Dinner Club: February family recipes

This month's dinner club theme was family recipes (that you have never made of course), so I decided to give my Nana's lasagna a go. I gave her a call and reviewed the recipe. Then Friday right after school I raced to the store and picked up the ingredients. I sadly was going have to omit the meatballs and sausage this time around due to time constraints...it had to be ready to leave the house that night at 6pm.

I started out by boiling the noodles and making my sauce. Then I layed my first layer of noodles covering it with the sauce and spooned dollups of Ricotta cheese in an alternating pattern. Finally I covered that layer with mozzerella. I would have put the meat on alternating with the ricotta had I been using meat. Then I layed my next layer and did it all over again until I ran out of noodles and the pan was full. I added more mozzerella on top with some parmesian too. I then covered the tray with foil and stuck it in the oven to bake for an hour so all the cheese would melt and everything would be nice and hot. Then it was off to Laura O's for our dinner club. We had so much good food from corn pudding and sweet potato biscuits to brunswick stew, green beans, and a sausage pasta dish and for dessert there was homemade apple pie and strawberry cookies.I didn't get an after shot until we had dug into the lasagna...oh well...it was yummy and pretty easy to make. I'll definitely be using the recipe again...especially to bring people because it cooks and transports pretty easy.

Sadly I somehow missed getting pictures of all of us at the dinner club this month, but I did get a shot of all the food on a plate. Can you say DELICIOUS! Next month's theme...Alice in Wonderland...should be interesting to see what will be on the menu that night.

A Delicious Dinner

My friend Shelby posted a new pork recipe the other day, so I thought I'd give it a shot for dinner tonight. It was so easy and DELICIOUS and I had everything I needed already in the pantry! I think it was a hit with the Herndons and I'll be keeping this recipe in my back pocket for future dinners. No pictures though, sorry, cause we were ready to dig in when it was ready, but it looked like hers if you need a pic to get your mouth watering. You should definately give this RECIPE a try and let me know how you liked it. Thanks Shelb!

Scones Recipe

Pumpkin Scones
2 cups (280 grams) all purpose flour
1/3 cup (72 grams) light or dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (113 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/3 cup (50 grams) raisins
1/4 cup (30 grams) toasted and chopped pecans (optional)
1/3 - 1/2 cup (80 - 120 ml) buttermilk
1/2 cup fresh or canned pure pumpkin (if using canned pumpkin make sure there are no spices or
sugar added)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Egg Wash:
1 large egg
1 tablespoon milk or cream
Turbinado sugar for sprinkling the tops (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and place rack in middle of oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, spices, baking powder, baking soda 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. Stir in the raisins and pecans, if using. In a separate bowl mix together the buttermilk, pumpkin puree and vanilla and then add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture. Mix just until the dough comes together. Do not overmix the dough.

Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead dough gently four or five times and then pat the dough into a circle that is about 7 inches (18 cm) round and about 11/2 inches (3.75 cm) thick. Cut this circle in half, then cut each half into 3 pie-shaped wedges (triangles). Place the scones on the baking sheet. Brush the tops of the scones with the egg wash and sprinkle a little Turbinado sugar on top, if desired.

Place the baking sheet inside another baking sheet to prevent the bottoms of the scones from over browning. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Makes 6 scones.

Blueberry Scones

2 cups (280 grams) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar
2 teaspoons (10 grams) baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (85 grams) chilled, unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup (150 grams) fresh blueberries
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon (5 grams) pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup (120 ml) cream or milk
Brushing tops of scones:
Milk or Cream
Streusel Topping:
1/4 cup (55 grams) brown sugar
1/4 cup (35 grams) all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons (30 grams) chilled unsalted

butter, cut into pieces

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) and place rack in middle of oven. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

For the Scones: 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. Gently fold in the blueberries. In a small measuring cup combine the cream, beaten egg and vanilla. Add this mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until the dough comes together. Do not over mix the dough or the scones will be tough.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead the dough gently four or five times and then pat the dough into a circle that is about 7 inches (18 cm) round and about 11/2 inches (4 cm) thick. Cut this circle in half, then cut each half into four pie-shaped wedges (triangles). Place the scones on the baking sheet. Brush the tops of the scones with a little cream or milk.

For the Streusel Topping: In a small bowl whisk together the sugar, flour, and cinnamon. With a pastry blender or two knives, cut in the butter until crumbly. Top each scone with a teaspoon or two of the streusel mixture. Cover and refrigerate any leftover streusel mixture.

Bake the scones until nicely browned, about 15 - 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a scone comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly. These are best eaten the day they are made but can be covered and stored for a few days..
Makes 8 scones

Coffee House Scones

2 cups (280 grams) all purpose flour
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (113 grams) (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces
2/3 cup (160 ml) buttermilk
Egg mixture for brushing tops of scones:
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and place rack in middle of oven. Stack two baking sheets together and line the top baking sheet with parchment paper. (This prevents the bottoms of the scones from over browning during baking.)

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda 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. Add the buttermilk (adding more if necessary) to the flour mixture and stir just until the dough comes together. Do not over mix the dough.

Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead dough gently four or five times and then pat, or roll, the dough into a circle that is about 7 inches (18 cm) round and about 11/2 inches (3.75 cm) thick. Cut this circle in half, then cut each half into 3 pie-shaped wedges (triangles). Place the scones on the baking sheet. Make an egg wash of one well-beaten egg mixed with 1 tablespoon milk and brush the tops of the scones with this mixture.

Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and then turn your broiler on high. Sift confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar heavily over the tops of the scones and place them under the broiler. Broil for just a few seconds, turning the pan as necessary, until the sugar has melted and turns golden brown. Make sure to watch the scones carefully as the sugar will burn very quickly. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Makes 6 scones.

Find more Scone Recipes at JoyofBaking.com

A Southern Lady's Pumpkin Soup

This past Thursday, we held a Birthday get together where Robin and I invited my parents and Evan and Amy to Dinner because my birthday was the 26th and Eve's was the 29th of September and Adam is coming up on the 14th. I decided this would be the perfect occasion to try out two new fall recipes. That day felt like the perfect fall day to make my first batch of Pumpkin soup.

I felt very gourmet with this recipe, especially when it was plated. So if you want a dish with a fall flare that will look and taste great, give it a try.

Ingredients:
2 tbsps butter
2 tbsps olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrot
1 cup chopped parsnip
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsps all-purpose flour
6 cups chicken broth
3 cups pumpkin puree
1 1/2 tbsps ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup sour cream
Toasted pumpkin seeds











In a medium Ducth over, heat butter and olive oil over meadum heat until butter is melted. Add onion, carrot, parsnip, and garlic.

Cook for 12 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. Add flour; cook. stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add chicken broth, pumpkin puree, cumin, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat to low and cook for 10 minutes.











In the work bowl of a food processor puree pumpkin mixture, in batches if necessary, until smooth. Return pumpkin puree mixture to Dutch oven over medium heat. Add cream and sour cream, whisking until smooth. Bring to a summer for 2 minutes, or until heated. Garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds.











Funny moments from the kitchen...I had no idea what a parsnip was prior to shopping for this recipes ingredients. I thought it might be potato like and Robin thought it might be cabbage like. In reality it is more like a white carrot! So now you know if you were like me and had never seen a parsnip before.

Giada's Stuffed Peppers

This recipe was a hit at the dinner table tonight, so I thought I'd share. I saw Giada De Laurentis, my favorite Food Network personality, cook this up and I had everything already in the house to give it a go. You very well may already have most of the ingredients you need to whip this delicious dish together and it's pretty healthy too!

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, grated
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves (I used dried parsley)
1 large egg
3 tablespoons ketchup
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano
1/4 cup dried plain bread crumbs
1 pound ground turkey
2 zucchini, ends removed and halved (I didn't have zucchini)
1 short orange bell pepper, halved and seeded
1 short red bell pepper, halved and seeded
1 short yellow bell pepper, halved and seeded
1 1/2 cups marinara sauce

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Lightly drizzle the olive oil into a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish. Whisk the onion, parsley, egg, ketchup, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl to blend. Stir in the cheese and bread crumbs. Mix in the turkey. Cover and refrigerate the turkey mixture.

Using a melon baller or spoon, carefully scrape out the seeds and inner flesh from the zucchini, leaving 1/8-inch-thick shells. Be careful not to pierce through the skin. Fill the zucchini and pepper halves with the turkey mixture, dividing equally and mounding slightly. Arrange the stuffed vegetables in the baking dish. Pour the marinara sauce over the stuffed vegetables.

Bake uncovered until the vegetables are tender and beginning to brown and a thermometer inserted into the filling registers 165 degrees F, about 45 minutes. Transfer the stuffed vegetables to a platter and serve.

ALL I CAN SAY IS IT WAS DE-LI-CIOUS and A HIT IN THE HERNDON HOUSEHOLD! Let me know if you give it a go! ENJOY!