Scones and Tea

I've been in a real scone mood lately. I just love having scones and fresh lemon curd. Yum!

I've been experimenting with scone recipes. I want something that's a little sweet, but still with that biscuit-like texture. Below is the recipe I've made up that I'm using now. I think I might lower the amount of butter in it just a tad next time and see how that goes. These are a little more cake-like in texture, but I LOVE the flavor.

I prefer my scones plain. I don't want chocolate chips or some other abomination in them. I just want the scone - flakey and buttery. I contend if the scone itself is perfect it doesn't need anything added in. However, watch me quickly and happily consume a scone of any sort that someone sits in front of me.

I think I like them plain because I love them with fresh lemon curd, and I just want those two flavors. But, if there's only butter for them, it's nice to have some additional flavors in them. I'm still experimenting to find the perfect lemon curd recipe. I'll share here when that happens.

In the meantime, here's my recipe for scones.

Patsy's Scones
1 3/4 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
2/3 cup milk

To brush on top:
one egg
1 Tablespoon milk
sugar to sprinkle on top

Mix dry ingredients and cut in butter with pastry blender. Add milk and mix just until blended. If you over-mix your scones will be tough.

Brush the top with the egg and milk mixture and sprinkle a little sugar on top.

Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown.
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Tomato Basil Soup

One of my favorite summer treats is tomato basil soup. I love dinner taking less than an hour from garden to table.

I have a variety of tomatoes growing, and I like the flavor of mixing them together. But, of course, you can do it however you wish. I scald them first to make them easy to peel, but you can skip that if you don't mind the peelings. I generally put the water on to boil before I go out to pick and by the time I'm back and the tomatoes are washed, the water is ready.



I just dump the peeled tomatoes in a pot, and I go ahead and put the basil in early. Chefs say the flavor isn't as intense if you do that, and I don't disagree, but I like having the milder flavor throughout the soup. And I use a generous amount.

You can see there are some yellow tomatoes, large red ones, and smaller roma ones in this mix, as well as the basil. The only other thing I add is a pinch of salt.

I don't add any water as the tomatoes are juicy enough on their own. I let them cook down until their water is cooked out and then I puree the tomatoes and basil. I put them back into the pot and add some cream to taste.



The final thing I do is sprinkle a little sugar on top. It will turn a darker color, and I then swirl that around just to make it look pretty. You can also garnish with fresh basil if you want.

The sugar cuts the acid of the tomatoes, and helps blend the flavors together.

Voila! Tomato Basil Soup! Yummy!
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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

I am looking for book clubs willing to read and critique my soon-to-be-finished novel. If your book club is interested, please email me at patsyterrell@gmail.com. Thanks!

Ginger Cookies for Tea

I'm busy preparing for the MHA's tea on Saturday. Today I made ginger cookies. Lots of ginger cookies.

I have a somewhat unnatural love of ginger cookies. They are the perfect accompaniment to tea as far as I'm concerned. Oatmeal cookies and ginger cookies are my two favorite kinds. Chocolate chip just doesn't do it for me in the same way.

This recipe is my favorite for ginger cookies. I've been making it since 1992. How do I know this? Because I wrote the first time I made it on the recipe. I do that sometimes - particularly if I make something for a particular person or event. These made their debut at the 1992 Christmas party.

Oh... and speaking of Christmas... I bought some ornaments at Hobby Lobby today. They're 40% off this week and I know from experience that they usually don't get additional shipments. So, if there's something you want it's the time to pick it up.

I'm sure I'll be making these cookies again before the holiday season is over. Enjoy!

Ginger Cookies

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup unsulfured molasses
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger

Cream the butter and sugar, add in egg and molasses. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Shape the dough into balls and roll in sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for about 8 minutes. These cookies will spread out as they bake, although less if you keep the dough chilled.

This recipe makes about 60 cookies or normal size, more if you're doing bite-sized tea goodies.

I like to mix them the night before and chill overnight in the fridge, but that is not necessary. I just find the dough easier to work with when it’s cold. Today I mixed them this afternoon and baked tonight.
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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.