Orange Scones

Sorry it's late!!  I blame life and small children in general.  

So I am addicted to Panera Bread's Orange Scones.  They are my favorite treat.  My husband got me 7 of them for our Anniversary this year.  One for each year we were married.  He's pretty darn awesome.  Oh, and yes I shared.  

I decided that I could probably make something close to their scones.  They looked, tasted, and felt like a glorified biscuit. I'm pretty good at baking.  Probably not going to win any awards, but everything I turn out tastes good.  At least that is what my family tells me.  So I searched the interwebz for all of 20 minutes and found one that people were saying was good and made some and they tasted good!  Not quite Panera good, but good enough to make again. 

Orange Scones

What you need:

2 cups flour 

(I usually sift 2 cups then re measure and keep the rest of the sifted flour out for rolling...Also you can do 1 cup all purpose flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour if you want)

6 tablespoons sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons orange zest (grated orange peel)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup cold butter 

(refrigerator cold people...not freezer cold)

1/3 cup milk

1 egg

1/2 cup mandarin oranges very well drained and chopped

(I used a regular orange chopped up...it's what I had on hand)

To preface this...I don't have a kitchen aid or anything like that so I end up doing a LOT of stuff by hand when I bake.  I do have a standard hand mixer, but it is of no help with recipes like this. If you have a kitchen aid feel free to use it, but make sure that you don't over mix since that is what gives these scones their texture. 

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. 

In a big bowl combine your flour(s), sugar, baking powder, salt and orange zest.  If you have never done orange zest before all you need to do is gently grate the outside of an un-peeled orange on the small side of your cheese grater.  Collect the grated peel (they usually stick to the inside of the grater), measure and add.  

Mix your dry ingredients well.  

Next we will cut in the butter.  Make sure your butter is cold (has been sitting in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours if it was frozen before).  I cut mine up into little squares and toss into the flour mix.  Then I use my hands to rub the butter into the flour mix. And by rub I mean exactly that.  Grab the mix and rub the hunks of butter into it.  You are looking to create a crumbly texture that looks something like this:

Okay, now in a second bowl whisk together your egg and milk.  Once they are well mixed add them to your dry mix and stir until it starts to stick together for the most part (I use a fork and a bit of elbow grease for this).  It will still look dry.  Add your oranges now and stir some more.  The moisture from the oranges should bring the rest of it together but it should still be lumpy and unattractive looking.  

Now make sure your counter is clean and sprinkle some flour and spread it around.  Make sure you have a good amount on your hands too because the scone dough is going to be sticky.  

Turn out the dough (fancy for dump the dough out on your counter) and knead the dough 10 times.  Never kneaded before? Simple. I put some flour on the top, squash it down and then grab one side and fold it over the other side and squash down again.  I did it 10 times...not sure why 10 times, but I am nothing if not obedient to the instructions. 

Now form it into a 6 inch circle that looks something like this:

Do you have one of these?  If not you will need a knife (non serrated would be best).

I have no idea what ^that^ is.  I got it as a wedding gift and I have seen cooks use them on cooking shows often.  I do know it is sweet for dividing pastry dough and scraping stuff off the counter with out them loosing to much of their shape (like stubborn sugar cookies).  It's also just plain good at scraping stuff off the counter. 

Moving along...You want to find the middle of your circle and cut it in half, then fourths and then eighths. 

Now place your wedges on a greased cookie sheet.  You can sprinkle them with sugar if you want.  I did because I am a sugar floozy.   

Now bake!  Start with 15 minutes and then check your scones.  If they still look/feel soft and doughy leave them in for another 3 to 5 minutes.  They should get a nice crunch to the outside and look a lovely golden brown.  Like this:

I'm lazy and didn't make a glaze.  You can if you want, but I just didn't have time.  

And that is how to make orange scones!  They tasted great and I'm pretty sure they will become a staple in our house from now on! 

Enjoy!

*****Have a family recipe you LOVE?  Please email it to me at kennedylantz@gmail.com and we will be happy to give it a try and I will feature it on our blog! *****

Easy, Super Yummy Mac'N'Cheese

Easy, Super Yummy Mac'N'Cheese

What you need:

16 ounces Macaroni Noodles (or noodles of choice)

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup all purpose flour

2 and 1/2 cups milk 

(whole milk has best flavor and if you are making it for kids it is super good for them)

1lb cheese 

(I use sharp cheddar but any kind you prefer is fine)

salt and pepper to taste

Optional: ground Mustard and crushed ritz crakers

Prepare your noodles as directed on package or to your taste.

No do yourself a HUGE favor and get the rest of the ingredients ready because once you start you are going to want them measured and on hand. Trust me.

To make the cheese sauce start with a medium sauce pan on medium-low heat.  We are going to make a roux.  It is the base for just about any creamy sauce or gravy. Add butter and whisk until melted.  Once the butter is melted slowly add the flour while you continue to whisk.  The mixture will be thick but still liquid. Now cook for 5 minutes WHISKING THE WHOLE TIME.  You must keep whisking or it will burn and you will need to start over.  

Next whisk in your milk.  I turn the heat up to Medium at this point to help with thickening.  You can add in your salt, pepper and mustard at this point.  A teaspoon of each is a good place to start.  

Keep stirring until the sauce is nice and thick, then add in your cheese.  Stir, stir and stir some more!  Once your cheese is good and melted give your sauce a taste.  Add more salt, pepper or mustard if you want.  

Now pour your sauce over your noodles and stir!  

It is ready to eat now, but you can make it Baked Mack'n'Cheese by pouring your mac'n'cheese into a baking dish and sprinkling with your crushed Ritz crackers.  Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes. 

Now, in our house I make two cheese sauces.  I follow all the same directions above, but I replace the butter with a Soy free, milk free butter substitute (Made by Earth Balance) and the Cheese is a Vegan rice milk cheese which is also Soy and Dairy free.  I also have to replace the regular milk with Rice milk.  I make a full batch of this sauce and use a little bit on about a cup full of noodles for my Rory. The rest I divide up and freeze in freezer bags to reheat for next time.  This Soy free, Milk free mac'n'cheese doesn't taste exactly the same, but it is close enough that Rory can't tell much of a difference.  She would eat it every day if she could! 

I hope you give this one a try! It only takes about 25 minutes to make the cheese sauce (once you get the hang of it).  

*****Have a family recipe you LOVE?  Please email it to me at kennedylantz@gmail.com and we will be happy to give it a try and I will feature it on our blog! *****