There are few things on earth as enjoyable as a nice hot cup of tea and something sweet to enjoy along with it.  Because of my religion I only drink herbal blends. We don't do regular tea or coffee.

 

There are some really lovely herbal blends available today  . . .  more than there have ever been.  You can buy it loose leafed, or in bags . . .  if I am doing a bag, I like the bio-degradable pyramid bags . . .

 

Scones are something I really enjoy with a nice hot cup of tea . . .  they are not hard to make and you can spread them with all sorts . . .  butter, clotted cream, jam, etc.  Hot tea . . .  something sweet.  You cannot beat the combination.

 

People tend to lump North American Biscuits together with Scones, but they are really not the same thing at all.  North American baking powder biscuits generally use all vegetable fat, and sometimes cream . . . scones usually use all butter, and sometimes butter and cream.  The two things are not the same thing at all, no matter how similar they might look.  Scones are sweeter as well, which makes them perfect for enjoying with a hot cuppa.

 

Scones are not all that difficult to make really.  You just need to remember a few basic rules to ensure scone perfection.  The first thing you will want to do is to sift your flour baking powder and salt into a bowl  I find that aerating the flour in this way makes for a lighter scone, and sifting it together with the baking powder and salt ensures that all are mixed together evenly.  I do this from about 6 to 8 inches above the bowl, which really helps the air to get in there.  I also always use self raising flour. You can buy it ready made or make your own. (I give instructions on how to that on the main page.)

 

Make sure your butter is really cold and cut it into cubes quickly.  I just measure it and then using a sharp knife cube it right into the bowl.  Remember you want it to stay as cold as possible. Once you have the butter in the bowl take  your thumb and first two fingers on each hand and rub the butter into the flour using a snapping motion.  When you are done it will look like fine bread crumbs. Its actually okay to have a few larger bits as they will help with the rise also, creating little pockets of air as the butter melts.  It is then that you can take a round bladed knife and stir in the sugar  . . .  and then the milk/buttermilk and any other bits you are adding.  Today these scones are just plain.

 

Pat the dough gently out to a 1 inch thickeness and then using a sharp round cutter, and a straight up and down tapping motion cut out your scones.  This ensures an even rise, without any lop-sides.  I also try to get as many scones as I can from the first cutting.  You can of course bring the scraps back together and cut out more, but do be aware that every subsequent cutting will result in a tougher scone.  I do have an excellent pictorial tutorial here.

  

Today I created a lovely flavoured butter to go with our warm scones.  I did cut the scones out rather small this time, so as to get more., and I brushed the tops with a bit of buttermilk before baking.

This Clementine & Cinnamon Butter is really nice . . .  you can use any leftovers on your toast tomorrow.  Its quick and really simpl to make and the flavour is beautiful.

 

How to Brew The Perfect Cup of Tea 

1. Always use high quality loose leaf tea, and store it in an air-tight container at room temperature. Use 1 rounded teaspoon for each cup you intende to serve.

2. Use freshly drawn water - that way it will contain lots of oxygen to give your tea the best flavour. 

3. Put the tea into a warm pot. Add freshly boiled water to the pot, dump it out and then refill with more freshly boiled water.  Add your tea leaves.  Brew for 3 to 4 minutes, then serve. 

 

See those bubbles on the top of my cup. My mother always called that "money."  She said if you had that in your cup you were going to come into some money.  I like to think that's true.  Mayhap I should buy a lottery ticket . . .

 

Sorry more leftovers to share with you here today, but never fear, I promise you this is the last of them!  The roast beef is now finished . . .  but what a tasty way to go! 

I just love using up my leftovers!

 

I have often made pan fried roast beef hash with my leftover meat and potatoes. It makes for a quick and easy supper. J ust chop everything up and throw it into a hot pan with some fat.  Cook until crisp and browned.  Yummy!

 

This version of hash is a tad bit different in that it isn't really fried, but baked. Yes, you heard that right!  Baked, not fried.

 

It makes use of your leftover cooked roast beef, and any leftover potatoes you might have languishing in the refrigerator.  Or any other veg you want to use up as well.

Its so simple to make and incredibly delicious.

 

You begin by sauteing (without browning) some chopped onions, red and green bell peppers and celery in a bit of bacon fat.  Mmmm . . .  bacon fat . . .

 

I have always saved my bacon fat for just this purpose.  I keep it in a jar in the refrigerator. Don't worry if you have none. You can use butter or oil in its place, or even lard.

 

Do you save your bacon fat???  I have for years, and let me tell you it comes in mighty handy when it comes to things like this.  

 

You just strain it and keep it in a covered jar in the refrigerator. It will keep there for quite a while. 

 

  Bacon fat does make for a nice flavour in this, amongst other things. I remember my ex MIL telling me that her mother used to use bacon fat to make her gingersnaps with.

I was intrigued and so had to save up enough bacon fat so that I could try it out.  Hands down, the absolute best gingersnaps ever. EVER!

 

Once your vegetables have softened you can add your potato and your beef.  They cook for a few more minutes.  You won't be so much browning them as you will be heating them through.

 

At that point you will add your leftover gravy.  Don't worry if you haven't got any leftover gravy. You can use gravy made from gravy powder if you must.  

 

Or you can use a tin of soup. If you have gravy however, now is the perfect time to use it.

 

Into this mixture stir in some tomato ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and some seasoning. Taste it.  

 

Remember your gravy is probably seasoned already from when you had it the other night and your bacon fat will be a bit salty also.

 

So do taste it and if you think it needs more seasoning, then add it. 

 

This then gets spread into a buttered shallow casserole dish.  Mine is about 7 inches by 11 inches.

 

Slice some ripe tomatoes and place them on top in a decorative manner.  These also get seasoned lightly and sprinkled with some dried basil and dotted with butter.  Mmmm . . .

 

Into the oven it goes for a little less than half an hour.  Just about enough time for you to cook some vegetables to serve on the side or make a salad, or both!

 

I cooked some carrots today, seasoning them with a tiny knob of butter, salt, pepper and nutmeg.  I then chopped them up with an clean and empty tin can that I keep just for that purpose.  Works a charm

  

We also had some corn niblets.  This went down a real treat!

 

Being able to create delicious main dishes with your leftovers turns your leftovers into delicious options that nobody turns their noses up at.  In fact my family always used to look forward to the leftovers.  With a bit of thrift and ingenuity you can make a silk purse from a sows ear! 

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Prior to my moving over here to the UK, I only ever considered icing on cakes to be of the butter cream variety, or fluffy icing . . .  sometimes seven-minute boiled frosting.  

I would never have thought of an icing simply composed of icing sugar and lemon juice, or a glaze icing.

 

It just was not something I had ever come across with the exception of glazed donuts and the like.  

More often than not, here in the UK, the icing you will find on a cake will be of the glazed variety, and I have to say, I quite like it.  Especially on simple cakes such as this one I am sharing today.

 

I have adapted this recipe from one I found in this book, "Cakes" by Liz Herbert, based on recipes favored by the well-known Women's Institute. 

You just know if it has their approval it has to be good.

 

And this is indeed one very good cake! 

  

It is a simple cake, rather than a celebratory cake, rather plain to look at, but that doesn't mean that is is a plain cake!

 

It is a fabulous cake  . . .  with a soft crumb . . .  and little hidden bits of orange marmalade strewn throughout . . . 

 

The marmalade adds just a hint of bittersweet in contrast to the normal sugar which is used.  Not at all unpleasant.

 

In addition, there are the finely grated zests of one orange and one lemon to add flavour.

 

She used half butter and half margarine in her cake.  I used all butter.  

It worked beautifully.  I never have margarine in my house.  Just butter.

 

It whips up quickly and bakes in not much more than half an hour.  It also smells rather lovely while it is baking!

I love the smell of a cake baking, don't  you?

 

But then again, what cake doesn't smell good when its baking!!!  

The icing is simple as I say  . . .

 

A glaze composed of icing sugar (or confectioner's as it is also known) and fresh lemon juice.  

Perfect. Sweet with just a bit of tang  . . . 

 

This get spooned over the cooled cake and then allowed to set. 

  

In the book she gives the option of candying your own orange zest to decorate the top of the cake when completely done . . .

  

I had used all of my orange zest in the cake itself, but I did have some candied orange peel that I chopped and then used to decorate it which not only looked great but also tasted fabulous!

Some other cake recipes which you might enjoy:

 

This is a wonderful teatime cake.  Perfect for mid-morning break, tea parties and just because . . . I think you will really love it.

 

I cooked us a pot roast at the weekend.  I just popped it into the slow cooker early Sunday morning and a delicious dinner was waiting for us after church.  I don't always remember to do that, but when I do its always nice to have something hot and delicious waiting for us when we get home.  The enticing smell greets us at the door and gets our taste buds to really tingling.

 

Of course, cooking a pot roast at the weekend means we have leftovers to enjoy during the week.  I like to think of myself as being the Queen of leftovers!

  

I love using up my leftovers and making delicious new things with them!    While Todd might turn his nose up a bit at leftover cooked beef or pork, just sliced and re-heated, he always enjoys anything else that I might do with them! 

 

Today I made a Greek Casserole, which essentially is almost like a lasagna, and a Greek Pastitsio, but using leftover cooked beef. If you don't have any leftover beef,  you can use the equivalent in browned ground beef in its place.

 

A delicious sauce is created using the finely chopped roast beef, some softened onion and garlic, cinnamon (just a pinch), salt, white pepper and some tomato sauce/passata.

  

This gets layered in a shallow baking dish between layers of cooked elbow macaroni that you have beaten an egg into along with some seasoning . . .

 

Grated cheddar cheese gets spooned over the meat also before the second layer of macaroni. A lush cheese sauce get spooned over all of it   . . .  and a final layer of grated cheddar gilds the lily.

 

This is so, so, so delicious!  Even Todd didn't mind that it was pasta!!  Or leftovers!!

  

I did it in smaller quantities to serve 3 to 4 people, but you can very easily double the amounts to serve more.  Its a really delicious and easy casserole to make.  I served it simply with some crusty bread and a salad.

 

My mother used to have a gentleman friend named George.  George had owned a restaurant out in Edmonton Alberta with his ex wife.  George used to make a Greek Casserole using macaroni also, but he included a layer of spinach in his and there was no tomato sauce.  It was very good, and my children loved it.  The Greeks know how to cook!