Utah Scones

Scones in Utah are different from scones I’ve had anywhere else. They’re similar to Indian frybread, made with a sweet yeast dough and buttermilk. They are absolutely delicious. These can be used as a dessert/breakfast food with honey, butter, jam, etc. Or you can use them for Navajo Tacos. One of my daughters likes to just eat them plain. They’re very versatile. Be warned, this recipe makes a massive amount of medium sized scones, so make sure you have enough people to eat them! There are ten people in our household and it takes us 3 to 5 days to eat them all.

1 envelope active dry yeast
1/4 cup lukewarm water
1 quart buttermilk
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
8-9 cups flour
oil for frying

Sprinkle yeast over warm water. Warm buttermilk (careful not to overheat, as it can seperate. Warning, it stinks while heating). Add sugar, eggs, butter, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Stir in yeast mixture. Beat in 4 cups flour. Continue to beat until smooth and well mixed. Stir in enough flour to make soft dough. Knead until smooth and elastic. Cover, put in warm place (I prefer my oven) and allow to rise until double in bulk. Punch down. The dough will keep for three days in fridge, just be sure to punch it down daily.

Heat 1-2 inches of oil in a deep pan to 375°F. Pinch out some dough and roll in hands into a ball about 1 to 1 1/2 inches diameter. Then pull flat until dough is almost see through. Place in oil and fry until scone puffs up and is lightly browned. Turn and brown opposite side. How many you can fit at once depends on your pan and how big you're making the scones. Drain on paper towels. Serve warm.

Pumpkin Pie

This year I went simple on my pumpkin pie recipe because my fave recipe for the pie and crust is somewhere in storage and I couldn’t find it. So I used the Libby’s recipe on the back of their canned pumpkin – it’s good and reliable. I also used a store bought graham cracker crust shell. I normally make my crusts from scratch – but this was bought by someone else for me to make, so I just went with the flow.

3/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 eggs
1 15 ounce can pumpkin (make sure it's pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie!)
1 12 fluid ounce can Evaporated Milk

Preheat oven to 425°F. Combine sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs lightly in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk. Pour into pie shell - remember to have the pie shell on a cookie sheet (otherwise you will have a huge mess and possibly a bad burn when you try to take it out of the oven!). Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350°F and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for about 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate (FYI - they don't do well in the freezer).

Homemade Whipped Cream

I never liked whipped cream as a kid, as all I ever had was store bought stuff like cool whip. But a few years ago, I got to try my first batch of homemade whipped cream. And man am I hooked. Considering how little effort it takes to make it, it surprises me that anyone buys the store stuff.

1 cup of heavy cream
1 tablespoon sugar

Beat with electric mixer until stiff peaks form (normally less than 5 minutes). Will yield about two cups. Yup, that's it! When I can, I start with a cold bowl and beaters, but it's not necessary. Also, some people add vanilla extract (about a teaspoon) or use powdered sugar. It's pretty easy to modify to your families personal tastes.