Strawberry Scones

Taken from Confessions of a Tart, serves 6 to 8
Date made: 3/4/2012

1 c. strawberries, diced*
3 Tbsp. granulated sugar
2 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 Tbsp. butter, softened and cut into cubes
2/3 c. buttermilk*

Sprinkle 1/2 Tbsp. of sugar over strawberries and set aside.
Preheat oven to 400°F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Combine rest of the dry ingredients.  Mix in butter, making sure it's evenly combined with the flour.  Stir in strawberries, and then add buttermilk all at once.  Use spatula to gently stir dough until it holds together.
Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times to incorporate the dry ingredients (I actually had to add a little bit of buttermilk).
Be gentle so you don't break up the berries and don't overwork the dough.
Pat the dough into a circle about 3/4 to 1 inch thick.  If any berries peek out, push them into the dough.  Cut circle into 6 to 8 wedges, then transfer wedges to cookie sheet.
Leave at least 1/2 inch of space between each scone, and bake for 15 minutes.
Sprinkle with sugar and bake for 10-15 minutes more or until the surface of the scone is golden brown and springs back when you push it.  Make sure you don't let the scones bake for too long, otherwise they will dry up!

The picture should speak for itself... ate one with vanilla ice cream -- yummy!  Although the strawberries have been awesome by themselves, this is another great use of them via the recipe suggestions from Hollygrove!

Irish Soda Bread

Taken from Baking with Julia, (recipe)
Date made: 2/26/2012

4 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. buttermilk*

Preheat oven at 375°F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowel, mix dry ingredients together.  Add buttermilk while stirring until ingredients come together.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead the dough gently.
Form the dough in a round shape, about 6 inches in diameter.  With a sharp knife cut an "x" about half-way into the dough.
Place the dough onto the cookie sheet and place in the middle rack of the oven.  Bake for 50 minutes or until the bread has a golden brown surface/
Remove from the oven and allow it to cool completely on a wire rack before cutting.
Once completely cool, wrap in plastic wrap and store at room temperature.

You'll have to turn your head sideways because I can't figure out how to rotate the picture.

Anyway, I was watching an old episode of "Baking with Julia" with Marion Cunningham, who was baking scones and Irish soda bread.  This recipe looked SO EASY, so I had to try it!  And it really is super easy.  This bread is really yummy with Nutella, and apparently (according to Jason), quite tasty toasted as well.  I've made two loaves already, and I have some buttermilk that's about to go bad, so I'll most likely make a third soon.

Broccoli Gratin

Adapted from Simply in Season, serves 4-6
Date made: 1/28/2011

1 head of broccoli, cooked until crisp-tender and cut in chunks*
2 green onions, chopped*
1 clove garlic
1/4 c flour
2 c milk
1 c cheddar cheese, shredded
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of nutmeg and ground red pepper
1 c bread crumbs
1 Tbsp butter, melted
1 Tbsp dried parsley

In small saucepan, saute onion and garlic in oil over medium heat until fragrant and tender, about 5 minutes.  Sprinkle flour over onions and garlic.  Cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes without browning.
Whisk in milk and bring to a boil.  Add spices and cook for 5 minutes.
Stir in cheddar cheese and remove from heat.  Combine with broccoli in a 8x8 casserole dish.
Combine bread crumbs, butter, and parsley and sprinkle on top of broccoli mixture.  Bake for about 20 minutes at 350°F.

The original recipe called for 5 cups of broccoli; the head that I had was only about 2-3.  So the cheese sauce is probably a little overkill since I forgot about the difference and didn't scale it down.  However, I think it's still yummy!