Tea time! Cherry Almond Scones with Clotted Cream

Every once in a while I love a cup of tea in the afternoon. I do have Scottish roots (they drink tea right? shows I know a lot about my heritage!) But my love for this tradition I believe comes from my dad. He is a virtual Brit with this afternoon tea routine! I love you Daddy! Here is a recipe I found for Cherry Almond Scones (using dried cherries). The only changes I made to the recipe were instead of using sliced almonds on top, I actually sprinkled them into the dough. Don't think you can get by with using whole milk as a substitute. Go for the cream! I tried it with whole milk once and it just wasn't the same. Also, top these babies with my "cheater" version of clotted cream (a staple among Brittish tea drinkers- Educate yourself further on this tradition at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clotted_cream): 1 cup whipping cream, whipped till stiff peaks, 1/3 cup sour cream folded in, 2 TB powdered sugar folded in. Brew yourself a cup of Earl Grey and you are all set for afternoon tea!

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup chilled butter, cut into pieces
• 1 egg
• 2/3 cups whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 cup dried cherries
• Egg wash, 1 egg and 1 teaspoon water, beaten
• Sugar and sliced almonds, for sprinkling

Directions

Preheat oven: 325 degrees F.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter with pastry blender. (or I just use my kitchen aid with the paddle attachment.) Combine wet ingredients and mix into dry just until moistened. Add cherries. Mixture will be very sticky. Turn onto floured surface and knead 4 to 5 times with floured hands. Pat out into two 6 inch rounds. Use pizza cutter to cut into 6 wedges each round. Separate the wedges a couple of inches apart on greased baking sheet. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes.

Mexican Hummus

It was afternoon and you know what that meant; nap time! For me? Usually not, but the kiddos slept for a little while, and I quickly realized the peanut butter and crackers and half a sandwich that I had at the park today, were not going to get me through to dinner tonight. So, of course I decided to experiment. The result? Mexican hummus. I had a can of great northern beans, cilantro, chili powder, minced garlic, salt, pepper and chili powder.  Thats it! Use tortilla chips for dipping and you have yourself a hearty and somewhat healthy afternoon snack! (not to mention cheap! could be a great appetizer for a party!)

Ingredients:
1 can great northern beans
1 tsp minced garlic (about two cloves)
1/2 tsp chili powder (more if you like a little heat)
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup packed cilantro
tortilla chips

Throw everything into the food processor and pulse until smooth.

Variations: You could also make a black bean dip, and I thought that cumin would taste really nice in there too, but I didn't have any on hand. Green chilis would also make a nice addition.

Marinated Steak and Orzo stuffed Bell Peppers

I don't have any pictures to post because of a busy day. The goal was to simply get the food on the table, not to document each step. At any rate, because of my facebook status about what I was making tonight, I have been asked to share the links for these recipes. The steak marinade I have made before. It is delicious. I marinated them for about 24 hours in the fridge. The stuffed pepper recipe was very good. It calls for 6 peppers- green, red or yellow. I only used 4 because I knew my kids wouldn't go for the peppers. So, the rest of the stuffing I simply put into a small corning wear dish and baked separately. The peppers are stuffed with an orzo, tomato, zucchini mixture along with various spices. If put on a really good cut of meat, the marinade would have probably been better, however gas is $3.49 per gallon and I got a great deal on a manager's special skirt steak. I'll take what I can get. It was still yummy. For dessert, I found a recipe that brought both mine and my husband's favorite desserts into one brilliant marriage of flavor: Tiramisu Cheesecake.

Best Steak Marinade in Existence

Prep Time: 15 Minutes Ready In: 15 Minutes Servings: 8

"Prepare succulent steaks with this easy, garlicky soy sauce-olive oil-lemon juice-based marinade that's a tried and true family favorite."

INGREDIENTS:

1/3 cup soy sauce 1/2 cup olive oil 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic powder

3 tablespoons dried basil 1 1/2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes 1 teaspoon ground white pepper 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (optional) 1 teaspoon dried minced garlic (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1.

Place the soy sauce, olive oil, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, basil, parsley, and pepper in a blender. Add hot pepper sauce and garlic, if desired. Blend on high speed for 30 seconds until thoroughly mixed.

2.

Pour marinade over desired type of meat. Cover, and refrigerate for up to 8 hours. Cook meat as desired. Orzo Stuffed Peppers Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis Prep Time: 15 min Inactive Prep Time: -- Cook Time: 1 hr 0 min Level: Intermediate Serves: 4 to 6 servings Ingredients 1 (28-ounce) can Italian tomatoes 2 zucchini, grated 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves 1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano, plus more for sprinkling 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 4 cups chicken broth 1 1/2 cups orzo (rice-shaped pasta) 6 sweet bell peppers (red or yellow) Directions Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Pour the tomatoes into a large bowl and break apart using a pair of kitchen shears or your finger tips. Add the zucchini, mint, cheese, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Meanwhile, bring the chicken broth to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the orzo and cook for 4 minutes. The orzo should be only partially cooked. Use a fine mesh sieve to transfer the orzo to the large bowl with the other vegetables. Stir the orzo into the vegetable mix to combine. Transfer the warm chicken broth to a 3-quart baking dish. Slice the tops off the peppers and remove all ribs and seeds. Cut a very thin slice from the base to help the peppers stand up. Place the peppers in the baking dish with the warm chicken broth. Spoon the orzo mixture into the peppers. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle the top of each pepper with cheese and continue baking until the cheese is golden, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, carefully transfer the orzo stuffed pepper to a serving plate.  Here are links to the websites directly: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/orzo-stuffed-peppers-recipe/index.html http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Best-Steak-Marinade-in-Existence/Detail.aspx  http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/tiramisu-cheesecake-90595.aspx Tiramisu Cheesecake average rating read reviews (143) prep time 20 min total time 5 hr 5 min makes 16 servings add your photo   1  of  1   photo by:  kraft what you need 1 pkg. (12 oz.) NILLA Wafers (about 88), divided 5 tsp.  MAXWELL HOUSE Instant Coffee, divided 3 Tbsp. hot water, divided 4 pkg.  (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened 1 cup sugar 1 cup  BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream 4 eggs 1 cup  thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping 2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder make it HEAT oven to 325°F. LINE 13x9-inch pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides. Spread half the wafers onto bottom of prepared pan. Add 2 tsp. coffee granules to 2 Tbsp. hot water; stir until dissolved. Brush half onto wafers in pan; reserve remaining dissolved coffee for later use. BEAT cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Add sour cream; mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended. Remove 3-1/2 cups batter; place in medium bowl. Dissolve remaining coffee granules in remaining hot water. Stir into removed batter; spread over wafers in pan. Top with remaining wafers; brush with remaining dissolved coffee. Cover with remaining plain batter. BAKE 45 min. or until center is almost set. Cool. Refrigerate 3 hours. Use foil handles to lift cheesecake from pan. Spread with COOL WHIP just before serving; sprinkle with cocoa powder. Here are links to the websites directly: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/orzo-stuffed-peppers-recipe/index.html http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Best-Steak-Marinade-in-Existence/Detail.aspx  http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/tiramisu-cheesecake-90595.aspx