Cranberry Cream Scones {9 WW+ Breakfast}

I know I've said this before but whenever I need something quick and tasty for either breakfast or dessert I almost always go to scones. How can you not? They're super filling, very versatile and quick to throw together. You can put just about anything in a scone. Have some raisins? Throw them in! Down to a handful blueberries? Why not use those. And while your at it get some fun ingredients together for toppings. Cinnamon sugar, cream, powdered sugar icing, chocolate, strawberry jam... lots of options!

I also love that I can form the scone into any shape I want. I can make them into biscuits. I can cut them into small triangles or big triangles. I could even use cookie cutters to cut out shapes. This will be perfect for an upcoming party I'm starting to plan for a special someone's first birthday. And the best part about this recipe is that they not only taste super good on the day they're made but they taste great the day after as well. The perfect companion to a cup of coffee or tea.

Inspiration: Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Baking

Cranberry Cream Scones

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 6 tablespoons regular butter 
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup 1% milk
• 1/4 cup Vanilla Fat Free Creamer
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

 Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt and pulse 2-3 times to mix. Add the butter and pulse 7-8 times just until the mixture forms large, coarse crumbs the size of peas. Scatter the cranberries into the dough and pulse until just moist.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured countertop or work space and press it together gently until the dough forms a ball. Pat in a round about 1/2 an inch thick and 6-7 inches wide. Cut the round into 6 wedges*, or use a 3-inch biscuit cutter to cut out rounds. Place the wedges 1 inch apart on the prepared pan.

To make the sugar topping, stir together the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Mix the milk and creamer in another small bowl or measuring cup. Brush the wedges with the milk mixture and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar.

Bake until golden brown, 13-17 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly and serve warm.

Serves 6 | 9 WW+ Points

* You can cut the wedges into thirds to create smaller scones that are more WW point friendly (3 points each) for a quick snack or treat.

Italian Meatloaf Parmesan {7 WW+ Dinner}

I had exhausted all of my ground turkey and ground beef recipes and needed something that was different but would satisfy me and the husband. So I went to a blog that I knew wouldn't disappoint. Joelen always has the best spins on recipes. I knew if I tried something from her that I could please everyone in the family. And I was right!

This dish was great! Perfect and flavorful. I may just use this for our new meatball recipe. Plus I can double it up and freeze left over meatballs for future meals! I love being able to do that. Makes dinnertime that much easier with options in the freezer. If you have some ground turkey or ground beef in the fridge or freezer ready to use then try this one out!
 
Inspired by What's Cookin', Chicago? 
Originally from Michael Chiarello

 

Italian Meatloaf Parmigiana

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 red pepper, seeded, diced
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 teaspoons (about 3 cloves) chopped garlic
• 1 pound 93% lean ground turkey
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 1 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoons dried basil
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cups marinara sauce (jarred or homemade); divided
• 1/2 cup part skim shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup fat free shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat and add the peppers, onions and garlic. Saute until just soft, remove to a plate and cool.

When the peppers and onions are cool, combine all of the remaining ingredients together except for the marinara and shredded cheese.

Form 6 large patties* from the meat mixture and place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Top with 1 cup of the marinara making sure to spread evenly over the top. Bake for approximately 25 to 30 minutes to ensure it's cooked through.

Remove from the oven and top with shredded cheese; return to oven for 5 minutes to allow cheese to melt. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes.

Toss your favorite pasta with the reserved sauce. Serve meatloaf on top of the pasta.

Serves 6 | 7 WW+ Points (not including pasta)

* You can also form 12-18 meatballs instead of patties if you want a smaller portion of meat. I formed 2 patties and made the rest of the meat mixture into meatballs to use later. Worked out perfectly for lunches the next day.

Peach Upside Down Cake {6 WW+ Dessert}

I recently held a playdate over at my house for my playgroup and one of the mamas came over with a large carton of peaches in tow to share with everyone. When she left she graciously left the remaining peaches. Now there are a lot of foods I'll eat without a problem but I've never taken well to peaches, nectarines and apricots. Something about them has never been very appealing. So I was very surprised when my son started asking to eat the peaches and could consume a whole, large one on his own for breakfast. But even though he showed an interest in them he couldn't eat the peaches fast enough to go through the whole bunch.

I had to start thinking of a way to use up the excess peaches. And so I went off to Google in search of a good recipe to use for our upcoming 4th of July dinner at my brother-in-law's house. As soon as I landed on this recipe by one of my favorite cooks, Alton Brown, I knew he wouldn't disappoint me. But since I was feeding a larger group and also didn't have the time to prep and bake this dessert at my brother-in-law's house I tweaked the recipe a bit to allow for making larger cakes.

This came out perfectly! And the addition of vanilla bean ice cream took this dessert over the edge. And remember I'm the one who isn't so crazy about peaches! I even ate a piece for breakfast the next day! I'll definitely be trying this with apples the next time I attempt it.


Source: Alton Brown

Peach Upside-Down Cake

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 3 medium peaches, peeled
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Ice cream for serving, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Divide 4 tablespoons of the butter between 2 8 inch pans. Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter and set aside. Evenly divide the brown sugar between the pans; sprinkling it on the bottoms. Cut each peach into 12 to 14 pieces. Lay the peaches on top of the sugar; evenly dividing them between the dishes and sprinkle with the cinnamon. Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl whisk together the sugar, buttermilk, vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of melted butter. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir just until combine. Pour the batter over the peaches; dividing the mixture evenly between the two pans. Place on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the cake reaches an internal temperature of 190 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer and is slightly golden brown on top.

Remove from the oven to a rack and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of each pan and turn upside down onto a serving plate. Repeat with each cake. Serve immediately with ice cream if desired.

Serves 12 | 6 WW+ Points