Save this simple recipe for Mother's Day or your next Spring brunch event (I may be hoping my family reads this blog...hint hint). The dough for this recipe is loosely based on my Irish Bread recipe. I have information in that post about how you can make scones from the bread recipe and those are quite good; however, my ideal scone has a more buttery texture and a bit more sugar.  The Irish Bread only has 1 TBS sugar in the entire loaf so we're going to kick up the sweetness a notch here.  The process for kneading these scones is the same as the Irish Bread, but the dough can be a little softer and stickier to work with.  It's very forgiving though.  You can add in more flour to your kneading process if it's too soft and I promise that it works out in the end.

The other key reason this recipe is simple is thanks to Bonne Maman lemon curd. 
This delicious lemon curd saves you a bunch of steps and it packs just the right amount of lemon flavor. In fact, it's so delicious that I was noticing it disappearing from my fridge and it turns out that our 7 year old was making herself sandwiches with it and absolutely loved it.  I'll let her develop that recipe for you.  In the mean time, let's get to baking some scones. 

Ingredients
For the Scones:
-3 cups all purpose flour plus more for kneading
-2 tsp baking powder
-1 tsp salt
-1/2 cup sugar
-1/2 cup butter at room temperature
-approximately 2 cups whole milk (you may use a little bit more or less here)
-1 TBS vanilla extract
-1 egg lightly beated for egg wash
-Bonne Maman Lemon Curd

For the Glaze:
-2/3 cup powdered sugar
-approx. 2 TBS milk
-1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions
​In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.  Add in the butter and use a fork, pastry cutter, the side of a spoon or your hands to mix the butter into the dry ingredients.  The flour will start to form little pea sized clumps.  Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add 1/2 the milk and the vanilla extract.  Stir together.  Slowly add in the second 1/2 of the milk.  You have enough milk once the dough is all sticky.  Sometimes this takes the full second cup.  Sometimes you will use slightly less.  Either way, you can use more or less flour in the kneading process to balance everything out.

Generously flour a cutting board or your counter top and hands.  Dump the entire batch of dough out onto the floured surface.  Knead the dough by hand by using one hand to take dough from underneath and bring it on top while using the other hand to turn the dough. This may be very messy in the beginning but it's all good. I swear.  Add more flour when needed to prevent the dough from being too sticky.  Continue this process until the dough is in a round shape with a smooth surface on the bottom.  Gently flip it over and add a dusting of flour to the top to smooth it out.  Cut the scones by first cutting the dough into quarters and then cutting those quarters in half.

Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or non-stick cooking spray.  Place the scones on the tray distanced 2-3 inches apart. Use the back of a tablespoon or your thumb to press an indent into each scone.  This is where you are going to fill it with lemon curd.  Now, for the key step of the process.  Place the unbaked tray of scones in the freezer for 30 minutes.  You want the butter to be super cold when it goes into the oven to get that flaky, buttery scone. Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees.

Remove the scones from the freezer. Use your thumb or the back of a tablespoon to firm up the shape of the well in the scone.  Fill it with the Bonne Maman lemon curd.  Lightly beat one egg and brush some beaten egg onto the dough of the scones.  Bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees.

Remove from the oven.  While cooling, mix together your glaze by adding all 3 ingredients to a bowl and use a fork or whisk to combine.  Once the scones are cool enough to touch, drizzle the glaze over the scones.  Enjoy!

This is one of my family's favorite and easiest bulk meal prep meals.  I cook once and have at least 2 family dinners out of it, sometimes 3 or 4.  I made sure to have a couple of batches of this in the freezer for when baby arrived too.  It's also an incredibly easy recipe to modify.  You can use whole wheat pasta, gluten free pasta and swap in ground beef for the turkey.  You could also use nutritional yeast as a substitute for the cheese if you want to make it dairy free.

I like to use a cast iron skillet when I stir fry the meat and veggies together because then I can just slide that same skillet into the oven for the batch that I'm going to use for dinner that same night once I add in the pasta and cheese.  Less dishes are always a win!

Here's what you'll need for this simple family crowd pleaser!

Ingredients
-2 x 1 lb boxes of pasta
-1 package of frozen, chopped spinach or 2-3 cups fresh spinach
-1-1 1/2 lb of lean ground turkey
-2 x 28 oz cans tomato sauce plus 1-2 cups additional sauce for topping when baking - each dish
-2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese plus additional for topping when baking each dish
-2 tsp garlic powder
-2 tsp oregano

Directions
Prepare the pasta according to the package directions While the pasta is cooking, spray a skillet with non-stick cooking spray, heat on medium heat and add the ground turkey to the heated skillet. Pan fry the turkey until fully cooked and there is no pink meat throughout. Drain the turkey of any excess water. Prepare the frozen spinach in the microwave or on the stove top based on the directions on the package. Once the spinach is cooked, drain of any excess water and use a fork to separate all of the spinach and ensure it is not frozen anywhere in the middle. If using fresh spinach, add it to the turkey and stir fry until cooked and significantly reduced in volume.

Once the pasta is cooked, strain to remove the water and return the pasta to the large pot. Add in the turkey, spinach, 2 large cans of tomato sauce, the garlic powder and oregano. Stir until well combined. Add in 2 cups of shredded cheese and stir again. Prepare 2 casserole dishes by spraying with non-stick cooking spray and pour half of the pasta into each prepared dish. For the dish you are cooking now, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees, spread an additional 1-2 cups of sauce on top and sprinkle some extra cheese on top. Cover & bake for 30-40 minutes until cheese is melted and dish heated throughout.

For the dish you are placing in the freezer, allow to cool, cover, label and store in the freezer. When ready to use the freezer dish, transfer to the fridge approx. 2 days ahead of time. Top with additional sauce and cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for approx. 45 minutes until heated all the way through.

Enjoy a night off of cooking!

Hello friends! Over on my Instagram page, I've started a series of videos of "One for Now, One for Later" recipes.  Why? Well, I've found that cooking once and eating at least twice is key to my meal planning sanity.  It also helps the grocery budget, time with my family, energy spent decision making and helps me eat healthier, homemade food more often. My goal with these videos is not to provide you with the most gourmet, homemade, executive chef award winning meals.  I'm a part time working mom of 4.  Two of those kids are 2 and under. I want to help you get a great tasting family dinner on the table without losing your sh%$ during the witching hour. That, my friends, is the real, raw and honest answer as to why I'm making these recipe videos.  

What will you get in these videos? Simple, homemade, nourishing, tasty and easily customizable family recipes.  I intentionally use simple ingredients, including a lot of pantry spices, because I want you to be able to throw in your customizations without breaking a sweat. So, here we go.  First up: One Pot Corn & Black Bean Chili.

Ingredients
-approximately 2 lbs of ground beef or ground turkey
-1 small onion
-1 x 28oz cans crushed or diced tomatoes
-1 x 15 oz can corn kernels
-1 x 15 oz can black beans
-1 tsp garlic powder
-1 tsp cumin
-2 tsp chili powder
-2 tsp dried cilantro leaves
-salt/pepper to taste
-2 to 3 TBS olive oil

Optional toppings/sides: avocado, tomato, shredded cheese, tortilla chips, corn bread, sour cream

Directions
Chop your onion and heat a large saucepan on medium heat. Add 2-3 TBS olive oil.  Then add your chopped onion and stir fry for 2-3 minutes until softened.  Add the meat and stir fry until completely browned.  While the meat is cooking, drain and rinse your can of corn and beans.  Once the meat is browned, pour in the large can of tomatoes and stir.  Then add the corn and beans.  Stir.  Add in your spices (note: you can customize here however you like!) and stir again. Keep on medium heat until the entire recipe is slightly bubbling.  Then reduce heat to low/medium, cover and let simmer for approximately one hour and occasionally stir.  Serve half for one meal.  Allow the other half to cool and then place in a fridge/freezer safe container and store according to your preference (Note: store in the freezer if not going to be consumed within the next 2 to 3 days).

I hope you enjoy this meal and I would love to hear from you if you give it a try!