APPLE SCONES

My mother is very good baker and therefore it is rare for her to ask me for a recipe.  Most of what I know, I feel I have learned from her.  A couple of years ago, my mother asked me if I could make the  apple scones that I made in secondary school in Ireland.  I was not sure how I made them so I spent a long time looking for the recipe.  When my daughter was younger, around 8 years old, she wanted a tea party for all of her American Girl Dolls and she invited every girl friend to it and they had to bring a doll and a food from the culture in which they came from.  It was a tea party after all and what is a tea party without scones.  I looked for the recipe and found it and oh my goodness, I could see why my mom was still craving the taste. I hope you get to read this mom and for you remember to take out the vanilla. 
Instead of pastry you make a scone mixture and fill it with apples, very little cinnamon and sugar.  They are not terribly sweet but they are oh so scrumptious.   The mail lady not only delivers my mail but also has chickens and brings by some eggs when I order them.  No need for painting eggs this Easter as they come in their own spectacular colors. 
I started a new job on Saturday so I am  making meals ahead for my kids so that they can have decent food on the days that I work. Breakfast seems to be one of the most difficult meals to get into my children.  Today, I made almost 50 oatmeal pancakes this morning and Apple Scones so that they were sure to eat before they rush out the door for school in the mornings.  I had some old apples in my kitchen that I knew the kids would not eat as they were a little wrinkly and thought they would make a lovely filling for the scones, a great way to use up some very good ingredients.  My fridge is stocked high so I could not fit the milk container in that only had about an inch in it and walla, the perfect amount to make the scones.  I always feel really good when food does not get thrown out.
I have found that being Irish means that no matter how long you leave the house for when you come back in, you have to put the kettle on.  There is always a pot of tea to be made and no occasion necessary.  Once again I am taken back to a time in my childhood, it is not smells this time that does it but seeing skins in a battered lined bowl brought me right back to all the wonderful hours I spent with my mother baking and walking into her home with her slaving over the stove, cooking and cleaning. I was only 9 or 10 and she would make an apple tart on a plate, it was a different world back then.  

something so simple as apple skins :)

If you are looking for a nice dish to share with your family to start making some baking memories, here it is. Light the wood stove put the kettle on and enjoy the aroma of apples and cinnamon.   I found this on Joy of Baking.com and I am going to copy the recipe here so you can have it. 
 http://www.joyofbaking.com/AppleSconeCake.html

Apple Scone Recipe: 2 cups all purpose flour 1/3 cup granulated white sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter cold and cut into pieces 1 large egg 1/2 cup milk 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract Filling: 1 pound  Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1 inch (2.5 cm) chunks 2 tablespoons granulated white sugar 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon Glaze: Milk or Cream Granulated white sugar Apple Scone : Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place rack in center of oven.  Butter (or spray with a non stick vegetable spray) a 9 inch pie plate. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. In a separate small bowl whisk together the egg, milk, and vanilla extract and add to the flour mixture, stirring just until the dough comes together. Do not over mix. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead dough gently four or five times and then divide the dough in half.  Roll or pat one half of the dough into a 9 inch circle and transfer to the pie plate and pat onto the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate.  In a separate bowl toss together the cut apples, sugar, cinnamon, and nuts. Spread the apples evenly over the bottom of the dough in the pie plate.  Roll the remaining dough into a 9 inch circle, on a lightly floured surface, and gently place the dough over the apples. With your fingers seal the edges of the top and bottom crusts. Brush the top of the dough with a little milk and sprinkle with white sugar. Cut a slit in the center of the dough to allow the steam to escape. Bake in the preheated oven for about 35 - 45 minutes or until the pastry is nicely browned and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.  Serve warm with a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

My new pan, two successful coffee cakes :)

Once again this winter, we are about to get another blanket of snow on the group that will be at least six to 12 inches in depth.  It is a little tiresome already as it is still only January.  February is always the harshest month for weather in my books.  Anyway, with the cold weather coming it always makes me want to make some comfort food.  I love coffee cake!  I have spent a lot of money on very fancy bundt pans only to have my cake stick to the pan and I usually end up having to make homemade custard and turn it into a trifle.  Yesterday while at Marshalls, I noticed one of the Calphalon bundt pans and decided to try one last time to see if I could make one that we would actually enjoy where we could cut decent slices out of it and to my surprise, I found it.  My kids love things with cinnamon so I decided to look up a recipe for a sour cream, cinnamon laced coffee cake.  I found a wonderful recipe from Ina Garten and made a beautiful one drizzled icing over the top and thought to myself, breakfast for the week, yipee!  Well, little did I know that there would be a little nibbler in the middle of the night helping herself to some scrumptious cake only to find half of it gone when I came down this morning.  I am happy that they are enjoying it so I decided to make another one today as it is almost completely gone.  It will be nice to have it in the morning with coffee, if it is still there, that is :). You can zip it up in a very short amount of time and there are many happy people in the house after they have enjoyed every morsel.    http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/sour-cream-coffee-cake-recipe/index.html

Put two layers of cinnamon crunch inside the cake this time

  
In the upcoming months I will need some help from friends so in my world that means a lot more cooking and baking.  I am so lucky that people enjoy what I make as I can barter my way for services if people are open to that, if not, I just pay cash.  I do have to admit there is something much more satisfying in bartering.  I was also able to trade doggie care for baked goods and my wonderful neighbor went above and beyond her care of my other dog and I will be baking for her until the day I die :).

I of course fantasize as to what it would be like if I had tons of people over here helping me with fixing up my home.  All those involved with the labor would be busy focusing on that and their wives/husbands, partners would be helping me in the kitchen preparing a feast.  There of course would be picnic tables the length of the garden covered with  Irish linen tablecloths, beautiful pottery jugs filled with ice water, Kerry-gold buttered Irish soda bread, homemade country soups,  and much more delicious feasts to feed the generous folks who helped me with the work needed to be done that I would not be physically be able to do.  

While I was home in Ireland in December, one morning as we were about to rush out the door, my mother mentions as if in passing that she really needed to have some bread for her in the house so in a matter of minutes she put together some spelt wholemeal scones together, I wish now that I had taken a picture of them as each one was perfect and the smell of them in the kitchen was intoxicating.  How fortunate to have grown up in a home where baking was just a part of our every day existence. It really showed me that you could provide for your family if you have the basic ingredients in the home. I made a few loaves of bread yesterday to give to friends as thank you gifts but the whole process takes hours rather than minutes so that is why I am choosing scones today for my family.

 

I enjoyed many treats while I was home some exquisite like the wedding cake my mother had made for my brother, the moisture on it could be felt in my fingers as I got to enjoy every morsel.  Filled with raisins, sultanas, cherries, mixed peel and tons of eggs and I am sure a whole lot of the Irish holy water (whiskey).  It was the nicest cake I have tasted to date that she has made.  

Well, if you are in my neighborhood and you cannot go to work in the morning because of the snow, throw on your snow shoes and stop by for a cup of coffee and a slice of coffee cake,  if my kids have not eaten it first.  The kettle will be on!