Tea Party Orange Chocolate Chip Scones

These are the scones I made for Avery's tea party. I have had several people ask for the recipe. It is based off of one I found on allrecipes.com but with my own special touch. These are delicious with a warm cup of coffee or tea.

1 3/4 c. flour
1/3 c. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
1/2 c. miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips
Zest of one orange
About 1/2 c. orange juice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. With a pastry blender, cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in chocolate chips and orange zest. Mix in the orange juice to form a dough. (Should be the consistency of biscuit dough.)

Turn the dough onto a floured surface. Pat or roll into a circle about 1/2 inch thick. Cut out scones with a fluted biscuit cutter and transfer to a baking sheet.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Move to wire rack to cool. Makes 12 scones.

Warm-You-Up Potato Soup

I am a big soup fan, and this weather makes me want to cuddle up with a bowl of homemade warmth. This is a simple recipe, but one that will warm you on these cold days. It is delicious served with homemade bread.

6 cups diced potatoes
3 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth, divided
4 cups half-and-half cream (I used whole milk instead)
6 tablespoons butter, melted
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cubes chicken bouillon
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4-5 slices of cooked bacon, crumbled
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

In a large pot, bring potatoes, to a boil in 2 cups of broth. Cook until potatoes are tender, 15 minutes. Drain and reserve liquid.

Combine reserved broth and half-and-half in pot. In a bowl, combine melted butter and flour. Stir into half-and-half mixture over medium heat. Stir until thickened. Stir in potatoes, remaining broth, bouillon and pepper. Add bacon pieces. Heat through and serve topped with cheese.

Banana Split Cupcakes

Today Avery is celebrating her birthday at school and she picked out these cupcakes for her school treat. I haven't tried one yet, but they look so cute. Mia helped me finish them up this morning and she had a blast. Who knew chocolate drizzle and "putting a cherry on top" could be so fun. I would recommend this as a fun cupcake recipe for kids to help out with!

1 yellow cake mix, divided

1 c. water

1 c. mashed ripe bananas

3 eggs

1 c. chopped maraschino cherries, drained (I omitted)

1 1/2 c. miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided (I used the regular big guys)

1 c. vanilla frosting

1 c. marshmallow creme

1 tsp. shortening

30 whole maraschino cherries, drained and patted dry

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 30 regular-sized muffin cups with liners.

Reserve 2 tbsp. cake mix. Combine remaining cake mix, water, bananas and eggs in a large bowl. Beat at low speed until moistened. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Combine chopped cherries and reserved cake mix in a small bowl. Stir chopped cherry mixture and 1 c. chocolate chips into batter.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. Bake 15-20 minutes or until done. Cool in pans for 10 minutes then remove to wire rack. Cool completely.

Combine frosting and marshmallow creme in medium bowl until well blended. Frost each cupcake.

Combine remaining 1/2 c. chocolate chips and shortening in a small bowl. Microwave on HIGH for 30 - 45 seconds, stirring after 30 seconds. Drizzle chocolate mixture over cupcakes. Place one whole cherry on each cupcake.

Psychedelic Christmas Cookies

I found this recipe in the Indianapolis Star. It won thrid prize in a cooking contest. The girls had fun mixing the food coloring into the dough with their hands. They were quite festive!

3/4 cup butter, softened (do not substitute)
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/4 teaspoon red liquid food coloring
1/4 teaspoon green liquid food coloring

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg yolk and vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Divide dough in half; add extract and red food coloring to one portion and green food coloring to other.

Roll out each portion of dough between waxed paper into a 16-by-10-inch rectangle (to save dough and time, trim after dough portions have been laid over each other.) Place red rectangle over green rectangle (removing waxed paper). Roll up tightly, jelly roll style, starting with the long side (bottom layer may stick). Wrap well in plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight or until firm. (I put in the freezer for about an hour.)

Remove plastic wrap from dough and cut into 1/4-inch slices. (Use sharp knife warmed in hot water.)

Place cookies 2 inches apart on lightly greased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 14 minutes or until set. (I only baked for 10 minutes because I like a softer cookie!) Cool for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Angel Chicken

I have come across this recipe in several homemade cookbooks and I really like it. Chris doesn't like mushrooms, but he enjoys this one as well.

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/4 cup butter
1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix
1/2 cup white cooking wine
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed golden mushroom soup (or regular cream of mushroom)
4 ounces cream cheese
1 pound angel hair pasta

In a large saucepan, add butter, seasoning mix, wine, soup and cream cheese over medium heat. Mix until melted. Add chicken and reduce heat to medium-low. Let simmer for 20-30 minutes or until chicken is done. Meanwhile, boil and cook pasta according to package directions. Serve chicken over pasta.

Serves 4

Hot Cocoa Microwave Cake

My sister-in-law sent me this recipe and it was so fun with the kids. Yes, you cook it in the microwave!

9 Tbsp. hot cocoa mix (3 individual packets)
4 Tbsp. flour
1 large egg
3 Tbsp. oil
3 Tbsp. water

Spray a large mug with cooking spray. Mix cocoa mix and flour together. Add egg, oil and water and mix well. Microwave on high for 3 minutes. Eat.

Sloppy Joes

This Sloppy Joe recipe is so yummy and I always have the ingredients for it, so it is a great meal when your pantry is sparse. I found it in our MOPS cookbook from my friend Kristine. I usually make a half recipe for our family, but we love it so much that other times I make the full recipe and we have leftovers!

2 lbs. ground beef
1 1/2 c. ketchup
1/3 onions, diced (I omit this)
1/2 Tbsp. mustard
2 Tbsp. vinegar
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
3/4 tsp. salt

Brown ground beef and drain. Mix remaining ingredients into meat and simmer for about an hour. Serve on a bun with a slice of cheese.