Pumpkin Scones and Tuna Bake

   A while back I was looking for a pumpkin scone recipe and came across a blog that focuses on coffee, tea and chocolate. The link is in my side bar, and is called, Coffee, Tea and Chocolate. The link for a pumpkin scone recipe was on the opening page, easy enough. This is the page for that recipe. I have not completely familiarized myself with the sight as I normally would before putting a link for in on mine, but there are great recipes and ideas for having teas, so I did. This is the recipe as it appears on that page.

Pumpkin Scones 
2 cups flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup pumpkin (if canned, be sure there are no spices or sugar added)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix together flour, sugar, spices, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Cut butter into small pieces and cut into flour. Mixture should look like coarse crumbs. In a separate bowl mix together the pumpkin, buttermilk and vanilla. Add to flour mixture and mix until the dough comes together (don't overmix). Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead gently 3-4 times, and then shape/pat dough into a circle about 1 1/2 inches thick. Slice in half, and then cut each half into 3 equal pie-shaped wedges. Brush with egg glaze (1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp milk), and sprinkle with Turbinado sugar. Bake on a cookie sheet for @ 375° for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Makes 6 scones.

Optional: Add white chocolate chips and/or chopped pecans.

Pumpkin Spice Butter
1/4 cup (half a stick) butter, softened
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp allspice

Combine all and mix till creamy.

   I added white chocolate chips and chopped pecans to the scones. Perfect! I know the recipe says to cut into sixths, but that was a far bigger scone than we needed. I cut mine in eigth's and they were ... Perfect! I did not however, make the Pumpkin Spice Butter. Jon is not crazy about putting things on scones, if fact butter is about as far as he goes with toast, English muffins, or bagels even. Although, he has been seen on very rare occasion, spreading a little strawberry cream cheese on a bagel. If he wasn't going to eat it, guess who would. I would. So as delicious as I am sure it is, I passed. That butter would be a good excuse to make these scones again and have someone over. Hummm... or just take a couple of batches to Joy Circle at church. Those women would help me eat that yummy spread.

Scone photos missing due to Picasa incident mentioned in my Missing Photos section above.

   This dough is really easy to work with. Make sure your buttermilk and butter are as c old as possible. Putting them in the freezer for ten minutes with your bowl and utensil is a good idea. Use a cold bowl. I used a cold pastry blender to mix the dry ingredients and butter. Handle the dough as little as possible.

   You can roll and cut these however you like. You could probably make them drop scones if you wanted. I like a disc for scones. You can see there are eight instead of six.

   The recipe does not say, but I use parchment paper for most baking. One of these days I am going to get a Silpat.

   That scone recipe got printed out and is a part of my permanent recipe file. I am going to try dried cranberries in them next time. And now it is time to put supper together.




Here is what's for supper.

I already had the oven on, I just turned it up 25 degrees, and for supper we had Barbara's Tuna, Broccoli and Pasta Bake. It was as she said, tasty and simple. We have enough leftover that we can have it for lunch tomorrow after church. That works out well since I am really hoping to groom, Baxter. I highly recommend going to Barbara's blog. I have her permanently on my side bar as a link, but I want to mention it here. She has many wonderful things for you to look at and read. If you are enjoy reading about how the Lord can work in someone's life, read the section of her blog called, My Story. Being a blog, it goes in descending order chronologically. Start with the first one and work your way to the present. You will be glad you took the time to read these.

Tuna, Broccoli and Pasta Bake

Preheat oven to 400° I sprayed my 12 X 9 casserole with Olive Oil Pam non-stick spray. Just wanted to mention, my daughter Tara, gave me the Le Creuset casserole crockware a few years ago for Christmas. I love this piece of bakeware!! She got me another one that was green, oval and a little smaller. Amazing bakeware!

8 ounces Rotini pasta, I really like Barilla pasta.
3- 5 ounce cans tuna, I use solid white albacore tuna.
8 ounces broccoli florets, I used half of a 16 oz bag of frozen -it’s winter
2 ounces butter
1/4 cup flour
2-1/2 cups milk
8 ounces cheese, I used shredded mild and sharp cheddar.

• Cook pasta in boiling water for 5 minutes then add bite size broccoli and allow to return to boil. Cook 4-5 minutes until pasta is just tender. Drain well.
• While in colander, dump cans of tuna over pasta and broccoli. Once drained, flake tuna and place inside casserole.
• Arrange pasta and broccoli over tuna.
• *Make cheese sauce and pour over all.
• Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
• Bake for 25 minutes.

*Make cheese sauce by placing butter, milk, flour and half of the cheese (4 ounces) in sauce pan. Gently bring to a rolling boil. Whisk for a couple of minutes until thickening begins.

I added nothing to this. No salt, pepper, hot sauce, nodda. It was really good. Since the oven was already hot, I stuck a French baguette in while the casserole cooled. Bread warm and crusty, casserole cooled down and set a bit.... supper. Thanks, Barbara. :-)

Update:
A little update on the book in the Hannah Swensen murder series, Carrot Cake Murder that is to be released February 26th.

I was going to check on the county library since I was 4 on a list of 4 of requests for the book when it comes in, at my local town library. At the county library, there are ten requests. Ugh. And now, I am 4 on a list of 5 at my town library. Guess I will just stay put. They will probably get more than one copy, so it should not be too bad. Besides, it is not like I don't have enough reading to do with homework.

I haven't gotten any recommendations for a good murder mystery author or series so, I think I will give M.C. Beaton's, Agatha Raisin series a go.