Fresh blueberry scones

Blueberries are in excess around here these days (and that's in no way a bad thing).

I've been planning to bake and freeze and can, but one little girl keeps eating my main ingredient.

However, I've had my heart set on making scones and managed to keep some fresh berries to myself.  I'm a self-proclaimed foodie, and I just can't find a better texture than that of a scone.  Obviously the amount of butter plays a role, so I've been holding off on making scones until I researched it enough to get them just right!  As much as I researched online, my Grandmother's old church cookbook had the best recipe (which I did tweak slightly).  These were well worth the wait!

Fresh Blueberry Scones

1 cup white whole wheat flour (original recipe used 2 c. all purpose)

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup sugar

1 stick unsalted butter, frozen and shredded/cut into small pieces

1/2 cup buttermilk (I subbed whole milk + 1 tsp. vinegar combined for 5 minutes)

1 egg, lightly beaten

milk and sugar for top of scones

(Okay, I read this in a 50+ year old cookbook, so it's obviously genius.  Grate the frozen butter with a cheese grater for best texture! Amazing.)

Combine flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt and sugar in mixing bowl (I do have a stand mixer, but this barely needs mixed, so I just used a fork.)

Create a small well, and after mixing egg with buttermilk (or make-shift buttermilk in my case), add wet ingredients to dry ingredients.

Mix with fork just until blended, dough will seem dry but don't worry, the frozen/grated butter is on its way.

Just toss with fork until combined, don't over mix (per my 50+ year old cookbook's rule).  Put the dough onto a floured surface and knead a few times (I really just moved it around 2 or 3 times to incorporate a little more flour), or until it comes together.  Add the fresh blueberries and gently knead the dough (1-2 times) until combined.  Shape into a square and cut into triangles, or scone shapes!

Add to parchment lined baking sheet (apparently I'm out of parchment- I used an ungreased cookie sheet), brush with milk and sprinkle with 1-2 teaspoons of sugar.

Bake at 415F (again, I'm just following rules here) for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown.  Your house is about to smell like butter, seriously.  Enjoy with a cup of coffee- delicious!

Side note:  I'm obviously not a food photographer!

These are just the right texture, I promise- even though I didn't manage to capture it.

Happy berry picking, and berry baking!

xo,

Lisa

The Eagle Encounter

Molly and I were driving home one Wednesday afternoon this spring, and look what we found!

I could not believe my eyes, and sadly, the first thought that crossed my mind was "Jesse is never going to be believe this!"  With a little luck, I had my camera along that day, and snapped several photos of this beauty (who appears to be feasting on an unfortunate groundhog).

Molly proudly exclaimed "bird!" repeatedly as Mommy anxiously shared what little knowledge of our nation's symbol I could.  I'm not sure what seeing a bald eagle represents, but I think we've got some things happening this year.

Until our next bird post (which is likely upcoming considering our bird feeders are empty daily, and our annual spring turkey flock has arrived), enjoy!

Lisa

A white kitchen, finally!

The Vivian house is yearning for spring.   We're running out of projects to do inside the house (I never thought I'd say that)!  This winter, our big project was the kitchen.  When we moved into our house, we  rearranged some of the cabinets and stove/microwave to open the space, but I had dreamed of white cabinets from the moment I layed eyes on this kitchen.  It only took an entire year of begging Jesse to agree, but we have finally painted our cabinets!  This did not come without reservations, however.  We heard plenty of "those are oak!" comments, but I wasn't disheartened.  Oak or not, I wanted them white!

Some before photos:

And of course, our super star helper hard at work!  I think I spent more time chasing her and pulling things out of her mouth than painting, but then there was nap time!

And after, a refreshingly lightened and brightened space!  And I just love it here, mixing and flipping and baking and chasing the toddler.  It feels like a new space- it's so energizing!

I loved the idea of open shelving, so I took a door off the middle cabinet and we added some brackets- I just love the openness- I'm thinking of tearing down some more doors in the near future...

What you may be able to see out of that windows is the flock of turkey that hang out at our bird feeders-  Molly is so accustomed to a strutting gobbler in the yard that she runs by the window, yells "kurkey" and keeps going.  It's been a lot of fun watching them during my morning coffee.  I really hope they'll be back in a few weeks with their babies!

The shades are a diy approach I discovered at a friend's house using a vinyl mini blind, and I couldn't be happier with them.  I think they complete the cottage look I was going for.  The fabric was inspired by these shades at lifeingrace {the most beautiful kitchen}.

Of course, I have a wishlist of updates that I just couldn't get Jesse to agree on- including backsplash and new refridgerator, ripping out that bulkhead and taking the cabinets to the ceiling, new floors, a beverage station/bar and an espresso machine.  Keep posted, maybe one day they'll arrive!

Happy Spring!

xo,

Lisa