Greek Gods Got it Right

Back in college I spent a summer at Oxford and fell in love with European yogurt. I'd eaten yogurt daily growing up, the standard lowfat Dannon kind (nothing wrong with that), I'd just never tasted anything so rich & creamy before that summer abroad. So, I came home on a hunt for yogurt - "real yogurt". I never really found anything as yummy as euro-yogurt, but I've recently discovered Greek yogurt and it's amazing. I think a cup of this goodness is one of the most delicious & satisfying breakfasts around, and I don't normally even eat breakfast - I'm a one cup of coffee kind of girl. If you enjoy easy, simple, rich & creamy deliciousness, don't miss the chance to toss some seasonal fruit & honey into Greek yogurt.

Pictured here is a little bowl of ridiculously rich & creamy heaven: Greek yogurt, strawberries, blueberries & Ben Wheeler peaches with North Texas honey. I like Fage or The Greek Gods with honey varieties, and I add in an additional drizzle of my own local honey for good measure (which may help with allergies!)

Don't have a heart attack when you check out the nutritional info - this yogurt is rich & creamy for a reason, it's loaded in fat :) but research shows full fats (healthy fats) help you lose weight, increase muscle tone and replenish bodies with protein after working out, plus they offer vitamin D, calcium and acidophilus, so how can you go wrong? A quick search on google also suggests that full-fat dairy may help with fertility. interesting! Always knew I liked the real full-fat versions (in moderation of course) of pretty much all foods :)

Lemon Blueberry Scones

This is my favorite scone recipe! Crumbly & buttery, you can very the add-ins (chocolate chips, dried cranberries & orange zest, etc) and I enjoy this version with lavender honey compound butter, softened butter with the addition of honey & fresh lavender flowers or leaves. Everything's better with butter :) Here's the recipe as seen in Baking Illustrated.

The most traditional sweet biscuit–like texture is obtained by using both butter and heavy cream. If you prefer a cake-like texture or want the scones to stay fresher longer, try the Cakey Scones variation (below). The easiest and most reliable approach to mixing the butter into the dry ingredients is to use a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Resist the urge to eat the scones hot out of the oven. Letting them cool for at least 10 minutes firms them up and improves their texture.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour, preferably a lower-protein brand, such as Gold Medal or Pillsbury
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 5 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
• 1/2 cup currants
• 1 cup heavy cream
  

Preparation:

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 425°F (220°C).

2. Place the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl or the workbowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Whisk together or process with six 1-second pulses.

3. If making by hand, use two knives, a pastry blender, or your fingertips and quickly cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal with a few slightly larger butter lumps. If using a food processor, remove the cover and distribute the butter evenly over the dry ingredients. Cover and process with twelve 1-second pulses. Add the currants and quickly mix in or pulse one more time. Transfer the dough to a large bowl.

4. Stir in the heavy cream with a rubber spatula or fork until the dough begins to form, about 30 seconds.

5. Transfer the dough and all dry flour bits to a countertop and knead the dough by hand just until it comes together into a rough, slightly sticky ball, 5 to 10 seconds. Press the dough into an 8-inch cake pan, then turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work-surface. With a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut the dough into 8 wedges. Place the wedges on an ungreased baking sheet. (The baking sheet can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 hours before baking.)

6. Bake until the scone tops are light brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Yield: Makes 8

Parsley Dipping Sauce & Marinade

I sort of cringe when people take a recipe and alter it like I did here and then recommend it... oh well, it turned out pretty tasty and I would recommend it :) I have tons of parsley these days and saw a yummy parsley marinade & dipping sauce for beef & pineapple pops. Fresh & easy, I used the marinade on chicken and will definitely try it as it was intended with beef & pineapple soon. Check out Giada's video demo.

loads of parsley... hmm, what to do with all this.

here's the marinade working its magic

after our first bite, yum, yes I think I'll post this :)