Aunt Kim's Chocolate Chip Scones

Original Recipe is at: http://rotnerramblings.blogspot.com/2013/03/chocolate-chip-scones-and-big-panties.html

Ingredients:

• 2 c. flour
• 1/4 c. sugar
• 1 T. baking powder
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1 1/4 c. heavy whipping cream
• 3/4 c. mini chocolate chips
• 1 T. butter, melted

Instructions:

Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl. 

Add cream and chocolate chips (don't even think about the regular sized morsels, mini is the way to go). 

Combine with a fork then knead by hand. 

Roll out on a floured surface in a 10 inch circle. Cut into wedges. 

Melt butter and brush on scones, sprinkle lightly with sugar. 

Bake at 375 for 9-11 minutes.

Hot Mama Notes: I went shopping for this recipe and for some reason, I was thinking it called for buttermilk instead of whipping cream... Oops.  So, I ended up using this substitution for heavy whipping cream:

http://frugalliving.about.com/od/makeyourowningredients/r/Heavy_Cream_Sub.htm

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/3 cup butter

Preparation:

1. Melt the butter.

2. Pour it into the milk, and stir.

3. Use in place of one cup of heavy cream.

There were lots of different choices for whipping cream substitutions, but this was the easiest by far, and it made a lot of sense given what this person said:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080511202432AAIA4l9

If you have BUTTER (not margarine, but regular non-salted butter), add 1/3 cup butter per every cup of whole milk. Heavy cream must, by law, contain no less than 36% butterfat, and the addition of the butter to whole milk (4% butterfat) will give you the desired fat content. A side benefit: if you're making butterscotch, the addition of the butter will help develop the flavor of the recipe.

Source(s):

Lived on a dairy farm, had to know our products... :)

About how by law whipping cream must have 36% fat to be labeled as such.  Anyway, it's kind of funny that I started out right off the bat with not the correct ingredients!! :P   This being said, the scones turned out *wonderfully*!

I ended up using a scant cup of whole milk together with a full 1/2 cup of unsalted butter (1 full stick) to equal the 1.25 cups of heavy whipping cream called for in the recipe.  I melted the butter in the microwave, and whisked it together with the milk before adding it to the dry ingredients.

Maybe because I changed the recipe with respect to the whipping cream substitution, but I also needed to add a bit more flour to get the dough to be less sticky.  It wasn't more than a 1/4 cup more, though, so not too much.

I had to bake my scones a good 15 minutes more than the 9-11 minutes listed, as the center was still gooey (and not in a good way) when I sampled a piece.  I did use a baking stone, though, and they say for short baking times that oftentimes you need to add time since it takes a little while for the stone to heat up.  Still, I have made scones before and they turned out so nicely baking on the stone that I wanted to use it again.

This time I used turbinado sugar to sprinkle on the scones after brushing them with melted butter.  I think next time I would use regular sugar with a little bit of turbinado for texture.  ;)

My grade: A

We will definitely make these again, and I am curious as to see how they differ with the heavy whipping cream! :)

Chicken Curry in a Hurry

Originally from the America's Test Kitchen Cookbook called Slow Cooker Revolution.

Also, a google search showed the recipe here: http://aspiringkitchenadventures.blogspot.com/2012/04/chicken-curry-in-hurry.html

Note that the above picture is from the blog listed above.

2 onions, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons grated or minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 cups water
1 14-ounce can coconut milk
3 lb chicken thighs
12 ounces plum tomatoes, chopped 
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 cup frozen peas
1/4 c fresh cilantro
lime, cut into wedges

Add oil, onion, jalapenos, garlic, ginger and curry powder to a microwave-safe bowl.  Microwave 5 minutes or until onions are soft.

Transfer to mixture to slow cooker.

To slow cooker, add chickpeas, water and coconut milk. Stir and nestle the chicken in the mixture.

Cook on low for 4 to 6 hours.

Transfer chicken to a cutting board and shred. Return chicken to cooker. Stir in tomatoes, raisins and peas. Cook about 15 more minutes.

Serve over brown rice or quinoa. Garnish with cilantro and lime.

Hot Mama Notes: Note that this is not a quick and easy crock pot recipe.  It's not unreasonable or anything, but it did take me an hour to get everything ready to put in the crock pot this morning.  I was hoping to decrease that slightly by having everything out and ready last night, but I didn't chop since I wanted everything fresh.  

I used regular raisins as the grocery store was out of golden.  I used chicken breasts instead of thighs.  I did not put in the lime or cilantro.  I meant to put in the cilantro, but forgot at the end.  I have decided that grating ginger sucks, and that from now on I will only mince it using the chopper - SO much easier.

Okay, dinner is over and our review is.... eh.  This curry is good but not great.  And with the amount of work it takes to make, my husband and I concur that the mediocre result is not worth replicating in the future.  Alas! 

Grade: B


A scan of the original recipe from the cookbook:

Healthy Pancakes with Oats & Cottage Cheese

Ingredients:
6  egg whites
1c Cottage Cheese
1c Oats

Optional:
1t  Vanilla
Maple Syrup
1 scoop Vanilla Protein Powder
Chocolate Chips
Cinnamon

Directions:
Put all required ingredients and any optional ingredients into the blender and mix well.  Cook on griddle as you would any pancake.

HotMama Notes: I used my Blendtec blender with the "batter" cycle.  For options, I chose to use 1t vanilla, 1T maple syrup and 1/2 scoop of vanilla protein powder (Jay Robb brand).  I added some chocolate chips after the first round of four cooked.  I wanted to see what they tasted like plain.  They were good, and the kids liked them, but they do not have the loft that you would normally get from a flour/egg/baking soda or powder pancake recipe.  Grade: B+

Roasted Beets & Greens

Original Post at: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/roasted-beets-and-sauteed-beet-greens/

Ingredients 

Recipe makes 4 servings

• 1 bunch beets with
• greens
• 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
  
  

  Directions

• 2 tablespoons chopped onion
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (175 degrees C). Wash the beets thoroughly, leaving the skins on, and remove the greens. Rinse greens, removing any large stems, and set aside. Place the beets in a small baking dish or roasting pan, and toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. If you wish to peel the beets, it is easier to do so once they have been roasted.
2. Cover, and bake for 45 to 60 minutes, or until a knife can slide easily through the largest beet.
3. When the roasted beets are almost done, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and onion, and cook for a minute. Tear the beet greens into 2 to 3 inch pieces, and add them to the skillet. Cook and stir until greens are wilted and tender. Season with salt and pepper. Serve the greens as is, and the roasted beets sliced with either red-wine vinegar, or butter and salt and pepper.

Hot Mama Says: We tried this recipe and LOVED it!  We harvested our first two beets from the garden this morning, and made them into this stir fry.  Delicious!  The beets were flavorful and mild.  Roasting them kept in the color (45 min at 350 in a small foil-covered ramekin), so they were beautiful, too!  We used two beets, two cloves of garlic, half of one small onion, salt, pepper and butter.  Grade: A  

We will definitely make it again!

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Kohlrabi and Greens

Original Information at: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/how-to-use-kohlrabi.html

Simple preparation: Tender, young kohlrabi is delicious eaten raw. Peel the outer skin with a paring knife. Slice, dice, or grate, and add to salads. Use on raw vegetable platters or serve with a creamy dip. Substitute in recipes calling for radishes. Grated kohlrabi can be added to slaw, but lightly salt it first and let stand for several minutes. Squeeze to remove any excess water before adding dressing. Kohlrabi can also be steamed or boiled. For this preparation don’t peel until after they are cooked. Steam or boil until bulbs are tender, peel skin, and season with butter, salt, and pepper, a cheese sauce, or just enjoy plain.

If the leaves attached to the kohlrabi bulb are fresh and green, they can be enjoyed as a cooked green. Wash the leaves and remove the ribs. Blanch in boiling water until just wilted, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain and squeeze excess water from leaves. Chop leaves, then saute in a little olive oil or butter. Season with salt and pepper. Add a splash of vinegar or squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/how-to-use-kohlrabi.html#ixzz2KYz4vLin

HotMama Notes: We ate the Kohlrabi raw after peeling and it was delicious.  A bit of a cross between a mild radish and a jicama.  Tasty.  We also sauteed up the green and ate them, but found them rather bitter.  Next time, the greens will go to the compost bin.  Raw Kohlrabi Grade: A, Sauteed Kohlrabi Greens Grace: C-.

Corn Bread

Original Recipe from: http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/bakingdesserts/r/cornbread.htm#

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup half and half
• ¼ cup melted butter or shortening
• ¼ cup honey
• ¼ cup sugar

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 400° F.


2. Sift together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt.


3. Combine the half and half, eggs, fat, honey and sugar.


4. Thoroughly grease and flour a 9" × 9" baking pan (or use a nonstick baking pan or a flexible silicone pan).


5. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ones and mix just until the flour is moistened, no more than ten seconds. The batter should be visibly lumpy — leave it that way! It's extremely important not to overmix the batter.


6. Once the liquid and dry ingredients have been combined, pan and bake the cornbread immediately.
   
   TIP: The dry and wet ingredients, respectively, can be mixed in advance, but as soon as the wet and dry ingredients have been combined with each other, the liquid will activate the baking powder and the batter must be baked right away.


7. Bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cornbread comes out clean and the edge of the bread starts to separate from the pan.

Notes:

This bread can be modified by adding fresh or canned corn, sour cream, buttermilk, bacon — even dried blueberries!

Cornbread is a member of the quickbread family, which differs from biscuits and scones because it uses butter or shortening that is melted, not solid.

The key to a good corn bread is not overmixing the batter. Once the liquid ingredients are added to the dry, mix the batter by hand just until the flour and corn meal are moistened — no more than about ten seconds. Too much mixing can cause the final product to be dry, tough or misshapen.

Hot Mama Says: The husband wanted cornbread this evening, and I obliged him by making this recipe which was at the top of the Google results.  This recipe is delicious, but next time I would make sure to use *FINE GRAIN* instead of course grain corn meal.  It was still delicious, but the texture was a bit rough.  Also, I did not sift the flour (I am lazy and in a rush).  Additionally, I didn't have any half and half, so I substituted 1T of melted butter added into milk to fill up a cup (see below).  I also made our corn bread into muffins, so while I used the oven at the above temperature, I only baked the muffins for 18 minutes, and that was the perfect amount of time (thank you, cake mix box!).  I used cup cake liners to have less mess.   We will definitely make this recipe again (with fine grain meal)!  Grade: A.  :)

Half & Half Substitute

Original Recipe from: http://frugalliving.about.com/od/makeyourowningredients/r/Half_and_Half.htm

Making a substitute for half and half is as simple as mixing two everyday ingredients.

Ingredients:

• Milk
• 1 Tbsp butter or margarine, melted

Preparation:

Replace one cup of half and half with 1 tablespoon melted butter, plus enough milk to equal a cup.

Note: This substitute works well in baked goods, soups and other cooked dishes. It will not whip, and therefore should not be used in any recipe that calls for whipping half and half.

Hot Mama Notes: This worked great for our corn bread!