Lemon Lavender Scones

Just read the title and think about what those would mean to you. Fresh, light, Spring-timey? I would have to say these involve everything you're thinking of and then some. I swear, I ate one of these fresh from the oven and almost died of happiness. I'm pretty sure my roommate Cayci and I melted onto the counter at the same time in awe. I only wish they hadn't disappeared so fast that I didn't get a picture of them.

The best part about baking these for our girl's plus two boys trip was watching the first time the boys ate them. I said "Hey guys I brought some lemon lavender scones, y'all want some?" While the boys just stand there, looking wary and go "Well, um, alright, I guess so." Clearly not trying to hurt my precious feelings. Jump to them stealing the entire bag from me while we're in Charleston and polishing them all off. Way to go me.

I got the recipe from Food + Words and all I can say is genius. I pulled a few other things out of my sleeve on this one, and since I can't give ALL my secrets away, you'll just have to make these on your own and put your creative twist on them. Trust when I say they don't need much. They're damn near perfecto. Just make sure you land on something soft when you pass out from too much bliss.

Lemon Lavender Scones

Ingredients

For the scones:

zest of two lemons
1 tablespoon culinary lavender, finely ground (i used a coffee grinder, but a mortar & pestle would do)*
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cubed
1 large egg
1 egg yolk (reserve the egg white for brushing the tops of the scones before baking)
1 cup heavy cream

 *I had no idea if she meant fresh or dried and could only find fresh lavender fyi.

For the glaze:

4 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice (use the two lemons you zested above!)
2 cups confectioners' sugar
finely ground culinary lavender, for sprinkling atop scones

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and set aside.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine sugar, lemon zest, and lavender. Pulse a few times to combine and allow the zest to release its essential oils. Add flour, baking powder, salt and butter to the food processor, and pulse until the mixture resembles cornmeal.

In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, egg yolk and cream. Add egg mixture to flour mixture, and pulse until just combined. Turn dough onto a well-floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll dough to approximately one inch thickness. You can use biscuit or cookie cutters to cut out scones, or simply cut them into squares.

You can also separate your dough into two balls, and roll each one into a circle. Then, using a knife or bench knife, cut the circle so you have eight pieces, much like you would a pizza. Arrange scones onto baking sheet, about two inches apart. Brush tops of scones with reserved egg white, and sprinkle with granulated sugar.

Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until pale golden. If glazing, allow to cool completely. Then drizzle glaze liberally atop cooled scones, topping with reserved ground lavender.

You can wrap the unglazed scones individually with plastic wrap and foil, and place them in a freezer-safe zip-top bag and freeze them for a week or two, and simply heat them in a 350F oven for a few minutes to warm them up, then glaze and serve!

The glazed scones will keep stored in an airtight container at room temperature for three to four days.

Cinnamon Walnut Braid

Sooo this recipe left a little something to be desired. I'm not quite sure if I did everything right (considering I was working off of two recipes) or what, but I'm going to try and give some pointers on this to make yours turn out better than mine did. Now my friends will tell you this was reaaally good while just lying to my face. But no. It wasn't. It was average. I'm not a fan of average.

So let's start with this situ down below. First off, when you let the yeast activate and rise, don't do it in this oven scenario. I can guarantee you you're going to put it in there and it's going to semi-bake and then your dough will end up tough and dry. Case-in-point: my bread. Just do the traditional dark, warm place and let it double in size on it's own and you will be fine. The second thing I would suggest is to possibly double the filling. Trust me, unless you want this bread to not be that sweet and have only a hint of cinnamon, then you need to double it. Lastly, you don't have to use Almond milk for the glaze. Feel free to use some of the whole milk you used in the bread or whatever's in your fridge (NOT buttermilk, random but just saying). Other than those things I think the rest is fine. Bon chance and let me know how your's turns out!

P.S. You might think making the braid would be easy (if you're a girl and braid your hair often), but I hate to tell you I had to YouTube it. I am only slightly ashamed of myself. It was confusing, get off me.

Cinnamon Walnut Braid

Ingredients

Bread:

1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup whole milk, lukewarm (about 110F)
1/2 cup water, lukewarm (abut 110F)

1 package dry yeast

1 egg

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup butter

3 Tbs Sugar

Filling:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 tbsp butter, melted

Glaze:
3 tbsp powdered sugar
2 tsp unsweetened almond milk

Directions

For the dough, preheat oven to 200F for 10 minutes and then turn oven off.

In your mixer bowl add milk and water. Sprinkle 1 package dry yeast over and mix well.  Add 2 eggs lightly beaten. 

Mixing at low speed add 2.5 cups all purpose flour. The dough will be slightly sticky, don't be tempted to add more flour.

With greased hands shape the dough in a ball and place it into an oiled bowl. Place in warm oven for 30-45 minutes, or until doubled in size.

For the filling, combine granulated sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl.

Divide dough into three equal pieces and roll each piece into a long skinny rectangle, about 12 inches by 4 inches. Brush each piece with 1/2 tbsp of butter and sprinkle each with a 1/4 of the cinnamon mixture (reserving last 1/4 for top of bread). Sprinkle each piece with a 1/4 of the walnuts. Roll up each rectangle tightly so it forms a long skinny log and pinch the seam closed.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set each strand side by side with the seam on the bottom. Bring the ends together and then begin braiding the strands together. You can tuck the ends under neatly once you have finished the braid.

Place the braided bread back in the warm oven to rise for another 20 to 30 more minutes, until doubled.

Remove from oven and raise temperature to 375F. Brush braid with remaining melted butter, and sprinkle with remaining sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle with remaining walnuts, pressing lightly to adhere. Once oven is heated, bake 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool.

For the glaze, whisk powdered sugar and almond milk together until smooth. Drizzle over cooled bread.

The Most Delish Cupcakes Ever?

You'll have to be the judge, but so far I think these are the best cupcakes I have ever made. I only wish I had come up with the concept of them first (note to self: get on the 'being creative' train asap).  Anywho, I made these a couple of weekends ago for my girl's trip to Charleston, and I can say they were a hit. The many components of these cupcakes are good in and of themselves. The walnuts, the frosting, the cupcakes....makes my mouth water at the thought of them......oh, sorry, back to what I was saying. I got this recipe from Bakingdom during one of my many random Tastespotting.com searches. If you love cupcakes, you have got to try these. Although I do have to send an apology to my friend Sarah B-meyer since I know she hates anything orange (I have you another recipe coming soon my dear). But just because she's a weirdo picky, doesn't mean these won't make you happy! So do yourself a favor and bake these....now.

Orange Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Walnut Glaze and Cream Cheese Frosting
Makes 18 cupcakes

Ingredients

For the Walnuts:
8 ounces whole, shelled walnuts
3/4 brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup milk
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Cupcakes:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (the juice of one large orange)
1 tablespoon orange zest, finely grated (the zest of one large orange)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 ounces sour cream

For the Glaze:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon orange zest, finely grated
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup spiced walnuts, chopped

For the Frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Extra walnuts, small orange wedges, and flake sea salt, for garnish (optional)

Directions

To make the walnuts: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread the walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely before stirring into candy.

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, milk, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk over medium high heat until all of the ingredients combine completely, then stop stirring and bring to a boil. Boil the mixture gently until it reaches 240 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and carefully stir in the vanilla, avoiding the spluttering. Immediately stir in the walnuts, working as quickly as possible to coat them all. Spread the walnuts on a baking sheet lined with a Silpat mat or parchment paper. Use a fork to break apart any big chunks. Be careful, as the nuts will still be quite hot. Allow to cool completely before serving or packaging.

To make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners, or generously grease and flour a muffin or popover pan.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a large bowl, or the bowl of a standing mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl between additions. Stir in the zest, juice, and vanilla until thoroughly combined. Add one-third of the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Stir in half of the sour cream until just mixed in. Repeat this process with the remaining flour and sour cream until all of the ingredients are combined. Scrape the bowl, then stir the batter for another 20 to 30 seconds to make sure everything is mixed in.

Fill the prepared muffin or popover pans with 2 level tablespoons of batter in each cup. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes for standard cupcakes, or 10 to 12 minutes for popover cupcakes, or until the tops are just turning light golden brown. Transfer to a wire cooling rack (if using a popover pan, flip the cupcakes out onto a clean, dry towel that is draped over a cooling rack) and allow to cool completely before glazing and frosting.

To make the glaze: Combine the brown sugar, water, butter, and orange zest in a small saucepan set over medium high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the mixture has reached the consistency of syrup. Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla until combined, then add the walnuts. Allow to cool for about 20 minutes before drizzling over the cooled cupcakes.

To make the frosting: In a large bowl, or the bowl of a standing mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter together until completely combined. Add the sugar, one cup at a time, beating well between each addition. Stir in the vanilla until thoroughly combined. Beat the mixture well, until light and fluffy, adding up to a tablespoon of heavy cream, if the frosting is too stiff.

My Return to the Blogosphere

 My goodness it's been a long time. A long, long time. But I am fairly certain that I'm back in action. I believe this makes me a dirty liar since I've said this a few times before, but this time it's real. A lot of things have been going on in my life over the past 6 months. New apartment, new roommates (other than myself and Holden), a new job...so much. In addition to all that, I just really wasn't in a good blogging place. I was really unhappy with how things were going in my life and didn't want to bring all that negativity out into the world. Plus I wasn't baking, so my material was in short supply lol.

Since I have removed the most toxic unhappiness from my life, I felt it was the best time to start blogging (and baking) again! So yaaay get excited!

This past weekend, as you all know, was the 4th of July. I spent my holiday in Charleston, SC with some of my best friends having the most ridiculous reunion I could have asked for. Expectations = blown away. This also gave me a great excuse to bake. And bake I did. Sweet Jesus. There were 8 of us and I probably made enough for 20 people. But that's beside the point. They all enjoyed them and I'm here to share them with you! Since I made three different treats, I feel like another post is necessary as to not make this one 80 pages long. But I hope you enjoy them as much as my friends did, and all that's to come! I will now leave you with some pictures of my weekend. I miss Charleston already.

                                                   Folly Beach!

                                          Me and Roomie on the way down

                                                    Dinner at Coast

                                                    Old Roomies

                                                    Pineapple Fountain!

Fly Me to the Moon....

(Via)

So did anyone get to see the Lunar Eclipse the other night/morning? Unfortunately (even though I stayed up) my view was completely covered by clouds so I didn't get to see anything. Stupid clouds....but I'm not bitter or anything. I guess I'll have to rely on this cool progression of the eclipse by Briana Fahey. Hope you all are having a fab week and getting ready for Christmasss!!

Loveable Quotes

 (Via)

"Every woman wants a man who knows what good sweet tea is, loves to shag to beach music, knows just how much bourbon to add to her coke at football games, goes fishing and drinking with the boys, but he still opens the door for her, says thank you, never walks out of the room without kissing her, and calls to say I love you. That's a real southern man."

"Unless it’s mad, passionate, extraordinary love, it’s a waste of your time. There are too many mediocre things in life. Love shouldn’t be one of them."

- Dream for an Insomniac

"A woman without curves, is like jeans without pockets, you don’t know where to put your hands."

- Italian proverb

 

"Being single used to mean that nobody wanted you. Now it means you’re pretty sexy, and you’re taking your time deciding how you want your life to be and who you want to spend it with."

- SATC

All (Via) 

 

(Via) 

"Sometimes it takes darkness and the sweet confinement of your aloneness to learn that anything or anyone that does not bring you alive is too small for you."

- David Whyte

(Via)

Getting in the Spirit

So unless you live under a rock (or not in the South) you would have heard that USC lost the ship. And by "lost" I actually mean we brutally got our asses kicked and rubbed into the dome turf by Auburn. I've been a little depressed by it which is why I haven't written all week. Hah you know I'm lying, I've just been lazy per usual. But don't think I haven't noticed I'm not the only one. Most of the blogs I read, which are usually updated once or twice a day, have been a little lax on the posts.  Anyway, don't you worry because I promise I will not slip into oblivion again. Since it's the holidays and I am of course terrible with money broke, I am putting my baking skills to use and creating all kinds of goodies as gifts.

Every year when I was growing up my madre and I would bake our little hearts out and then she would gift them to co-workers, friends, the mail lady, pretty much whoever, considering we ended up baking so many she was practically tossing them at people to get them out of the house. And these days knowing how my curvaceous figure works I would've done the same. Regardless I plan on baking about 6 different types of cookies which I will be posting the recipes, and my great granny Hisle's banana bread, but unfortunately for you guys that one's staying locked up since it's a family secret I enjoy keeping. And allll of that is happening this weekend. I plan on cranking up the Christmas tunes and baking my little heart out. Wish me luck, because I'm def going to need it!

SEC Championship 2010

(Via)

I am so excited. This weekend is the SEC Championship game, in which my Gamecocks will be playing! Not only are they playing, but the game is right here in Atlanta. All I can say is this is about to be a ridiculous weekend. And naturally I'm starting to feel sickly. Joy.

So when I say this will be a ridic weekend, I mean it for about a billion reasons. Well really only a couple, but still. Starting tonight I have friends coming into town to stay with me. Seven people to be exact. Now lets lay this out. I live in an apartment with approximately 750 square feet of space. Ahem. Thank God my lovely friend Meghan has offered to house some of my biffs while they are in town. On top of that we have toonnss of events planned in addition to watching the game. Overall I'm super excited to be reunited with all of my friends from everywhere, in my town for once! I'm not sure who's going to win the game, even though according to ESPN, every state except for SC and Utah (or something) believes that Auburn is going to win, but I will definitely keep you guys posted. Not that I really need to, I mean unless you don't read a newspaper, or watch the news, or live. GO COCKS!  

Still I Rise

You may write me down in history

With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I’ll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
‘Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I’ll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.

Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don’t you take it awful hard
‘Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines
Diggin’ in my own back yard.

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I’ve got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history’s shame
I rise
Up from a past that’s rooted in pain
I rise
I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.

- Still I Rise by Maya Angelou 

(via) 

I read this today and felt quite inspired. Then I felt like sharing my inspiration. 

Turkey Time

Right now I'm in Charlotte celebrating the second best holiday ever with my surrogate fam, the Sharps. My parents are in Oak Island for Thanksgiving, and since I am broke, I kind of have to choose between flying up there for Christmas or Thanksgiving, so I choose Christmas! Anyway, I'm so excited for the simple fact that I get to eat a ridiculous amount of food tomorrow, and not care. It's the simple things in life you know. But before I can do that, I have to submit myself to the neighborhood Turkey Trot 5K. I semi-fear for my life. I don't think I've run anywhere in at least 3 months. Now granted I have been doing ridiculous cardio workouts, so it's not like I've been sitting on my bum the entire time, but still. I'm scared.

I've been going through the blogs I read on a regular basis, and a lot of people are saying what they're thankful for. I decided to join in, but I feel I'll probably be unoriginal. I'm thankful for so many things and people in my life. My families, friends, the fact that I have a job and can  live on my own, etc. My fams (including the Sharps clan) and friends have been there for me more times than I can count, and never ask for anything in return. I'm so lucky to have the people I do in my life, and I hope never to take them for granted, cause they're the bomb. End of story. I'll leave you guys with some pictures of the people I'm thankful for, and I hope you all have a happy Thanksgiving!

Me and my parents at my high school graduation

Madre and Steve 

Me and Sharpie at WVU

Some of my fave Atl ladies

  My Cola girls at Nicole's graduation

My presh second cousin baby Cole (and padre in the background)

The surrogate fam in Mexico

Presh little Holden

Happy Birthday Holden!

My precious baby Holden is one year old. I cannot believe it. It was a year ago that my tiny little shih tzu was born, and a week from then that I got to meet him. When I went to pick out my new puppy, I'm not exactly sure what drew me to him out of the other five or six litter mates. I mean it's really a toss-up when you think about it. When puppies are that small you really have no idea how they're going to turn out. They don't even have personalities until weeks later. But Iiiii dunno, I knew he would be mine from the start.

After I picked him out I was sure I was going to name him Beau. And that was his name until about a week after he came home with me. I was watching the Today Show (per my morning ritual) the day after JD Salinger passed away, and they were talking about his most popular novel Catcher in the Rye. (If you know nothing about me, you should know I am a big reader.) The main character in the novel's name is Holden, and pretty much as soon as I heard it I knew that's what his name was going to change to. Opposite to the protagonist in the novel, my Holden is a lazy bum. I don't think people understand when I say that, because when he sees people he goes nutso and wants to be right on top of them. But when he's with me...couch potato for sure. For example, right now he's spread eagle on the kitchen floor.

Regardless, he is, for all intents and purposes, my little child and I love him as such. I could get really cheesy right now, but I'll refrain. Anywho, happy birthday to him! Too bad he's neutered and can't have any bday fun he's at the beach right now with madre, Steve, and their brood of dogs, haha justtt kidding because I'm sure he's running allll over the place (thanks mom)!

Product Review: Larabar

I was reading one of the many blogs I follow a couple of weeks ago, when I came across a post Brittney made about Larabar. I've been doing really intense workouts lately with Insanity and group classes, so I've been hungry allll the tiimmee. When I started Insanity I didn't really change the amount of food I was eating, so come 4:00 I would be starving in the office. Not to mention extremely fatigued and lacking the energy I needed to survive Shaun T. So when I saw Brittney mention these, and how they were great for a pre-workout boost, I thought they'd be the perfect solution! And boy was she right.

These bars are all natural, gluten free, and low in sugars. They also come in a multitude of flavors. I'm not gonna lie, not all of them are good, Cashew Cookie being one of them in my opinion. I have yet to try them all but some of my favorites are Pecan Pie, Banana Bread, and Lemon Bar. The majority of them are delish, but don't take my word for it, go try one yourself!