Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Gruyere and Bacon Scone Minis


This little appetizer scone recipe I got from the LCBO Food and Drink Magazine.  I love, love, love this magazine.  It is available in the liquor stores in Ontario about 4 times a year.  It is just a beautiful magazine. It's tastefully done, chalk full of recipes, tips and drink pairings.  It also spotlights different wine, spirits and beer along with great gadget and gift ideas.  The best part is.......it's free!  I have used lots of the recipes from this magazine over the years and I haven't had one I didn't like.  These scones I particularily like because they are a simple, yet elegant appetizer. Come on!  It's bacon and cheese, what's not to like?  I have made larger scones that are great for a breakfast sandwich, but the appetizer size I like the best.  I usually spend an afternoon making a few batches so I can freeze them to have on hand when we have company.  They reheat really well straight from the freezer.  Today I made 80 and froze them in bags of ten to have on hand for the upcoming Christmas Season.

Gruyere and Bacon Scone Minis
(printable recipe)

1 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. cold butter
1/2 cup grated gruyere cheese
1/2 cup cooked and crumbled bacon (about 7 slices)
2 tbsps. fresh parsley chopped or 1 tbsp. dried parsley
1/2 cup milk
1 egg, lightly beaten

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or coat with cooking spray. Grate cheese and set aside.


Cook and crumble bacon and set aside.


Stir flour, salt and baking powder together.


Cut in butter.




Add gruyere, bacon and parsley.


Mix in milk until a soft dough forms.


 Divide in two.  Turn out onto floured board and knead each half 2-3 times.


Pat  out to 3/4" thick rounds.  Cut into eight wedges.


Place on cookie sheet, brush with beaten egg.


Bake 10 minutes. 


Can freeze and reheat from frozen uncovered at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.


And of course, everything is better with butter on it!

Friday, November 4, 2011

Ginger Tea


Since I've had this cold/flu thingy,(is that a word?)I have made myself a lot of ginger tea. Not only does it make you feel better to sip that soothing hot cup of ginger and honey, it really does help you on your road to recovery. So, I thought I should post it for all you sick people out there. If your lucky enough to have a Mom to look after you, get her to make it or anyone else who is sympathetic to your sickly cause. If not, it's very easy to make, even for a sick person! (sniff!sniff!)  The good thing is after you're not sick anymore you can keep on making yourself ginger tea as is very good at boosting your immune system along with a host of other great qualities, like indigestion, nausea, bloating and gas.
So make your ginger tea, curl up on the couch, get your blanket, box of kleenexes and enjoy it as much as you can.

Here's what you'll need

4 cups of water
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled & cut into thin slices
lemon
honey

First peel your ginger, by either scraping with the side of a knife or a peeler.


Cut off a 1 inch piece and slice it into about 5 or six thin slices.


Put the ginger into a pot with 4 cups of water.


Bring to a boil, reduce and simmer 10-15 minutes.

Strain into your cup and add a fresh squeeze of lemon.


Then about a tablespoon of honey, or to your taste.



Stir and enjoy!  I hope you feel better.

I strain the rest of the tea into a measuring cup and keep in the fridge.  When needed I just put some into a cup and heat in the microwave.

Note: Wondering what to do with that left over ginger?  Peel it, cut it into chunks and freeze!