{family} Menu Monday

Hope everyone had a lovely Mother's Day. I went to bed counting my blessings last night. With one baby toddling around and another one on the way, I can't help but realize what a gift it is to be a mother.

Since baby could make his/her appearance any day now (though I'm hoping Wednesday is the day so that I can have a birthday buddy :), we'll see how much of this menu actually ends up being carried out!

-----

Our Menu: May 13 - 19th

{monday} Lima Bean Bake with Cornbread
{tuesday} Peppers Stuffed with Sausage & Potatoes
{wednesday} My Birthday :)
{thursday} Spaghetti Carbonara
{friday} Minestrone with Italian Bread
{saturday} Burgers, Baked Beans & Garden Salad
{sunday} English Muffin Pizza & Sauteed Zucchini

-----

Have a lovely week!

{reference} Friday Recipe Journal

Well, I must be nesting because I've been baking, cooking, and cleaning my little heart out! Since I spent the weeks before my son was born packing up our apartment, moving into & painting our new house, and babysitting my niece and nephew, it's kind of nice to be able to use this newfound burst of energy to actually prepare for baby's arrival this time around!

My house is dusted, the laundry pile is getting smaller, half my son's dresser is now filled with adorable newborn sleepers, and there are even a couple of dinners waiting in the freezer. Baby is welcome to come whenever he/she is ready. :)

Here's what I've been cooking up this week:

-----

• Southern Belle Chicken Salad: Scrumptious! I served it on leftover cinnamon raisin bagels topped with lettuce and sliced apples. Fruity, refreshing, and delicious: perfect for our picnic in the park.
• Better Homes & Garden Cookbook's Classic Potato Salad: Made this to serve with the Chicken Salad Sandwiches for our picnic in the park and my husband didn't stop ranting about it! SO easy. 
• Cocoa White Chocolate Chip Cookies: Made these for my husband's office as per his request. Apparently they were gone by eleven in the morning & have now been named "the brownie cookies." Such an easy recipe to whip up that I really can't take much credit!
• Apple Cinnamon Breakfast Quinoa: Not a huge fan. A little too nutty for me as a breakfast food. I'll just continue to eat my oatmeal for breakfast and save my quinoa for dinner, though, I should add that my son said, "Mmmm!" after his first taste and then proceeded to scarf down his entire serving.
• Greena Colada: Saw this recipe on a blog that I recently found. It really did taste just like a pina colada! I substituted 6 oz. greek yogurt for the 1 c. of milk. Probably because I don't have a Vitamix, it didn't turn out as smooth as I would have liked so little chunks of coconut got stuck in my straw. Otherwise, great recipe. 
• Cranberry & Dark Chocolate Chip Scones: Excited to wrap these up and give them out on Sunday. :)
• Creamy Polenta with Fried Eggs & Sauteed Vegetables: Delicious and easy dinner I came up with last night. Will post the full recipe soon. 

-----

Have a great weekend!

{recipes} Cranberry & Dark Chocolate Chip Scones

Each year for Mother's Day I make a different variation of my favorite standard scone recipe for all of the mothers in my life: Mom, Mother In Law, Grandmothers, Aunts, Godmothers, etc. It's just a little thing I enjoy doing to show them my love and appreciation. Who doesn't love a scone with their morning coffee or afternoon tea?

This recipe is relatively quick and easy to make and they always turn out delicious, no matter what flavor combination I decide to use. Last year I made Coconut & Milk Chocolate Chip Scones & they were a hit! (The dads were a little jealous until I reminded them that they each receive their own batch of their favorite cookies for Father's Day each year! ;)

Last Fall I had stocked up on fresh cranberries when they were super cheap so I combined them with Dark Chocolate Chips (because what's a scone without chocolate, in my opinion ;) for a somewhat sweet, somewhat tart flavor. My son and I tested one, fresh out of the oven and it was yummy!

I make these scones ahead of time, let them cool, throw them in a ziploc bag and freeze them. Then on Mother's Day morning I defrost them completely before wrapping them in waxed paper and tying a simple ribbon around them with a handmade gift tag & note attached.

Another cute idea, if you decide to make these as gifts, is to place the wrapped scone in a small gift bag with a pretty little jar of lemon curd or jam to go along with it.

These scones would also be a great contribution if you are hosting or attending a Mother's Day Brunch.  Just wrap them up in a pretty napkin and place them in a basket along with a container of butter and a small jar of jam or lemon curd.

This recipe makes 1 1/2 to 2 dozen scones.

-----

{Cranberry & Dark Chocolate Chip Scones}

3 1/2 c. flour

1/2 c. sugar

1 t. baking soda

2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

2 eggs, lightly beaten

16 oz. sour cream

1 1/2 c. fresh cranberries, rinsed

1/2 c. dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift first five ingredients into a large bowl. Add eggs and sour cream. Mix with a wooden spoon until combined. Stir in cranberries and chocolate chips. Spoon batter onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake 22 minutes, rotating cookie sheets halfway through, or until tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. 

{enjoy!}