Pumpkin Scones

I love scones. I have to be careful not to make them too often, because I love them so much that I want to hide them from my family so that I can eat them all. These are delicious pumpkin scones, perfect for fall. I can eat pumpkin year round, so I wouldn't have any problem making these year round!

Pumpkin Cinnamon Chip Scones
adapted from King Arthur Flour

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powdder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 cup cold butter
1 to 2 cups cinnamon chips
2/3 cup canned pumpkin
2 large eggs
coarse white sugar for sprinkling

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices. Work in the butter just until the mixture is unevenly crumbly; it's OK for some larger chunks of butter to remain unincorporated. Stir in cinnamon chips.

In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the pumpkin and eggs until smooth. Add the pumpkin/egg mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until all is moistened and holds together.

Line a baking sheet with parchment and sprinkle lightly with flour. Scrape the dough onto the floured pan and divide it in half. Form each half into a 5 - 6 inch round circle. They should be about 3/4 inch thick. Brush each circle with milk and sprinkle with coarse white sugar or cinnamon sugar if desired.

Slice each circle into 6 wedges. Carefully pull the wedges apart, leaving 1/2 inch spaces between them. Place the scones in the freezer for 30 minutes. While scones are chilling, preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Bake the scones for 22-25 minutes or until they are lightly browned and until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, without any wet crumbs. If you pull one of the scones away from the others, it should look baked through, not wet or doughy.

Serve warm. Wrap any leftovers tightly and store at room temperature.

Makes 12 scones.

Baked Apple and Pear Oven Pancake

This is a delicious breakfast dish. We love having it for special breakfasts or even for dinner.

Don't worry about what kind of apples or pears you're using, I just use whatever I have. Sometimes I use all apples if I don't have pears. We serve this with real maple syrup and it's delicious! The kids love watching it grow in the oven too :)

(I'll add a photo next time I make this, for some reason we keep eating it too fast!)

Baked Apple & Pear Oven Pancake

6 Tbs unsalted butter
2 medium tart apples, such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored, and sliced
2 medium firm pears, such as Red Bartlett or Comice, peeled, cored, and sliced
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Juice of 1 lemon
6 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Melt the butter in a skillet and sauté the apple and pear slices over medium-high heat just until tender, but still firm. Sprinkle with the brown sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice. Stir to combine. Place a 12 inch round or 9 x 13 inch rectangular glass baking dish in the oven to heat for 2 minutes. Remove the baking dish with oven mitts and scrape the sautéed fruit into it.

2. In a bowl, using a whisk, or in a blender or food processor, mix together the eggs, milk, flour, vanilla, and salt until well blended and smooth. Pour the batter over the hot fruit. Immediately place the pancake in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, until puffed and brown. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting into wedges.

3. Serve hot from the oven sprinkled with powdered sugar and with
lemon wedges. You can also serve with a berry sauce or syrup.

Pumpkin Pancakes

Since it's pumpkin season, I decided to make some pumpkin pancakes. The kids gobbled these up, I don't think I've ever seen Josh eat so many pancakes! I used whole wheat flour to make them a little more nutritious and they were awesome. If you prefer, use pumpkin pie spice (1 1/4 teaspoon) instead of the spices. I didn't have any on hand so I mixed my own.

Spiced Pumpkin Pancakes

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups milk
3/4 cup canned pure pumpkin
4 large eggs, separated
1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, spices, and salt in a large bowl to blend. Whisk milk, pumpkin, egg yolks, oil, and vanilla in a medium bowl to blend well. Add pumpkin mixture to dry ingredients, whisk until just smooth. Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites in another medium bowl until stiff but not dry. Fold whites into the batter in 2 additions.

Spray or butter a large nonstick skillet, heat to medium heat. Pour batter by 1/3 cupfuls into skillet. Cook until bubbles form on the surface and the bottoms are brown (about 1 1/2 minutes per side).

Serve with maple syrup.

Bran Waffles

In our house, a waffle has to be topped with fruit. This time of year, we're so excited to see strawberries again that we don't really care how much they cost, we just have to buy them. Here's one of my favorite waffle recipes. It calls for bran cereal (or multi-grain or cracked wheat). Use whatever you have on hand. I personally really like the crunch the cracked wheat cereal gives these waffles, but my family isn't crazy about it. Tonight I used half rolled wheat and half oat bran cereal. I've used a lot of combinations in this recipe, and they all taste great! Don't forget that if you don't have buttermilk on hand you can add 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to each cup of milk. I never have buttermilk when I need it and use this substitution a lot. Top your waffles with maple syrup or if you're like us, lots of whipped cream and fruit!

Bran Waffles

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup whole bran cereal (or multi grain, or cracked wheat cereal)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon finely shredded lemon peel
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 beaten egg yolks
6 tablespoons melted butter (can substitute a healthy oil like canola if desired)
2 stiffly beaten egg whites

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a large measuring cup whisk together egg yolks, buttermilk, and melted butter. Add to dry ingredients and stir until just moistened. Fold in egg whites, do not overmix. Cook in a waffle maker to your desired crispness. Enjoy!

Breakfast Casserole

I love having breakfast for dinner. This is a perfect casserole to go along with pancakes or waffles, or serve it on it's own with some fruit on the side.

Breakfast Casserole

12 ounces sliced bacon, diced (I used turkey bacon)
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
6 eggs, lightly beaten
4 cups frozen shredded hashbrowns, thawed
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/4 cups shredded swiss cheese
1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) small curd cottage cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet, cook bacon and onion until bacon is crisp, drain. In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Add bacon mixture and stir again. Transfer to a greased 9x13 baking dish. Bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes or until set and bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting. Serves 12.