School Daze

I have to admit…I might have been a tad overwhelmed this year getting ready for school. I still haven’t really caught my breath and some serious sleep is in my future or I’m going to crash and burn. I think I might actually be sleep deprived and if you know me…you know sleep is not that high on my priority list. I am so glad that the first week is behind me – whew!

The BEST part was getting to send these students off to school looking super spiffy. I hope they have a great school year full of knowledge, adventure, and fun.

p.s. the girls did the sweetest thing for me – they dressed-up the night before (in their school clothes) so that I could take pictures because we have not one minute to spare in the mornings…I am not exaggerating…not one minute! 

Blueberry Cream Scones for the Blogging Blues

Dear self, Please find something else to blog about besides food!

Signed, Bored with Blogging

I found this recipe via the blog, Tongue and Cheeky (on my sidebar under cooking blogs) It is a superbly delicious recipe that is unbelievably simple. You may never make a box mix of blueberry muffins again after trying this recipe  - it is that good and that easy!

Blueberry Cream Scones

For the Scones:
2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Zest of 2 lemons (I just added a tsp. of lemon juice from the fridge)
1 1/2 c. frozen wild blueberries (or fresh blueberries)
1 1/4 cups heavy cream (at my store this was expensive so I substituted whipping cream and they still turned out great)

For the glaze:
2 c. powdered sugar
Juice of 2 lemons ( I used 2 T. of prepared lemon juice)
1/4 c. heavy cream (again – I subbed whipping cream)
1/2 tsp. vanilla

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest.  Add the blueberries and heavy cream and stir together gently with a fork.  You don’t want to over-mix the dough, so just stir your fork in a circle around the bowl, until the dough starts to follow it and lump together slightly.  Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and knead it two or three times.  Shape the dough into a large, evenly 1 1/2 to 2″ thick circle.  Slice into serving sized pieces. 

At this point, you can brush the dough with a bit of cream and sprinkle sugar on it.  If you plan to glaze your scones, you won’t need to sprinkle them with anything.  Place scones on a cookie sheet and bake in an oven preheated to 350 degress for 13-15 minutes, or just until the edges begin to brown.  Spoon glaze over hot scones.  Allow to cool slightly before serving.

To make glaze: whisk together all ingredients until a smooth, slightly-runny consistency is achieved.

*** Next time I will make sure to bake mine a few minutes longer – they were done but not really browned at all – they were so soft and tender that you had to eat them with a plate and fork. During the school year, I will need something that can be eaten on the go!

*** Also – while the glaze was super yummy – I plan to try them with just the sugar for a more simplified version. I think the sugar topping will allow them to be stored longer.

Bacon Tomato Pasta and My Last Day of Freedom

Tomorrow I will be returning to the working world. I can’t believe that it has been over 8 years since I last walked into a school and walked to my own classroom. I never thought I would take off for that long. Where did the years go? Eight years is a long time in the “education world”. I have much to catch up on and many new things to learn. I hope with all my heart that I still have time to blog. I know I will make time to some extent….just not sure how much. Keep stopping by…don’t give up on me. I am sure after some adjustment time…I will be back to my regularly scheduled BLOGGING ways.

Now, I am going to share a recipe that my family may be sick of by the time this next year concludes (it is that easy and could easily suffer from recipe abuse…as in being made way too often). It is a recipe that I got from my sister-in-law, Jana. Her blog is Home on The Range and can be found on my sidebar. This is a recipe that you could alter or change to suit your family's needs. My family LOVES it and I usually make it at least once every two weeks.

Bacon Tomato Pasta

1 pkg. of bacon (cooked and crumbled)

1 large can of petite diced tomatoes

2 Tablespoons minced or diced garlic (I use the garlic already prepared in a jar)

1 pkg. of fresh grated parmesan cheese (refrigerated cheese section)

1 box of mini pasta (penne, bow tie etc – or Jana just uses regular spaghetti)

Cook bacon and reserve 3-4 tablespoons of bacon grease. Let bacon cool and then crumble and set aside. Add bacon grease and garlic to skillet and very lightly saute for a couple of minutes. Careful not to burn the garlic. Add your can of diced tomatoes and let this mixture simmer. I usually do a taste test and add a little garlic salt if needed and a generous amount of black pepper (you could use the peppered bacon too) Cook your pasta until done – I always have to cook my pasta a few more minutes than the box suggests if I am using the shaped pasta. The mini pasta says that it will be done in 7 minutes and I cook mine 9-10. It is not mushy…just a little more tender than  what they consider al dente.

Place your drained pasta in a large bowl and add your tomato sauce mixture, top with your parmesan cheese (I use almost the whole bag – but add according to your taste) and then add your crumbled bacon. Toss together and serve with garlic bread and salad. The leftovers are great too!

Thanks Jana for a wonderful recipe….even though it has done nothing for my weight loss goal!

P.S. If you are not baking your bacon...you must give it a try. I LOVE it. I just can't stand to fry bacon and suffer with a greasy stove and hot grease burns. You just line a cookie sheet with foil and bake at 350-400 for 30-40 minutes. I sometimes need to drain off a little grease and flip the bacon. Remember that when you get it good and done and you drain it on a paper towel...it should get crispy.