Badonka Donkey

I named my blog "Mostly Baked" for several reasons.

1) It was a play on my nickname "Mo."
2) It sounds like it has nothing to do with baking at all....I'm anti-drug, FYI.
3) I wanted to post photos of the most adorable pet I own.

I lied on one of those. No, I do not do drugs. The pet is not truly mine. I just drive by this sweet donkey on my way to work everyday. One of the perks of being a professor at a community college in the middle of nowhere is the beautiful wildlife.

Meet Badonka Donkey. (That's what I would name my Donkey.)

Isn't Badonka BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!?????!!!!!!

Sigh. I just love to see my Donkey when I drive to work. And the best part? Badonka brightens my day and I don't have to care for him/her!!! I have two dogs and a cat, and while I love them, I don't love the stress of pets. So, Badonka is the best pet! I get the joy from seeing my pet, but I don't have the responsibility. Of course, I don't get to pat Badonka on the nose, which I would love to do, but ah well. At least I see my donkey on my way to work every day. :)

My dad and I have brainstormed several names for future donkeys. Should our donkey be wet, it would be Danky Donkey. Should our donkey be petite, it would be Dinky Donkey. Should our donkey be tone deaf, it would be Off-Key Donkey.

Sigh. The blog is more beautiful now.

Granny's Angel Biscuits

My grandmother passed away this past March.

My favorite memory of my grandmother is a Saturday spent baking bread. I had never made yeast bread before, and since my mother hates the feel of kneading dough, granny was my instructor. Ever since that day, I think of my grandmother every time I bake.

Angel biscuits are my favorite biscuits! They are light and warm, and they are a delicious blend of roll and biscuit.

2 packages dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (105-115 degrees)
2 cups buttermilk
5 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbs baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup shortening

Combine yeast and water, and let stand for 5 minutes. Add buttermilk to yeast mixture and set aside.

Combine all remaining ingredients (except shortening) in a large bowl.

Cut in shortening into flour mixture with a pastry blender until resembles peas.

Add buttermilk mixture, stirring just until moistened. Knead lightly 4-5 times,

Roll dough to half-inch thickness, and cut with a 2.5 inch biscuit cutter.

Place on a lightly greased baking sheet, and cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour. (I put mine in the oven, and turned the oven on to as it would go.)

Bake at 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Yield: 2 dozen

Enjoy!

Chocolate Orange Scones

I have been wanting to make scones for about a month now. I've never made them before, and I think I've only had three scones in my entire life, but for some reason, I couldn't stop thinking about them! I stumbled upon this scone recipe while trying to find a recipe for s'more cookies (which were AMAZING! I don't think I want to eat the real deal again; the cookies were THAT good!). I've researched several food blogs, but this one is my favorite: bakedperfection.com. She created the s'more cookie recipe and the scone recipe that I'm reprinting today. I hope she doesn't mind....

Scones photo

Chocolate Orange Scones
Recipe from BakedPerfection

Scones:
2 cups flour
3 tablespoons sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
3 tablespoons orange zest (since I don't have a zester and I'm far too lazy to zest oranges anyways, I just used orange extract)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/4 cups whipping cream (heavy cream)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, orange zest, salt, and chocolate chips (by hand). Pour in whipping cream. Mix or knead by hand, just until combined (about 45 second). Mix will be sticky. Flour surface. Divide dough into two sections and pat into two rounds, each approximately four inches. Note: Score each round first with a knife into 4ths , then 8ths. Then cut and put on a greased large cookie sheet. Bake 9 to 11 minutes. Let cool five minutes, then glaze.

Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
2-3 tablespoons orange juice

Mix together until a thin icing consistency to pour over warm scones.