Today is a good example of our typical mornings of late. About 7:15, wondering what to eat, I decide that I have enough clean dishes in the kitchen (having spent the greater part of yesterday evening at a baseball game--no time for dishes before collapsing into bed) to make scones. I've found a lovely English scone recipe in which I have--gasp!--doubled the butter to make a heavenly little biscuit. Pulled them out of the oven, poured my second cup of coffee, took it and two piping hot butter bombs plus wild blueberry jam outside to watch the chickens. Grace stumbled out in her jammies so we let the girls out for their morning explore and bath. It rained, again, last night and early this morning so there were plenty of bugs to peck at.
Samuel finally came down about 8:15, perked up immediately upon hearing about the doubled butter scones (he does not like them the normal way), and made himself a nice little plate. We all sat outside in the dappled sunshine and watched the chickens, the cats, and the dog. It's just beautiful out this morning. The grass is sparkling from the rain, a single line of spider's web stretches from the plum tree to a flowerpot on the deck, catching the sun right in the middle of its span. Warm scones, light breeze, sunshine and puffy white clouds. Magical.
After the girls have pecked and scratched and explored a bit they settle down in a pile of feathers, feet, and beaks on a small section of dirt. And then they become dopey. They let the kids pet them, pick them up, anything. They fluff and wiggle and kick up some dirt, push their heads under their neighbor's bottom, settle down again. Over and over again. It's mesmerizing.
Samuel with Martha.
It's a little hard to see, but the chickens are in the darkened foreground,
Tom and Fluffy are on the deck under the bench.
By this time I have changed their water, filled up their food, eaten my breakfast, drank my coffee, and tired of sitting outside not doing the laundry or the dishes or whatever else I should be doing at that moment. We herd the girls back into their coop, shut the door, and head back inside, the morning routine over, the magic over, the day on its way.
5 comments:
Oh, do share the recipe! Sounds wonderful.
You gave me a shock this morning! I didn't think anyone was reading this besides my mom :-)
English Scones
2 cups flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
8 T butter, cut in pieces
3/4 cup buttermilk or milk
Mix dry ingredients together in food processor, cut in butter to pea-sized pieces. Move mixture to bowl, mix in buttermilk with fork until elastic dough forms. Knead on floured counter 4-5 times, roll out to about 3/4" thick. Cut with 3" cutter, bake in oven on cookie sheet at 425 about 12-15 minutes.
By the way, the original recipe calls for 4 T butter, so the one I wrote out shows it doubled. Yummers.
Good morning, loved your recipe and will make up for a nice munch in the morning. My grandmother made a sourdough scone very similar and flaky. Will try to find and send to you. Hugs, Dory
Post a Comment