Pumpkin Scones

We had a cold front move through this weekend and it automatically put me in the mood for Fall flavors. I made these delicious pumpkin scones-a tweaked recipe from my bakery textbook. Not too sweet and delicious with coffee, hot tea, or cider.

Pumpkin Scones (makes 12 medium scones)

2 cups all purpose flour

¼ cup & 3 T sugar

1T baking powder

½ t salt

½ t cinnamon

½ t nutmeg

¼ t cloves

¼ t ginger

6 T cold butter, cut into 1“ cubes

½ c canned pumpkin

3T half and half

1 egg

For the Glaze:

1c & 1T powdered sugar

Second glaze:

¼ t cinnamon

Pinch of nutmeg

Pinch of ginger

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. Add the butter and mix until the texture looks like cornmeal.

 In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, half and half, and egg. Fold wet ingredients into the dry and form the dough into a ball. Pat dough out on a lightly floured surface and form into 1” thick, 4” wide, and 12” long. Using a large knife, slice the dough into three equal portions. Cut each portion into an X so that each section makes 4 scones (12 scones total). 

Place on a baking sheet and bake for 14-16 minutes. Let cool

To make the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar and milk. Brush the tops of the scones. Let set for 10 minutes. With the remaining glaze, add the spices. Drizzle on the tops of the scones. Let icing dry before serving. 

Easy Peasy: Spaghetti Squash

I saw the first hints of Fall at the Farmers' Market this past weekend and my heart skipped a beat. I love this time of year. I love the cooler weather, the crunchy leaves, the smells, and the food. This is the time of year I feel lucky to live in North Carolina. I was so excited to see apples and winter squash especially. Winter squashes are wonderful to cook, but the size and hard exterior tend to turn some away. Knowing the basic principles of how to cook these puppies is key, so I plan on showing simple ways to cook winter squashes throughout the rest of the year. I'm starting with my favorite-spaghetti squash. I consider spaghetti squash to be a culinary wonder-a squash that tastes like a vegetable with a hint of sweetness with the texture of an angel hair pasta noodle. My husband had never had them before and he loved it! I roasted them and seasoned afterwards to use as a side, but turn it into the star attraction by treating it like it is a pasta! Top with your favorite sauce!

Simple Roasted Spaghetti Squash (serves 4)
2 medium sized spaghetti squash
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped

A little size reference for you

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Using a large knife, cut the squash in half lengthwise.
 Tip: if you are having difficulty, get the knife at least in the squash and pick up the handle of the knife with the squash in it, and slam it down on your cutting board...barbaric, but effective.

Scoop out the seeds with a spoon and discard. Brush or rub the inside with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and thyme. Lay cut side down on a baking sheet and cook for 45-50 minutes. Allow to cool slightly.

Using a fork, start on one of the outside edges and scrape to the other side. Do this gently to keep strands in tact instead of it turning to mush.

I prop the hot squash half in a bowl to scrape.

Now comes the fun part-be creative. My favorite is to toss in a little butter, a drizzle of honey, and a touch of a specialty oil. Truffle oil is amazing, but walnut oil is delicious as well. If I use it as a base for pasta, I will just add a little olive oil and top with the sauce. Spaghetti squash also lends itself nicely to warm spices like curry.

It's that easy!

My Kind of Granola

I love granola, but very rarely buy it because the majority of them are actually not healthy. Loaded with sugar and oil, I think it defeats the purpose of purchasing it. I have been on the search for years for a great granola recipe that is only lightly sweetened, non greasy, and my other stipulation- I don't like granola clumps. I like very loose granola that you can actually sprinkle. My coworker visited the Pacific Northwest recently and fell in love with the granola at the bed and breakfast where she stayed. She was given the recipe, made it when she got back, and brought me a snack bag. I found it. I immediately asked for the recipe and tweaked it from there. With only a quarter of a cup of honey, syrup, and oil to four cups of oats, this is the perfect ratio. Simple to make, add the "goodies" of your choosing, and it comes out perfectly sweet and clump free.

Langley Granola
4c oats (no quick oats)
1/4c sesame seeds
1 big handful of walnuts
1 handful of pecans
2-3T ground ginger
1/4c honey
1/4c maple syrup*
1/4c vegetable or canola oil

*My mom is diabetic, so we made a batch for her using 1/2c agave nectar instead of the honey and syrup and added 1 teaspoon of maple flavoring....good lower glycemic option!

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl well to coat the oats. Spread over a large baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

Dried fruit

Roasted, unsalted nuts
Pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

When granola has cooked, remove from the oven and add any dried fruit, pepitas, and roasted nuts you would like. Let cool completely and store in an air tight container.

Rule of Thumb: Any raw nuts add before cooking, any already roasted nuts add after cooking.

I added chopped dried apricots, dried blueberries, and slivered almonds