Jalapeno-Cheddar Scones

This was a clear first choice from A Snap Cookbook: Good and Cheap.

Recipe

2 1/2 c whole-wheat flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 c butter
4 oz cheddar cheese, grated
1 jalapeno, diced
2 eggs, beaten
1 more egg, beaten
1/2 c milk
salt & pepper

Prep things first because your hands will get messy: Pop the butter in the freezer, preheat the oven (400), and put out a baking sheet with some parchment paper.  And do the other stuff like dicing the jalapeno, grating the cheese, beating the first couple eggs, etc.

First, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Next, grate the (hardened) butter in and squish in with your hands.  The cheese, jalapeno, two eggs and milk go in next, and mix it all in with your hands.  Plop it onto a flat surface and shape it into a disk about 1 1/2" thick.  Cut it into six wedges, put them on the baking sheet, brush with the last egg, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook for about 25 minutes.

Notes

These came out pretty good, although I wasn't blown away by the flavors.  Use a big jalapeno and plenty of cheese.  And they're probably best going with something rather than just on its own.  But overall it's a nice savory pastry.

Hummus-Crusted Chicken

We're back after a little bit of a layoff for summer travels and being too hot to cook...  Original recipe here.

Recipe

boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 zucchini, chopped
1 yellow squash, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 lemons
hummus
smoked paprika
olive oil, salt, pepper

Season the chicken with salt and pepper.  Toss the veggies with some olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Put the veggies in a baking dish and the chicken on top.  Cover the chicken with hummus.  Squeeze one lemon over the chicken and veggies, and slice the other and put the slices under the chicken.  Sprinkle the paprika over everything, and pop in the oven at 450 degrees for about half an hour (until done).

Notes

It's interesting that the major flavor here ends up being the lemon in the veggies.  The hummus does add something to the chicken, but maybe slightly underwhelming?

The other advantage of this recipe is that everything goes into one dish.

Final note: The recipe says to cook for 25-30 minutes.  After 40-45, mine was still underdone.  I actually preferred the leftover chicken breast, which I just cooked the hell out of.