Archive for the ‘life’ Category

Last week my husband and I celebrated our wedding anniversary.

We now have an entire four years of wedded bliss to our credit.

Have I ever introduced my husband to you? He’s quite the guy. This is the man I was crazy about in college, but never dreamed I’d actually end up with. Life can be good like that.

Back in our dating days, I had a coconut-lime body spray that I wore a lot. Every once in a while I get a whiff of something coconut-lime, and suddenly I’m in college again, and we’re taking a slow walk around the stadium on a warm summer night, and going out for ice cream, and the feel of his hand in mine is still novel and exciting. That’s what coconut-lime does to me.

Whew. Mushiness aside. Let’s talk scones.

These are everything you could ask for in a scone. Fluffy, moist, rich, flavorful, all of the above. . . The secret? Cream, my friends. Heavy cream. Don’t fight it. And don’t work the dough any more than you absolutely must, once you add the liquids to the dry ingredients. I also threw these in the freezer for about 15 minutes before baking them. It helped them keep their shape and rise better. If you go that route, increase the baking time a bit so they won’t be underdone.

You won’t be knocked over the head by the lime flavor, but there’s a definite citrus presence here, which plays well with the coconut. I think I struck a pretty good balance, but if you prefer one flavor over the other, go ahead and play around with it.

Happy anniversary, Love. Here’s to many, many more.

Coconut Lime Scones

1-3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons sugar

2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

5 tablespoons cold butter, cut into pieces

3/4 cup flaked coconut

1/3 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 egg

zest from 3 limes

1/2 teaspoon coconut extract

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Add the cold butter and rub it in until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Stir in the flaked coconut.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients. Add to the dry ingredients, and stir just until the dough comes together. Knead gently a couple of times, and shape into an 8″ circle. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cut into 10 wedges, and separate the wedges slightly.

Bake for about 15-16 minutes, or until they are golden brown. These are best if eaten within a couple of hours after removing from the oven.

I think this little muffin baked long enough, don’t you? He turned out perfectly.

This sweet boy decided to surprise us by coming on his big brother’s birthday. I was just getting ready to put together a Curious George cake when, uh-oh, my water broke. New plans for the evening! Less than four hours later, we were holding a tiny 5 lb, 15 oz. bundle in our arms. And I fell in love.

This is life at its sweetest, friends. Forget all the discomfort and fatigue — I don’t think I’ve ever been happier. Honest.

So, I’ve only been home from the hospital for four days, and I’m already toying with the idea of playing in my kitchen instead of “napping while the baby naps.” Either (a) I’m feeling pretty good for having just given birth, (b) flour, sugar, and butter have a dangerously strong a hold on me, or (c) Christmas is in the air! Must. bake. goodies. I like to think it’s a case of (d) all of the above.

But my goodness, making the jump from a one-kid mom to a two-kid mom takes a little bit of shuffling. So stick with me, and I’ll be around. Promise.