Bunnies, berries, and snowdrops
Well, since I don't exactly feel like going through the many pictures we snapped on our way through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, & Colorado just yet, how about Easter! & things:
Easter Morning. All of that snow came out of nowhere!
Care package from the Easter Bunny, via Usps. (Thanks Mom!)
Trader Joe's has the most delicious powdered Chai Tea mix. Unfortunately their stores skip the mountains & mid-west entirely.
Mom also thought she would send us some cupcakes, hmm...
Egg hunting is too easy in the snow
Not very many stores were open, but fortunately Cost Plus was! We found a cute kitchen rug, some prints to hang in the guest bathroom, and this book of evil indulgences:
~
& here's one I ordered after looking through it in this sweet antique shop in Santa Barbara. We have so many photos I'd like to make prints of & organize into something hand-made.
Even the directions are cute.
~.~.~
Pretty much anytime we have the TV on it's showing the Food Network, so I have had many baking & cooking cravings lately. Yesterday I saw a delicious recipe for Sour Cream Scones and made some.
They weren't quite as rich as I thought the sour cream would have made them, but very nice-- not too dry with just a hint of sweet.
Sour Cream Scones
Ingredients
· 2 cups all-purpose flour
· 3 tablespoons sugar
· 2 tablespoons baking powder
· 1 teaspoon baking soda
· 1/2 teaspoon salt
· 5 tablespoons butter, cubed
· 1 cup sour cream
· 1 egg yolk
· 1/2 cup heavy cream
· 1/4 cup sugar in the raw
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
In a food processor, pulse flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Add the cubed butter until a coarse meal forms. Pulse in the sour cream and egg yolk until just combined.
Turn the sticky dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until the dough comes together into a ball. Gently pat the dough down into a 3/4 inch thick square shape. With a large knife cut the dough square into 4 smaller, equal squares. Then cut each smaller square diagonally, with an X, making 4 smaller triangles.
Transfer the 8 triangles onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Brush the tops of each scone with heavy cream and sprinkle it with some sugar in the raw. This will create a shiny and crunchy top for the scones. Bake in preheated oven for 12 to 14 minutes until the bottoms of the scones are light brown.
Remove from oven, cool slightly on the sheet pan and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Yields 8 fluffy & scrumptious scones.
~.~
And since I had heavy cream, I decided I would make some whipped cream as well, which is quite easy, if only a little tiring to whip. I used these measurements:
Whipped Cream
Ingredients
· 1 cup heavy cream
· 1/4 cup sugar
· 1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions
Whip cream until almost stiff. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until cream holds peaks. Spread over top of scones or anything sweet.
Easter Morning. All of that snow came out of nowhere!
Care package from the Easter Bunny, via Usps. (Thanks Mom!)
Trader Joe's has the most delicious powdered Chai Tea mix. Unfortunately their stores skip the mountains & mid-west entirely.
Mom also thought she would send us some cupcakes, hmm...
Egg hunting is too easy in the snow
Not very many stores were open, but fortunately Cost Plus was! We found a cute kitchen rug, some prints to hang in the guest bathroom, and this book of evil indulgences:
~
& here's one I ordered after looking through it in this sweet antique shop in Santa Barbara. We have so many photos I'd like to make prints of & organize into something hand-made.
Even the directions are cute.
~.~.~
Pretty much anytime we have the TV on it's showing the Food Network, so I have had many baking & cooking cravings lately. Yesterday I saw a delicious recipe for Sour Cream Scones and made some.
They weren't quite as rich as I thought the sour cream would have made them, but very nice-- not too dry with just a hint of sweet.
Sour Cream Scones
Ingredients
· 2 cups all-purpose flour
· 3 tablespoons sugar
· 2 tablespoons baking powder
· 1 teaspoon baking soda
· 1/2 teaspoon salt
· 5 tablespoons butter, cubed
· 1 cup sour cream
· 1 egg yolk
· 1/2 cup heavy cream
· 1/4 cup sugar in the raw
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
In a food processor, pulse flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Add the cubed butter until a coarse meal forms. Pulse in the sour cream and egg yolk until just combined.
Turn the sticky dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until the dough comes together into a ball. Gently pat the dough down into a 3/4 inch thick square shape. With a large knife cut the dough square into 4 smaller, equal squares. Then cut each smaller square diagonally, with an X, making 4 smaller triangles.
Transfer the 8 triangles onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Brush the tops of each scone with heavy cream and sprinkle it with some sugar in the raw. This will create a shiny and crunchy top for the scones. Bake in preheated oven for 12 to 14 minutes until the bottoms of the scones are light brown.
Remove from oven, cool slightly on the sheet pan and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Yields 8 fluffy & scrumptious scones.
~.~
And since I had heavy cream, I decided I would make some whipped cream as well, which is quite easy, if only a little tiring to whip. I used these measurements:
Whipped Cream
Ingredients
· 1 cup heavy cream
· 1/4 cup sugar
· 1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions
Whip cream until almost stiff. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until cream holds peaks. Spread over top of scones or anything sweet.