Jalapeno & White Cheddar Scones

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For my Pumpkin Harvest Fall Entertaining last week, we made White Cheddar & Jalapeno Scones to go along side the Butternut & Beef Chili. 

As a scone is basically a biscuit (Right? Correct me if I'm wrong...), I thought it would be a great comfort food to go a long with the chili instead of the classic corn bread.  I used classic chili toppers, cheddar and jalapenos, in the scones to make them chili ready.

 For all of the recipes on a printable card from my Workshop, click here.

For information about my next Workshop, "The Thanksgiving Host," click here!

jalapeno & white cheddar
Scones
   
4 cups of flour
2 tablespoons of baking powder
1/2 tablespoon of salt
1 cup of cheddar
3 tablespoons of jalapenos, minced
3/4 pound of butter, cold (3 sticks)
1 cup of cream
4 eggs

In a mixer, combine flour, baking powder, salt, cheddar and jalapenos using the paddle attachment.  Cut the cold butter into 1/2 inch pieces.  Add the butter to the dry ingredients and mix on low until the butter is mixed in and is the size of peas.  In a separate bowl, mix together eggs and whipping cream with a fork.  Turn the mixer on low and slowly add the cream and egg mixture.  Turn off the mixer once added.

Put some flour on the counter.  Turn the dough out onto the floured surface.  Seperate the dough into two equal parts.  Add some flour onto the top of the dough, then pat each pile out into a disk - about 8 inches in diameter each.  Cut the disks into 6 pieces like a pie, totaling 12.

Separate the pieces and put them on a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15-17 minutes.  

Fall Squash & Goat Cheese Dip with Garlic Toasts

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Everyone loves a good dip.  For most of us, dip recipes are at the center of our entertaining repertoires.  For the Pumpkin Harvest Fall Entertaining Workshop, I made this hot, creamy goat cheese dip that features squash... and my favorite part - a squash bowl.

The dip is great, but the garlic toasts were really the star in my workshop.  I toast a sliced baguette them for 2 minutes under the broiler, then rub them with a raw clove of garlic.  You won't believe how good.
creamy goat cheese
Squash Dip
  
2 blocks of cream cheese, softened
4 ounces of goat cheese, softened
3 green onions, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon of cracked pepper
1 small hubbard squash

Cut a hubbard squash in half.  Place both pieces of the squash on a baking sheet.  Roast in the oven for 30 minutes at 400 degrees.  Leave one half to use as bowl.  Scoop out 1/2 cup of flesh from the other piece of cooked squash.  Mash it with a fork.  Set aside.

In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine cream cheese, goat cheese, green onions, garlic, sea salt, pepper and 1/2 cup of cooked, mashed squash.  Mix until combined.  Spoon mixture into the ‘bowl’ piece of the squash.  Place it on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. 

Bite-Sized S'mores in the Oven | Easy Fall Dessert

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Last fall I attended a party at Darcy Miller's home (editor of Martha Stewart Weddings) for the book launch of Peter Callahan's new book, Bite by Bite.  The entire cookbook is artfully created mini ideas for food.  One of the desserts served at the party were these little bite-size s'mores.  I've always loved s'mores, but there is something about these one bite, open-faced s'mores that are sooooo great.  They are not messy and they are so easy to make - they are ready in 45 seconds!

I made these mini s'mores as part of my Pumpkin Harvest Fall Entertaining class.  After a big filling bowl of butternut and beef chili and a cheddar jalapeno scone, these were the perfect tiny little sweet bite to end the class.


This isn't really a recipe, but more of a list of very simple instructions.

Cut the graham crackers into 1-inch squares (basically, 1 graham cut into 8ths).  Use a serrated bread knife to cut - it makes it very easy without too much breakage.


Cut small pieces of chocolate to fit on top of the graham pieces.


Line them up on a baking sheet.

Sorry, not pic of the last step!  Just cut a marshmallow into thirds with a hot, wet serrated knife and place them on top of the chocolate.

Put them in the oven under the broiler for 30-45 seconds.  Depending on your oven... watch them carefully, they will burn very quickly!
 

Happy Halloween! Making Emma's Lamb Costume & Decorating Cookies

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Boo!  Or should I say, "Baaaa!"  
Our little lamb!

Here is the making of the costume.  I used a really soft, fuzzy blanket that I found, cut it out and sewed it together.  It may have been my most successful sewing project to date - complete with an oatmeal linen lining! 


Hey, Bright Eyes : )

Happy kids!

Sunday we took Emma to the Fairway Halloween festival at the park.  Sorry about the blurry picture... it is the only one I'm in!


Emma's Uncle Josh and Aunt Claire came to see her in her lamb costume.

 
Emma's very "in to" teeth and mouths...
  Emma and Daddy

Josh making a scary pumpkin... yikes!



Fun...

on the sliiiiiide!



Today Emma and I decorated cookies to take to her Mimi's house for Trick-or-Treating.


 Her first hands-on sugar cookie experience... of many, many more.  Next up- Thanksgiving cookies!

The Kitchen | DYI Remodel | New Open Shelving & Beadboard Backsplash

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This is the "Before" of our kitchen.
That is Mr. Darcy knocking over his bowl to request a refill...
I believe the previous owners had this kitchen done early-90's.  It is not terrible, but not very light and it is missing the utilitarian feel that I like kitchens to have.

At some point in the near (1-2 years) future, we plan to add an addition onto the house that will triple the size of the kitchen and include a cozy hearth room.  For the meantime, we planned a DIY (budget-friendly!) remodel to freshen up the space.

DIY Backsplash and Open Shelving Update :

-Remove Upper Cabinets from the Left side ($0)
-Add Pine Wainscoting Back Splash ($60)
-Add Open Shelving ($100)

Total Cost = $160.00

Other Projects (we've already completed, and will be sharing this week...) :

-Counter Tops
-Light Fixtures
-New Appliances
-Revive Wood Floor

I'll be posting the rest of the "Progress" and "After" photos throughout the day and over the next couple of days... so, stay tuned!


 Here is the Before of the Upper Cabinets.



And the After.  Much lighter and brighter, right?

Our first step was to remove the upper cabinets on the left side of the kitchen and to remove the dark tile.  We decided to keep the upper cabinets on the right side so we would have some covered storage.  They are visually blocked by the refrigerator, so removing them wouldn't have really opened up the space anymore. 

Now all of the tile has been removed.  Ick. 


Here, my Dad and Mike install the solid wood paneling that goes from the counter top to the ceiling.


They used construction adhesive on the back and finish nails to secure it.


Voila.  There is a part of me that wanted to keep the rustic, raw knotty pine.  Someday I'll have cozy cabin and I'll do the entire thing in this paneling!

Installing paneling was a great option because :

#1 - We didn't have to repair the walls from the tile or cabinets.
#2 - It was only $60 worth of paneling.
#3 - The project to this point took my Dad and Mike about 4 hours.
#4 - It gave the entire room a "fresh and new" feel for $60 in 4 hours.


Before priming and painting, I filled all of the holes with wood filler...


Then sanded.  Doesn't my manicure look lovely?


I painted it to match our trim : Benjamin Moore Navajo White in Satin



Here is the "After" photo of the paneling with the shelves installed.  I didn't take photos of the shelving installation... because... well, they went up so fast, I painted them and then they were finished before I knew it!  Sorry.

We got the birds beak brackets from Home Depot for about $10 each.  The shelves themselves are 1x12x8 pine boards with 1 x 2 1/2 trim pieces on the perimeter.  Mike secured 3 of 4 of the brackets into studs so the shelves are very sturdy.

I still haven't decided on an official display of my things on the shelves, but I'm working on it - probably an entire post in itself. 

As you can see, we also replaced the light fixtures - source links here : http://jennysteffens.blogspot.com/2012/09/house-tour-work-in-progress-progressing.html

Next up, the counter tops!  Stay tuned later today for the update!

Bulgur Kofte (Bulgur Köftesi)

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I don't know if you have noticed that I like bulgur, different types of bulgur, and anything with bulgur. I like bulgur especially in kofte form such as this, this, and this. Bulgur kofte is yet another bulgur dish in kofte form. The recipe belongs to my mom and has long been a family favorite. Bulgur gives a nice, nutty flavor to otherwise a regular kofte recipe. We usually enjoy it during summer days since it is lighter than 100% meat recipes and delicious when grilled. Although I have a copy of Ayla Algar's Classical Turkish Cooking, I hadn't noticed before that Algar has a similar recipe to my mom's bulgur kofte recipe. The following is a combination of both.   























for 4 people
1 pound ground beef (80% lean) [Algar asks for ground lamb]
1/2 cup fine bulgur
1 big or 2 medium onions, grated
1 green pepper, preferably a spicy one, chopped finely
1 tsp crushed spicy red pepper flakes
1 to 1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/3 bunch flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/3 cup mint, finely chopped or 1 1/2 tbsp dry mint flakes or dry basil
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and ground pepper

-Place bulgur in a bowl. Pour hot water on top to barely cover it. Let stand for 15 minutes to soak.
-Add the rest of the ingredients. Salt to your taste.
-Take pieces little bigger than walnuts and shape into oval patties.
-Either grill until both sides are crispy or cook them in a lightly oiled pan on both sides.TweetPin It

Semolina Sponge Cake (Revani)

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If you are a libertine, don’t turn from the cup of pure wine
If you are wise, take your glass in the direction of Galata…Pious one, should you see those Frankish (European) boys but onceYou would never cast an eye on the houris in paradise…Everywhere is filled with paradisiacal boys and girls, Revani,Who enters it looks no more to the highest heaven(from The Age of Beloveds by Walter Andrews and Mehmet Kalpakli) 
These lines which depict the life in Istanbul of 16^th century are from a poem by Revani, an Ottoman poet, an infamous libertine who lived in late 15^th and early 16^th centuries. And revani the dessert is said to be named after Revani the poet. The association is not rooted in Revani’s notorious ways in entertainment or financial matters (he never gets any positive remarks on his character in biographies), but in his famous unique and novel work Ä°ÅŸretname (Book of Wassail) which deals with anything related to Ottoman carousals: the wine, best seasons for drinking wine, wine glasses, flagons, young men serving wine, and, of course, food. E.J.W. Gibb in his colossal work on Ottoman poetry defines Revani as a “thorough-going hedonist” but not a “mystic.” In “Book of Wassail” he proves Gibb right. Revani gives a long list of delicasies in his lines and with vivid metaphors likens them to serpents (sausages), pearl (rice), or blond beauty (saffron) (see Gibb for more info on “Book of Wassail”).
Although he wrote couplet after couplet praising pleasures of food, I don’t know why particularly revani, a sponge cake, a semolina sponge cake to be accurate, soaked in syrup is named after Revani. 





























for the cake2/3 cup semolina1/3 cup flour (white)5 eggs, separated 2/3 cup sugar2 tbsp or less orange zest (optional)
for the syrup2 1/2 cup water2 1/2 cup sugar 2 tbsp lemon juice 1 tbsp lemon zest (optional)
for the topcoconut flakes orground pistachio 
-Beat egg yolk with sugar until creamy. -Add orange zest, semolina, and flour gradually as your mixing them all with a whisker or a mixer.-In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until they turn into firm foam and add them into the cake. -Grease a deep cake pan 9-10 inch in diameter.-Pour the batter and bake in a preheated oven at 350F for approximately 30 minutes or until golden brown. Check with a knife or a toothpick to make sure the cake is done. They should come out clean.-Meanwhile, mix sugar, water, and lemon juice + zest in a pot and bring to a boil. Then simmer on medium for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool. -When revani is still in the cake pan and warm, not hot but warm, cut in into diamond shape slices or in squares. -Pour the lukewarm syrup on top with a scoop slowly, waiting the cake to soak it in.-Serve diamond with coconut flakes or ground pistachio on top. Revani is also good with vanilla ice cream or clotted cream on the side.       

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