Old Fashioned Irish Cream Scones

Found this recipe when I was first married and loved it. It would work well for a fruit bakeover as well.

2 c flour
1 tbs baking powder
2 tbs sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c butter
2 eggs beaten
1/3 c heavy whipping cream
2 tsp sugar

Combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in eggs and cream to make dough. Knead on floured counter. Divide in 2 if making baked scones. (Or keep as one whole for a bakeover crust.) Roll out in a circle 1 in. thick. Cut into pie wedges for individual scones. Place on cookie sheet. For individual scones brush with egg white and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 min. and golden.

Optionals~

-You can mix pretty much anything you like into these scones. They work really well with chocolate chips, fresh berries, nuts, etc.
-If serving as scones for tea, serve with whipping cream, lemon curd, jams, honey...etc.

No Rise Pizza Dough or Focaccia Bread

I've posted this pizza dough recipe before here and here (I've called it Amish Quick Dough before) but I'm going to post it again. It doesn't have to rise which is wonderful because it's FAST! By adding some herbs and baking it flat you can use it to make your own focaccia bread which would work great as a bakeover crust.

1 tbsp yeast
1 c warm water
Dissolve the above together.

Add while mixing in your mixer:
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp veg. oil
2 1/2 c flour
(optional herbs, cheeses, pesto, garlic, etc.)

Knead till smooth. Shape into a circle for pizza (makes about a 16 in. or two 8 in.) or as a focaccia (about 12 in. but thicker) bread on a pizza stone. If making focaccia bread, make sure you leave it about 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick at least. You may also want to let it rise for about 15-20 min. before baking to make it a little thicker.

You can use white flour or whole wheat. (do NOT use whole wheat pastry flour, it comes out like corn meal for some reason.)

Biscuits

2 c flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c softened butter
3/4 c milk (or buttermilk)

mix together by hand till blended (do not over mix). Roll out to desired thickness (they will only bake up a little so make them close to as thick as you'll want them). If making individual biscuits, use a floured biscuit cutter to cut them. If you don't have a biscuit cutter you can use a mason jar lid ring. Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 450 degrees for about 10-12 min or golden brown on top. If using for a bakeover crust, roll it out into a circle shape the size of your pan and place on your pan.

Variations:
-use whole wheat flour (add a little more butter if using all whole wheat)
-add seasonings like basil, oregano, Italian seasoning mix, garlic
-add fillings like some grated sharp cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, or 2 tbsp pesto

Bakeover Breads

I want to post a few breads that you can use for your bakeovers so I'll be posting a few of those next. =0)

Bake Overs

I promised you a new cooking method so here it is. =0)

For years women have been making the family casserole meal for many of their week night meals and serving these casseroles at potlucks and to guests. It's time to give the casserole a face lift. Drum roll please.......I bring to you, Mary Jane's Bake Over. What's a Bake Over you ask? A Bake Over is basically a casserole flipped over (EXCEPT IT CAN BE REALLY HEALTHY!). It's a convenient one dish meal which makes clean up nice and easy. There are so many variations of the Bake Over that you can get really creative with your own version.

A casserole flipped over? Yup. What you do is, saute your veggies in some olive oil or butter, dash of seasoning of your choice, add meat and/or cheese if desired and then top it with a bread dough like you would a pie crust. Put the skillet in the oven and bake. Once it's done you take it out and flip it onto a serving platter.

But it doesn't stop there. The Bake Over can be made for breakfast (using breakfast items including eggs with a biscuit top) or even for dessert (using fresh berries and fruit with a cookie dough crust).

I discovered Mary Jane's "Bake Overs" while reading one of her books, , at my mom's cabin. I was so taken with this idea. I really wanted to try it out but some of the root veggie recipes she suggested didn't sound that appetizing to me. So, I've been working at coming up with versions of this "Bake Over" concept that are healthy but appetizing to the every day palette. But, if you are trying to stay on a vegetarian diet or even a whole foods diet, these can be very basic and healthy! So, after studying her book and her website, I began experimenting. Now, I bring to you my very own Bake Over. See following post...


I recommend you buy her book if you are farm girl at heart or browse her website. She also has a wonderful magazine. You can purchase directly from her site her "Bake Over sampler" which is a starter kit complete with a specially made pan to make her bake overs in. She sells several bread mixes to use for the top of your Bake Overs which would make this a very simple way to make them. I have chosen to use my own pan and my own bread recipes and store bought mixes (like cookie dough and corn bread) to duplicate this idea. I'd post some of her fabulous pictures here but they are all copyrighted. So, DO click on her website links and view for yourselves. I'm happy to promote her business. =0)

So, get creative and try your own variations! Hope you enjoy this new method of cooking!

There is a method to the Bake Over which is this:

4 cups veggies
or
4 cups fruit
(for a 10-12 in skillet)
and 1 package mix

Bakeover Ingredients

Some things to try in your bakeovers....

Veggies for your Bakeovers:
artichoke hearts
asparagus
beans
beets
broccoli
brussel sprouts (slice them in half to release their bitterness)cabbage
carrots
cauliflower
celery
chard
fennel bulb
jicamakale
mushrooms
onions
parsnips
bell peppers
potatoes
rutabagas
hot peppers
spinach
squash
scallions
tomatoes
tomatillos
turnips
yams
zucchini


Fruits:
apples
apricots
bananas
blackberries
blueberries
huckleberries
boysenberries
cherries
figs
gooseberries
kumquats
mangos
peaches
papaya
pears
pineapple
raspberries
rhubarb
strawberries

Meats, Nuts, Packaged Products:
Cheeses - cheddar, Asiago, Parmesan, feta, cream cheese, jack, Havarti, mozzarella, etc.
chicken
sausage
bacon
ground turkey
beef
venison
fish (boneless precooked)
tuna
black beans
coconut
sauerkraut
tofu
almonds
Brazil nuts
cashews
peanuts
pecans
pine nuts
poppy seeds
pumpkin seeds
sesame seeds
sunflower seeds
walnuts
eggs

Seasonings:
garlic
chili powder
fresh herbs
pepper
salt
soy sauce
BBQ sauce
ranch dressing packet
Lawry's season salt
Montreal steak seasoning
Mrs. dash
Italian seasoning
dried herbs (basil, oregano, etc.)

Batter Mixes:
corn bread
biscuits
focaccia bread
fry bread
pizza dough
herb breads
our dough
beer batter bread
cookie dough
brownies
scones

Chicken and Dumplings Bakeover

My first Bakeover

Sauteing sliced carrots, potatoes, onion, a tbsp of flour in some butter, herbs and a bit of chicken broth to make a little sauce.

Added some leftover shredded chicken.

While it was sauteing, I made my whole wheat biscuit dough recipe and then placed it on top like a pie crust.

Into the oven it went. I think I did it at 350 degrees for about 20 min.

Out it came and I forked it to make sure it was cooked through.

Here we go...into a deep dish pie plate...I was worried about the sauce running everywhere but I could have done it on a flat platter because the sauce was all absorbed. (I think if you do this with fruit though it might run a little, I don't know...I'll try it soon.)

Hurray! It's out of the pan!

Serving up the first slice.

Look at that pie!

Fabulous lunch!