Fancy Rice

I love this version of rice. It has so much more flavor. My rice always seems to need about 10 more min of cooking time. This recipe goes with so many meals!
1 C. brown basmati rice
2 1/2 C. water
1 Tbs. olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 C. dry vegetable soup blend

Stove Top directions:
Rinse rice in cold water to remove excess starch. Combine rice, water, oil, soup blend and salt in a saucepan. Allow mixture to rest for 15 min. Bring mixture to boil stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium and cover with a tight fitting lid. Simmer for 35 min. Remove from heat, fluff with fork and serve. Yield: 8 servings

Lemon Pepper Artichoke Dip

So simple yet so yummy! I always eat my artichokes with this dip.
3 T. mayonnaise
1/2 tsp. lemon pepper seasoning
5 drops lemon juice (optional adds a little zing!)

Mix ingredients together and serve.

Whole Wheat Waffles

I really enjoyed the flavor of these whole wheat waffles. Berries or syrup go great with these! I mixed all my ingredients in the blender but as the batter is thick my blender had a hard time mixing. I didn't really think using the blender made the process any easier or faster. Although it was handy to just pour the batter right on the waffle maker and not have to spoon out the batter. So if you have a more powerful blender this might work great for you.

3 Cups whole-wheat flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 ½ tsp baking powder
½ cup oil
¼ cup honey
4 eggs
3 cups buttermilk

Combine all dry ingredients in a blender or bowl, then blend in all the liquid ingredients. Cook to your waffle makers directions. Yield: 24 - 3"x3" waffles

Sunny Oatmeal

Sorry no picture! Oatmeal looks nasty no matter how you photograph it. This is my favorite way to eat oatmeal!! Its a little tangy and sweet. Great start to the day.

3/4 C. Orange juice
1/4 C. + 2 T Oatmeal
1 tsp. Brown sugar

In a small pot stir together all ingredients. Simmer for 5 min. Use more oj if you like it runnier or less for thicker.

Coffee House Scones

Fast and simple to make! I have had some scones that tasted plain and was like eating a hunk of bread. But these scones really blew me away. They were mostly eaten up the day I made them! Have them with jam or make a egg sandwich for breakfast with them.

Total prep/baking time: 20 min

2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated white sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter or margarine, cold and cut into pieces

2/3 cup buttermilk

Egg mixture for brushing tops of scones: (optional)

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F, place rack in middle of oven. Stack two baking sheets together and line the top baking sheet with parchment paper. (This prevents the bottoms of the scones from over browning during baking.) I used a stoneware baking pan and they baked fine without over browning.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Add the buttermilk to the flour mixture and stir just until the dough comes together. Do not over mix the dough.

Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead dough gently four or five times and then pat, or roll, the dough into a circle that is about 7 inches round and about 1-1/2 inches thick. Cut this circle in half, then half again then each quarter in half to make 8 pie wedges. Place the scones on the baking sheet. Make an egg wash of one well-beaten egg mixed with 1 tablespoon milk and brush the tops of the scones with this mixture.

Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

(Optional for a sweeter scone) Remove from oven and then turn your broiler on high. Sift confectioners(powdered or icing) sugar heavily over the tops of the scones and place them under the broiler. Broil for just a few seconds, turning the pan as necessary, until the sugar has melted and turns golden brown. Make sure to watch the scones carefully as the sugar will burn very quickly. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.Yields: 8