Hello everyone! Hope that you’re doing well during shelter-in-place. First we have a recipe from my friend and cousin, Matthew! He shared a mouth watering rice pilaf dish that looks super easy to make! It also kind of fits into that “meal with simple ingredients” category, just like the featured item from last week. Before I start, I just wanted to let you know that I am still doing Dishes for Donations and would love to feature your favorite recipes. Please do submit!

Ingredients:

• 2-3 tablespoons butter
• 1/3 cup either 1 inch broken vermicelli or orzo
• 1 cup rice
• 2 2/3 cups chicken broth
• Salt, pepper, and parsley to taste

Directions:

1. Melt the butter in a pot, then add the orzo/vermicelli
2. Cook the orzo/vermicelli until it is golden brown
3. Add the rice, stir until all the rice is shiny with butter
4. Add the chicken broth and the seasonings
5. Get to boil
6. Simmer for 20+ minutes or until the rice looks fluffy
7. Serve warm in a bowl

Note: do not stir while simmering

Since this recipe doesn’t call for any vegetables or proteins, that part is all up to you (if you wish to make the rice pilaf your “main” item). Personally, I think that chicken (rotisserie?)  goes really well with rice pilaf.

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After looking back through my posts, I realized that I haven’t written about a breakfast item in a while. Without further ado, let me introduce breakfast scones! There is nothing better than waking up to the smell of these. The buttery, warm, and chewy experience of having one (or more) in the morning is one that’ll set you off for a great day! Breakfast scones have been a family favorite of ours for a while, and so I’d finally like to share with you the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• Dark/milk chocolate or dried fruit (usually berries) for customization

Directions:

1. Start by turning the oven to 425 degrees (preheating it how so that you don’t have to wait later on after steps 2-7)
2. Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. Stir in the sugar and mix in the heavy cream (recommended to do this by hand)
4. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour
5. After this, add your chocolate/fruit at whatever “ratio” you’d like
6. Divide the dough in half and roll each section into a disc shape (1-2 inches high depending on how thick you want it)
7. Cut scone shapes (basically pie shapes) out of the disc; you should get 8 scones per disc
8. Bake at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes. Should be a little brown on the top when it comes out.
9. While baking, mix butter and sugar (again, this is your choice on how sweet you’d like it) in a bowl and put it in the microwave to melt the mixture.
10. Drizzle or brush each scone with buttery garnish.
11. Enjoy!

Like many of the other recipes that I have blogged about during this time of quarantine, these scones are very preservable. Just heat them up the next day in the toaster (or microwave) and they still taste great! We personally like the chocolate, but recommend not to put too much otherwise it outweighs the dough. And there you have it! Simple, quick, breakfast scones. Perfect with a glass of milk, a cup of coffee, or even a smoothie. Once you make it you won’t be able to stop. So, if you’re feeling like you’re eating the same foods over and over again for breakfast, do yourself a favor and splurge on some dessert, for breakfast.

Have a nice week!