Friday, February 27, 2015

Scone Obsession

I know, SCONES, SCONES, SCONES! Lately, I've made more scones than anything else. Just this week I sent a batch out to my good friend Chris in Colorado who loves them just because, and another batch to one of my true BFFs, Sue. Sue, with her husband Pete, returned home to Michigan to be with her family and to say fare-well to her Dad Ken who passed away - the loss of an amazing and accomplished Veteran from the Tenth Army Division.

Other people send flowers or make donations - I bake. It's what I do...

My scones aren't true scones in the Irish or British sense. Mine are more like a scone-Danish hybrid. I make many, many layers of butter-studded dough, like a Danish. You can see the process here in a series of photos from a previous blog post, and of course, the finished product photo below:

Lemon swirl scones are a favorite! 

There's something so basic, so un-techy about making scones. The only mixing utensils you need are a bowl and a fork!  No high-tech gadgets, no fancy-schmancy mixer or food processor. A bowl and a fork - oh, and a measuring cup and some measuring spoons.

I love to share my scones so much that I am holding a raffle at the end of the month, winner to be announced April 1st. The winner, no matter where you are, will get a dozen of my full-sized scones. That's a $25 value! 

Here are some photos I took this morning of scones-in-the-making. I made strawberry swirl, brown sugar cinnamon raisin swirl, and maple walnut swirl (with maple syrup from Nightengale Farm in nearby Galway, NY! Take a look:

These will be brown sugar cinnamon raisin swirl scones!


And maple walnut, with pure, local maple syrup!

Hope you enjoy these little snippets of my scone-making obsession. Let me share a dozen with you - comment below (as anonymous with your name if you have trouble) and it might be YOUR name I announce on April 1st!

All the best,

Jeannie
Your Adirondack Baker



Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Hello!

Hello my friends! I have missed you! My cookbook project has been on the back burner, so to speak, with a busier-than-ever job (4 nights this week) and lots going on with grown kids and not-so-grown grandchildren. I am re-envisioning this ambitious project to be an e-cookbook, downloadable and affordable, with photos and text, of all my favorite recipes. So, bear with me as creative inspiration and time come and go! I am excited about it and hope you will be, too!

I don't know what it's like where you are, but here in Middle Grove, NY, USA, this winter has been horrendous with well-below average (well below zero!) temperatures all of February, and I am hoping that March will show us at least a few signs that spring is on its way. I'm headed to sunny F-L-A March 16-20 with my good friend Joanne, and I CAN NOT WAIT to be warm, to feel the sun, to smell the ocean, to do nothing but read and drink and walk on the beach and eat (repeat, repeat, repeat!). It'll be a short-but-sweet escape, and when we get back, spring will be that much closer. Anyway...

Needless to say, I haven't stopped baking. Thought you might like to see some of the more recent concoctions from my kitchen. And maybe an updated photo or two of Henry and Peter! Henry's about to be 7 in April (!) and Pete is 4 going on 12! Here are photos with blurbs.

Thanks so much for reading - I'll be back in the saddle soon, promise! And just to make things interesting, comment on this post (below) and one of you will be winning a dozen scones. I ship, so anyone can enter! I'll announce the winner on April 1st. Like old times! :)



4-layer pastel swirl cake
for soon-to-arrive baby Sophia's shower

And baby feet cookies for baby Sophia!

Martha Stewart's Banana Chocolate Swirl Bread

Pete my kitchen helper!

Ready for the celebration to begin!

Peter, me, and Henry at the
Tang Teaching Museum at Skidmore College (my workplace!)

For my boys...

My grand boys!

Scones galore! 

For my friend Lisa's wedding in
December - such a lovely bride!