Bacon Cheddar Scones

Fortunately, I never promised that the recipes here would be healthy - just tested and delicious!  My family (at least the males) are bacon eaters, so when I see a new recipe with bacon I have to try it.  This recipe was tested by my bacon aficionados and found to be excellent!
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Bacon and Cheddar Scones

 Ingredients

• 3 cups flour, plus more for work surface
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
• 1/2 cup cold butter
• 1 1/2 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced
• 10 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
• 1 large egg, for egg wash
• 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt or kosher salt

 Preheat oven to 425.

Mix flour, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. With a large grater, grate the butter into the flour. Mix the butter into the flour with your hands until well incorporated. Add the cheese, green onion and crumbled bacon. Mix until evenly distributed. Add the buttermilk and mix with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a stiff dough.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. With a rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangle a 1/2-inch thick. Cut wedges of dough out to preferred scone size and arrange on a half sheet tray lined with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, beat the egg and brush each scone with the egg wash. Sprinkle with a little coarse sea salt and bake until nicely browned, about 14 to 16 minutes. Remove from the oven and arrange on a serving platter.

Serves 6  

Parmesan Thyme Crackers

These crackers are like a delicious savory shortbread - perfect with a glass of wine before dinner, or served with luncheon salads.  They can be made ahead of time and frozen for up to 6 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge before slicing and baking. They also last for several days after they are baked if you keep them in an airtight container.

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1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 ounces (about 1 cup) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter for 1 minute.  with the mixer on low speed, add the Parmesan, thyme, salt and pepper and combine.  With the mixer still on low, add the flour and combine until the mixture is in large crumbles, about 1 minute.  If the dough is too dry, add 1 teaspoon water.
Dump the dough onto a floured board, press it into a ball and roll into a 9-inch log.  Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 days.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Cut the log into 3/8-inch rounds with a sharp knife and place them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.  Bake for 22 minutes, until very lightly browned.  Rotate the pan once during baking.  Cool and serve at room temperaure (if they are too warm they taste kind of gummy - they crisp up and have the texture of shorbread once they are cool).

Makes 24

Cappuccino Heath Cupcakes

These cupcakes are very dense and moist - almost sticky.  After two tries, they still aren't exactly what I wanted for this recipe, but they are delicious.  I'll keep working on that perfect cake and keep you posted; in the meantime, let me know what you think of these!

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1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar (I used light brown)
1/2 cup white sugar
2 Tablespoons espresso powder
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup milk


Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin tin with 12-18 cupcake liners.
In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.


In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine butter, sugars and espresso powder and beat on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes until mixture is light and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time and mix well.  Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the milk and beating on low speed until just combined; scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling about 2/3 full.  These cupcakes don't rise into a big top, they tend to spread out over the muffin tin, so don't fill too full. 
Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean.  Allow cupcakes to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.  If the cupcakes spill out over the muffin tin, take a knife and gently push them away from the tin before letting them cool.


For the frosting:
This makes enough to frost 12 cupcakes lightly.  Double the recipe if you like to pipe your frosting on.


1 recipe Perfect Cupcake Frosting
1 1/2 teaspoons espresso powder dissolved in 1 1/2 teaspoons hot water (cool to room temp)
1/2 cup (or more) of Hershey's Heath bits (try not to eat the rest, now that they're opened!)
cocoa powder
Omit the vanilla in the frosting recipe and substitute the espresso mixture.
I piped the frosting on with a large (1M) tip.
Sprinkle with Heath bits and dust lightly with cocoa powder

Salmon "Bulogi" with Bok choy and Mushrooms

This is a tasty way to prepare salmon that is also a little different. We decided to cook the salmon on the barbeque instead of baking it, and the whole family enjoyed this recipe.
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• 2 large garlic cloves, peeled, divided
• 1/3 cup chopped green onions
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry Sherry
• 1 3/4-inch cube peeled fresh ginger
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
• 3/4 teaspoon chili-garlic sauce*
• 4 6-ounce center-cut skinless salmon fillets
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large bok choy, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-wide strips (about 7 cups)
• 4 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps sliced (we substituted crimini mushrooms)

Blend 1 garlic clove and next 7 ingredients in mini processor. Arrange salmon in 11x7x2-inch glass baking dish. Spoon marinade over. Let marinate 5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 500°F. Arrange fish, with some marinade still clinging, on rimmed baking sheet. Transfer any marinade in dish to small saucepan. Roast fish until just opaque in center, about 8 minutes. Bring marinade in saucepan to boil; set aside and reserve for glaze.

Meanwhile, heat oil in large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add bok choy and mushrooms; using garlic press, press in 1 garlic clove. Stir-fry until mushrooms are tender and bok choy is wilted, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Divide vegetables among plates. Top with salmon. Brush fish with glaze.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Salmon-Bulgogi-with-Bok-Choy-and-Mushrooms-242481#ixzz1QREFkH2d