The French Toast English Muffin with Grand Marnier

I was delighted to receive a gift of Wolferman's large English muffins recently, and I immediately imagined these muffins as orange French toast!  The delicate orange flavor which the soak infuses in the French toast is enhanced by topping the toast with orange marmalade.

                                               Pamper Yourself...

                
                                      And Anyone Else You Care To!

Ingredients

Muffin Per Serving:
1/2 to 1 whole Wolferman's Original English Muffin (or 1 whole smaller English muffin, such as Thomas)

Soak (makes enough For 3 Wolferman's Original English Muffin halves (or 4 smaller English muffin halves):
1 egg
1 TB milk
1 TB orange juice
1/8 tsp. orange zest
1 tsp. Grand Marnier (triple orange liqueur) or 1/8 tsp. orange extract
1/16 tsp. (a dash) of ground mace spice

For The Skillet Per Serving:
Butter-flavored cooking spray
1 TB butter

Garnish per serving:
1 tsp. powdered sugar, sifted
about 1/4" orange wheel slice

Topping per serving:
about 1/3 c. orange marmalade

Directions

1. Whisk together the ingredients for the soak in about a 9" shallow cooking pan or dish.  Split the English muffin(s) with a fork and lay each half in the soak.  Let the halves absorb the egg mixture until wet but not completely soaked.
2. Spray a non-stick skillet with the butter-flavored cooking spray.  Add the butter to the skillet and melt over medium heat.  Using a fork or cooking tongs, lift each English muffin half from the soak and gently shake off any excess mixture.  Transfer the muffin(s) to the skillet and cook, flipping once, until golden brown on each side.
3. Garnish with a dusting of sifted powdered sugar and a slice of orange.  Serve orange marmalade for topping.  

Celebrate the New Year with this wonderful orange-flavored, English muffin French toast and enjoy!

Printable Recipe  

                 
                                                 My Granddaughter...

                                              Says Happy New Year!


And so do I!

Wholesome Buttermilk Scones with Whole Wheat (Fruit Optional)

When I was young, a very large pear tree grew outside our kitchen window.  From that tree, my mother made pear preserves which I'll never forget.  When she made biscuits, I'd pile those crisp, thick slices of pear preserves on top of my biscuit halves.  I was in pure, pear-pleasure heaven!  Now, my brother has pear trees and recently very generously shared a large jar of his preserved pears, reminiscent of Mother's.

We agreed that the best way to enjoy these coveted preserves was on top of biscuits.  In pursuit of a more healthy version, I set out to make whole-wheat biscuits.  After a couple of attempts, I decided the biscuits made with all whole-wheat flour were too much of a good thing and that scones made partially with bleached, all-purpose flour would be a better alternative.

I am particularly delighted to share with you my wholesome, light and tender, whole-wheat scone creation.  My favorite way to eat these scones is split and toasted, which brings out the nutty flavor of the whole wheat.  Of course, I have to spread them with a little butter and pear preserves!

                                       Big, Bold and Beautiful...

                               
                                    This Scone Is No Wimp!

8 Large Scones

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 c. bleached, all-purpose flour
• 2/3 c. whole-wheat flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 TB light brown sugar
• 1/4 c. + 2 TB cold butter
• 1 slightly beaten whole egg
• 1 c. buttermilk*
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• about 1/2 c. bleached, all-purpose flour for kneading
• butter-flavored cooking spray 
• 1 slightly beaten egg white
• 3 TB turbinado sugar (Sugar In The Raw)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 450º.
2. Sift the first 5 ingredients together in a medium-large mixing bowl.  Blend in the light brown sugar with a fork or whisk.
3. Cut the butter into small pieces and add to the dry ingredients with a pastry blender or fork until you have very coarse crumbs or the butter is pea size. (Don't over process...it's better to have larger, rather than too small, pieces of butter!)
4. Make a well in the center of the mixture.  Add the slightly beaten whole egg, buttermilk and vanilla. Mix just until moist.
5. Kneading Process:  Flour your hands and a medium-large cutting board.  Turn the dough out onto the board...it will be very sticky.  Sprinkle a little of the all-purpose flour on top of the dough.  Using a floured pastry scraper, scrape the edges of the dough toward the center to incorporate the flour. Then start lightly kneading with your hands.  To achieve moist scones, add as little flour as possible as you knead, utilizing the pastry scraper as necessary.  Knead about 8 times.
6. Pat the dough into about a 3/4" thick, 6 1/2" to 7"circle. Using your floured pastry scraper or a very sharp knife, and without sawing, cut the dough into 8 equal wedges.  (If you cut straight down without a sawing motion, the scones will rise better.)
7. Spray a baking sheet with the butter-flavored cooking spray.  Place the wedges in opposite directions about 1" apart on the sheet.  If necessary, reshape the wedges a little with your fingers.
8. Brush each wedge with some of the slightly beaten egg white and sprinkle liberally with the turbinado sugar. Very lightly press the sugar into the scones with the back of a plastic spoon.
9. Bake for 10 minutes or until the scone tops are light golden brown and the bottoms are golden brown when slightly lifted.

Tips

These would be good with one of the following options stirred in just before adding the wet ingredients:
                     1 tsp. orange zest and/or 1/2 c. dried cranberries
                     1/2 c. golden raisins
                     1/2 c. blueberries
                     1/2 c. chopped, dried apricots
                     1/2 c. peeled, chopped apple

*See my Morning Muffins with Bran and Raspberries where I explained the powdered blend for buttermilk, which I often use in lieu of regular buttermilk, because the blend has a better shelf life.

This recipe is the basis for a good scone.  For a more traditional American scone, just use 2 c. bleached, all-purpose flour and omit the whole-wheat four.

For a festive-holiday look, try sprinkling the scones with colored sugar in lieu of the raw sugar just before baking.

If toasting, make sure you place the top of the scone with the sugar coating facing up, so it will not stick to the toaster rack!


                                           My Favorite Way...

                               

                                    Toasted, With Pear Preserves!


This healthy and nutty-flavored scone is sure to help Santa and Chanukah Harry power through the holidays!  Enjoy!

Happy Holidays!

Printable Recipe

Hearty Beef Pot Roast with Vegetables In The Slow Cooker

Put this hearty pot roast on early in the morning and come home to a nice hot meal.  You can do the prep work the night before, including searing the roast, if you like!  It's all very easy, but so satisfying! Make enough to have leftovers for sandwiches!

                                 When It's Cold and Ugly Outside...

                         This Will Keep Them Warm and Cozy Inside!

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 approx. 3 lb. boneless beef shoulder (pot) roast--allow about 1/2 lb. per person
• 2 TB all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp. seasoned salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 TB vegetable oil
• 4 cleaned stalks of celery, cut into about 3" pieces
• 4 cleaned and peeled carrots, halved or quartered to achieve about 1/2" thickness ea. piece
• 1 large yellow onion, peeled & sliced into about 1/2 slices*
• 3 approx. 1/2 lb./ea. Idaho baking potatoes, scrubbed and cut, unpeeled, into halves
• (table salt and freshly ground black pepper for sprinkling on the vegetables)

Directions

1. Preheat the slow cooker on low.  
2. Pat the roast dry with a paper towel on all sides.  Mix the flour, seasoned salt, pepper and garlic powder together with a fork or small whisk.  Sprinkle the mixture all over the roast and rub it in with the back of a spoon.  Heat the oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat.  Sear all sides of the roast about one minute each side, or until well browned.  
3. Place the potatoes on the bottom of the slow cooker and sprinkle lightly with the table salt and pepper.  Scatter about half of the other vegetables on top of the potatoes and lightly sprinkle with more table salt and the pepper.  Place the roast on top of these vegetables, pouring any drippings scraped from the skillet on top of the roast.  Put the remainder of the vegetables on top of the roast and sprinkle lightly with additional table salt and the pepper.  
4. For a tender roast, cook on low for 10 hours.  The internal temperature of the roast should register at least 160º for medium. (Optional:  If you're at home while the roast is cooking, flip it over after about four or five hours.)  

*Tip:   To avoid odor on your hands, rub them with lemon juice before peeling an onion.  To avoid or keep tears to a minimum, peel and slice an onion under cool, running water.

The vegetables and roast will create a flavorful gravy in the cooker.  Serve the roast and vegetables with the gravy and nice soft rolls or bread.  Chow down and enjoy!

                                        Find A Little Comfort...                     

                                            All In One Pot!
                               
Printable Recipe