Homemade Scones and Cinnamon Rolls over the long weekend

So, I was a busy baker over the long weekend we had, my daughter was off school Friday and Monday! Our original plan was to head to Iowa to see family, but the weather decided not to cooperate with us, so what was there left to do with unplanned time, bake! I made some chocolate chip scones and homemade cinnamon rolls for the very first time ever! I am shocked I never made them before, I always remember my Great Aunt Ellen making them and my mom making them. I wish I could find my mom's recipe! So for the first time making these two items I do not think they turned out bad at all. For the scones, I found a recipe on Skinnytaste.com, Gina's Skinny Recipes. This is a wonderful site I have found many great recipes! The scone recipe, Skinny Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Scones, although very good, was not what I think of when I think scone. I always think more biscuit like when I think scone and this was more coffee cake like in my opinion, maybe I did something wrong in making it; not sure until I try it again! I would for sure suggest it!

The recipe is as follows, but I do suggest you click on the link and go to her page, she has some amazing recipes! For all her recipes she also list Weight Watchers points, how great is that!



Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Scones
Taken from Skinnytaste.com

Servings: 12 • Serving Size: 1 scone • Old Points: 4 pts • Points+: 5 pts
Calories: 199.6 • Fat: 8.1 g • Protein: 3.7 g • Carb: 29.8 g • Fiber: 2.3 g • Sugar: 12.8 g
Sodium: 257.4 mg



Ingredients:

3/4 cup cold buttermilk
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 cup all purpose flour (Bob's Red Mill)
1 cup white whole wheat flour (Bob's Red Mill)
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp chilled butter (must be cold) cut into small pieces
3/4 cup chocolate chips
cooking spray
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
1 1/2 tbsp sugar


Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°. Combine the first four ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray.

Combine flour, baking powder, salt, in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Cut in chilled butter with a pastry blender, or you could use 2 knives, until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Gently fold in chocolate chips. Add milk mixture, stirring just until moist.

Place dough onto a floured surface and knead lightly four times with floured hands. Form dough into an 9-inch circle onto baking sheet, about 3/4" thick. Using a knife, cut dough into 12 wedges all the way through.

Brush egg white over dough and sprinkle evenly with sugar. Bake until golden, about 18-20 minutes, depending on your oven. Serve warm.



Now, onto the amazing cinnamon rolls my friend suggested to me that came from cooks.com. This is a site I am familiar with, but do not use all the time. I have to admit these are not as good as mom or Aunt Ellen used to make, but they are very good for using Bisquick mix (which I have come to love using for quick recipes!)! They are soft, flaky, and would even be good without the powdered sugar frosting. They would also be good with a cream cheese frosting!

BISQUICK BUTTER CHUNK CINNAMON ROLLS
Taken from COOKS.COM

1/4 c. cold butter
2 1/2 c. Bisquick baking mix
1/2 c. milk
1 egg
2 tbsp. butter, softened
3 tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Glaze (below)

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Grease square pan, 8"x8"x2".

Cut cold butter into 1/4" cubes. Toss baking mix and cubes until coated. Beat milk and egg; stir into butter mixture. Turn dough onto cloth-covered board generously dusted with baking mix; roll to coat.

Fold and knead 10 times; roll into rectangle, 15"x8". Spread with soft butter. Mix sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over dough. Roll up tightly, beginning at 15" side. Pinch edge into roll. Cut into 12 slices with sharp knife. Place cut sides down in pan.

Bake until golden, 15 minutes; cool 15 minutes. Drizzle with Glaze. 1 dozen rolls.

GLAZE: Mix 1 cup powdered sugar and about 1 tablespoon milk until smooth.


**For both of these recipes I found them to be a bit sticky, even with the additional flour on the counter. I found that if I put the dough in the refrigerator for a 15 minutes it was much easier to work with.

Happy Baking!



These are a must try on a lazy day!

Tasty Breakfast

I have a blog/podcast that I follow, Leigh Peele, which I absolutely LOVE! I have learned so much about nutrition, calorie counting, & exercise from listening to her, she ROCKS! On her blog she shares recipes from time to time and the last one was a quick and easy egg sandwich, she also has a step by step video as well if you want to check it out. It is great, super filling and quick and easy to make. Like many recipes I make, I never quite have the same thing on hand, so I use what I have and see how it works. This recipe is no different. I will post what I did different, but eventually will try it her way. I ate this paired this with a 3oz banana and a cup of coffee around 8am and was still not hungry by 1pm. It is usually more calories than I consume at breakfast, but it is filling and I didn’t need a snack before lunch.


The Perfect Egg Sandwich

3 Large Eggs (whites)
25g Smart Balance Light “Butter”
30g Shredded 2% Cheese (I used 1 serving (1/3C) Shredded Taco Cheese)
1 Muffin (egg, spelt, grain, etc) (I used Rye Bread, lightly toasted)
salt/pepper

1.Heat a small skillet pan on low-medium (4-5) and melt butter.

2.In a ramekin, heat 15g of the butter in microwave for 10-15 secs.

3.In a bowl, mix egg whites and melted butter. Set aside ramekin to use later.

4.Pour mixture into the skillet. Season with salt/pepper on top.

5.Let cook for a min and then move it a round into a slight scramble. You do not want to completely scramble the eggs You want them to still be wet and have a slight soupy texture.

6.Scrap/pour eggs into the ramekin. Stuff shredded cheese down with the eggs into the ramekin (being I was using bigger bread, I used a small oval like container instead of using a ramekin).

7.Heat in microwave for 15-20 secs. This can be a little longer depending on your microwave or how cooked the eggs are. You may need to cook it up to 30 secs.

8.Let set for 2-3 mins while you toast your muffin.

9.Scrap around the edges of the ramekin and flip the egg onto the muffin. Top and serve.

Entire Recipe
Calories: 344 Protein: 23 Fat: 16 Carbs: 26

My version I figured to be 351 calories, when I add my coffee and banana to it, my total calories for breakfast equaled 462.75. My splenda and creamer get me for my coffee!

I hope some of you give this a try and check out Leigh's Blog!

Crock Pot Oatmeal

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
4 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped raisins

Combine all ingredients in cooker. Cook on low 8 hours (overnight).

Make-Ahead Breakfast

12 eggs
1/2 cup milk
Salt and freshly-ground pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 cup sour cream
12 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

In a medium bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Set aside.
Melt the butter in a large skillet over moderate heat and pour in the egg mixture. Cook, stirring frequently, until eggs are set but still very moist. Remove from heat to cool.

Stir in the sour cream and spread evenly into buttered shallow baking dish. Top with crumbled bacon and shredded cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Uncover eggs and bake 15 to 20 minutes, until hot and cheese has melted. Leftovers may be refrigerated.
Serves 8 to 10.