watching my dog being taunted by those pesky squirrels and dreamed of all the ways I was going to use Wheat Berries in the future.

Recipe: Wheat Berry Cinnamon Porridge

1 cup Wheat Berries

2 ½ cups water or Vegetable Stock

salt

1 cup Non-fat Milk

1 Cinnamon stick

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 Tablespoons Honey

¼ cup Chopped Pecans (toasted)

¼ cup Dried Apricots (chopped)

1) In a deep sauce pan, add the Wheat Berries, water or stock and season with salt.

2) Bring to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer.

3) Cook for about 45 minutes, remove from heat and fluff with a fork. Allow to sit for a few minutes to soak up the remaining liquid. (*If using par-boiled Wheat Berries cooking time is reduced to 15 minutes.)

4) While the Wheat Berries are cooking, pour the milk into a small saucepan with the Vanilla and a Cinnamon stick. Bring to almost a simmer, remove, stir in the honey and cover to allow the milk to infuse.

5) To serve: spoon the Wheat Berries into a bowl, discard the cinnamon stick and pour in a desired amount of spiced milk, top with pecans and apricots.

Baby On The Way! (So, I'm Cooking) + Baby Shower Food Ideas

Baby Shower Food and Ideas~

(Nutella Milk & Cookies, Teddy Bear Braised Short Rib Sliders,
Paper Baby Shoes Filled with Cheese Crackers, and S'mores on a Stick)

If you came to this page for a recipe only, that's cool. However, you may want to just scroll on down to it because, in the teen vernacular words of my very teen vernacular-worded son, "shiz is about to get real in here."

I'm typing this as my daughter has gone into "pre-labor", so her husband and she have gone to the movies. I know, right?!? What the..? Shouldn't she head to the hospital?

She's having a home birth with Mid-wives. Quite frankly she and her loving husband know more about the whole process of her body and her baby's body than I did with all 3 of my children, even though I tried. When I was pregnant with my daughter I was in North Carolina and barely over 20. I definitely read every book I could find. I did the whole "no drugs", baby into a warm bath, husband leading the "hee hee hee" and the "hee-ho-hee" routine of breathing. My birthing room was decorated like a nice guest room (that just happened to have a bed complete with stirrups attached.) And, I was blessed with a crew of patient and intelligent nurses. The doctor showed up in time to catch and complete, and was perfectly accommodating to my preferences.

The second child was born effortlessly, and I also was fortunate to have a wonderful doctor and a similar experience in Santa Monica. A second marriage and 10 years later, that same incredible doctor delivered my third and pre-mentioned son into the world, into mine and my husband's arms first, and with no rush or cold attitudes that many women have told me about with their deliveries. I'm sure, like everything, there are good and bad examples.

There are many caring doctors, nurses, hospitals and there are some who are buckling under the stress of the system. Some have become more of a money making "get her-in, get her-out" surgery cafeteria of labor and delivery. We have a flawed health care and insurance system and the rushed labor and delivery stories are often bearing witness to the problem.

And for some, there is no choice. So, for this moment I pause and become keenly aware of how thankful I am to be living in a situation that offers choices. I sincerely pray that this country does not lose sight of the freedom to make choices in all personal matters, but instead works to make the opportunities equal. Of course, that starts with me. I will admit that I have both reveled and anxiously paced during my daughter's pregnancy, but with full respect for her intelligence and fortitude. She didn't make the decision to have a home birth out of any anger or fear. It was only after educating herself, weighing her beliefs and doing her work. It's not for everyone, and there are many wonderful ways to add to a family.

But for now, I'm getting ready to pack up my groceries and head to her house. I'm part of her "birthing team", I'm the one that will keep everyone fed when the "shiz starts getting even more real."

I'm nervous. I'm thrilled. I can't wait to meet my new little granddaughter, ya'll. Send me good vibes/prayers/energy/light. :D

The recipe part:Several weeks ago we had a baby-shower for my pregnant daughter. Many of her friends and our friends attended, including family who traveled just for the weekend. My mom was on Skype for the whole party, so we even had her "virtually" there. The food was plentiful and never-ending. When I get happy, I cook (okay, when I get sad I cook, when I get nervous I cook, when I'm cooking I'm thinking of what else to cook.) I was cooking and planning this for weeks.

I thought maybe others would like the recipe or ideas for a couple of these things, too.

Nutella Milk and Cookies:

This is simply made with a ratio of 1 Tablespoon of Nutella for every Cup of Milk. I put that in a large jug and used an Immersion Blender to mix it all up. I held it in the fridge until ready for pouring into these cute milk bottles, purchased from (click) here.The cookies are a basic Butter Sugar Cookie dough, then cut out in rounds followed by a smaller cutter for the center, before baking them. I've used a similar idea in catering dessert buffets, but with plain milk.

Teddy Bear Braised Short Rib Sliders:

A picture of Teddy Bear buns was floating around the internet for a long time, but without a recipe. I simply made the One Hour Bread dough I often use. I measured pieces of dough (.25 ounces each) and rolled them into small bun shapes. I used scrap dough to make tiny balls for ears, and attached them to the side of the dough buns with a little brush of water. I let the bread rise for about 1 1/2 hours, then brushed egg white on top and baked in 350F. oven for about 18 minutes. The faces were drawn on with Wilton Food Markers. The Braised Short Ribs were my recipe found (click) here. The meat was pulled off the bones (or it fell off, they were so tender, Mmmm), and a fork-full was used for each slider. I also spread a little Jalapeno Jelly on the inside of each bun, first.Paper Baby Shoes Filled with Cheese Crackers:

The shoes were made from card stock using this template (click) here.
I made those a week earlier while talking on the phone, or waiting for pictures to download. It takes a bit of time, but it moves faster once you have the hang of it. The crackers were my Go-To Eazee Cheezees. S'mores on a Stick:

I was super excited to use this idea, just one of many found in Food On Sticks. It's a fun and exciting food book with recipes and inviting pictures by Matt Armendariz. I used my own homemade marshmallow recipe (there's also an easy recipe in the book) and incorporated his brilliant idea for Party S'mores. You can buy Food On Sticks from Amazon right (click) here.

I'll try to post some of the other recipes and ideas in a later post. I also served Mini-Grilled Cheese Sammies on a skewer over Tomato Basil Soup Shooters, Mushroom and Gruyere Risotto Balls, Chicken Cherry Mole in Filo Dough Shells, Momma's Mini Apple Pies, Pomegranate Lemonade, Rose Sangria, Baby Chocolate Cupcakes with Rose Butter Frosting, and Blueberry Macarons with Lemon Curd Filling.

Just for fun I made my own Pixie Sticks by grinding dried Pomegranate into a dust and mixing with double the amount sugar, plus a teaspoon of Tartaric Acid to make it like a Sweet Tart. We played several games that my daughter's friends designed, and each guest also decorated a Onezie using Fabric Pens and Stencils. I had several sizes of the Onezies, so her baby will be wearing the party for the first 2 years.

We did a book lottery: Each person who brought a copy of their favorite children's book had their name put into a lottery for an Amazon Gift Card.

It was a fun-fun, laugh filled day. I wish many of those for my daughter and our ever expanding family.