Toasted Oat and Cinnamon Scones

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...These homely scones will have those who love the oatmeal variety begging for more. These certainly are the best I've ever had. I found the recipe on the Cookie Madness blog where the original recipe was attributed to Cook's Illustrated. Despite their pedigree, the scones are simple to make and they are especially good keepers, staying moist for several days. They are rich, sweet and buttery, and, it goes without saying, they are a perfect accompaniment to an English afternoon tea. I used cinnamon chips at the request of the Silver Fox, but I must admit I like them just as well when made with raisins. If you do not have a food processor, a pastry cutter can be used to work the butter into the flour. It will take a little longer, but it will do the job. I do hope you'll give this simple recipe a try. I know you will love the scones. Here is how they are made.

Oatmeal Waffles with Warm Cinnamon Syrup

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This past weekend we attended an open house at a hellebore nursery here in Eugene. Things did not go as we planned. Although we were at the nursery by 11 am, all the hellebores had been sold. To make matters worse, the restaurant at which we planned to have lunch was packed, and the earliest table they could promise involved an hour wait. The Silver Fox, who waits for no man, much less a restaurant table, decided, without asking me, that a Bergfeld Brunch should be the order of the day. I made sage sausage on Friday, so the protein portion of the brunch was covered, but because there were six of us the rest of the meal was problematic. Fortunately, I remembered this recipe from Better Homes and Gardens. It's been a go-to recipe in my kitchen that I use whenever I have a large group to feed. The recipe is so simple that I knew I had all the ingredients needed to make the waffles without making a mad dash to the grocery store. The only fruit I had was apples, but I thought I could make a crispless apple crisp that would be a perfect foil to the sage sausage and hearty pancakes. Fortunately, the meal came together quickly and we all enjoyed the unplanned brunch. One of these days, I may even start speaking to the Silver Fox again. These waffles are terrific and the warm cinnamon syrup takes them over the top. I know you'll enjoy the ease with which they come together and the compliments you'll receive when you serve them will make you a true devotee. Here is how they are made.

Apricot Oatmeal Bars

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Here is another bar cookie to add to your cookie collection. While I usually include this on my Christmas cookie tray, it is a great cookie to make and serve at any time of year. This is not an overly sweet confection and it will appeal to those of you who enjoy less sweet, more European-style, cookies. The apricot filling has a jewel-like quality and makes the cookie attractive to look at. Because I am fond of apricots, this cookie makes it to my personal favorites list for its taste, as well as its appearance. The cookies are simple to make and will stay fresh for several days after baking if they are stored in air-tight contains or well-wrap in foil or plastic wrap. This is another of my favorite bar cookies. While I've had good luck using dried cherries and cherry jam for the filling, I am partial to apricot and recommend the apricot version to you. Here is how the bars are made.

Midweek Musings - The Cardamom Kitchen

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I have had in my lifetime, the good fortune to include in the circle of my cherished familiars, two women whose powers of observation gave them the uncanny ability to see what others could not. One was a constant figure in my childhood and I spent many hours sitting at her table, absorbing by osmosis the lessons she chose to share. Her roots were Swedish and, as the mother of five, four of whom were boys who ranged in age from 10 to 41, I was taken under her wing because she missed having a girl to teach. She was a tall, raw-boned woman with a keen and empathetic eye. Her appearance was imposing and her demeanor, while often stern, hid a shyness that she spent a lifetime trying to conceal. She fascinated me because her 10 year old boy was uncle to her daughter's 12 year old son and things like that really messed with my 6 year old mind. My uncles all had beards and here was a family where an older child called one younger, uncle. I inched my way into her affection with questions about that relationship, and I was slowly welcomed into the belly of her kitchen where I began to learn the glories of the Swedish table and the hospitality it offered. My keenest memories of her home and kitchen are triggered by certain smells. While the house smelled of starch and Murphy's flax soap, the kitchen was awash with the fragrance of cardamom, which back in the day, at least on the south side of Chicago, was considered to be an exotic spice. I learned how to make bread and pastries in that kitchen, and when I was troubled or overly thoughtful, which she could determine with a glance, I was plunked in a chair and given a cup of tea that was sweetened with cardamom sugar and we would have a "talk". We talked over bread and meatballs and the embroidery she tried to teach me, and while my house would never be as clean as hers, my pastry is a near match, as is the love of cardamom I carry to this day. I've chosen a simple cardamom cookie to share with you tonight. It's meant for the cookie jar rather than the tea table, but it shows what this spice can do to something as homely as an oatmeal cookie. These are large chewy cookies that have crisp edges and I really think you'll like them. The recipe, which I found in Food and Wine magazine, is truly simple and the cookies, which are deliciously sweet, come together easily. Here is how they are made.