The Nomtasticalest Scones EVER!

Lo and behold YDFM has Meyer Lemons! Of course I bought some just because I could. Since I happened to have everything else on hand to make Meyer Lemon Cranberry Scones (inspired by the epicurious recipe found here),I slightly altered the recipe as follows (also because I could).

Meyer Lemon & Cranberry Scones
Zest of 4 Meyer Lemons
2 1/2 c  All-purpose Flour
1/2 c Turbinado Sugar
1 T Baking Powder
1/2 t Sea Salt
6 T unsalted Butter, cold
1 1/4 c Dried Cranberries
2 large Eggs, 1 separated (reserve extra white to brush scones before baking)
1 c Heavy Cream (if your cream is extra thick you may need a touch more)

lemon glaze
juice from 4 Meyer Lemons (@ 1/4c)
1/4 c Turbinado Sugar

Preheat oven to 375° F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

1. Combine zest, flour, sugar, baking powder, and sea salt in a bowl.
2. Cut butter into pea sized chunks.  Add to dry ingredients and pinch the butter with the dry ingredients until everything is combined into a crumbly mixture. To mix the last of the flour, place the dough on work surface, and use the the palm of your hand to push small egg sized chunks down and away from you.  Do this just until flour is incorporated. Add the dried cranberries.
3. Whisk the egg and egg yolk in a small bowl.  Add cream and mix to combine.
4. Add cream mix to flour mix just until it all comes together.  Dough should still be fairly rough.

5. Roughly form dough into 2 1/2″ x 1″ discs. Place on the sheet pan and brush with egg white. Bake in the middle of the oven for about 20 minutes or until pale golden.
6. While scones bake, make lemon glaze.  Combine lemon juice and 1/4 c of sugar in a small sauce pan.  Heat until sugar is dissolved, stirring often.  Set aside to cool.
7. After scones are finished baking, remove from oven to a cooling rack and brush with lemon glaze.

They're light, fluffy & magically delicious!

I fell off the bus.

Well, I *have* been working a temp job and then we had those holidays that tend to halt all other stuff yannow.

I need to complete some projects.  I'm finally in that "let's get organized and get back to working on the little house" mode. Yay! So here's what I'm facing 'round here:

1. complete kidney desk/vanity
2. repair (foot, secure mirrors, find replacement key) and touch up chifferobe -
   
3. repair and paint nightstands
4. reupholster slipper chairs. Finally!
5. refinish porch glider, then hoosh up the porch
   

Once these items are complete, I'll be caught up with the bigger decoraterish stuff. Other projects I need to complete:

1. install peg board in tool closet, then build a shelf, then re-organize closet
2. finish ceiling repair my BR
   
3. replace front door
4. repair hardwood floors (old water damage) in BR and LR (will need assistance at some point... like floor joist_y_ness).

Then there are very specific furniture items I need to complete the house. I'm always on the lookout for these, but I haven't found the perfect pieces for ridiculously next to nothing prices! Damn.

1. server/sideboard/bar for the LR (need to take measurements)
   
2. bed for my BR (found! to be purchased late Jan/sometime in Feb)
   
3. acquire BR storage furniture
   

'Tis the Season!

I just made my first batch of eggnog in my own little house. With my brand new KitchenAid hand mixer just like Mom's.  (Although it's SO much easier with a stand mixer and hand mixer.)

As usual, the recipe was a smashup- this time the sources of inspiration were Alton Brown's recipe and this one, called Diamond Eggnog.  Last year A lot of R&D went into this recipe... but even the batches we didn't love were still FAR better than that stuff they peddle at the supermarket.

Based on my own experiments, I know it's easy to tweak any eggnog recipe to suit your own taste, and plan to continue tweaking this one. I am definitely going to cut the amount of sugar, as I've cut WAY back on my sugar intake since last year and I now find this recipe ridiculously sweet.  (UPDATE: I'm through tweaking, now!) The other day a coworker and I googled lactose free eggnog recipes and they actually sounded yummy as well. Mmmmm, coconut cream...

*Laughs*

Yes- I have, indeed, read the ingredients list in my own recipe.

Watch this space... you never know what I'll end up doing...

Eggnog
Ingredients:
4 eggs, separated
2 tablespoons sugar, plus 1 additional tablespoon
1 pint whole milk
1/2 pint heavy cream
1 can sweetened condensed milk
4 1/2 ounces Myer’s Dark Rum
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon freshly ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, plus more for serving

Directions:
In a stand mixer (or large bowl and hand mixer), beat the egg yolks 5-10 minutes until they thicken and lighten in color.

Gradually add the 2 tablespoons sugar and continue to beat until it is completely dissolved.

Slowly add the milk, cream, sweetened condensed milk, rum, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Stir to combine.

In a separate medium bowl, beat the egg whites with a mixer until soft peaks form.  While the mixer is running gradually add the 1 tablespoon of sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. (About 12 minutes.)

Whisk the egg whites into the mixture. Chill and serve.

Whisk again before serving and top each portion with freshly grated nutmeg.

Yield: approximately one half gallon

The magically delicious stuffed date recipe!

Yesterday I decided, since I clearly didn't already have enough going on, to make stuffed dates for a party I attended last night.  I posted about these elsewhere a while ago, but I never actually wrote up the recipe that came closest to those at Firefly in Las Vegas, the dish that started this whole obsession.

Basically, I altered this recipe to suit since I'm not naturally gifted in the culinary arts.

Bacon Wrapped Dates stuffed with bleu cheese and almonds, with a red wine reduction

1 pound bacon, cut in half lengthwise
1 pound Large Medjool dates, pitted
Whole almonds (I most often use whole raw almonds)
4 ounces bleu cheese, crumbled (I used a raw goat milk Roquefort- it was pretty and smelled like heaven... but am ridiculously inconsistent when selecting cheese for this recipe)

Preheat oven to 400°
Cut length wise slits into dates, remove pits and add almond and bleu cheese
Pinch closed
Wrap with half-slice of bacon and secure with a toothpick (which has been soaked in water)
Place seam side down on a wire rack inside a large parchment paper-lined casserole dish or cake pan
Bake 30-40 minutes, until bacon is crisp. If you don't have a wire rack, they may be cooked directly on parchment, but turn dates over after 20 minutes

May be served warm or at room temperature.

Also, since Firefly's stuffed dates are served in a red wine reduction (and I find them to be a bit "less than" without it):

The red wine reduction I made is really simple:
I use 2 cups of whatever red I have available (this time I used an Argentinian Malbec, because it's my red of the moment and always on hand) and reduce it down to about 3 ounces.

I place the dates on a platter deep enough to contain the liquid, drizzle them with the red wine reduction and crumble additional bleu cheese over them for serving. So, so yum. 

Smelling good

 I tried two new cleaning product recipes this weekend and the house smells wonderful.

Carpet Freshener (I merely reduced the amounts given in tipnut's recipe, because my house is tiny and I only have a few area rugs over hardwood):

2 cups baking soda
1 cups dried lavender buds/flowers*
1/3 cup cornstarch

Directions:
Mix well and store in an airtight plastic container. Set aside for a couple days before using. Sprinkle generously on carpet and let sit for one hour before vacuuming.

*Instead of using dried herbs, you can substitute essential oils, experiment with amounts for best results. Make sure to mix it in the recipe thoroughly and let sit for a few days before using.

When restocking the baking soda, in addition to the gianormous box I also picked up an Arm & Hammer Soda Shaker which is brilliant for dispensing this stuff!




The other recipe came about from bits and pieces from a whole lot of recipes all over the 'net and went with:

Air/Linen Freshener Spray:

1 cup distilled water
1/2 cup ridiculously cheap vodka or witch hazel (I've discovered I prefer the latter, as it lacks that bottom note of "panhandler")
15 drops eucalyptus essential oil
15 drops lavender essential oil
15 drops grapefruit essential oil

Combine all ingredients in a spray bottle.  Allow to sit a few hours before using.  Shake bottle well to mix contents prior to each use.