Lemon Strawberry Pound Cake

This cake will forever have a special place in my heart.  If you read my last post, you can see why.  What was originally intended to be a tasty treat at Easter brunch, turned into a birthday cake for our sweet little Lilly who decided she wanted to be born on Easter.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Well, hello there 2013. 

We’ve only been here a day and already I feel like it’s going to be a good one.  I love a new year.  I love thinking about what might happen or what could be in store. I’m still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that in this year, we will become a family of three.  There’s always unknowns on January 1 of what is to come, but the anticipation of meeting this little bambino is more than I could have imagined.

In the meantime, I’m trying to stop time.  As much as the future excites me,  I know these quiet moments when it is just the two of us will be fond memories and we can never go back.   So my immediate new year’s resolution is to slow down a bit and take it all in. 

I want to take more naps.  See a few movies.  Take long baths.   Go out to dinner while there is no thought of having to get a baby sitter.  Take a few spontaneous trips.  Sleep late on the weekends and make more pancakes.

Orange Rolls

Finally, it's December.

I don't think I have ever said that before, but last week just really threw me for a loop.  A whole extra week in November after Thanksgiving?  It just didn't feel like the holidays.  I mean it's still 80 degrees here, but there's no telling how long that will last.  At least we can flip the calendar and start counting down.  So let's start baking treats that only seem legal during the holidays.

bun(s) in the oven.

I'm pretty sure last weekend will become a permanent life/food memory.

Definition of life/food memory:  When you eat something amazing that happens to be on a perfect day so that the combination of the day and food will forever be remembered if you ever taste the food again.  

Examples: 

Eating a clown cone from Baskin Robbins... immediately takes me back to my eighth birthday where I chose to have these cones instead of a cake.  Really great decision and the day is forever engrained in my head.  

Having a bite of Texas cornbread (need to share the recipe soon)... immediately envision my mushroom haircut-self, wearing a cowboy hat and my favorite red boots, on Go Texan Day in first grade thoroughly enjoying our authentic Cowboy meal. 

Are you with me?  Come on, I know you have some. 

I made these cinnamon buns on a day that I will never forget.  I felt good/normal for the first time in three months, and it was one of the first fall afternoons in Houston where you have to be happy because you are not sweating when you walk to your car.  It is totally engrained.

Now back to that three months of not being here.  Where have I been might you ask?  Trying my hardest to get through each and every day while feeling so nauseous, I wanted to do nothing but cry... not even eat.

I've got a bun in the oven too and it has completely taken me under for a full three months.   So if any of you out there have experienced "morning" sickness morning, noon and night I can totally sympathize with you.  Hallelujah, it is gone for the most part or at least only hits me in waves.  So as you can see, these buns were made on a very historic day for.  Living through three months of misery and finally feeling semi normal again and wanting to cook was a huge and wonderful day in my book.

This surprise little bun is due on April 10, 2013 and we couldn't be happier.

Until then, let's make cinnamon buns!

French Muffin Minis & Syrup Dippers

French muffins + syrup dippers... brunch buffets just got so much more fun. 

If you've been here awhile, you might remember the week before Thanksgiving a couple of years ago where I decreed that I would be back all week long with my favorite Thanksgiving sides.  Well, I only came through with one salad recipe and the rest of my great ideas got eaten way before photographs could be snapped.

Why are you talking about Thanksgiving in the middle of the summer?!
Well, I happened to remember really trying to sell you on getting yourself a set of these little glasses and I promised you that the uses were endless.  Here's one more recipe to add to the bunch.  So if you didn't jump on the band wagon the first time, get yourself some glasses.  I see nothing but more combos in the future. 

From my little kitchen to yours... Enjoy. 

French Muffin Minis + Syrup Dippers

French Muffins, sliced in half (click here for recipe)

Maple syrup or regular syrup
Powdered sugar

Place french muffins in the oven set on low or 200 degree F heat until ready to serve.  Squeeze syrup into half of the shooter glass. Place one french muffin half on the top of each glass.  Dust powdered sugar over each french muffin and serve. 

Green Eggs

Mr. Hungry and I come from two different worlds.  

In his world, no one would ever dream of squeezing the toothpaste tube anywhere but from the bottom.  Everyone is very relaxed and laid back; however, there are methods to dishwashing....very meticulous ones at that.  Staying up extremely late is the only way to live. Eggs are best eaten in their most natural state... sunny side up or possibly scrambled... unfussy with nothing more than a splash of milk or touch of salt and pepper.

In my world, one uses the toothpaste that is nicely sitting at the top of the tube.  Schedules are made to pack the most possible things into one day.  Going to bed at 9:00 p.m. is an absolute treat.  Eggs are best when they are dolled up with cheese and spinach and stuffy things like artichoke and garlic... not to mention they must lose their yolks.

Welcome to my world.  This is how we prefer our eggs.  

There is a great breakfast place in Houston called Baby Barnaby's (if you've been to one of the many Barnaby's, you need to venture into Montrose next to the original Barnaby's and only serves breakfast.  It's an experience).  They make green eggs like none other.  While I will never get close to the original, these are pretty darn good.  

Green Eggs
Recipe Notes
I prefer mine with just egg whites so I use 4 eggs instead of 3.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup spinach, roughly chopped
1/2 cup artichoke hearts, chopped
1 tablespoon milk
3 large or extra large eggs
1/2 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste
Step by Step
In a medium size bowl, crack eggs and add milk.  Use a fork to whisk the mixture together.  Set aside.

Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a nonstick pan.  Add garlic and spinach.  Saute spinach until leaves wilt, about one minute.  Add artichokes and stir to heat through, about thirty seconds.

Add egg mixture and scramble with a spoon.  Continue to cook eggs, scrambling with a spoon.  When eggs are cooked through, add cheese and mix into eggs.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.  Cook until cheese is melted.

Remove from heat and serve immediately.

Makes 2 servings.

French Muffins

English Muffins + French Toast Recipe = French Muffins

Think back to the last time you had an english muffin.  Remember how spongy it was with lots of holes and crevices? Now imagine soaking that little guy in eggs, milk, sugar and vanilla.  It might make you wonder how French toast got so popular.  It has nothing on French muffins.

Sunrise Smoothie

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

Matthew 28:1-10 

He has Risen.  He has Risen, Indeed. 

Happy Easter.

This smoothie is a tad reminiscent of an old fashioned creamsicle.  It is refreshing and comforting all at the same time.

From my little kitchen to yours... Enjoy.

Sunrise Smoothie
Adapted from Peace Meals
Recipe Notes
If your smoothie is a little thick, use the milk to thin it out a bit.  Almond milk is my first choice, but any milk will work.  Depending on how sweet your fruit is, you might want to add extra honey to taste.
Ingredients
2 cups frozen mango chunks
2 cups frozen peach slices
6 oz. low fat plain greek yogurt (or regular low fat yogurt)
1 1/2 cups fresh squeezed orange juice
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 cup almond milk or regular milk, if needed
Step by Step
Combine all ingredients in a blender.  Blend until smooth.  Smoothie will be thick and you might need to use a spoon to push down the fruit between blending.  Add the milk if the smoothie is too thick.

Serve Immediately.

Makes 2 to 3 servings. 

Crispy Hash Brown Cakes

There is something about a weekend breakfast at a little greasy diner that I love so much. 

Mr. Hungry usually orders a breakfast plate... eggs, bacon and hash browns.  I like some sort of scrambled egg whites with cheese and maybe some grits and a good biscuit.  I love grits so I always go with that carb option, but only because I know I can sneak some hash browns off Mr. Hungry's plate. 

Now that you know more than you ever needed to know about our breakfast habits, let's get to the point.

There is nothing monumental or fancy about these breakfasts. Pretty standard food we could choose to make at home.  But Mr. Hungry loves good hash browns and they seemed to always to turn out tasteless and mushy in my kitchen. 

Until now that is. 

These little hash brown cakes have a crunchy crispy exterior with a bit of soft buttery potato inside.  

There is exactly one major secret involved in getting these incredibly crispy potatoes.  Wringing every ounce of water out of these spuds.  It was quite shocking to see how much water is in a potato. 

When you think you have all of the water out.  Wring a few more times.  Im talking squeeze-until-your-biceps-hurt kind of wringing.  

After that, all you need is a good cast iron skillet and a generous amount of butter.

These hash brown cakes are kind of like my hair.  

 

They start out a very unruly mess and all over the place, but with a generous amount of product... butter... and quite a bit of shaping and care, you can pull together a somewhat presentable hash brown cake. 

Nice and crispy too.  Hopefully not like my hair. 

Crispy Hash Brown Cakes

Slightly adapted from The Kitchn
Recipe Notes
There are two keys to crispy hash browns.  Wringing all of the water out of the potato and generous amounts of butter.  When you think you are finished squeezing all the water out, squeeze again.  I can barely believe how much water is in a potato, but get it out of there if you want crispy cakes.  Half way through the cooking my potatoes had absorbed the whole tablespoon of butter so I added more half way through to make sure both sides got crispy.  Add butter as necessary. 

Ingredients

1 large (8 to 10 oz) russet potato
1/4 teaspoon salt
Black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, more if needed
Equipment
Cheese grater
Dish towel
Skillet, preferably cast iron
Spatula

Step by Step
Cover your surface with a clean dish towel. Peel the potato and discard skin.  Using a cheese grater, grate the potato over the clean dish towel.

Gather the dishcloth and twist the neck until you form a tight package. Over the sink, squeeze and wring the potato as much as possible.  Squeeze one more time just to make sure you have gotten every last drop.

Heat the skillet over medium-high heat. Melt the butter and then add the potatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss the potatoes to coat them with butter and then divide them into portion sizes using a spatula. Flatten each portion with the back of the spatula to maximize contact with the hot pan.

Cook for 3 to 4 minutes on the first side, flip, and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes on the second side. Cook each side until desired doneness.  Whether that is a little bit soft or overly crispy, you be the judge.  Try to only flip once so that the cake does not fall apart.

Serve Immediately. 

Makes 3 small servings or 2 large servings. 

Cinnamon Waffles with Peaches & Cream

Long weekends are good for the soul.

Having a Friday or Monday off transforms the weekend entirely.  Anything that might be on the to do list for Saturday gets taken care of on Friday or bumped to Monday.  I try to stay in bed as long as possible on Saturday and once I do get out of bed, the only goal is to make a special breakfast.

Between the Thanksgiving and Christmas season on the horizon I'm sure hoping you have a long weekend or two and I highly suggest putting those to do lists on hold for a few hours and start out your day with a warm plate of cinnamon waffles.

I have had a pretty wonderful waffle maker ever since it was gifted to me about 5 years ago and it just doesn't make an appearance often enough.  Enter a long weekend and the perfect time to pull this sucker out.  I have a hunch yours is collecting dust too and cold holiday mornings are more than enough reason to pull it out.

There's about a thousand toppings that would make these lovely if peaches and whipped cream isn't your thing.  Good old butter and syrup... perhaps chopped pecans and bananas with a little swirl of honey... maybe a few chocolate chips and powdered sugar... whatever tickles your fancy.

Cinnamon Waffles with Peaches & Cream
Adapted from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

1 egg yolk
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/4 cups + 2 tablespoons self-rising flour
1 cup warm milk
1 egg white

Optional Toppings

1 peach, thinly sliced

Fresh whipped cream, slightly sweetened

Step by Step
In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar. Whisk in vanilla extract, butter, salt and cinnamon. Alternately mix in flour and milk until blended well.
In a separate bowl, whisk egg white until it forms soft peaks. Fold egg white into batter with a spatula and let stand for 15 minutes.
Spray preheated waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray. Pour mix onto hot waffle iron. Cook until golden brown and fluffy.  Continue until batter is gone, making sure to use cooking spray between each waffles.  

About the egg whites...

This is what you are looking for with the egg whites.  After a few minutes of whisking an egg white in a clean large bowl, you will get "soft peaks."  

 

You want to gently fold in the egg whites to the rest of the batter.  Mix well but just softly fold them in with a spatula so they stay nice and airy. 

The Best Biscuits

Oh, good morning.

You look like you could use a biscuit.

Not just any old biscuit... the best darn biscuit I have ever had.  

Now I know it's only Tuesday, but lets start planning a weekend brunch, shall we?
Let me start by telling you these will take you maybe seven minutes longer than busting open one of the cans of biscuits from the grocery.  Seven minutes of extra work for the most amazing homemade goodness you could imagine on a Saturday or Sunday morning.

Why wait?  Let's make your Thursday one to remember.

I am pretty convinced cream is essential to the best baked goods.  I had a hunch when these scones turned out so well and it was definitely confirmed with these biscuits.  A little bit flaky, a little bit creamy... a little bit perfect.

My preferred way of eating... doused in honey.

From my little kitchen to yours... Enjoy. 

The Best Biscuits

Adapted from James Beard’s American Cookery via Smitten Kitchen

Recipe Notes

To make these especially quick in the morning, pre-measure all ingredients into a ziploc bag.  When ready to make, dump dry ingredients in a bowl and add the cream.  

Ingredients

3 tablespoons salted butter, melted
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the surface
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
1 1/4 cups heavy cream

parchment paper

honey, jam or butter for serving (optional)

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Melt butter and set aside. In a large bowl, combing two cups flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Fold in 1 1/4 cups cream. Mix until cream and dry ingredients are just combined.  If the dough is not soft or easily handled, fold in a little bit more cream.

Turn dough onto a floured surface, mound it into a ball and, using your hands, press it to a thickness of about 3/4 inch. Cut into rounds, 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Gather dough scraps and continue to make rounds. Dip entire biscuit into melted butter and arrange on the baking sheet about an inch apart. Bake until edges are golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. 

To Freeze:  Freeze unbaked, un-dipped biscuits for up to one month.  When ready to bake, dip in melted butter and bake straight from frozen on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.  Add a few additional minutes for baking. 

Makes 10 to 12 biscuits. 

Baked Eggs

What are you doing this Saturday?

Cancel your plans.  Call your friends.  You're making brunch, more specifically, you're making this dish.  Your friends will think Julia Child visited you in your sleep and taught you how to really cook.

Only you will know that this might be the easiest thing you've popped in the oven.

From my little kitchen to yours... Enjoy.

Baked Eggs in a Spinach Mushroom Nest
Adapted from Gourmet, 2004 via Smitten Kitchen
Ingredients

10 oz baby spinach leaves
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 oz mushrooms, thinly sliced (2 cups)
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
4 extra large eggs
2 tablespoons finely grated parmesan

Tools

4 ramekins

Step by Step

Put oven rack in upper third of oven and preheat oven to 450°F.

Bring 1/2 inch water to a boil in a heavy skillet, then add half of spinach and cook, turning with tongs, until wilted, about 30 seconds. 

Add remaining spinach and wilt in same manner, then cook, covered, over moderately high heat until spinach is tender, about 2 minutes. Drain in a colander and cool under cold running water. Gently squeeze handfuls of spinach to remove as much liquid as possible, then coarsely chop.

Wipe skillet dry, then cook onion and garlic in butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and increase heat to moderate, then cook, stirring, until mushrooms are softened and have exuded liquid, about 3 minutes. Stir in cream, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and chopped spinach and bring to a simmer.

Remove skillet from heat.  Divide spinach mixture evenly amongst four ramekins.  Using the back of a spoon, create a circle indention in the middle of each dish.  Break an egg into each ramekin and bake, uncovered, until egg whites are set but yolks are still runny,  about 10 minutes. Lightly season eggs with salt and pepper, then sprinkle with cheese.

MAKE AHEAD:  You can prep the spinach mushroom nests the night before.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.  In the morning, crack the eggs in each dish and bake.  Bake an extra minute or two until egg whites are set.  

This is a new favorite for me because I don't like egg yolk (I just came around to eating egg whites a few years ago) and I can make everyone's portion according to the way they like it.  

Mother's Day Brunch

Did you know Mother's Day is soon? 

  I repeat MOTHER'S DAY is soon.

May 8 to be exact. 

Never underestimate the importance of Mother's Day.  You will probably be cursed for the rest of your life if you don't go out of your way to thank your mother for dealing with you all those years. 

If you are old enough to read, it means you've given your mother some trouble so be sweet.

What better way to celebrate the woman who will probably cook for you more in your lifetime than any other person in the world than to cook her a feast.  Sure, you can go out and celebrate at a restaurant, but what do moms really like?  You...in the kitchen, putting a little love into a brunch... AND doing the dishes after.

It's no secret I've been on a brunch kick, but here are a few of the reasons that back the obsession.  I could never throw a breakfast... too early for me, but lunch time just doesn't sound as jazzy..  By brunch, you can serve hearty breakfast foods mixed with sweet breads and muffins and top it off with a mimosa or bloody mary.   Below are some menu ideas from the archives.  Still working on what I will actually serve this year, but these have all worked well at brunches in the past.

p.s. if you no longer have a mom around, you can always celebrate another mother in your life, or someone who has been like a mom to you.  Guaranteed, there will be tears.  Thanking someone for being a "great mom" to you?  Yes, there will be tears, tears of joy.

{Mother's Day Brunch Menu}

Mimosas

Mixed Berry Fruit Salad

Spinach, Artichoke & Ricotta Pie

Maple Roasted Bacon

If you are like me, and like a little dessert with brunch...

Lemon Lime Tea Cakes 

or 

Blackberry Shortbread Bars

Keys to hosting a brunch:
Cook only one stove top item.  The last thing you want to do is spend all your time over the stove trying to cook items that are all last minute so they are nice and hot.  This menu is perfect for that because you can cook the bacon and pie in the oven at the same time.

Make everything in advance. I would consider this the golden rule, but maybe that's just because I'm not a morning person.  I would rather wake up and stick a few things in the oven while I get ready than think about waking up at the crack of dawn for prep work.  With these two main dishes, the prep is so minimal it's okay to leave it till the morning, but you could always cook the pie and just reheat in the morning if you wish.   Even fruit salad can be tossed together the night before.

Another reason this menu works well together... you can put the pie and bacon in at the same time.  

Cranberry Scones

In case you've been living under a rock, there's a wedding tomorrow.  A royal wedding.

So let's make scones, shall we?

I blame it on the Today Show.  I blame the fact that I know the names of  Kate Middleton's twice removed cousins and all about her humble beginnings on the Today Show.  There has been coverage on this wedding at least 20 minutes a day on the morning news for the last two months, and now I must watch the wedding.

And for some odd reason, most subjects or happenings I hear about always translate into food for me.  The minute I hear of an event like this, my mind goes straight to the food I can eat while watching such a spectacle.   Shepherd's Pie and Yorkshire Pudding came to mind but didn't appeal, and scones ultimately prevailed in the not-so-competitive field of English fare. 

I've always avoided most scones because there is such a fine line between a good scone, and a scone that is too dry.  They traditionally have a little bit of a dry taste, but this recipe will change your mind on what a scone should even taste like.  These are seriously addicting and a new favorite in my book. 

Here's the recipe scoop...

Scones seemed a little bit complicated to me so I did a step by step so you have no excuses.  Seriously, these are so good and they took me exactly 20 minutes to prep... exactly 20 minutes and that's with pictures and this being my first time so just come on, trust me and make these.  I bet you won't be sorry.  If you don't want to trust me alone, I will let you know that this recipe is adapted from The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook.  They do wonders with recipes and test them a thousand times to perfection.

So here we go...

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 450 degrees.  Place the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium size bowl.  Using a pastry cutter, mix dry ingredients. 

Cut chilled butter into 1/4 inch cubes.

 Scatter the butter evenly over the top of the dry ingredients.

Cut butter into the dry ingredients and continue to cut butter until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal with a few slightly larger butter lumps. 

Add the cranberries and stir into mixture. 

 Stir in the cream with a rubber spatula until the dough begins to form, about 30 seconds.

Stir in the cream with a rubber spatula until the dough begins to form, about 30 seconds.  

Turn the dough and any floury bits out onto a floured counter.

Knead until it forms a rough, slightly sticky ball, 5 to 10 seconds. 

 Press the dough into a 9-inch cake pan.  

Unmold the dough.

Cut into 8 or 12 wedges.  

Place the wedges on an ungreased baking sheet.

 Bake until the scone tops are light brown, 12 to 15 minutes.  (This was exactly 12 minutes for me and if you are not sure, check the bottoms of the scones to make sure they are not getting too brown).  Coll on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes.  Serve warm or at room temperature. 

Cranberry Cream Scones
Adapted from The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook
Prep time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 12 minutes
Recipe Notes
I made these the old fashion way with a pastry cutter.  If you don't want to deal with getting out a food processor, use my steps.  If you don't have a pastry cutter or want to use the food processor, follow the steps below the recipe.   Resist the urge to eat the straight from the oven.  Scones actually taste better when you lest them rest and set up a bit. 
Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour, plus extra for the counter
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled
3/4 cup cranberries
1 cup heavy cream
Tools
Pastry Cutter or Food Processor
9 inch cake pan 
Step by Step
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 450 degrees.  Place the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium size bowl.  Using a pastry cutter, mix dry ingredients.  Cut chilled butter into 1/4 inch cubes and scatter the butter evenly over the top of the dry ingredients.  Cut butter into the dry ingredients and continue to cut butter until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal with a few slightly larger butter lumps.  Add the cranberries and stir into mixture.  Stir in the cream with a rubber spatula until the dough begins to form, about 30 seconds.  Turn the dough and any floury bits out onto a floured counter and knead until it forms a rough, slightly sticky ball, 5 to 10 seconds.  Press the dough into a 9-inch cake pan.  Unmold the dough and cut into 8 or 12 wedges.  Place the wedges on an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake until the scone tops are light brown, 12 to 15 minutes.  (This was exactly 12 minutes for me and if you are not sure, check the bottoms of the scones to make sure they are not getting too brown).  Coll on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

PREPPING WITH A FOOD PROCESSOR
Fit a food processor with a dough blade.  Pulse the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a food processor to combine, about 6 pulses.  Scatter the butter evenly over the top and pule until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal with a few slightly larger butter lumps, about 12 pulses. Add the cranberries and quickly pulse once to combine.  Transfer the dough to a bowl and continue witht he steps above.