Cranberry Scones

I just realised that my original Cranberry Scone recipe is in a locked and filtered post. *facepalm* Here it is for the masses (and just in time for fresh cranberries):

Cranberry Scones

1 cup milk
1 egg
2 tablespoons sugar
3.5 cups of flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
.5 teaspoons salt (optional)
½ cup melted butter
1/3 cups chopped cranberries (or nuts or other fresh or dried fruit or chocolate chips)

Instructions:

Beat together the milk, egg, and sugar.
Sift flour with baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Add 2/3 of flour mixture to the milk mixture.
Gradually add butter.
Add the rest of the flour mixture.
Turn dough on floured board and knead.

Bake in 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.

Notes: You can replace the milk with Lactaid just fine, but rice milk doesn't work so well. You can do it without the fruit/nuts/chocolate and they're just fine. This weekend, I will be testing out the scones with olive oil rather than melted butter on my family, who will happily tell me if they are shit. I will report back. Ovens will vary so watch the scones carefully. Sometimes they cook in 15 min, sometimes 30. Know that weather affects your cooking.

Important Fooding Question

I am making New England Texas chili con carne tonight (and celebrating my day off). Do I want to serve it with fresh pinto beans or cornbread? Or both?

Boondogle's Five Chile Chili and Cornbread

This is loosely based on the Texas chili from The Best Soups & Stews, but thoroughly adjusted for the fact that I live in Massachusetts, am lazy, like spicy things, am lazy, and don't believe in unnecessary things.

Spice Mix:
1 dried habanero chile pepper
2 dried red (cayenne?) chile peppers
2 dried tapones chile peppers
5 shakes of oregano
1.5 tablespoons cumin

Grate dried peppers, mix with cumin and oregano. Add a little water to make a paste.


1 chuck roast (mine was 2.5 lb, your mileage will vary)
1.5 onion (I like my onion)
3 small red (fresh) chile pepper (cayenne?)
! medium fresh jalepeno pepper
4 garlic gloves (I'm not a garlic fan)
1 can plain diced tomatoes
splash lemon juice
6 c water

enough oil to cook with (I use my own blend of canola and olive)

Cube beef into bite sized pieces. Set aside. Dice onion. Set aside. Dice fresh peppers and garlic. Set aside together.

Brown beef in a pan. Set aside. Drain oil and fat. In fresh oil, sautee onions until soft. Add peppers and garlic and cook until they are soft. Add spice until it smells yummy. Add a splash of lemon juice, the tomatoes, and the water. Stir.

Simmer for an hour and a half, without a cover.

*

Chili Cornbread Bread

2 c cornmeal
1 c white flour
1 egg
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/3 c oil (canola/olive blend)
shake of salt
1/4 c brown sugar
2.5 c milk (Lactaid, 1%)

In a bowl, mix cornmeal and milk. Set aside. Mix other ingredients in larger bowl. Add milk/cornmeal mix. Stir thoroughly.

Bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees F.

*

This was rather spicy, but definitely got a thumbs up from my guinea pigs. (It was pointed out that my mother grew up in a house where spaghetti and meatballs was met with suspicion so whenever I come out with dishes like this, the eyebrows go up.) Three people consumed about half the chili and most of the cornbread *and* a fair amount of beer, if that helps you with the heat factor.

I think that this was my favorite cornbread to date and is definitely designed to counteract the chile peppers - milk-based, more cornmeal than white flour.

I based the chili on a combo of the cookbook, a bunch of online recipes, and research into 1870's/80's Texan diet. And my love of things that make my face burn. I purposefully rejected the many places that suggested using bacon because bacon is a major luxury in this house and I don't think the flavor would have come through the peppers. I'm pondering using broth instead of water next time, but I'm not sure.

When did SPN become HP fanfiction?

( No, seriously, 4.03. DEMON BLOOD INDUCES INCEST GUIESE I AM SO SERIOUS )