Stashbusting Recipe #10: Apricot Yogurt Scones

This recipe comes from the Tribune Review. I took them to work but no one (well one person) ate them! They claimed they didn't like scones, didnt know what a scone was or didn't like apricots. Can you believe them? Scones are totally fab.

Glaze Ingredients:
1 cup confectioners sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Scone Ingredients:
1 cup roughly chopped dried apricots
2 cups flour
1tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
6 tbsps butter cut into small pieces
1 large egg
3/4 cup vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup milk

Glaze Steps:

Whisk together all ingredients. Drizzle over cooled scones.

Scone Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 400F andl ine a pan with parchment paper
2. Plump apricotsi n one cup of hot ater fir about ten minutes. Pat and set aside.
3. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and sosa, sugar and cinnamon.
4. Cut the butter into the flour
5. Add the apricots and toss to coat with flour mixture
6. Add in egg, yogurt and milk. Combine well-until there is no more dry flour.
7. Scope out scones and drop onto baking sheer. Gently pat into discs.
8. Bake for around 20 minues. Once cooled drizzle with glaze.

Stashbusting #9: New England Style Pierogi Dinner

When you work seven days a week your days start to run together and Monday quickly turns into Tuesday. And its quickly becoming Wendesday....but here it is. This week's stash busting recipe from my Woman's Day Cookbook. As usual, the recipe is as I made it not as printed

Ingredients:


1 box of pierogis (potato and onion)
1 tbs cajun seasoning
1/2 medium head cabbage, shredded/torn
2 ears of frozen corn, cut in half
4 Italian sausages, sliced
4 tbsp butter

Steps:
1. Saute pierogis over low-,medium heat.
2. Meanwhile boil one cup of water and the seasoning.
3. Add cabbage, corn, sausages and 2 Tbsps butter. Cover and cook about 20 minutes, turning occasionall.
4. Add cooked pierogis to pot along with reaining butter. Toss to mix.

The verdict?

I loved it, and I'm not a big pierogi fan. I love cabbage, corn on the cob and butter so this dish was perfect for me.

Mike requested the leftovers for lunch (it beat out baked ham, homemade burritos, his momma's chili, and sweet bologna sandwiches) which is a pretty good rating. Its second to "When are you making  this again?" and on the opposite end of the spectrum from "Do you plan on making this again? And he's not a cabbage person.

Try it and let me know what you think. If you have it, the recipe calls for Old Bay instead of the cajun seasoning.

Stash Busting Monday #8: An Alliterative Snack

This week we had a lof of yummy meals, some tried and true favorties, a new recipe or two and a store bought deli made chicken pot pie. Which I consumed entriely by myself.  I also made salty sweet squares to share with my co-workers, which they ate entirely by themselves. In five minutes flat.

Salty Sweet  Shortbread Squares, as adapted from Marha Stewart Living

Ingredients:

• 3 1/4 cup salted small pretzels (I used Newman's Own High Protein Pretzels)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 stick butter
• 1.2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/2 bag semi sweet choc chips (Aldi brand!!)

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease a small casserole pan.
2. Pulse 1 3/4 cup pretzwels in a food processor until powdery. Transder 1/2 cup to a bowl and discard the rest. Stir in flour and baking powder. Roughly chop (or pulse) remaining pretzels.
3. Beat butter and sugar until pale and fluggy. Beat in egg yolk and then pretzel flour mixture until combined. Mix in 1/2 cup chopped pretzels..
4. Press dough evenly into pan. Top with 1/4 cup choppped pretzels. Press slightly.
5. Bake until pale and firm aprox. 25 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cool one hour
6. Melt chocolate with a double boiler. Drizzle over cooled shortbread. Let harden then cut into small squares.

Yumo!

Stash Busting Monday: Lucky Number Seven

We have ALOT of frozen veggies in our freezer, thanks to the wonderful but sadly terminated Angel Food Ministries. This week I was looking for a recipe that would make use of the veggies as well as delight Mike's picky tasty buds. I found the answer in my Woman's Day Cookbook. I'm posting the recipe as I modified it, not as it appears.

Roasted Fall Vegetables

• 1lb bag carrots, sliced
• 1 lb parsnips, peeled and sliced
• 2 medium beets, peeled and cut in wedges
• 1 medium onion, cut in chunks
• 9 oz brussel sprouts
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• red pepper
• ginger

Heat oven to 450F. Line 2 baking sheets with foil.

Combine veggies in a large bowl, lightly coat with olive oil. Toss with salt and pepper, crushed red pepper and dried ginger.

Divide between baking sheets and bake for 45 minutes.

The verdict? I am a new fan of parsnips! Mike liked everything in the mixture but the brussel sprouts, which I could have predicted because of their texture. Dinner received two thumbs up form both of us!

She's Not Talking to a Foreigner

In addition to cashering and freelance writing I work part time in customer service for a local paper. This mostly involves talking with irritable people for 7.5 hours a day.

Here is a most recent example, I swear this lady had an evil agenda when she picked up the phone:

Me: Company's Name, How may I help you?

Bitchy Woman: You sound like you're from a different state.

Me: (Opens my mouth to explain that I may sound far away because I've been having phone trouble)

BW: Where are you located? Are you even in PA?

Me: Yes Ma'am. I'm in Greensburg Pa.

BW: You don't sound like it.

Me: I'm sorry. How can I help you today?

BW: I want to order a subscription for a friend but I don't know if you have delivery there. She's in Friendlyville.

Me: I can check for you. Whats the zipcode?

BW: Are you even in PA?

Me: Yes ma'am, I'm in Greensburg.

BW: Do you even know where Friendlyville is?

Me (considers honesty as the best policy) : No, ma'am I don't.

BW: How are your from Greensburg and not know where Friendlyville is?

Me: Ma'am, I'm not from Greensburg but I am in Greensburg.

BW: You just told me you were in PA! What's the name of the Director of Circulation of the Pittsburgh Trib?

Me: Ma'am I don't know their name but there are some managers in my office, whose names I do know that I could transfer you to if you'd like.

BW: How do you not know their name?

ME: Just  a minute ma'am. I'll see if I can find out. (I place caller on hold and ask around my office. No one knows  the name of the Director of Circulation. The Director doesn't handle customer service but the technical side of circulation and is in  an office an hour away from mine) Ma'am I'm not sure what their name is.

BW: YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHO YOU WORK FOR?

ME: I don't know the name of the director of circulation ma'am. Would you like to speak with the director ma'am. I can transfer you.

BW: YES! I'M TIRED OF TALKING TO A FOREIGNER.

Yeah......I'm pretty sure she could use a field trip to Friendlyville. I