Zucchini and Sun Dried Tomato Scones

This past summer was the first summer I was able to grow an abundance of zucchini. As you know, when zucchini finally starts producing, you are picking zucchini everyday. So, I went on  a mission to try as many zucchini recipes that caught my fancy to use up my zucchini. I came across this delicious recipe for Zucchini and Sun Dried Tomato Scones on a blog I follow called One Hundred Dollars a Month. (you should check her blog out sometime).

Anywho….I fell in love with it. Made it at work and had fellow teachers try it (Jill and Jamie) and they loved it too. I did tweak it a bit by adding some fresh home grown basil and add some crunchy seeds on top. You pick, if you want to add them. The basil in my opinion is a must, it was so good in them.

So below is the a picture of the ingredients I used.

I tried three different kinds of sun dried tomatoes and this brand was my favorite, even over the jars  with oil and sun dried tomatoes. AND…it has basil in them too.

So you need some baking soda and powder, salt, egg (I used two super small eggs from my backyard chickens), cheese, flour, butter, basil, and don’t forget the major players…the zucchini and sun dried tomatoes.

Here is what you do first:

I used my stand mixer but you can do mix by hand if you prefer. Put the flour in a bowl.

Add the baking powder.

Add the salt.

Add the baking soda.

and add the sugar and stir to combine the dry ingredients.

Grate your cold butter and toss it into the flour mixture and toss it together to coat the butter.

Next…in a bowl put in your eggs and sour cream. (yes it looks like two eggs cause it is…I was using super small eggs from the backyard chickens)

Whisk the egg and cream cheese together.

 

Now, cut up your sun dried tomatoes and basil. I used a super sharp knife for this. Some kitchen shears might work great too…but they were missing from my kitchen..MMMM granddaughter possibly?

Grate your cheese.

Grate your zucchini and then put it in a paper towel and squeeze all the moister out.

Now, toss in the well drained zucchini.

toss in the tomatoes and basil.

Next add the cheese.

I used my stand mixer to gently combine all the ingredients.

Now slowly add in the egg mixture and gently mix till it forms a soft dough.

Your dough should look like this.

On a gently floured surface form your dough into a circle.

With your hands or a rolling pin, form the dough into a circle.

Cut the dough in wedges like a pie.

      

I used these seeds on top. (sunflower and roasted pumpkin seeds)

I brushed a little melted butter on top and then topped them off with seeds. This is optional. : ) Put the scones on a parchment covered cookie sheet and bake.

Here they are, all warm out of the oven.

Are you ready for the recipe yet?

haha

Here you are.

Zucchini and Sun Dried Tomato Scones

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups of flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup or 1 stick butter (grated will cold)

1 egg

1/2 cup sour cream

3/4 cup sun dried tomatoes (chopped)

2/3 cup grated zucchini (well drained) I also peel my zucchini

1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or  1 to 2 teaspoon dried basil (or add more) and it is optional ; )

Directions:

In a stand mixer or by hand, combine the flour, baking soda and powder and the salt. Add in the grated butter and toss around to coat the butter in the flour.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg and sour cream.

Grate the zucchini and the cheese.

Chop up the sun dried tomato and basil.

Add the zucchini, cheese, sun dried tomato and basil into the flour mixture.

Gently combine.

Slowly pour in the egg mixture into the flour mixture and using gentle combine to make a soft  dough.

Form into a ball and roll out into an 8 inch circle. Dough should be about 1 inch thick.

Cut into 8 triangles pieces. (look at the above pictures for guidance).

If you want to put seeds on top, brush each pieces with melted butter and add seeds.

Place the pieces on a parchment lined baking sheet and  bake in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes.

The scones should look golden brown when finished.

I served mine with my homemade butternut squash soup.

Enjoy!

Becky

 

Tomato Basil Bisque

Are  you dreaming of fresh tomatoes from your garden? Or maybe, you are just ready to feast on some simple, uncomplicated meals, after all the great holiday food assortment from the last two weeks.

For me, it is a little of both. I walk by my raised garden beds everyday when I check on the backyard chicks. My garlic and onions are planted, mulched for winter, to make their reappearance this coming spring. But, the other beds are just hibernating, waiting till spring, when they will be full of veggies and (my favorite) tomatoes.

I have also eaten my fair share of…mmm…how do I say this politely….superfantastichighcaloriescrumptiousanddelicious creations that just so happened to cross my path. And, yet, I am not giving up till I finish that bag of Doritos. LOL

Regardless, I am just ready to eat simple for a bit. Most of you already know that I love soup. I have more soup recipes on this blog that I do anything else. (at least I think so)

This Tomato Basil Bisque, is one of my favorites. I peel and freeze tomatoes, that I grow in the summer, just to make this soup in the winter. But…don’t worry…you don’t have to grow your own tomatoes to make this cause canned tomatoes and tomato juice works just fine!

You will need some sort of blender to blend up all the veggies to make this smooth and creamy soup. I have used an immerseable blender to make this, or you can use a food processor.

Just be sure and try it once. If you love tomato soup, just think of rich and creamy (from a tad of whipping cream) soup with the perfect amount of basil seasoning. Yes, it goes perfect with some grilled cheese sandwiches.

Anywho, enough of me chatting away….let’s get to the recipe.

This is what you need:

You will need some fresh carrots, celery, garlic and onion, along with dice tomatoes, chicken broth, whipping cream, tomato paste, butter, sugar, pepper and oregano and basil.

Dice up your carrots. I peeled mine first.

Dice your celery.

And dice your onions and garlic (the garlic is not pictured)

In a large stock pan, add in your butter and celery, onions, carrots and garlic.

Sauté, stirring until they soften.

Add in tomato juice.

Then some chicken broth.

Diced tomatoes

tomato paste

oregano

basil…I used dried.

cracked pepper

Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes.

Be careful…..blend the hot soup until smooth and creamy.

It will change color as you blend it smooth.

Pour the tomato mixture back into the stock pot

Add in the whipping cream

add in the sugar

and stir and cook on medium heat until heated through. Now, is the time to make the grilled cheese sandwiches.

Here is a close up, time to get your spoon ready. : )

Tomato Basil Bisque

Creamy and delicious, perfect with your favorite grilled cheese sandwich.
Course Soup
Cuisine American
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 8

Ingredients

  • 1 cup celery chopped
  • 3/4 cup carrots chopped
  • 1/4 cup onion chopped
  • 1 tablespoon garlic minced
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 3 cups tomato juice
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 7.5 ounce can diced tomatoes or 3/4 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 cup whipping cream or you can save calories and use fat free half and half
  • 4 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/2 cup snipped fresh basil for garnish optional

Instructions

  • Chop the celery, carrot and onions. Mince the garlic.
    In a large saucepan, cook celery, carrots, onions and garlic in butter until tender. Add in tomato juice, chicken broth, undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, oregano and pepper.
    Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered for about 30 minutes or until slightly thickened.
    Place half of soup on in a blender or a food processor and blend or process until smooth. Repeat with the other half.
    Return tomato mixture to the saucepan. Stir in whipping cream and sugar. Heat through.
    Can garnish with fresh basil leaves or some pesto.

Notes

asmalltownkitchen.com

Here is the recipe:

Adapted from a fundraiser cookbook

Tomato Basil Bisque

1 cup chopped celery

3/4 cup chopped carrots

1/4 chopped yellow onion

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon butter

3 cups tomato juice

1 cup chicken broth

1 small can (7 1/2 ounce) can of diced tomatoes or use 3/4 cup chopped fresh tomato

1/2 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

1 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp pepper

1 cup whipping cream

4 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup snipped fresh basil for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Chop the celery, carrot and onions. Mince the garlic.

In a large saucepan, cook celery, carrots, onions and garlic in butter until tender. Add in tomato juice, chicken broth, undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, oregano and pepper.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered for about 30 minutes or until slightly thickened.

Place half of soup on in a blender or a food processor and blend or process until smooth. Repeat with the other half.

Return tomato mixture to the saucepan. Stir in whipping cream and sugar. Heat through.

Can garnish with fresh basil leaves or some pesto.

Makes 8 servings.

My Little Garden Update

Here is a picture of My Little Backyard Garden.

I took this picture a couple of weeks ago. Now, imagine it with 8 inches of snow over it with another 1/4 in of ice underneath.

The raised garden beds are littered with pine needles that I will need to remove. The orange pots are full of those artichoke plants I had such high hopes for. The artichokes were suppose to be ones that you could harvest artichokes in one season. I think they sent me the wrong seeds.  Boo…hoo….I babied those artichokes for 10 months.

Here are a few of the planters I used on the patio. I planted egg plant and  sweet peppers on the patio. The good news is that they did great!

The Little Garden is just waiting for warmer weather.

You are probably wondering why I am showing you pictures of a dormant garden.

Well, it is just a reminder that is just about time to start planting your seedlings indoors.

I will be starting my onions, peas and a few other seeds in the next few weeks.

I plan on having a early spring garden and install a floating row covers over the raised garden beds to protect the new plants from the potential cold weather.

Company and I are planning on having a large garden at his country home. We planted several fruit trees to add on to what he already had, back in the fall.

With the help of the grand girls, we planted 2 more apple trees, a peach tree and four cherry trees.

Company had this great hole digger on his tractor. It makes planting trees pretty easy.

We planted another peach tree next to the one he had, to see if it would help produce bigger peaches.

We also planted 2 different varieties of apple trees and planted those near the 4 he already has.

Lastly, we planted 4 cherry trees in his front yard. We thought they would be pretty there next to the old civil war cemetery.

Did I ever mention he has a civil war cemetery on the edge of his front yard?

How fun (creepy) is that? : )

Hope they like cherry trees.

Just wanted to give you an update on my latest garden report.

What  are you planning on planting this spring/summer/fall?

Becky

Other post  you might enjoy.

                    

My First Harvest                                   The Seed Fairy                 Grand girl picking veggies with Mickey

 

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...