Tea and Scones

{WWDH} Twofer – Risotto and Arancini

teaandscones — Wed, 15 May 2013 06:30:47 +0000

This week was my pick for Wednesdays with Donna Hay. Not only did I have one pick, I had two. My pick was the Arancini Balls on page 144 of Donna’s modern classics Book 1 but in order to make the balls you had to make the

Lemon and Parmesan Risotto first.

I have discovered that making risotto is actually quite easy. Arborio rice and lots and lots of liquid. Stir constantly. You end up with a tasty treat. In this case, Donna added Parmesan cheese and lemon zest to the mix. It was delicious. Now, take the risotto, let it cool enough to handle it and then wrap it around a small cube of cheese. Donna called for Mozzarella but I forgot to get it so I used sharp cheddar instead. It was a good sub.

Nothing better than melted cheese encased in a ball of Parm-y creamy rice and fried.

Couple of tips: make the balls small so they fry quickly. If they fry too long you end up with hard rice on the outside; make sure you use a cheese that melts easily or you will have just soft cheese inside.

These are definitely on the repeat list when I have left over risotto. And I think the little mozzarella balls would work perfectly with this.

Check with Gaye

Kayte

and Chaya for their Arancini balls.

You can find the recipes on page 140 and 144 in her book. I left links above for the online recipes I found. Buy the book. Cook with us and join Wednesdays with Donna Hay.

{WWDH} moussaka

teaandscones — Thu, 09 May 2013 00:38:26 +0000

Eggplant is one of my favorite veggies. I grow them every year and if I am lucky I actually harvest enough to cook with. Last year was a bust, this year, hopefuly, will be better. I have about 5 different kinds planted. Fingers crossed. And one of the reasons I am hoping I get a bountiful harvest is so I can make this again….

This was probably the easiest Moussaka I have ever made. Mostly because it did not include a Bechemel Sauce like others I have made. The meat sauce, which called for ground lamb {and I used beef because one doesn’t find ground lamb here}, was a tasty onion-y, cinnamon-y, garlic-y, tomato-y combination. I made about 1/3 of the recipe which fit nicely into a 7′ by 7′ casserole. I used one eggplant, 1/2 of the other ingredients, except the cheese – I used all of the Parm and Mozzerella Donna called for. It made a perfect 3 servings.

You can find Donna’s recipe on page 110of modern classics: Book 1.

Check out the Moussaka from

Kayte

Gaye

Chaya

{SRC} Sprinkle Me with Recipes

teaandscones — Mon, 06 May 2013 12:00:30 +0000

So here we are, the first of a new month. May!! Already!! May Flowers! Spring weather. And most importantly – Secret Recipe Club!

This month I met Meghan of Cupcakes with Sprinkles. I know I gained at least 10 pounds just LOOKING at all the goodies on her site.

I love all things sweet. I once had an aunt tell me that you might be dead before dessert so you should always eat dessert before dinner. That is something I love! It doesn’t matter how full I get I always have room for dessert.

This had to be month we gave up sweets. I mean really – gave. up. sweets. So while I drooled over all the sweet treats – which WILL be revisited at a later date – had had find some non-sweet recipes. **SIGH** But I persevered and narrowed it down to 6 (one of which is kinda sweet)and then down to THREE!!

Breakfast: Sunday is about the only day we eat a BIG breakfast. Eggs with bacon and grits, pancakes, or…..

WAFFLES

Some with Blueberries.
Some with Pecans. All good!!

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl until blended and smooth. Coat waffle plates with non-stick cooking spray. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter for 1 square of waffles. Let bake for about 3 minutes. Serve immediately.

***********************

Lunch: I needed something quick to go with some left over 5 Spice Chicken for Lunch, Meghan’s Very Quick Fried Rice.

~~and Carrots~~

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the peas ~~and carrots mix~~, onion and garlic. Cook until tender. Lower the heat to medium low and push the mixture to the side of the pan, then pour the eggs on the other side of pan and cook until scrambled. Now add the rice and soy sauce and mix together well. Stir until heated through. I added some Five Spice to the rice as well. I thought it brought out the flavor of the sesame.

***********************

Dinner: We had a cool evening the other night. It was a perfect night for stew.

Not just any stew, a stew made in the slow cooker. I usually fix mine using my pressure cooker or dutch oven so using the slow cooker was different for me. Long and slow gives you enhanced flavor for the potatoes, carrots, and meat.Mine was also a little different because I used 1/2 beef and 1/2 venison.

1. After the meat has been cut into chunks, pat it dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat until the oil is hot. Cook half of the beef until it is well browned on each side, about 4 minutes. Don’t cook it all the way through – just get it brown on all sides. Toss the meat in the slow cooker and follow the same process with the second half of the meat. Remove the meat to the slow cooker, trying to keep as much oil in the pan as possible.

2. Return the skillet to medium heat and add the onions and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until the onions are translucent and golden, about 6 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the broth, soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon thyme and bay leaves. Bring the mixture to a boil and pour it into the slow cooker over the meat.

3. In a large bowl, toss the carrots, potatoes, 1 tablespoon oil, 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. On the counter, lay out a large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil and place the tossed vegetables on one side of the foil. Fold the foil over the vegetables and crimp the edges really well to form a little foil packet that will fit in the top of your slow cooker. >{I put 1/2 of the veggies in the stew and 1/2 in the foil packet to see if there would be a different taste. There wasn’t.}Stir the tapioca into the slow cooker. Place the foil packet of vegetables on top of the stew, cover the slow cooker, and cook on high for 6-7 hours or low for 10-11 hours.

4. When the stew is finished cooking, carefully remove the foil packet from the top of the stew. Discard the bay leaves from the stew. Carefully open the foil packet (be careful of steam that will escape as you open it!). Return the vegetables and any juices to the slow cooker and gently mix them into the stew. Serve.

I had never used tapioca as a thickener. I have always made a roux for thickening. The tapioca was a nice surprise. I liked the flavor the tomato paste added (also never used) but not so much for the soy sauce. Definitely a repeat – when the weather is cold/cool again.

Thanks, Meghan, for three keepers. I still have three recipes left over. And when I start using sugar again there will definitely be some Sprinkle treats coming out of the kitchen.

Visit the other members of The Secret Recipe Club by using the blog hop below.

{WWDH} lemon chicken pasta

teaandscones — Wed, 01 May 2013 05:09:30 +0000

This week’s Donna Hay dish is a nice little pasta dish that is easy and quick to make.

If you have some spaghetti (I used some homemade egg noodles), chicken, capers, and olive oil you are almost there. Now add some lemon juice, zest, and garlic and you have all the makings of this tasty dish. (It also calls for red chillies, but I left those out!!)

I liked it, but B wasn’t a fan. Made a good lunch since it was quick (and I had some cooked breasts.) The only problem, and it is probably because of the pasta I used, I found the dish to be a little dry. Next time I will add a little pasta water.

This was Gaye’s pick his week so amble on over and check out her pasta. And while you are wandering the internet check on Chaya’s and Kayte’s as well

The recipe is on page 22 of Donna’s Off the Shelf: Cooking from the Pantry. It is also on Donna’s website, with tons of other delicious recipes.

{MKMW} Liechtenstein – Käsknöpfle

teaandscones — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 19:23:22 +0000

Translated it means cheese dumplings. Dumplings! Cheese! How can you possibly go wrong with that? It is very much like our Mac/Cheese but with a VERY different pasta. In Leichtenstein it is one of really very few actual Leichtensteiner dishes. {I found only two initially and then ran across several more thanks to Celt Net}

Liechtenstein is a small principality bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. It is the smallest German speaking country in the world. For most of its 2000 year history it has been under the control of one country or another and its cuisine reflects that. But according to some of the web sites I visited THIS recipe is considered the national dish.

These dumplings can be made by simply dropping little pieces of batter into the boiling water or by using a special cutter They are very similar to German spaetzle.

{I used Gruyere and cheddar}

Place the ingredients in a bowl and mix them into a dough. Leave for 10-20 minutes. Then pass the dough through a colander or dough cutter into boiling, salted water. Leave the small pieces of dough in the boiling water for a couple of minutes, then place them in a bowl, add grated cheese, and mix together. Fry onion rings in butter until they are golden, then place these on top of the dish and serve.

I made 1/3 of the recipe and that was plenty for two healthy servings.

This was very easy to prepare and very tasty. And since these little free form noodles are so easy to make it will be served often.

Pop on over to and see what other dishes arrived from Leichtenstein. And if you want to join in just make a dish and leave a comment on the MKMW website.

{WWDH} asparagus tarts

teaandscones — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 06:21:11 +0000

Ok. I confess, this week’s REAL Donna Hay pick is supposed to be smoky roasted Gazpacho. I have tried gazpacho a couple of times. I have tried to like it a couple of times. Nope! Doesn’t work for me. Sorry, Chaya. It was Chaya’s pick this week. But I could not just do nothing, so I went back and did an extra that Kayte and Gaye did earlier.

Asparagus Tarts

These are extrememly easy to make and deliciously easy to eat. Simply place some trimmed asparagus on some puff pastry squares, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bake. YEP!! THAT easy. I make asparagus like this all the time, but not in the crust. And I didn’t actually use puff pastry. I used some Croissant dough I had left from another recipe. Croissant dough is very similar to puff pastry to I decided it would be just right.

I only made four. I am glad it is still asparagus season so I can make some more!!!

You can find the recipe on page 174 of Donna’s classics BOOK 1
And if you want to see everyone elses Gazpacho visit:
Gaye
Kayte
Chaya

The recipe is on page 30 of Donna’s classics BOOK 1. I also found it HERE! But you really need to buy her cookbook for MORE wonderful recipes. And then you could cook along with us!!

{WWDH}free form ratatouille tart

teaandscones — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 07:42:10 +0000

This is the perfect way to eat fresh, roasted veggies. Eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers all roasted with some EVOO.

and tossed onto a pastry round and scattered with Feta.

Since the veggies are roasted ahead of time they retain their own flavors so that each bite is different. And tasty. And I got use some of the marjoram I am growing in the garden. And I think I liked this. Since it was my pick I should have….But I am still not sure. Guess I will just have to make it again…..maybe with some mushrooms. You can find it on page 166 of Donna Hay’s modern classics Book 1and HERE!

See what the others did with theirs.

Kayte

Chaya

Gaye

{BwJ} Madeleines

teaandscones — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 06:48:20 +0000

In May of last year I was just finishing up catching up with all the TWD recipes I missed. Three of them were Madeleines. I had not made them before because I did not have the pan. Now I am always looking for reasons to make them just so I can use my single-purpose pan!! How perfect is it that this week’s Baking With Julia pick is Madeleines

I Love the shape of these little cakes/cookies. These are made with a Génoise batter which was new to me. Others I have made were more of a cake batter.

These were rather plain so I decided to dress them up a smidge. I dipped some in chocolate

And some I sprinkled with Cinnamon Sugar

AS much as I ~~like~~ love chocolate I liked the cinnamon sugar ones better.

And while I tried to like these madeleines they aren’t my favorites. They seemed dry and awfully dense. Ah, well.

The batter (page 41) and the madeleines (page 334) were contributed to Baking with Julia by Flo Braker. Hosting this week are Katie and Amy Thisdell of CounterDog and you can find the recipe on her blog.And stop by and visit the bakers of Baking with Julia for their Madeleines, too.

{WWDH} spinach and ricotta cannelloni

teaandscones — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 06:52:10 +0000

About once a month The Lunch Bunch gets together to eat, laugh, talk, and just chill out. The Lunch Bunch is a collection of fellow teachers. Some of us are retired, some of us still teach. All of us enjoy getting together as often as possible.

I always like to take something new. This week Kayte’s Donna Hay pick was perfect.

My gals finished off this cannelloni with no problem. The recipe gave me 24 small stuffed pastas. I used 17 of them for the luncheon and saved the rest for us. Instead of using the usual cannelloni shells, Donna has us using lasagna noodles which we cut in half and roll up around the ricotta and spinach filling. the stuffed noodles are then covered in Donna’s basic tomato sauce. I was supposed to cover the dish with lots of Parmesan cheese but I used mozzarella instead because I wanted the melty goodness. It was a good idea.

The recipe is in Donna’s modern classics: book 1 on page 142. It is also on Donna’s website. We really liked this and I will definitely make it again. Check out the cannelloni made by

Kayte

Gaye

Chaya

And if you would like to join us on Wednesdays just leave a comment and we will add you in. The more the merrier.

{WWDH} Indian lamb curry

teaandscones — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 05:21:58 +0000

About a year ago I downloaded a book to my Kindle, Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors. It is a story of how the British and Indian cultures separated, clashed, and eventually synergized to give us tremendous varieties of dishes that it would be impossible to even contemplate how many there are. By the time the people of the East India Company returned home to Britain they had developed their own idea of what curry is. Today there are so so many concoctions called Curry Powder. Some of them are good, some of them aren’t so good. Because of that, Donna has us making our own mix for this week’s Wednesday’s with Donna Hay….

…Indian Lamb Curry.

Coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cardomam seeds (not the pods) cooked until they pop and then ground to powder. Fresh and delicious with tons of flavor. Add to that mix, as the lamb is cooking, some chili powder, garlic, and onion and you have a really tasty curry.

While I used only about half the amount of lamb (since just cooking for me) I made the full amount of sauce – always a good idea – and served it with some Basmati rice.

The recipe is on page 100 of Donna’s modern classics: book 1. This was Gaye’s pick this week and it was on my short list. Great pick, Gaye.

Gaye’s Curry

Kayte’s Curry

Chaya’s Curry