Oh the smell of frying bacon.....

My One Weakness

Hard Worker

Glory in the Making

Glory in the Baking

The Grand Finale

The Recipe:

Bacon Cheddar Chive Scones (from King Arthur Flour)

2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) King Arthur  Unbleached All-Purpose Flour or Perfect Pastry Blend
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick, 2 ounces) cold  butter
1 cup (4 ounces) very coarsely grated or  diced cheddar cheese
1/3 cup (about 1/2 ounce) snipped fresh chives, or finely diced scallion tops (the  green part, 3/4 ounce)
1/2 pound bacon, cooked, cooled, and crumbled (about 1 cup)
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (7 ounces) heavy cream or whipping cream, or enough to make the dough cohesive 

(I used 1/2 cup buttermilk and 1/4 cup skim milk)

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet, or line it with parchment.

1) Whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar.

2) Work the butter into the flour until the mixture is unevenly crumbly, with some of the butter remaining in larger pieces.

3) Mix in the cheese, chives, and bacon until evenly distributed.

4) Add ¾ cup of the cream, stirring to combine. Try squeezing the dough together; if it’s crumbly and won’t hang together, or if there are crumbs remaining in the bottom of the bowl, add cream until the dough comes together. Transfer the shaggy dough to a well-floured work surface.

  
5) Pat the dough into a smooth 7" disk about ¾" thick. Transfer the disk to the prepared baking sheet.

6) Use a knife or bench knife to cut the disk into 8 wedges, spreading the wedges apart a bit on the pan.

7) Brush the scones with a bit of cream; this will help their crust brown.

8) Bake the scones for 22 to 24 minutes, until they’re golden brown. Remove them from the oven, and cool right on the pan. Serve warm, or at room temperature. 

Enjoy!

Irish

It's all about the Apron

I love Aprons.  Anytime I go into a store like Williams-Sonoma, Mast General, or a local boutique, I always look at the aprons.  There are heavy duty aprons and light cotton aprons and half aprons and smock aprons and chef's aprons.  My paternal grandmother never went without one- usually one of the old fashioned ones, that had been worn so long that it was softer than duck fuzz.  My own Dad, a man's man, used to wear his big chef's apron to cook, clean and brew beer.  After he retired, he would have breakfast in the morning and supper ready when we got home.  If we said anything about his housekeeping skills, he would start flapping the apron and fuss at us about how he slaved away all day and this is all the appreciation he gets.  He was kidding of course, but it created a wonderful memory.
I have two aprons- a smock like apron that covers front and back and ties on the sides that my sister made for me and the other is my favorite.  It's a regular apron from Williams-Sonoma with sunny yellow stripes on it.  I typically tuck a corner of a floursack dishtowel in one of the pockets so that I can wipe my hands, dry a dish, clean the knife, etc, etc.  I can't cook without it.  In a pinch, I'll use my Mom's apron (made with a chicken/rooster print), but it's not the same.  In a way, it might be like a security blanket.  I did some laundry last night and when I opened the dryer, the first thing I yanked out was my apron.  When the going gets tough, make some bread or cookies or tea or maybe just give the house a good scrubbing.  Just believe in the power of the Apron.

I put my love of aprons down to my family- it seems to be in our blood.  No matter which sister I go visit, they each have at least one apron.  A lot of houses don't even have that.  I found the following writing at The Open Pantry blog.  It says a lot about aprons.  And a lot about the way I was brought up. 

Irish
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I don't think our kids know what an apron is.

The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath, because she only had a few, it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and they used less material, but along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.

It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.

From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.

When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids.

And when the weather was cold, grandma wrapped it around her arms.

Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.

Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.

From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.

In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.

When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.

When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.

It will be along time before someone invents something that will replace that 'old-time apron' that served so many purposes.

Morning Time Bread

We get up early to get to school and work.  My son is usually watching Wild Kratts on PBS when I sit down with him for a few minutes.  This morning was no different.  They were learning about Draco lizards, which can glide through the air.  I leaned in to give the sleepy boy a kiss good morning and he says "Mama, why do you smell like buttered toast?  I would like some buttered toast.  Just like you smell."


I don't actually smell like buttered toast, but I had just eaten some.  :)  I make my own bread, so we are rather fond of buttered toast in the morning (and Morello Cherry Jam, which tastes like Cherry Pie to me.)  It's a crazy easy bread recipe too, with no kneading.  I originally learned it from Sami at My Barefoot Farm.  I'm still playing around with it and have successfully made it several times, in different ways.  So far, my favorite is to make a loaf of bread, instead of rounds.


Here's the basics:


2 packs Active Dry yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
3 cups warm water
6-6 1/2 cups flour


In a big bowl (I use a clear glass bowl so I can watch it rise.), mix the yeast, salt and warm water together.  Just kind of swish it around and the yeast will dissolve.  Then mix in the 6+ cups flour.  (I find the extra half cup to be a bit much, but the air is very dry this time of year.)  It will look kind of sloppy and maybe a little wet and floury, but that's okay.  Cover it.  (I use saran wrap).  Let it sit until it doubles in size.  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Butter a loaf pan and take about half the dough out of the bowl (it will be slightly "goopy") and put it in the loaf pan.  (You can refrigerate the rest of the dough.)  Let it rise again, pop it in the oven, and bake for 25 minutes or so.  (Tap it on the bottom with a butterknife handle.  If it sounds hollow, it's done.)  Let it cool for a few minutes, take it out and place it on a cookie rack to cool. 


This makes a dense loaf, but it is very good.  I will post pictures of how to make rounds with the same dough, but I will take pictures as I go so you can see what all is going on.  Don't get frustrated if it doesn't work out just right.  It will still taste good.  I tried to make rounds once and they came out like thick frisbees.  It was really dense, but also really good.  It made good hearty toast to go with some Camp Stew.  (Another one of my favorites I will be sharing with you at some point!)


Coming up, I will show you what I did this weekend (with pictures!)- dyeing silk scarves and making homemade frozen burritos.  Stay tuned and enjoy the buttered toast while you wait.

Irish