quinn's place

learning how to make simple sauces or foods that you'd normally think to only be store-bought is verrrrrrrry exciting. and liberating, in a way! it helps you to think more creatively about anything else you might be able to make yourself.

i'll probably never go back to buying certain things since i've been teaching myself how to make lots of foods at home. add this delicious tzatziki recipe to that list, along with nut butters, chimichurri, pesto, chicken pot pie, pizza, tortillas, pickled things, etc.

i love love greek food. mmm mmm!

i was studying abroad in greece this time 7 years ago. i can't believe that was s e v e n years ago. i think about all the fun times probably once every day!

would highly recommend visiting greek islands. they're so amazing. 10/10.

SEEEEEEE???? i wanna be there NOW.

ohhh, woe to me. (0:20)

back to ze tzatziki!

first of alllllll, i've got a bone to pick with folks who call this "ta-zee-key." this stuff is "ZAT-zee-key," whereas "ta zee key" sounds like they're going for "tahini" which is a sesame spread. different thangs.

ZAT ZEE KEY, y'all.

it's soooo easy!

if i remembered any greek words i would be sprinkling them throughout here..but all i can come up with is spanish. greek is a hard language, man. all i know is that the words for 'yes' and 'no' sound totally backwards to me. but i can [slowly] read greek!! now dat is krayziki.

i'm a lovah of plain greek yogurt, specifically fage brand. FAH-YAY. although i probably called it fage-like-page for a long time. i use this brand o greek yogurt for sooo many thingsssss! in sweet things, savory things, all the things. its thick and tart and hearty.

a note on the garlic cloves: for this recipe or anything that's going to contain uncooked raw garlic, i would recommend chopping the cloves and quickly tossing them in a teaspoon of olive oil in a hot pan for a couple minutes. it just takes that sharp edge off the garlic and it will not be soo linger-y. because ya know. garrrrrlic will be garlic.

also, don't these cherry tomatoes just look b e a u tiful!? they're kind of out-shining the star of this post, mista ZAT ZEE KEY!

Greek Tzatziki Sauce

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

Keep refrigerated

Ingredients:

1 cup plain Greek yogurt (I used Fage 2% - I use this brand of Greek yogurt for everything)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice - if some lemon pulp comes out while squeezing the lemon, use that too!
2 garlic cloves
2 TB olive oil
1/2 of a medium-sized cucumber
1 tsp. dill (I used dehydrated here - works the same as when I've used fresh dill)
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt (I used 1/4 tsp. garlic salt and 1/4 tsp. sea salt)

Instructions-

In a small food processor or blender, pulse the garlic cloves, olive oil, lemon juice and Greek yogurt until the garlic is chopped up and you can taste that its incorporated.

Add the cucumber, dill, salt and pepper and blend/pulse until everything is well combined.

Enjoy with fresh veggies for dipping, as a dressing on a salad, on gyros, meat & veggie kabobs, burgers, sandwiches, etc!

well beyoncé is in town tonight and i'm sitting here writing about scones. so that's where i'm at.

but these scones are sooo mighty fabulous. just like bey.

i wonder if beyoncé likes scones. i would bake her some and bring em down there right now.

there was this coffee stand i'd go to with my mom when i was a youngster, where she'd get a coffee and i'd get a small cup of chocolate milk with whipped cream on top. with a coffee straw. i looooved that little treat so much.

that coffee stand also had some amazing chocolate hazelnut scones. and i've never forgotten them. so this recipe was brought to life from my fond nostalgic memories of some tasty scones of my past.

i added oats, too. becauuuuuse TEXTURE is everything in this life. the scones are soft, buttery, moist, with a slight crunch and roasty warm bits of hazelnut and melted chocolate throughout. the texture is quite perfecto. if i do say so mahself.

these are one of those things that i want back in my hands sooo soooo badly as i write this and look at these photos again. much like the feeling i had when i posted these biscuits. i so strongly wanted to punch my arm through the screen and yoink out a savory biscuit to gobble up. gah, so good.

don't these just look soft & pleasantly plump and nutty good?! you should make them.

i would highly recommend these with coffee! mmmmmm. and a crossword puzzle or magazine on a quiet sunday morn. now doesn't that sound just lovely.

i find that hazelnuts get kind of stale and weird if you don't use them up semi quickly. but after they were baked into these scones, they were like revived from their stale status. warm, nutty, and perfectly crunchy yet soft.

the best hazelnuts i've purchased came from a new seasons market in portland, oregon. i have no idea why i felt the urge to buy hazelnuts during a trip to portland, but i did, and they were some goodass hazelnuts. you go, new seasons.

aaand to top it all off, i brought a scone for breakfast at work for like the next five days, and i a.) did not get tired of them and b.) they stayed moist through and through! i feel like scones usually become hard as rocks after 1 or 2 days and its like eating chalkdust, but not these babes, no no.

gotta have 'em!

Chocolate Hazelnut Oat Scones

Makes 8 big scones // 16 small scones

Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup oats
1/3 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) COLD unsalted butter
1 tsp. vanilla
2/3 cup buttermilk
2 oz. high quality chocolate, roughly chopped (I used 70% cocoa dark chocolate - didn't want it too dark) + 2 TB flour to coat
1/2 cup whole hazelnuts, roughly chopped
dash of cinnamon

Instructions-

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. First, roughly chop the chocolate and coat it in about 2 TB of all purpose flour in a small bowl and place in the fridge to chill. Also roughly chop the hazelnuts.

In a large bowl, add the flour, oats, sugar, baking powder & soda, and dash of cinnamon. Stir to combine. Cut up the cold butter into small cubes and add to the flour mixture. Cut the butter into the flour with a fork until small pea-sized crumbs form. I usually use my * clean * hands for this part until the butter and flour have combined until crumbly.

Add the buttermilk and vanilla to the bowl, and mix with a spoon or spatula. Use your hands to bring all of the dough together. If its too wet, add 1 TB of flour at a time. If its a little too dry, add a TB of buttermilk at a time.

Toss in the chopped hazelnuts and incorporate into the mix with your hands. Add the chilled, flour-coated chopped chocolate last and mix until evenly combined and the dough has formed into a ball.

On a well floured surface, turn out the dough and flip a couple of times. You want the exterior to have a light covering of flour and not be sticky at all. Press the dough down to about a 1 inch thick round. Cup your hands around the edges to keep it round.

With a large knife, cut the dough (like a pizza) into 8 pieces. If you want smaller scones, you can make two smaller rounds of dough and cut each one into 8 pieces. These can also be square, I just made them triangular for scone-y sake. Transfer the uncooked scones onto a greased baking sheet and spread them out evenly.

Bake in the oven for 12 minutes, or until a toothpick comes clean after inserting into the center of a scone.

Enjoy with coffee, milk, tea, what have you!