Bites of My Life

It's amazing how much I can fit in a day without having work getting in the way. Errands, shopping, lunch with old friends, recipe testing, house cleaning, laundry, meetings, dentist visits, workouts; I could get used to that life...Unfortunately/fortunately this is my last week off. So many delish bites last week in the form of food, vibes and visitors. Time to pack it all in before funemployment is over. 

-No grocery shopping last week meant helping mom clean out her fridge. I don't think she minded.
-I discovered turmeric milk last week. It's a great nighttime drink full of health benefits that do your tummy well while you sleep. 
-This Cashew Butter and Jelly smoothie recipe got slurped up almost everyday for breakfast last week and the recipe is up for you to enjoy!
-Sister and I spent our Wednesday recipe testing scones. We came up with blackberry dark chocolate and (not pictured) grapefruit brown sugar!
-The Oklahoma City Festival of the Arts came to town this week. I made an appearance twice. I'm always more interested in the "culinary arts" portion. 
-It's one of my favorite events of the year, and probably the thing I knew would be easiest to cross off my Spring TDL.
-A salad date with one of my favorite friends to catch up with. We could sit and talk for hours!
-Wallpaper vibes in Pencil Shavings house during a local neighborhood home tour.
-Such a special day for my city and a special day for my besties completing their 3rd Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon! 

Annie

Merry Berry Scones

Have you ever loved Christmas so much you wish you could eat it? Is that weird to say? Gingerbread, peppermint, hot chocolate etc. all remind you of Christmas, but these scones taste like a Christmas tree wrapped in a sweater, with a santa hat on, drinking hot cider while watching a Christmas movie. Short version, they taste like a bottled up edible version of Christmas. 

It's sure to be a Very Merry Berry Christmas with these cranberry and rosemary scones. I'm a scone person when it comes to breakfast pastries. My parents and I had this conversation the other day when I brought them some scones to try. My mom claims she is a muffin person, my dad and I are team scone. I like the crumbly texture of a scone compared to the cupcake wannabe that you get from a muffin. Are you team muffin or scone? 

Merry Berry Scones
yields 8 scones

Ingredients:
2½ cups flour
6 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground nutmeg
2 Tbsp. dried cranberries, chopped small
4 tsp. minced fresh rosemary
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, chilled and diced
1 cup milk of choice (I used almond milk), plus 2 tablespoons more for brushing on top
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 to 3 Tbsp. water

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, dried cranberries, and rosemary in a large bowl.

Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter, using two butter knives, or your hands until it looks like coarse meal. Whisk together the milk and vanilla extract, and stir it into the flour mixture. The dough will be a little sticky, but not too wet.

Shape the dough into a ball, then flatten it into a disk; wrap it in plastic wrap and chill 10 minutes in the freezer.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Form the dough into a circle about 7 to 8 inches in diameter and ¾ inch thick. Cut the circle of dough into 8 equal wedges.

Transfer the scones to the prepared baking sheet, lightly brush the tops with a little milk, and bake until puffed and light golden brown on top and bottom, about 14 to 16 minutes. Cool completely.

Once cooled, whisk together all ingredients for the glaze, adding the water a little at a time until it reaches your desired consistency. Dip the tops of the scones into the glaze, letting it run down the sides; decorate with a few cranberries and sprigs of rosemary. Place the scones onto a wire rack and let the glaze set completely before serving.

Have a Merry Berry Christmas!

Annie

Double Cinnamon Scones

So I have this friend who recently got fixated on me making him scones. Scones, kind of random, but I'm always happy to feed someone's sweet tooth when it gives me a chance to bake. Baking for others is my favorite kind of baking. 

After a few weeks of pestering me for scones, I finally stopped the begging and made these Double Cinnamon scones! They are studded with cinnamon chips and garnished with cinnamon sugar on top!  I used this trusty simple scone recipe and then added my additions!

I didn't have a pastry cutter, but I used the best kitchen tool I own-clean hands, to crumble the mixture together. Slightly sweet but really buttery makes for the perfect scones! 

Double Cinnamon Scones adapted from food.com
yields 8 scones

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
8 Tbsps. cold butter, cut up
1 tsp. cinnamon, plus more for top
1/3 cup sugar, plus more for top
2/3 cup milk
3/4 cup Hershey's cinnamon chips

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Put flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl, stir to mix. Add cut up butter to the bowl. Using a pastry cutter or your hands, combine the mixture until it is in fine granuals. Add sugar, cinnamon, and cinnamon chips; toss to mix. Add milk and stir with a fork until dough forms. It will be very crumbly. 

Turn dough onto a clean surface and form into a ball. Pat or roll into a flat circle about 3/4-1 inch thick. Mix together about 1/4 cup of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. Sprinkle the mixture over the top of the dough. Cut into 8 wedges. 

Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and cook for 12 minutes or until edges are just browning. 

Perfectly baked scones fresh out of the oven. Now for a food photography secret. Here is what this picture looks like zoomed in....

...and here is what it looks like zoomed out. I love our kitchen, but the black countertops and faulty lighting has me resorting to balancing things on the corner of the sink to get the small amount of natural light that comes in from the window. Oh the joys of a rent house and faking I know how to take pictures. 

If I'm being honest, I think this is the first time I've ever successfully made scones. The few times I have they are usually too dry and crumbly or too soft and muffin like. This recipe is trusty and can easily be adapted for another flavors. Sub for chocolate chips or maybe orange zest and dried cranberries?

Annie