Pumpkin Spice Scones

by Laura
Last night, I was in a baking mood (not that surprising for me on a Sunday night) and I wanted to try a recipe I'd never made before.  I love making seasonal items and I'd recently received a request from a colleague at work to make scones, so when I found this recipe on recipegirl.com I knew I'd found the perfect treat.

I followed the recipe closely, but I did add a few notes and suggestions. These are compared by recipegirl.com to Starbucks pumpkin scones and I loooove Starbucks, but the perfect texture and authentic spice flavor of these scones are so much tastier than what you get in their bake case.

Pumpkin Spice Scones

Yield: 6 scones (Laura's note: I cut my scones into smaller ones after they cooled and got about 20 petite irregular shaped scones) 

Prep Time: 30 min

Cook Time: 15 min

Ingredients:

SCONES:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup canned pure (unsweetened) pumpkin
3 tablespoons half and half cream
1 large egg
6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into cubes

PLAIN GLAZE:
1/2 cup powdered sugar (sifted)
1 tablespoon milk (any kind; Laura's note: I used half and half)

SPICED ICING:
3/4 cup powdered sugar (sifted)
1 to 2 tablespoons milk (any kind; Laura's note: I used half and half)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg (Laura's note: I shaved fresh nutmeg!)

pinch of ground ginger
pinch of ground cloves

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray or line with parchment paper. (Laura's note: I love using parchment so when given the option, I do!) Give it a light dusting of flour on top of that.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients (through ginger).

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, half and half and egg.

4. Use a pastry cutter or two knives to cut butter into the dry ingredients. Continue cutting until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. (You may also use a food processor for this step. Pulse until the mixture resembles fine crumbs).

5. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients (Laura's note: this will take a bit, but make sure you do it until it's completely combined!), then form the dough into a ball. The dough will be wet, but if it seems super sticky... just go ahead and sprinkle a little more flour into the dough until it's easier to handle. Remember, you want it to be somewhat sticky, and that's okay- but you also don't want it to stick to the baking sheet. 

6.Pat out dough onto the lightly floured baking sheet and form it into a 1-inch thick rectangle that is about 9-inches long and 3-inches wide. 

7.Use a large knife or a pizza cutter (Laura's note: flour your pizza cutter!) to slice the dough twice through the width, making three equal squares. Cut through the three squares diagonally so that you have 6 triangular slices of dough. Gently pull the triangles apart, leaving about 1/2-inch space between each one.

8. Bake 14 to 16 minutes on prepared baking sheet. Scones should begin to turn light brown. (Laura's note: I turned mine in the oven half way through.) 

9. While scones are cooling, prepare plain glaze by whisking ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix until smooth.

10. When scones are cool, use a knife to cut them apart and then pull them apart so that they are ready for glazing. Use a brush to paint a coating of the glaze over the top of each scone. (Laura's note: a spoon will work too) 

11. As the white glaze firms up, prepare spiced icing by whisking the ingredients in another medium bowl until smooth. Drizzle this thicker icing over each scone (or brush it on) and allow the icing to dry before serving.

Source: RecipeGirl.com (Adapted from Top Secret Recipes)

This spicy treat will sure to be a fall time favorite; I know I'm definitely going to be baking this recipe a few times this season and many more to come! 

Don't throw the turkey out just yet...

One of the most crucial ways to get delicious Thanksgiving leftovers is by properly storing your food. This guide over at Food2 is really straightforward for storing your Thanksgiving leftovers.  I posted a few leftover recipes yesterday, but for those who want to use ever last piece of the bird, not spend too much time, and get a really big return...try this Bird to the Last Drop from Alton Brown; and for those who are a bit more ambitious, I like this Next Day Turkey Soup from Michael Chiarello.

This is only the beginning!

Whatever you do, don't let all your delicious labor go to waste! For any specific food storage questions, be sure to check the food safety guidelines set by the government.

...and After

Leftoverpalooza begins...

Let me take you back to Season 5 Episode 9 of F.R.I.E.N.D.S. --The One With Ross's Sandwich. I have always wondered how good a sandwich must have been to cause Ross to have a total mental break. I've seen a few hacks of the sandwich, but this is one is the yummiest recipes I've seen.

• Turkey Pot Pie: Do yourself a solid and make (buy) extra pie dough to be used for the perfect cold night treat. You can even prep these ahead of time and freeze them to be baked off later. I made these a few weeks ago...just substitute for whatever you have on hand.
• Brussels Sprouts, Potatoes, and Turkey Hash: Need a little something to boost you before/after you hit the Black Friday sales. 
• Go south of the border with a healthy, hearty White Chili.
• Top rated leftovers from Food Network.
• Make a tasty Vietnamese sammy with a Turkey Banh Mi. 

What is your favorite thing to do with leftovers?

Thanksgiving Before...

Last minute help!

The store is out of/I forgot the...

• Big Turkeys! So you've procrastinated and your store is out of a big enough turkey to serve your guests. Here are some alternatives:
• Get 2-3 smaller birds. That way you don't have to thaw or cook as long and there is more of every part to go around. People tend to fight over drumsticks
• Go for cornish hens. This little birds will make your guests feel really special when you present everyone with their own bird. See this recipe.
• A lot of stores will stock turkey roasts. Some with all white meat and some with both white and dark meat. Here is a great tried and true recipe.
• Shallots...use garlic at half the amount, or use a bit of minced yellow onion. Or a mix of both.
• Buttermilk: for buttermilk use 1 cup milk + 1 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar
• Sour Cream: I usually use a bit of plain yogurt...but here are a few more substitutes
• Fresh herbs vs dry herbs: Sara Kate over at The kitch'n has great answers

Does this look right?

So you're mid-recipe and you ask yourself..."Does this look right?" Food 52's Emergency Hotline app is here to save the day. Once you download the app, you can snap a photo of whatever you're doing through the app and next thing you know, someone is there to answer your question. No more undercooking or burning your caramel just because no one is around to help.

Don't forget to tap into these other resources we did a post on Turkey Hotlines a few years back.

So you want to make perfect mashed potatoes...

Mashed potatoes are one of the simple staples of a holiday meal. Sure we may all like it a little different...some like it rustic with a bit of chunks in it, others (ME) like it smooth and creamy, but there are a few tips that will help make any mashed potato recipe better.

1. Pick the right potato. When making mashed potatoes, you want it a starchy potato that will break down. Think russet and Yukon gold potatoes. Reds are okay too, for a more rustic feel. (I favor the Yukon golds!)
2. Prep your potatoes. Peel your potatoes the night before wash and peel your potatoes. Then put them in water to soak overnight.
3. Remember the basics. When you cut your potatoes, make sure you take the time to cut them in equal sizes. They will cook more evenly. Be sure to warm your milk or cream before adding it to the potatoes.
4. Season them properly. When boiling your potatoes, the water should be salted properly...as in it should taste like the ocean. 
5. Taste. Taste. Taste. Taste the water you cook it in. Taste the potatoes after you mash or mill them, so you know what they need to boost the flavor. (like cream, sour cream, buttermilk, herbs, pepper, salt.)

One of the best recipes I've seen that combines all these techniques is this Guaranteed Non-Gummy Mashed Potato Recipe from Mission Street Food from Gilt Taste.


Extra credit: Looking to add a little something extra to your mashed potatoes? Try adding a bit of freshly grated nutmeg or throw in a bit of cream cheese at the end for extra creaminess and tang. Feeling extra daring, try doing a wasabi mashed potatoes.


P.S. Those of you working with frozen turkeys...start thawing it in the fridge. Seriously.

Thanksgiving: Shopping List

by Laura

Happy Thanksgiving Week! The big meal is only a few days away so it's shopping list time! I find it easy and efficient to make a master ingredient list and check all your recipes against that list to guarantee you have enough of each ingredient for the meal!

There are a few items I think should be on everyone's list:

• Chicken stock- professionals and home cooks alike know you can never have too much chicken stock- it can save dry turkey, dry stuffing and lumpy gravy! Keep a pot warm on your stove during your prep! (For vegetarians substitute chicken stock for vegetable stock)
• More Chicken Stock- seriously you can never have too much! 
• Heavy Cream- it adds that something to texture and richness of well...anything! It's a big meal so go for it! 
• Kosher Salt- It's the cleanest tasting and affordable way to bring the flavor out of any dish! 
• Unsalted Butter- Most people have salted butter on hand, but unsalted butter lets you control the salt level and therefore can be used to make your own butters (honey butter or garlic butter)
• Ice- there's no such thing too much ice!
• Cheese & Crackers- when things in the kitchen don't go according to plan (it happens to the best of us!) you can through the cheese and crackers out to your ravenous crowd to give yourself some extra time!

I'm sure there are many other items you think are must haves, fantastic! Add them to your list and make sure you have a lot of it on hand!

p.s. don't forget the chicken stock...you'll thank me!
p.p.s Thawing a frozen turkey takes a lot of time. The safest method is to thaw turkey in the refrigerator. Be sure to plan ahead: It takes about 3 days for a 20-pound turkey to fully defrost.

From around the web...Thanksgiving style

I've decided to turn my blogging laziness into a positive by starting a new regular post called "From Around the Web"...clever, right?

Without further adieu, here are some things I wish I had written about Thanksgiving:

• If you're in Seattle, here are great spots to order pies for Thanksgiving...it's still not too late!
•  5 easy ways to spruce up box stuffing
• Costco brings you Turducken or "Tur-duc-hen"
• Hate pumpkin pie like me...try these puddings or pumpkin mousse pie or
• Having vegetarians this year?
• Dining out for Thanksgiving if you're in Denver or Seattle or NYC or Chicago

and oh yeah...ONE WEEK UNTIL THANKSGIVING!!!!