There's nothing quite like a homemade scone

As promised, I am finally going to share a recipe with you.  Last night I decided it was time to use up some ingredients- more because it was bothering me to see them every time I opened the fridge rather than because they were going bad.  I had some heavy cream leftover from last weekend and of course the first thing I thought of to make with it was my go-to breakfast item- Scones.  I have probably made scones more than any other pastry, since I just love the contrast of the almost sour soft bread-like interior with the lightly crisp golden brown edges.  Not to mention the variety of possible additions depending on my mood, from fresh raspberries to dried cranberries to pumpkin to chocolate chips.  Scones are such a versatile food, and can be just as delicious no matter what you put in them.  So what's not to like?

Here is the recipe I came up with (after glancing at a couple others I found online for tips) for BLUEBERRY LEMON SCONES:

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt (I used sea salt for added kick)
Zest from one lemon
1 cup blueberries
1 1/4 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp. melted butter
Cinnamon sugar for sprinkling

1.  Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

2.  Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest in a large bowl.   Gently add blueberries until thoroughly mixed. 
3.  Make a well in the center and add the heavy cream and lemon juice, stirring slowly to combine.  (You may have to add more heavy cream if it is not sticky enough).  You will have a large ball of dough.
4.  Split the dough into three equal balls and flatten the tops slightly.  Cut each into quarters so that you have 12 scones.  Line them on the baking sheet, spacing at least 2 in. apart.  Brush tops with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
5.  Bake scones for 15-20 min. until golden brown.  Let cool on baking sheet for 5-10 min. 
*Although I got too impatient and didn't do this, I would recommend letting them cool (without covering) until room temperature so that the exterior is allowed to harden and not get soggy. 

Enjoy!

And the sewing continues

So the last time - and first time, actually - that I sewed something for myself was the costume I wore last year for the Dickens Fair, which you can see in my previous post about learning to sew.  Since then, I have not really had an occasion to make a costume or piece of clothing I would actually use.  I finally decided a couple weeks ago that it was time I used my machine again, since I don't want my purchase of it to have been a waste.  Plus I think it a good idea to practice every once in awhile so I don't lose the techniques I spent so much time learning.





 I hope to eventually get accustomed to cutting and measuring fabric using my own judgment, but for now I will continue to learn by use of patterns.  This one I grabbed at Joann was for a simple summer dress with elastic.  I figured this was a good next step since I have not used elastic before and would also have the freedom to choose almost any type of fabric I wanted.  Although I somewhat regret my decision now, as I find it a bit too stiff and shiny, I ended up with a flowery fabric that at first glance I found to be quite pretty. 





























Of course there are small details that I would go back and fix if I were to make this again, but for my first project in over 6 months, I don't think it turned out too shabby.  And that's all I have to say about that.  Time to clean up all the thread and bits of fabric strewn all over my living room...

Daydreaming about Africa...

So as I mentioned in my second blog post, I am flying off to southern Africa at the end of next month to visit a close friend.  This will actually be my second time on that continent, as I studied abroad (with this same friend, I might add) in the fall of my junior year at NYU in Ghana (2009).  If you'd like more details about that experience, I actually have an old blog that I kept while I was there: http://katianajones.blogspot.com/
I have to apologize in advance for my writing in that one, as I was usually in a hurry (we had very limited internet) and most of it came out in stream-of-consciousness. 

What's funny is that before going to Ghana, I had this idea in my head of what most of Africa was like.  I pictured going on a safari, visiting ancient archaeological sites, and living out in a hut in the wilderness.  But of course what I experienced was completely different, and something I still have a hard time explaining.  I am aware of what most people imagine when I do describe particular places or events, since- and I know I'm using a cliche here- you really have to have been there to know what it was like.  Let me just share with you some highlights:

  

Canopy walk in Kakum National Park

Seeing people carry things like this every time I walked down the street, like it was no big deal.

   

Seeing these awesome lizards running around!

Swimming under a 70 meter high
waterfall (the tallest in West Africa)

Learning an ancient warrior dance

Getting bit by a monkey at a zoo

View on the beach at sunset

And now that I'm going to Botswana and South Africa, I will finally get to do what I had dreamed about my entire life.  I will get to see some of the wildlife that is unique to the African continent.  That's not all, of course; I plan to visit some archaeologically significant sites, museums, and whatever else my friend Daniella has in store for us.  Although we have not settled on a schedule yet, I have a basic idea of what I hope to do:

1. Spend time in Maun, the capital city of Botswana, where Daniella currently lives
2.  Take a canoe trip along the Okavango Delta 
3. Visit Chobe National Park, home of hundreds of elephants as well as other wildlife
3.  Travel to Johannesburg and stay with another of our friends from the NYU Ghana program who happens to live there
4. Visit Nelson Mandela's house, the Apartheid museum, and whatever else is recommended in that city
5. Take a day trip to the Cradle of Humankind, home of some of the oldest hominin fossils ever found
6.  Possibly travel down to Lesotho, the Switzerland of Africa, to go hiking
7. Visit Cape Town (where dwell the only penguins on the African continent!)

I leave San Francisco on Saturday August 24th, arriving in Johannesburg on Sunday evening.  I then leave Johannesburg on Tuesday, September 10, arriving back in San Francisco on Wednesday morning.  :)

Baking as an Art

Croissants

For those who know me, you already understand how important baking is in my life.  No matter where I am- an apartment in NYC, a small dorm with gas ovens in Ghana, out in the woods of the Yukon, or at home with my parents- I will find a way to do it.  Baking is not only a means of getting through the day (although some days it is the only thing), but to me it has always been the means of bringing people together.  Many recipes I go back to time and again are ones that I associate with particular people or events, and the biggest motivation to actually cook or bake is to see the reactions of others as they enjoy the results.  Of course much of what I choose to make is for selfish purposes- I tend to bake whatever I am in the mood for on a particular day or whatever new challenge I want to conquer.

Vanilla macarons

Nutella crepes

But I have to say I am most proud of the creations that are produced solely for a particular person or event, because those are the ones that allow me to be the most creative.

 From left to right: Bailey's Chocolate chip cheesecake for St. Paddy's day, Vanilla web cake with candied ginger spider, Chocolate peanut butter cake with Hunger Games fondant decorations for a friend's birthday.

In the future I will share the recipes along with my creations for those who want to tackle them or who are just interested in the process I go through.  I have a tendency to use whatever ingredients and materials I have on hand, so be warned that I have no professional experience and merely do all of this just for my own amusement.  To me, baking is definitely an art- The mixing of simple ingredients in the correct amounts in order to create something so beautiful and delicious.  And if one decides to add more decoration, it becomes even more appetizing to the eyes and taste buds.  I can't say it's not work, but I absolutely love the entire process.   Especially since the reward- eating and sharing the finished product- is so worth it.

 

 

Secret Pie Party in the back of the "pedo-van" in the Yukon