Two

I love the idea of blogging so much, but to be quite honest, I just can't seem to find my niche.  I think of using this space as more of a scrapbook, because my scrapbooking skills have diminished since high school (significantly).  I am going to, rather, use this space to document the rapid growth of my little one, a few projects at home, maybe some recipes and just some ideas. So here's an update on my two year old! 

But first: I'm working on my iphone photog, and I just can't get enough!

For instance, I can document my excitement for this deal of the year- a pair of emerald green flats for $1! Seriously, found these at Walmart yesterday.

And onto my Molly, whose live language=food. 

We got this while visiting Daddy on the farm- and here he is, driving to his tractor on a go cart, along with the trusty farm dog, Bulldozer. 

I caught this while driving, pardon the quality.  But check out that land- this is the dairy farm on which my husband was born and raised.  This land speaks to him, it's in him. I'll plan an entire farm post soon.

Buy for now, back to life with a two year old- complete with a 2year well visit.

Doesn't she look so well behaved here?! Well, don't fret- her true two year old form appeared seconds after, as the provider came into the room. Molly insisted "I havva go potty mummy" endlessly until I took her. Of course, she didnt pee but tried to wash her hands in the public toilet. We returned to the exam room just in time for a true tantrum. The diagnosis: a perfectly normal two year old!

She's lucky she's cute!

And a snippet from her birthday party, I don't know a time she was happier :)

(See?! She's participating in one of the games graciously planned by my sister)

Like potato sack racing!

But mostly, the child just enjoyed the fresh buttercream- but who can blame her?!

Here she is, enjoying a bowl of buttercream while my sister decorates cupcakes! Mmm

Happy 2nd birthday, my Molly.  I hope two is the best year yet ;)

Xo,

Lisa

The Garden

The garden, this year.  First of all, I should mention that I married a farmer.  We really don't have an excuse not to have a good garden.  But then, I must mention that we live in Pennsylvania- I have an excuse.  Have you witnessed this summer weather?!  Sheesh. All things aside, I'll say it's a keeper (minus the zucchini, which I keep tossing for unknown reasons).

I love seeing it come to life!  We patiently wait for vegetables a plenty.  Days spent scouring the garden in search of a ripe vegetable...

And the moment we find it-- gone.

By this little snake.

But then nap time comes, and I manage to gather a beautiful collection.  This time of year is by far my favorite- dinner becomes a secondary plan based on the day's garden variety.

This day:  tomato sauce and pasta.

And this: summer corn and zucchini soup.

Another pasta dish, and a nice summer white- courtesy of Dave Matthews.  Apparently he started making wine.  It was a nice crisp white wine, too- perfect for a summer day.

More on the garden and some recipes, until next nap time!

Happy summer, let's savor these last days.

And enjoy the bounty of the garden.

Lisa

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