Spicy Sauce: June 2011

Welcome to Spicy Sauce

You might recognize it as Heinz 57 sauce- but at our house for the last, say 14 years- it’s been known as “Spicy Sauce.” M named it- she really- ‘never left home without it’- if eating was involved. She took it with her on overnights along with her favorite stuffed animal. She really only ate chicken and a few vegetables on a regular basis anyway, but if you were hoping for a brave new exploration- you better have spicy sauce on hand to mitigate it.

J- on the other hand was intrigued by lots of different foods- as long as they were all mostly meat, and all mostly covered in mayonnaise. Texture meant everything to him- gastronomically. And even if mentally he was interested in trying something, he wasn’t shy about spitting it out all over the table if it felt too fuzzy or too soggy. There was no cute name for mayonnaise and spit up, however.

L never really liked meat- no matter what sauce you slathered it in. She was a good eater- liked clams, of all things, at fancy restaurants when she was 2- but always chose veggies or fruits, fish or chicken, oh- and sugar! If- it was around… her only weakness. And there we all were:

We had a vegetarian, a ‘meatatarian’ and a ‘spicysauceatarian’ in the house together for quite a few years, and somehow- they all survived (as did we)and now they like and remember similar foods from home. Like them enough to call with queries and suggestions- and share their own household or favorite food recipes with us and others.

Everyone remembers the funny foods our kids liked or didn’t like growing up- like ‘Weenies and Supa’ (hot dogs and ketchup for K) yummy! And /or ‘Tuna and Peas’ or Green mashed Potatoes’ not so yummy! It’s nice to see them all grown or nearly grown and interested in the food that eventually has meant ‘comfort’ and home to them. We all have developed memories and palates- based on vacations or home life patterns or our own new experiences, travels, and interests.

So here’s a new site devoted to our friends and families interest in memories and food- sometimes the pictures relate- sometimes they’re a bit random. I hope you all will join in the process and add photos and recipes to the fray-(once I get tech literate enough to share how???) and please! Don’t stop calling to ask, “What goes into this….” And please, forgive me if the proportions aren’t perfect! I’m counting on you all to fix and experiment.

- C

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Crunchy Cinnamon Scones

I got such a good picture of these that I simply had to write about them!

Scones are perhaps my favorite thing to bake for house guests, because they're super easy and look fancy. These are a Pioneer Woman recipe, and I made them for the Bianconi clan while visiting a few weeks ago. I can also say for sure that they're parrot-approved - Yocasta's bird Maya likes to sit at the breakfast table with us, and she kept trying to sneak up on my plate!

Ingredients

Dough:
3 cups All-purpose Flour
1/3 cup Sugar
5 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
2 sticks (1 Cup) Unsalted Butter (cold)
3/4 cups Heavy Cream (I used 2% milk, which was still delicious, though not quite as rich/awesome)
1 Egg
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 cup Cinnamon Chips (I didn't have these, but they sound interesting. Apparently they can be found in the baking aisle with chocolate chips.)

Topping:
1/2 cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1-1/2 teaspoon Heavy Cream

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
Cut the butter into small pieces and cut them into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter, or fork and knife, until it resembles coarse crumbs. (You can also run it through the food processor, taking care not to over-mix.)
Add the cinnamon chips.
Whisk the egg, vanilla and cream together in a small bowl, and stir into the flour mixture until just blended. The dough should be sticky but able-to-handle. If it's too sticky, add more flour.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and shape into a large rectangle.
For the topping, mix the sugar, cinnamon and cream together, and press evenly into the dough.
Cut the dough into equal squares, then cut the squares into triangle (pictured here). For larger scones, first shape the dough into a circle, and cut into triangles like a pizza.
Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, then enjoy!