Chocolate Cream Pie Murder (Hannah Swensen #24)(20)

2 large eggs, beaten (just whip them up in a glass with a fork)

? cup sour cream (or peach yogurt)

? cup peach jam (I used Smucker’s)

? cup whipping cream





Use a medium-size mixing bowl to combine the flour, brown sugar, cream of tartar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Stir them all up together. Cut in the salted butter just as you would for piecrust dough.



Hannah’s Note: If you have a food processor, you can use it for the first step. Cut the half-cup COLD salted butter into 8 chunks. Layer them with the dry ingredients in the bowl of the food processor. Process with the steel blade in an on-and-off motion until the mixture has the texture of coarse cornmeal. Transfer the mixture to a medium-sized mixing bowl.



Stir in the beaten eggs, sour cream, and peach jam, and then mix everything up together.



Add the whipping cream and stir until everything is combined.



Drop the scones by soup spoonful on to two cookie sheets sprayed with Pam or another nonstick baking spray. Alternatively, you can line your baking sheets with parchment paper. Divide your dough so that there are 9 scones for each cookie sheet.



If you have two ovens, you will bake one sheet in the upper oven and one in the lower oven. If you have only one oven, it will probably have 4 racks inside. Bake your scones on the two middle racks, switching their positions halfway through the baking time.



Once the scones are on the cookie sheets, wet your impeccably clean fingers and shape them into more perfect rounds. Then flatten them with your moistened palms. They will rise during baking, but once you flatten them, they won’t be too round on top.



Bake the scones at 425 degrees F. for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they’re golden brown on top. (Mine took the full 12 minutes.)



Cool the scones for at least 5 minutes on the cookie sheet and then remove them to a wire rack with a metal spatula. (If you used parchment paper, all you have to do is position the cookie sheet next to the wire rack and pull the paper over to the rack.)



When the scones are cool, you can cut them in half lengthwise and toast them for breakfast.



Yield: Makes 18 delicious scones.





COUNTRY EGG BAKE

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.



4 cups shredded Pepper Jack cheese (or Swiss cheese)

? cup chopped red onions 2 cups chopped ham 4 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or mozzarella)

1 small can sliced black olives, drained 3 cups half-and-half or whipping cream 6 Tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt ? teaspoon ground black pepper (freshly ground is best)

2 Tablespoons honey mustard (I used Beaver)

6 large eggs





Prepare a 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan by spraying it with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray.



Layer half of the shredded Pepper Jack cheese in the bottom of the pan.



Sprinkle half of chopped red onion over the Pepper Jack cheese.



Scatter half of the chopped ham over the onion.



Sprinkle half of the shredded cheddar over the chopped ham.



Distribute the sliced olives on top of the shredded cheddar.



Repeat, using the rest of the cheeses, the chopped red onions, and the chopped ham.



Pour the half-and-half or cream into a bowl. Sprinkle the flour, salt, black pepper, and honey mustard on top of the bowl.



Crack the eggs and mix them into the bowl, beating until you have a smooth texture and all the ingredients are incorporated.



Pour the egg mixture into your prepared pan, distributing it as evenly as possible.



Bake your Country Egg Bake for 50 minutes or until the top is golden brown.



Test for doneness by inserting a knife from your silverware drawer 1 inch from the center of the pan. If it comes out milky, bake for 10 minutes longer and test again. Except for the melted cheese that might stick to the knife blade, the knife should come out clean.



Take the pan out of the oven and place it on a cold stovetop burner or a wire rack on the counter.



Cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting and serving it.



Cut your Country Egg Bake into squares, but do not remove them from the pan. Instead, put the pan on pot holders in the center of the table and let each person serve themselves, or pass you their plates so that you may serve them.



Yield: Serves 8 breakfast guests as long as you also serve muffins, toast, biscuits, or scones.





Chapter Six


Hannah was smiling as she opened the back kitchen door of The Cookie Jar and walked in. The blizzard had raged for two more days, but on the third day, the snow had stopped falling, the winds had ceased to blow. A few hours later, they’d heard the welcome sound of Earl’s snowplow coming down the access road that led to the condo complex. Hannah had put on the coffee, Michelle had prepared a plateful of their newest creation, Chocolate Mint Cookies, and Mike and the men had gone out to intercept Earl to invite him in for coffee and cookies.

Mike and Lonnie had been the first ones to leave, and before he’d left, Mike had promised Hannah that he would warn Ross. Hannah, Norman, and Michelle had been ready to follow Mike out, but then the phone had rung and the call had been from Lisa, who’d told them that she’d opened The Cookie Jar that morning for their customers who lived in town. There weren’t many customers since the country roads hadn’t yet been plowed and the long farm driveways were still impassable. Lisa said that the school would be closed for another couple of days, so Hannah and Michelle should take an additional day or two off. Since there weren’t many customers, Lisa insisted that she was managing just fine with Aunt Nancy and Marge. And since they weren’t that busy, they were going to test some Valentine recipes. She’d recommended that Hannah should stay home with Michelle and do the same. Then they could compare notes when Hannah got back to town.