RASPBERRY AND WHITE CHOCOLATE WHOLE WHEAT SCONES
Makes 12 servings

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, in pieces
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup skim milk
4 ounces of white chocolate, chopped
1 cup raspberries ( fresh or thawed if frozen)

Preheat oven to 400F.

In a food processor, add the flours, oats, baking powder,sugar and salt and pulse a few times. Add the butter, pulse a few times. Add egg, pulse a few times more and then add the milk, pulse until a dough has just formed.

Fold in the chocolate and berries.
If you don't have a food processor mix dry ingredients in bowl. Cut butter pieces into dry mixture with pastry blender or fork. Mix in beaten egg and milk until just blended and then fold in chocolate and berries.

Now at this point I made a mistake and I dropped the dough on a floured surface so I could cut the dough into triangles...it don't recommend this process; the dough is really sticky.
The best bet is to use a large cookie scoop and drop the dough a few inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet.

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Snickerdoodles
Adapted loosely from Magnolia Bakery Cookbook
Makes 36

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, milk, and vanilla and beat well. Add the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Wrap the dough tightly with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours (I skipped this step the dough is sticky but I was still able to scoop it without having to refrigerate it).

Drop by rounded spoonfuls (I used a medium Pampered Chef scoop...I think it is about 2 tablespoons) into the cinnamon sugar mixture and cover completely.
Place on parchment lined baking sheet, leaving several inches between for expansion.(The most I can fit on on a baking sheet is six as they spread quite a bit. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until tops are cracked (on my oven it was 12 minutes exactly).
Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

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No Sugar, Flour, Butter or Eggs: Oat Drop Cookies
Adapted from Banana Pecan Granola Bars
Makes 24 cookies

1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup coconut flakes
1 cup dried cherries, chopped
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1 cup chocolate chips (optional, I had to!)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Note: I would recommend chopping everything so it is about the same size and binds together nicely. Use whatever ingredients you have on hand: try sunflower seeds, dried figs, raisins, almonds, mixed nuts, etc.

Preheat oven to 350. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine rolled oats, coconut flakes, cherries, pecans and chocolate chips. Stir in allspice and cinnamon and mix evenly.

In another bowl, combine canola oil, mashed banana and vanilla extract. Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and stir until combined.

Now take a cookie scoop and press the batter into the scoop and drop on cookie sheet. It should stay together. You can press it into a round cookie cutter if you prefer or even make bars and spread it evenly across the pan. I used a cookie scoop. Remove cookie cutter. Bake for about 20 minutes or until edges are golden brown.



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Jam Thumbprint Cookies
Adapted from Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa Family Style
Makes 32 cookies

3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
7 ounces sweetened flaked coconut
Raspberry and/or apricot jam

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until they are just combined and then add the vanilla. Separately, sift together the flour and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the creamed butter and sugar. Mix until the dough starts to come together. Dump on a floured board and roll together into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.

Roll the dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. (If you have a scale they should each weigh 1 ounce.) Dip each ball into the egg wash and then roll it in coconut. Place the balls on an ungreased cookie sheet and press a light indentation into the top of each with your finger (I use the back side of my measuring spoon). Drop 1/4 teaspoon of jam into each indentation. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the coconut is a golden brown. Cool and serve.

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Ham and Potato Hash

3 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
7 small red new potatoes, cleaned
1 cup finely diced cooked ham
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

Pierce the potatoes with a fork and microwave for 1 minute. Carefully set potatoes on cutting board and dice to 1/2-inch thick pieces. Set aside.

Melt butter in a large cast-iron skillet over medium low to medium heat. Add onion, cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add diced potatoes and ham. Season with salt, pepper and thyme. Cook for 5 minutes undisturbed then flip for another 5 minutes or until well browned.

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Potato, Onion and Parmesan Gratin
Adapted Loosely from Williams-Sonoma New Flavors for Vegetables Cookbook: Mushroom and Potato Gratin recipe
Serves 4-6

1 Tbs. unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
1 cup heavy cream
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 fresh thyme sprigs, plus 1 1/2 tsp. minced
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes
1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
4 Tbs. grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Preheat an oven to 375°F. Butter an 8-inch square baking dish.

In a saucepan, combine the cream, garlic, thyme sprigs, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Bring to a low boil over medium heat, then remove from the heat and set aside.

Peel the potatoes (optional) and using a mandoline or a very sharp knife, cut them into slices about 1/8 inch thick. Gently stir the potato slices into the cream mixture, cover and let stand while you cook the onion.

In a fry pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil and melt the 1 Tbs. butter. Add the onion and a pinch of salt, and sauté until translucent and slightly brown on edges. Add the minced thyme with a pinch of pepper and cook for 1 minute.

Arrange one-third of the potato slices, slightly overlapping, on the bottom of the prepared dish. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and 1 Tbs. of the cheese. Spread half of the onions over the potatoes and sprinkle with 1 Tbs. of the cheese. Repeat these layers, using half of the remaining potatoes and all of the remaining onions, and sprinkling with salt, pepper and 1 Tbs. cheese between the layers of vegetables. Top with the remaining potatoes and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Using a large, flat spatula, gently press on the vegetables to compact them. Pour the cream mixture through a strainer or simply remove the thyme sprigs and add the cream mixture into the dish and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a sharp knife, about 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the mixture is golden brown and bubbly, about 20 minutes more.

Let the gratin rest for about 10 minutes, then use a sharp-bladed spatula to cut it into squares and serve immediately. Serves 4 to 6.

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CAESAR SALAD DEVILED EGGS
Adapted from Good Food To Share, via smittenkitchen
12 halves

6 large eggs
12 small romaine lettuce leaves
1/4 cups panko bread crumbs (I prefer day old Italian bread crumbs, use food processor)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese or more to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 to 3 tablespoons mayo (2 is suggested but 3 will make a creamier filling)
2 teaspoons smooth Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (optional)
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 anchovy fillet, minced
1 small clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest
~or~
substitute last 7 ingredients with 4 tablespoons of your favorite Caesars dressing *see NOTE

*NOTE:
When short on time and ingredients I have simply substituted 4 tablespoons of my favorite Caesar dressing in place of the mayo, mustard, Worcestershire, lemon, anchovy, garlic and zest. I then mixed the dressing with the yolks then filled the egg whites, topped with salt, pepper, toasted bread crumbs, parsley and Parmesan.

I wrote the recipe using both methods...

Hard boil the eggs...place the eggs in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once water begins to boil, reduce it to medium-low and simmer eggs covered for exactly 10 minutes. Drain eggs and cover with cold water. Sitting them in ice water will help the eggs chill more quickly. Fresh eggs will be harder to peel so use eggs that are a few days old.

If you are using fresh bread, tear into pieces, put into food processor and grind until the bread is in small crumbs.

Arrange 12 small lettuce leaves on a serving platter.

Carefully peel the eggs and cut in half lengthwise.

Remove the yolks with a spoon and place them in a small bowl. Arrange the whites on leaves.

Mash (I prefer to mix in food processor) the yolks with 4 tablespoons of your favorite Caesar dressing
~or~
with the mayo, Dijon, Worcestershire, lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of the parsley until smooth. Season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Taste filling and season if needed. Set the filling aside.

In a small skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Toast the bread crumbs until golden if you are using fresh bread. Then set aside.
~or~
Add the anchovy and garlic and cook, stirring, until the anchovy begins to dissolve into the oil, about 1 minute. Add the lemon zest and bread crumbs and saute them until golden, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in Parmesan and set crumbs aside.

When you’re ready to serve the eggs, spoon the yolk mixture back into the cavities of the egg whites, mounding it slightly in the center or pipe it with a star tip.

Sprinkle each egg with some of the crumb mixture (about 1 teaspoon), allowing some to spill onto the lettuce cups. Garnish with remaining chopped parsley and Parmesan and serve.

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