another case of the sunday scone: creamsicle

mr. man-of-the-house is easily embarrassed. i think. if nothing else, he is easily embarrassed by me. so when i told him i was bringing scones to the wisconsinites he was panic stricken.

mr. man-of-the-house: "how will you carry them?"

me: "i want to find something nice that they can keep."

mr.: "okay."

{after stopping in a few stores we found nothing suitable}

mr.: "how will you carry them?"

me: "just in the bag." (zip top that they're currently stored in)

mr.: "where will you pack them?"

me: "i won't. i'll just carry them. don't want 'em to get crushed in transit."

mr.: "through the airport?"

me: "yep. who cares?"

mr.: "i do."

i wasn't stopped. what can i say? i couldn't risk them being crushed.

and what did i bring?

well, wisconsinites = former florida friends. so, appropriately:

sunday, september 18th: Creamsicle Scones
yield: 8 scones


2 cups flour
3 Tablespoons sugar
1/2-ish teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
zest of 1 orange

1 Tablespoon-ish fresh ginger, grated
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
1/2 cup white chocolate chips, divided
2/3 cup buttermilk
juice of 1 orange

1 teaspoon vanilla

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugars, salt, baking powder, baking soda, orange zest and ginger. Pulse to well combine. (the flour mixture should be fragrant - omigosh yummy already) Add butter. Pulse to form a coarse meal with pieces of butter no larger than pea-sized. Add 1/4 cup white chocolate chips. Pulse a couple times to chop the chocolate a bit and combine.

In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk, orange juice and vanilla. Chill until ready to use.

Transfer the flour/butter mixture to a separate mixing bowl and add the remaining 1/4 cup white chocolate chips. Toss to evenly distribute. Slowly stream in the creamsicle buttermilk, mixing gently until the dough just holds together. Turn out onto a work surface or sheet of plastic wrap. Knead gently to pull in any crumbs. If prepping in advance, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Pat or roll dough into a large disc, about 3/4-inch thick. Fold in half or thirds and pat out to 3/4-inch thickness. Fold in half or thirds one more time. Pat into a disc about 1-inch thick. Cut into 8 wedges. Arrange on baking sheet. Brush tops with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar {as always, i used my sparkling sugar}.

Bake 18-22 minutes or until golden.

Enjoy!

scattered

there are two times when i travel that cause super-stress, leaving the house and leaving the destination.

i am a multitasker. my brain is always running in a million directions. somehow, i still manage to simultaneously focus and be efficient when i know my priorities. on travel days, focus escapes me. {lack of focus also caused by hungry-brain but that's for another day}

the departure day of this last vacation was no exception. i awoke at 4 am, grabbed the flat of blueberries from the fridge and dove into my morning routine before finishing the remaining packing. {if i'm so scattered the morning of why have i not finished the packing well before? because i think one should look presentable when traveling and that leaves beauty goodies to be stowed...and my packing system creates a bit of a protective puzzle. so, there's always last minute work to be done.} as i move into final packing mode, i recite everything i've packed, hoping mr. travel mate picks up on anything i may have forgotten.

though the house is far from the condition i like to leave it {clean, so we can return to a sparkly happy home}, we do our final goodbye checks (windows closed, things switched off, nothing out that will attract bugs, etc.). on my way to the fridge to stow my remain bluebs, i realize i haven't watered the herbs - and we have to leave. now. i switch gears, put the berries on the counter and grab the liquid measuring cup {conveniently, the watering pale is empty}. i run back and forth between the plants and the sink in my wood-heeled boots until i have the slightest hope the herbs will survive our week of absence. {all the while mr. travel mate begging me to clack around as he doesn't want to disturb the neighbors} that's it. we're off.

a half hour into our drive to the airport, and already running late, i see the blueberries sitting on the counter {photographic memory}. more stress ensues. i debate emailing our leasing office to have someone put them in the fridge so they don't go bad/attract bugs. i decide against it - no one can see the way we left the house. mr. travel mate tells me to put it out of my mind. so i do. kind of. i only brought it up aloud a {full} handful of times whilst abroad.

and the results of my forgetfulness? i returned home to a horrible smell. and a seriously, unbearably warm and humid apartment. and some soft, slightly moldy blueberries on the kitchen counter. can blueberries smell that much? this a big place {i call it the warehouse}. 

uh-oh. the apples. the apples {from our honeycrisp outing} were not a result of the travel scatter. the apples were a calculated decision. they have always survived just fine without refrigeration. i immediately dove into the bag and found some of the ginger golds completely soft, not leaking any moisture, but stomach turning nonetheless. no flies. thank goodness, no maggots {i would have died}. i continue pulling out every apple, feeling each along the way. everything else seemed okay. somewhere i missed the part where the AC was switched off, creating less than ideal conditions for apple survival. {i'm glad to report we've each had positive experiences with our subsequent apple consumption}

and the result of the herbs, the cause of the last-minute scatter? they looked hopeless. after giving them a little shake, the pictured pile resulted. mr. travel mate resigned to no more home-grown herbs this season. three days of watering later and the leaves look perfectly well tended. 

sunday scones: apricot, pecan, white chocolate chip

every week i ask where this week's scones rank amongst all scones prior. 

every week the answer is the same: "definitely in the top 3."

these were no exception. packed with chunks of fruit, "chocolate" and nuts, every bite was new and scrumptious.

while i can take credit for the actual recipe, the inspiration came from a description on the cooking channel's show Unique Sweets of a scone from Baker and Banker in San Francisco {a food destination i must get to}.

sunday, september 11th: Apricot, Pecan, White Chocolate Chip Scones
yield: 8 scones

2 cups flour
3 Tablespoons sugar
1/2-ish teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 Tablespoon-ish fresh ginger, grated
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup-ish dried apricots, diced
1/2 cup pecans, roughly chopped and toasted
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk and vanilla. Add the apricot pieces. Chill until ready to use.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugars, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and ginger. Pulse to well combine. (the flour mixture should be fragrant) Add butter. Pulse to form a coarse meal with pieces of butter no larger than pea-sized. Add 1/4 cup white chocolate chips. Pulse a couple times to chop the chocolate a bit and combine.

Transfer mixture to a separate mixing bowl and add the pecans and remaining 1/4 cup white chocolate chips. Toss to evenly distribute. Remove the soaked apricot pieces from the buttermilk into the flour mixture. Toss to distribute. Slowly stream in the buttermilk, mixing gently until the dough just holds together. Turn out onto a work surface or sheet of plastic wrap. Knead gently to pull in any crumbs. If prepping in advance, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Pat dough into a large disc, about 3/4-inch thick. Fold in half or thirds and pat out to 3/4-inch thickness. Fold in half or thirds one more time. Pat into a disc about 1-inch thick. Cut into 8 wedges. Arrange on baking sheet. Brush tops with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar {again, i used my sparkling sugar}.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden.

Enjoy!

scenes from this weekend...

a wonderful weekend...

{beautiful gala apple}

...in an apple orchard.

with a plan to fill my gut with apples and other wonders from the farm's kitchen, i started my day with a glass of freshly made green juice (not pictured). and, since i hate produce waste, i could make good use of some greens threatening death and start the produce clearing process before leaving for a week. it was bright and refreshing with the spicy zip of ginger.

we forwent our saturday scone tradition in lieu of fresh apple cider donuts and coffee.

{sugared apple cider donut}

i didn't think to capture a shot the donut in its right setting: atop a small stack of napkins, next to a paper cup of coffee, all set at a wooden picnic table. the weather was perfect. cool enough to enjoy sitting in the sun and still be able to enjoy hot coffee. the perfect starting note of the day.

the donut wasn't too sweet. a coating of cinnamon sugar complimented both the cakey donut and the coffee.

when we finished, we were off to get our collecting bag. we went with the larger option, as the smaller one didn't look like quite enough {though i'm sure a peck would be sufficient for two normal folk, i love my fruit}

once amongst the trees, our eyes bulged like the proverbial kids-in-a-candy store. we couldn't wait to get our hands on the jewel of the apple season that is the honeycrisp. we plucked a well-blushed {and massive} specimen from the first tree we reached. balanced. with an acidity that cuts the sweetness. juice ran down our hands as we hunted for apple perfection.

our first row was lined on one side by honeycrisps and galas on the other. a beautiful apple, galas just don't offer enough flavor for me to justify adding them to my bag. however, since i was not hunting solely for myself, we threw in a few for good measure.

once my picking partner had deemed our honeycrisp collection sufficient, we moved on to the ginger gold - a young golden delicious varietal. deciding i needed a sample, i pulled a small one for immediate enjoyment. i should have tried one earlier. it was a close rival to its orchard-mate. the dwindling space in our half-bushel bag was almost enough to start throwing apples overboard to make room (the galas perhaps? he tried one in the field and decided they were not so glorious as the appeared. so why not? remember, i'm not a waster.) so i made due with the space we had, leaving just enough for one last stop.

{our 17-plus pound apple haul}

when we'd first arrived to the fields we were surprised to learn we could gather both apples and peaches...so we did.

{a pretty peach in her tree}

being the last peach-picking weekend of the season, i'm sure in weeks past the trees hung heavy with sweet fruit. that said, it took little effort to find plenty of heavenly, tree-ripened bulbs (some the size of large apples). 

{our modest peach harvest: more than seven pounds}

once home, the remainder of the day was comprised mostly of football watching highlighted by a visit to a yummy food truck.

{mama kim's: beef bulgogi with rice and kimchi, veggie dumplings}

mama kim's is our first and only experience with Korean barbecue. how we've thus far not experienced such cuisine is a sad thing indeed. not much a beef-eater, the shaved beef bulgogi dish is one that i now can't pass up.

a great end to a great day.

{apricot pecan white chocolate chip scones}

sunday started with scones and kept us on the couch with NFL sunday ticket. it also featured way too much taco dip (not pictured - sadly).

a delicious weekend.

next weekend: wisconsin

rain. the ultimate plan dampener.

creature of habit: part I

routine. 

three day weekends often knock me for a loop. 

sometimes i'm thrown off my game for a day. and sometimes it rains.

this week was gloomy. tuesday's weather didn't help me get back to normalcy, but it was only one day. wednesday only brought more of the same. i'd barely budged from the couch and the house showed it. i'd let myself get sucked in to the gloom. but i still had two days to set it right.

thursday i woke up, made the bed {one chore that i did manage to complete all week}, brewed a fresh pot of coffee, tidied up the kitchen, opened the window. i had decided today was the day. after breakfast, i got myself ready to make my first gym appearance of the week. it was still early. before 8 and all i had to do was finish my water. i would head over in about 15 minutes...

and then something happened.

to say it started raining would be a vast understatement. even though i detest local news, i'd watched enough in the first half of the week to see the rain was supposed to start clearing on thursday. what actually happened it further proof that the weatherman has the best job: zero expectations. where else is it acceptable for people to expect you to get it wrong?

the sky had opened up and any moment that the weather hinted at breaking only brought another deluge. it wasn't too late to go. as long as the weather cleared out before 10a i would still get myself over there. {a little early in the day to throw in towel? since my life-mate is a fickle gym-mate, i try to squeeze in a mini workout in the morning in anticipation of him getting stuck at work late or simply not wanting to go - most often the case} 10 came and went and the rain kept coming. the day was washed out. {and no, that motivation didn't return for an afternoon stint}

so instead i prepped the scone dough for the weekend {you'll find out the sort next week} and did some other miscellaneous pick-up around the house.

Friday is a new day...with sun!

creature of habit: part II.

traditions. 

scones.

saturday, september 3rd: Toffee, Bacon, Toasted Pecan Scones
yield: 8 scones

2 cups flour
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2-ish teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
10 slices bacon, crisped and crumbled
1/2 cup pecans, roughly chopped and toasted
1/2 cup toffee bits
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

{you know the drill}

In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk and vanilla. Chill until ready to use.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour sugars, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Pulse to well combine. Add butter. Pulse to form a coarse meal with pieces of butter no larger than pea-sized. Add bacon. Pulse to combine.

Transfer mixture to a separate mixing bowl and add the pecans and toffee. Toss to evenly distribute. Slowly stream in the vanilla buttermilk, mixing gently until the dough just holds together. Turn out onto a work surface or sheet of plastic wrap. Knead gently to pull in any crumbs. If prepping in advance, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Pat dough into a large disc, about 3/4-inch thick. Fold in half or thirds and pat out to 3/4-inch thickness. Fold in half or thirds one more time. Pat into a disc about 1-inch thick. Cut into 8 wedges. Arrange on baking sheet. Brush tops with egg was and sprinkle with sugar {i've been using sparkling sugar, which i love} and a touch of finishing salt {i wanted to use maldon or flour de sel but all i've got is kosher which worked just fine}

Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden.

Sweet & salty heaven. Enjoy!

teamwork and a glass of pinot gris

{eggplant parmesan}

i think it was by mistake that i wasn't born italian.

i love italian food. i love the smell of italian food. i love to eat italian food. i even love to make italian food.

i'm comfortable making red sauce. meatballs. david thinks i should sell my garlic bread. it comes so naturally. it's all in the taste.

my favorite dish is eggplant parmesan. it's one of those dishes that no matter how many other things sound good on the menu the eggplant's allure usually pulls me in. but i've never made it. until the other night. and it was so good. restaurant good.

and the process was a pleasure.

it's a lot of steps. i pulled together a quick marinara. clean. tomato-y. yummy. easy. then the work started. i thinly sliced and prepped the eggplant then i recruited a sous and opened some wine. those two steps made all the difference.

we formed a prep line. i was flour, egg, bread crumbs. he was the frying man. it took some time to get through all the eggplant. the wine helped when it felt like we'd never finish. and eventually we did. i layered the "meat" with the sauce and cheese (we through some fresh mozzarella in with the parmesan). after a half hour in the oven. the beauty above landed on our plates.

and it was love.

i loved it. david loved it. love went into it and you could taste it.

and since there are only two of us we can enjoy the result a few more times.


p.s. our grocery cashier asked "uh...what is this?" when it was time to scan the eggplant. seriously america, there is more to the veggie world than carrots and corn.