Scones with Raspberry Jam

This scone recipe was a must-have for the month of September. Why, you ask? Well, for starters, IT'S FAIR SEASON! I know it's supposed to be called the Washington State Fair, but old habits die hard and I still call it, the Puyallup Fair--SUE ME.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups of all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 Tablespoon of sugar

2 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder (I recommend the brand Rumford)

6 Tablespoons of softened, unsalted butter

3/4 cup to 1 cup of heavy cream

YOU WILL ALSO NEED:

raspberry jam (of course!!)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Into your stand mixer (or by hand), add in your first 4 ingredients. Mix well. Add in your softened butter. Place the dough hook onto your stand mixer, turn mixer to 'stir,' gradually turn to speed 2, and mix just until crumbly. With the mixture still on, add in 3/4 cup of your heavy cream. Mix just until dough starts to pull away from the sides and turn into a ball. Onto a lightly floured surface, dump your dough on top, and form it into a smooth ball. Divide dough into fourths, flatten out each piece into a 1 inch disc, and cover tightly with saran wrap. Place the discs into the fridge until chilled, about 3 hours OR overnight. Remove dough from fridge and shape into scones. Place shaped scones on some silpat (or parchment paper) and bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 14 minutes, or until tops and bottoms have slightly browned. Serve warm with some jam.

NOTES:

-This recipe makes 16 small scones. You may cut them out larger if you'd like, just make sure to bake them a bit longer.

-Make these ahead! Unbaked scones be stored in the fridge for up to a week or may be frozen for later use.

-These taste best eaten the same day. You may keep these in an airtight container and keep them on the counter for 2 days. I recommend reheating them in the oven. Homemade scones lose their texture over time and do not taste good when you reheat them in the microwave.

-Bake only as much as you can eat! FRESH SCONES ARE THE BEST!

Vegetable Yakisoba

Yakisoba, chow mein, lo-mein...I love them all the same! I love the texture of yakisoba noodles over chow mein noodles, that's why I use it in this recipe. Oddly enough, when I make this dish, I tend to call it "chow mein," although chow mein noodles are supposed to be more crispier than yakisoba noodles. Go, figure.

Anyone else as screwed up as I am?!?


INGREDIENTS:

2 pounds of fresh Yakisoba noodles

3 cloves of chopped garlic

2 cups of chopped cabbage

1 cup of carrots sliced julienne

2 stalk of sliced celery

Half of a white onion, sliced

2 scallions, chopped

YAKISOBA SAUCE:

3 Tablespoons of dark soy sauce

2 Tablespoons of light soy sauce

2 Tablespoons of oyster sauce

2 Tablespoons of sugar

1/4 tsp of msg (optional)

1/4 tsp of black pepper

1/4 cup of hot water


FOR THE CHICKEN STOCK (may sub for 1/2 cup of canned chicken stock or omit this part and just use water to cook the vegetables):

1/2 cup of hot water

1 tsp of Better than Bullion paste


INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Start off by removing your Yakisoba noodles from the packaging. Place the noodles into a colander, and wash the oil from the noddles, making sure to separate the noodles as you go along. Drain well. Set aside.

2. Make your Yakisoba sauce: into a small mixing bowl, mix all of the ingredients together, adding your hot water, last. Mix well and set aside.

3. Make your chicken stock. Set aside.

4. Into a hot skillet, add in some oil. Add in all of your veggies, EXCEPT for your scallions and white onions. Add in half of your chicken stock (or water) and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Add in the rest of the chicken stock, cover, and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until veggies are tender and all of the liquid has evaporated. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Add in your scallions and white onions, and cook on high for 1-2 minutes. Remove cooked veggies from skillet and set aside.

5. Wipe down your skillet using a paper towel. Into your skillet on medium high heat, add in two Tablespoons of oil. Add in your chopped garlic. Cook until fragrant. Add in your Yakisoba noodles, and all of your reserved sauce. Add in your cooked veggies. Turn heat up to high, and stir fry until all the sauce has evaporate and cooked into the noodles. Serve immediately!

Snickerdoodle Ice Cream Sandwiches

Snickerdoodles are a bit nostalgic to me. Back when they used to teach Home Economics in middle school, it was my first, homemade cookie that I ever had; they were soft; they were chewy; they were crunchy around the edges, yet soft and chewy in the middle. At the time, I thought they were the best thing, EVER! So, to my middle school teacher, Ms. Young, if you're reading this, I want to let you know that the first time I ever baked anything was with you! Who knows...maybe my love for baking started much earlier than I thought!

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup of softened unsalted butter

1 1/2 cup of sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon of vanilla

2 3/4 cup of all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg

2 teaspoons of cream of tartar

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of baking soda


FOR THE CINNAMON AND BROWN SUGAR COATING:
3 Tablespoons of sugar

3 teaspoons of cinnamon

YOU WILL ALSO NEED:
vanilla bean ice cream or ice cream of your choice!

sprinkles!! All the sprinkles!!

round biscuit or cookie cutter

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Line a small baking dish with some parchment paper. Take your ice cream out of the freezer and let it soften a bit before using (about 10 minutes). Scoop out desired amount of ice cream into the baking dish and level it out using a flat spatula. Cover the ice cream with a piece of saran wrap, making sure to press over the ice cream's surface. Freeze until firm. (I usually do this whole step the night before)

2. Remove the ice cream from the freezer and using a biscuit cutter, cut out your ice cream. Place your cut-out ice cream pieces back into the freezer until ready to assemble.

PREHEAT YOUR OVEN TO 400 DEGREES F.
3. Into a shallow plate, mix together your sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.

4. Into a mixing bowl, add in your flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, and nutmeg. Set aside.

5. In a large mixing bowl, add in your softened butter and sugar. Using a hand mixer, beat JUST UNTIL COMBINED. Add in your eggs and vanilla and beat just until combined. USING A SPATULA, fold in your dry ingredients, being careful not to over-mix.

6. Using a melon baller (or by hand) shape your cookie dough and drop them into your cinnamon and sugar mixture. Place them on your cookie sheet fitted with some silpat (or parchment paper/foil), making sure to space them at least two inches apart.

7. Bake cookies for 8 minutes, EXACTLY.

8. Immediately remove cookies from your baking sheet and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack until ready to use.

9. Remove your ice cream from the freezer and begin to assemble your ice cream sandwiches. Roll them gently into your sprinkles (if using). I recommend making two at a time (leaving the rest in the freezer while you work), and eating them asap! In other words, make them and eat them right away! The ice cream will begin to melt as soon as you take them out of the freezer.

NOTES:
-Do not attempt to put any assembled ice cream sandwiches back into the freezer: the cookies will harden and it will be quite difficult to eat!

-This recipe makes over 3 1/2 dozen cookies. You may cut the recipe in half, but why would you?! Chilled dough makes the BEST cookies! Simply roll out the leftover dough into two separate logs, wrap each one in saran wrap, and place them into the freezer for later use.

Thai Iced Tea

Thai tea during the summertime is LIFE. I am an avid coffee drinker, but during the summertime, I like to sometimes sub my coffee for an ice cold, refreshing glass, of this Thai iced tea. Kick it up a notch by adding in some homemade boba (tapioca pearls). You can find that recipe here.


INGREDIENTS:

4 cups of water

1 cup of Panthai Iced Tea Mix

3/4 cup of brown sugar

YOU WILL ALSO NEED:

half n half or milk of choice


INSTRUCTIONS:

Boil 4 cups of water in a medium sized pot. Add in your Thai tea mix and brown sugar. Boil for 3 minutes. Turn off, remove from heat, and allow the tea to steep for an additional 40 minutes. Strain tea leaves from the tea. Pour into tall glass with ice. Add in your "creamer" of choice and drink immediately.



NOTES:

Don't walk away from your tea while it's boiling on the stove. If your pot is too small, your tea may boil over!

Homemade Boba in Vanilla Syrup

Homemade boba aka tapioca pearls taste amaaaazing!! My husband, who isn't a fan of boba, loves the homemade version! I can literally eat it, on its own, when it's soaked up in some vanilla syrup! It's that good! And why am I using so many exclamation points! Does it sound like I'm yelling?!? LOL.

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup of boba (I recommend the brand Bolle)

6 cups of FILTERED water

FOR THE VANILLA SYRUP:

1/2 cup of water

1/2 of sugar

1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

TO MAKE THE VANILLA SYRUP:


Into a saucepan, add in your water and sugar and bring it to a boil just until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, and stir in your vanilla. Set aside and allow to cool down before using.

TO MAKE THE BOBA:
Boil 6 cups of filtered water. Add in your tapioca pearls. Boil your boba until they've all floated to the surface (should take 2-3 minutes,tops). Turn heat down to low, and cook for an additional 20 minutes (making sure to stir every 2-3 minutes to prevent your boba from sticking to the bottom). Turn the stove OFF, cover the pot with a lid, and allow the boba to cook for an additional 25 minutes. Do not remove the lid during this time. Once done, remove lid, stir, and check for doneness. If not cooked to your liking, cover with lid, and cook for additional 5 more minutes. Strain in colander, and run some cold water through the boba, using your hands to lightly separate them. Place boba into a bowl, and add in your cooled down vanilla syrup. Allow to soak for 2-3 hours.

I LOVE to add boba into my Thai iced teas! Click here for the recipe!

NOTES:

You must use filtered water for the best boba! Using unfiltered water will make your boba clump together, and they won't separate well. Only make as much boba as needed, per day. Once refrigerated, the boba hardens and loses its chewiness. This recipe makes enough boba for approximately 6-8 tall glasses (more or less depending on how much boba you add per glass!)