What’s Cookin’ in the Country?

These scones are OUT OF THIS WORLD DELICIOUS!

 2 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
6 Tbl. COLD unsalted butter (cubed)
1 cup chopped strawberries (the riper the better)
3/4 cup chopped white chocolate
(plus a few tablespoons chocolate to melt and drizzle on top when baked)
3/4 cup heavy cream (plus 2 tsp to use to melt white chocolate)

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment or foil.

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Then cut the butter in with a pastry cutter, or 2 knives until only pea-sized lumps remain.

Then fold in the strawberries and chocolate with a rubber spatula until the berries are coated in the flour. Then pour in the heavy cream, and gently stir to distribute.

Once the cream has mostly absorbed, use your hands to knead the dough in the bowl GENTLY, to get all of it in a ball. Be sure to not overwork the dough, not everything needs to be mixed entirely! Pour out onto a well floured surface, and sprinkle top with flour. Gently press the dough until its down to 3/4 inch thickness, and in the shape of a circle.

Using a large, floured chef’s knife, cut the circle into 8 even wedges.

Place on the baking sheet giving each scone a couple inches to grow, and bake for 12-15 minutes. (It’s important to separate them for them to bake through)

Once they have cooled, microwave the extra white chocolate and a little bit of cream until melted. Using a ziploc or a pastry cone decorate with zig zags or stripes of chocolate.

I love the yellow straws to slurp sip the yummy Julius.

Orange Julius

6 oz. Orange Juice concentrate (undiluted)
1 Cup milk
1 Cup water
1/3 – 1/2 C sugar
about 10-12 ice cubes

Mix in blender. Serve immediately.

These were a Pioneer Woman recipe.  They over-baked a bit!  Live and learn!  Next time I will reduce the cooking time, but they were good anyway!

Hash Brown Egg Cups

Ingredients
6 whole Medium Russet Potatoes (6 To 8)
 Salt And Pepper, to taste
24 whole Large Eggs
 Non-stick Cooking Spray

Preparation Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Bake the potatoes until almost tender (potatoes should still have a little bite) 45 minutes to 1 hour. Allow to cool, and then peel and grate them. Season well with salt and pepper. (You can freeze these at this point by flash freezing them,  then they’ll be ready for whenever you need hash browns.)
INCREASE OVEN TEMP TO 425 DEGREES.
Spray two muffin pans generously with cooking spray. Scoop 3 to 4 tablespoons of grated potato into each muffin cup. Use your fingers to gently press the sides and bottom in each muffin hole to make a nest (don’t press the potatoes firmly against the pan; they should sit lightly in the pan.) Spray again (very lightly!) with cooking spray. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Watch and make sure they do not burn. (If they seem like they’re not browning, kick up the temp to 450.) Remove when the nests are golden brown.

Brunch is a great meal to have for guests, because it gives you a little more time in the morning to prepare than breakfast would.  Plus you can have sweet and savory dishes, and who doesn’t love having white chocolate first thing in the day?!  

I loved having the bridal brunch; for me it was a highlight of the whole wedding event.  I was surrounded by the bride and her girls, then got to spend the next couple of hours helping and watching them get ready for the wedding.  It was a super-special time!

Do you fix brunch?  What do you love to serve for this fun meal?

From my country kitchen,