Starbucks Pumpkin Scones Recipe

I made these today and they were FANTASTIC. If you like Starbuck's Pumpkin Scones, you will love this recipe.

Truth be told, these are so easy, my kids make them without me.

Another truth. I ate three of them by myself.

They're dangerous.

You've been warned.

Starbucks Pumpkin Scones
Recipe adapted from Food.com

SCONES:
2 cups all-purpose flour
7 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
6 tablespoons cold butter
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
3 tablespoons half-and-half (I used evaporated milk, because I had it, but non-fat milk works fine)
1 large egg

 POWDERED SUGAR GLAZE (painted on)
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
2 tablespoons whole milk (I used evaporated milk)

 SPICED GLAZE (the drizzle)
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 pinch ginger
1 pinch ground cloves 

Orange food coloring if you want the darker, pumpkin-y color 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices in a large bowl. Cut butter into the dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, half and half or canned milk, and egg. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Form the dough into a ball.

Pat out dough onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a 1-inch thick rectangle (about 9 inches long and 3 inches wide). Use a large knife or a pizza cutter to slice the dough twice through the width, making three equal portions. Cut those three slices diagonally so that you have 6 triangular slices of dough.

Place on prepared baking sheet. Bake at 425 for 14-16 minutes. Scones should be a light brown. Cool on wire rack.

PLAIN GLAZE:

Mix powdered sugar and 2 T canned milk til smooth. When scones cool, brush on glaze to cover tops and sides.

SPICED ICING:

This gives your scones a little extra kick, and looks neat, so don't leave it out.

Combine all ingredients for spiced glaze. Add orange food coloring, a tiny bit at a time, til you get your desired color.

Drizzle icing over scone. You can do this off the end of a spoon, or make your own decorator bag by placing the glaze in a small baggie and snipping the corner off the bag.

Navajo Tacos / AKA Almost Copycat Taco Bell Chalupas

Have you ever tried Taco Bell's chalupas? I know it's probably uncool, but I have to confess that I love 'em. That's why they're here in the 30 Days of Family Favorite Recipes.

These babies, Navajo Tacos, remind me of them. They're a special treat and we don't have them often, but when we do....ahhhh....bliss!

They're pretty simple to make - so simple in fact, that my kids can make them, and often do when I need to study. If your kids are young you should probably do the cooking, but my youngest has been mixing and rolling these since she was six or seven.

Navajo Tacos

3 c small uncooked red beans

1 lb lean ground beef

1 – 8 oz can tomato sauce

1 pkg chili seasoning mix

Chopped lettuce

Chopped tomato

Chopped onion

Grated cheddar cheese

Salsa or taco sauce

Soak beans in cold water for at least two hours or overnight. Drain beans and place them in a large pot with 5 cups of water. Bring to a boil, cover and cook, boiling steadily for one hour. Reduce heat and cook, covered, for two more hours. Beans are done when the skin peels back when you blow on them.

While beans are cooking, brown beef and crumble, about 20 minutes. Drain grease. Add tomato sauce and chili seasoning and simmer for an additional 10 minutes to blend flavors.

While mixture is simmering, prepare a double batch of fry bread. 

To serve, spoon bean mixture onto hot fry bread and top with any combination of lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese, and salsa.

Indian Fry Bread

5 c flour

2 T baking powder

1 T melted butter

2 t salt

2 c milk

Oil for frying

          Mix dry ingredients. Stir in milk and butter a little at a time. Mix into soft dough but do not knead. Divide into golf ball sized portions and roll to 1/4-inch thickness. 

          Heat oil to medium heat. Oil will be up to temp when a small piece of bread dough sizzles when placed in oil. Fry til golden brown. Flip and fry on other side. Drain on paper towels. These can be kept hot in a 170 degree oven til ready to serve.

The Lightest, Crispiest Waffles Ever

My kids were astounded one day to see frozen waffles in the grocery store. We've always made them. Not from a mix, mind you, and not because I'm a waffle snob. I'm cheap.

After years of making waffles from scratch, I splurged and bought a mix. Know what I discovered? Scratch is better! And the bonus? They really don't take much more time than making them with a mix.

This recipe is the one we have used for years and have always had great results. The waffles are light and crisp. Top them with a little butter, yeah, the real stuff, and drizzle them with syrup and you're good to go.

This post is one of 30 in a series of Family Favorite Recipes. To see the rest, check here.

Image source

As a mom with a wild schedule, I have been known to cook up a bunch of these at once and freeze them in Ziplock baggies.

If you decide to try this, undercook slightly so you can pop them in the toaster later without burning them to a crisp. Let them cool on a wire rack before bagging or they stick together. To reheat, the toaster is the best option I have found to retain some crispness. If you're doing a bunch, put them on a cookie sheet and stick them under the broiler. Just keep an eye on them or they'll burn.The microwave will work in a pinch and are a great option for kids, just don't expect them to be crisp this way.

Waffles

1 ¾ c flour

1 T baking soda

½ t salt

2 eggs, separated

1 ¾ c milk

½ c oil

In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a small mixing bowl, beat egg yolks with a fork. Beat in milk and oil. Add to flour mixture all at once. Stir til blended but still slightly lumpy.

In a small mixer bowl, beat egg whites ‘til stiff peaks form. Gently fold beaten egg whites into flour/milk mixture, leaving a few fluffs of egg white. Do not over mix. The egg white is what makes your waffles light and crispy. Cook on a lightly greased waffle iron as usual.

I have used up to ½ whole wheat flour with good results.

Tortilla Stew

If you like Taco Soup, you'll love this. It has a similar flavor but is thick and hearty and feels more substantial. My kids are not real soup fans. but they like this one. Maybe because it's not real soupy? For more kids friendly meals, check out 30 Family Favorite Recipes.

Savory chicken in a thick, slightly spicy stew, and garnished with tortillas, cheese, and cilantro, this dish is perfect for a cold winter night. 

The recipe is easy to double and freezes well. Portion out the soup to freeze before you add the tortillas. Package the tortillas separately in a Ziploc bag and add to the soup after reheating.

Tortilla Stew

2 qt chicken broth*

¼ c taco seasoning

1 c shredded chicken*

1 can corn

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can Piquinto beans (small pink beans in a mild sauce) or any other variety

1 pt salsa

1 c flour mixed with 1 ½ c water

1 can black olives. Sliced

3 tortillas, cut or torn into 1-inch squares (I prefer flour, but corn is good, too)

Grated cheddar cheese to garnish

Cilantro, chopped (optional – but really, really good)

Combine broth, taco seasoning, chicken, corn, beans, and salsa. Bring to a boil. Stir in flour mixture to thicken like a stew. Add olives and stir.

If serving everything, then add tortilla pieces and stir as well. If there will be leftovers, offer tortillas as a topping. This keeps them from becoming a soggy mess the next day. Garnish with cheddar cheese and cilantro if desired.

30 Days of Family Favorite Recipes

I missed day one and two. I'm going to cheat from the start and post those later today.

For now though, the goal is to post a one of my family's favorite recipes each day for the month of September.

This is a challenge for me as

1) It's hard for everyone to agree 100% on a favorite ~ I have a child that doesn't like melted cheese and another that doesn't like chocolate. Excuse me? They won't have a say here. Six against one. Majority rules.

2) I don't think I've ever done anything for 31 days straight. Not even make my bed. Maybe I should add bed making to my goals instead.

Just as a heads up, we're pretty basic around here. You won't find the fancy stuff that takes hours to make and minutes to devour. If I want to impress someone, that's another story, but we're talking efficiency now, and as a single mom with a busy schedule, efficiency rules the day and the dinner table.

All of the recipes in this series are ones that we have made many, many times. They are tried and true. The kids have given them the thumbs up review.

We gravitate towards foods that are fast, easy, use everyday ingredients that I have on hand, and use minimal prepackaged mixes. I like to cook from scratch because I know what's in my food that way and yeah, it's cheaper.

This morning I posted a recipe for homemade ice cream. I can't think of a better way to start.

I'll be adding to this list as I go along, but to give you an idea of what we consider favorites:

Jeanette's Basic Ice Cream
Swedish Pancakes
Ultimate Grilled Cheese - Basic with a twist that makes it great
Idaho Baked Potato Soup - From one of my Idaho sisters-in-law
Brown Sugar Sausage-Bacon Appetizers - Oh. My. Gosh.
Party Punch
Tortilla Stew
Sloppy Joes
Sweet and Sour Salad - I don't care what the kids say. This is fantastic!
Stafford Breakfast
Chili Stack
Pizza
Chicken Dressing Casserole
Chicken Poppy Casserole
Hot Chicken Salad - another mother-in-law recipe - yumm
Navajo Tacos and Fry Bread - Courtesy of my sister-in-law - my kids love it!
Chicken Roll Ups - A mother-in-law recipe, which means it's delicious
Sweet and Sour Chicken - Reminds me of Panda's orange chicken
Chili - Make a bunch and freeze it for later
Biscuits Supreme - A definite must have recipe
Basic Muffins and Favorite Variations - A breakfast favorite
Flour Tortillas - All the kids help make these - simple and great
Pumpkin Streusel Bread - A favorite for fall
Braden's Famous Focaccia - My son has been making this since he was eight and it's great
One Hour Cinnamon Rolls - Yep, start to finish in an hour
Puffy French Toast - You know those crispy, puffy french toast sticks you can get at restaurants?
Waffles - light and crisp and perfect
Super Simple Smoothies
Oatmeal Cake
A Recipe for Disaster

...and a little space for last minute picks...

If you have a family favorite, feel free to share! ~ Erin

Top 20 Apple Recipes This Fall

I love fall. I love the cooler weather and the leaves turning on the trees. I love the fact that I can BAKE without heating us out of house and home. And the smell of freshly baked goodies....!!! Last time I got on a kick, it was for pumpkin. If you're a pumpkin fan like I am, you can check out my posts here and here.

I kind of got on a food frenzy the other day, as I contemplated the change in seasons. Thought I'd share some of the favorites that I came across. Enjoy!

****UPDATE**** 

I just opened an Etsy shop called ThisOnesMineDesigns, and I am so excited! My kids and I make ceramic buttons and badge reels.

Just to keep in the spirit of the post, these are my country apple buttons. I'd love it if you popped over and took a look around, and clicked the "favorite" button on the top right part of the page if you like them.

If you want to come back here and give me some honest feedback, I'd absolutely love that as well. =]

Back to apple recipe wonderfulness...

I have an apple thing. They look so fresh and country and wholesome. And just like my kindergarten teacher wrote in my very first report card, "when they're good, they're really, really good, and when they're bad, they're horrid." Maybe that's why I like 'em.

Make sure you get some good ones! Sweet, juicy, crisp. I love Fuji for all around use, and Granny Smith for baking and canning.

Image from Yankee New England

Once upon a time I purchased a bin of apples, yep, one of those huge boxes, and made applesauce and apple pie filling to my heart's content. If you have access to something like this but don't want them all, consider splitting a bin with friends.

If you decide to go it alone, the apples last pretty well on the back porch in cooler weather if you don't want to process all of them. Just pick up some apple boxes from the grocery store to keep them in and be sure to sort out any bad ones before storage.

A recipe for Homemade Canned Apple Pie Filling an be found at Skip to my Lou. I've canned lots of apple pie filling and it is a wonderful thing to have on hand for a last minute baking splurge. There's a recipe for cobbler on the same page that looks delish.

If you're really ambitious, it makes beautiful gifts at Christmas time. Just make sure you give it to someone who appreciates the difference between a can from the store and the real deal. =]

Along those ambitious lines is something I've never tried but have always wanted to attempt. Apple Butter. I've made apricot butter before, which was intense and one of the best jam type things I've ever made. It seems like it took hours of stirring over a boiling pot, but it was worth it. Really. I imagine this would be wonderful. The cool part? This Apple Butter is made in the crock pot. The recipe is at Changing My Destiny.

These sweet-tart apple cookies are fully of soft, melty caramel. It uses an instant apple cider mix rather than real apples, but ohhh, doesn't it look divine? You can find the recipe for Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies at Scrambled Henfruit. 

These babies look fantastic. Little mini apple fritters. Because sometimes you want the taste without the whole 10,000 calories, you know? Check out Seemingly Greek for the recipe. This young lady has a fun story about how she ended up in Greece. =]

If you want some serious volume, check out this Apple Fritter Bread found at Flour Me with Love. The dough gets rolled out thin, then covered with apple-y-cinnamon-y goodness, cut in squares, then stacked together in a loaf pan to bake. The result? Bread that comes apart in layers. My apple fritter loving son was begging for this one. =]

Kind of along those lines is this beauty. The dough is made, then wrapped around little bundles of apple filling. Oh. My. The Apple Cinnamon Pull-Apart Loaf recipe can be found at Cooking with Chopin.

This. Oh, yes. This is my kind of breakfast! Apple Cider Buttermilk Pancakes with Apple Caramel Syrup. Aren't you just dying to make breakfast right now? And breakfast for dinner is always good, right? The recipe is at Cherry Tea Cakes.

To be fair, here's a recipe for Apple Pie Oatmeal. I am not a fan of oatmeal for the most part, but I think this recipe could change that. Who could pass up the taste of pie for breakfast? And healthy pie at that! Family Feedbag has the recipe.

These muffins are low fat and low cal. Just thought I'd sneak 'em in here. I love hot muffins on a cold morning and the crumbly top should add a touch of the sweetness I crave. I haven't tried these yet, but I will. Muffins are a mainstay here. The recipe is from Fitness.

Are these gorgeous or what! Apple chips are one of my favorites. I think I'd use Fuji instead of Red Delicious, just because I like the sweet/tart favor better, but you've got to admit that the red contrast here makes them as fun to look at as I'm sure they are to eat. Vittles and Bits has the recipe and beautiful photo..

Apple Enchiladas? Flour tortillas stuffed with apple pie filling and covered with a syrupy sauce, then baked 'til golden? A definite yes. My kids are all for this one because, well, they're a BIG treat, you know? And what an easy and fun way to do it. The recipe is at Cornfed Mama.

Bite Sized Apple Pies are a fast and easy treat since they use refrigerated pie crust. If you're a stickler, you can make your own. I absolutely love pie crust baked with cinnamon and sugar sprinkled over the top. Add the apples and mmmm.... Cookin up North has the recipe.

Another quickie, Upside-Down Cinnamon Apple Coffee Cake uses canned cinnamon rolls for a base. She had me at cinnamon rolls. The recipe can be found at Lady Behind the Curtain.

This baby is like a quick and easy version of apple pie. Can you see it now, served up with a scoop of vanilla ice cream? And did I mention easy? With six kids, desserts go fast here, so quick, easy, and delicious are the prerequisites. Annie's Eats has the recipe for Apple Crumble Bars.

And if you want to get fancy, Apple Pie in a Jar......from Our Best Bites. You could use your home canned apple pie filling for these. I love how these are decorated. Wouldn't these be neat for gifts or dessert at a party? Can you imagine a table lined with your choice of apple, or cherry, or peach, or apricot...

Apple Cider Caramels??? Mmmmm...yes, please. I have a thing for taffies and caramels. I think it goes back to years of wearing braces and feeling deprived. I think, as an adult, I should make up for that deprivation.   Bourbonnatrix Bakes has this recipe, and no, there isn't any bourbon in them. =P

This is a baked apple, filled with vanilla ice cream, then drizzled with caramel sauce. I'm thinking it would make a fun Family Home Evening treat. Can you just smell those apples baking? The recipe calls for brandy in the sauce, but another liquid could easily be substituted. Time for a Little Something has the recipe.

This one is special. I'm thinking Thanksgiving, maybe, because my sister always makes something spectacular and I'm the just get it done girl. LOL. Candy Apple Pie...a graham cracker crust filled with cheesecake and apple pie filling, then topped with whipped cream, caramel, and pecans. I already have that Thanksgiving feeling of being unable to eat another bite. Clicky here, at Doughmesstic, for the recipe.

And to go with all of that deliciousness, wassail. I love wassail. It makes me smile. A hot cup, a good book, a warm fire, a rainy day, and life is at its best. Gathered Round Our Table has a recipes for wassail and spiced cider. I've made a couple, and the pineapple juice in the wassail makes all the difference. Don't skimp or substitute on it. They're worth writing down and tucking away.

Just to get you started, and to give you a bit of energy while you bake up a storm, try this Toffee Apple Dip. It's cream cheese blended with brown sugar and Heath Toffee Bits. Everybody I know who has tried it has absolutely loved it. When I make it, I add a little splash of vanilla, and I like to serve it with sliced Granny Smith apples since their tart flavor balances out the sweet. You can find this recipe at Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

Unfortunately, I don't have a link for this picture, and no it's not a recipe, just a bonus. If you know where it comes from, let me know and I'll post the link.

I love how these were used for candles, though. If I made them, I'd bust out the drill with a bit that was votive size and bore the hole just deep enough to insert the candle. If you don't have a drill, then a paring knife would do the trick, with a little skill. =]

Get some apples and have fun!

Pumpkin Scones Recipe, Starbucks Style

I tried my very first Starbucks scone last weekend. It was delectable.

This morning, I checked my email and found a blog alert from RecipeGirl for her version. You can find the recipe here, at her blog.

***UPDATE 3/13*** - I tried this pumpkin scone recipe and I am in love. Seriously.

If they taste anything like the Starbucks version, as she says, then let me tell you, they are fantastic! She put solid layers of her plain and pumpkin spice glaze on each scone, rather than drizziling the spice one as Starbucks did.

 I like the look of the drizzly, but thinking all the extra flavor of more spice....mmmmm.....decisions!

This is a recipe I want to try. Now. Thanks, RecipeGirl!

Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater...Pumpkin Recipies for Fall

I love October. The air is cooler and the leaves are starting to change and fall. It makes me think of rain, hot cocoa, a good book, and a fire in the fireplace.

...And makes me hungry for pumpkin....


Came across this recipe for Pumpkin Fudge at Recipe Girl. Can't wait to try it out. Something about it just grabbed me. It was probably the word "fudge".


Then there's a recipe for Pumpkin Cream Cheese Truffles at Erins Food Files (not me...another Erin with great taste). OK...so they sound a little strange, but in a good way, right?  =]


...And Cream Cheese Rippled Pumpkin Bread from Lick the Bowl Good....Really, really want to try this one. We make a whole wheat pumpkin bread that is to die for. Yep. Whole wheat, and still great. If I have time to cook in the near future, I'll make it and post the recipe.


...And Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes over at Une-Deux Senses. These have a graham cracker base with vanilla cake and pumpkin pie frosting.


...And Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls from Goodlife Eats...


Which lead me to another of Goodlife's recipies, this one for Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal. Now, I am not an oatmeal fan, it's just a bit too slimy for me, but this looks more like dessert. Crunchy, sweet, and healthy enough that I can feed it to the kiddos in the morning and not feel guilty about it.

Who needs Halloween candy?