New Recipe - Vanilla Scones

One of my very favorite things to do is bake.  Since I have an abundance of free time now that busy season is over and I get home before 11PM, I decided to make a treat to take to work and to bring home to Florence this weekend.

I saw the Pioneer Woman make these scones when I was catching up on DVR'd programs earlier this week.  They looked yummy and since I have a new obsession with drinking hot tea, I thought they would be good to try.

I'm a bit ashamed to admit that, in all my baking over the years, I'd never used a whole vanilla bean until yesterday.  To be honest, I never thought Wal-Mart would carry them.  I'm still not sure if they do or not, but since I shop at Kroger and Publix now, it's no longer a problem.

I really like these scones and will definitely make them again.  They are sweet, but not too sweet.  Someone at work asked if they were cookies, but the texture is more like a biscuit than a cookie.  I got rave reviews from my coworkers and was even asked for the recipe.  Definitely a go-to treat to bring to any breakfast or brunch occasion!

The only thing I would do differently is make more scones per recipe.  I think on TV, she made 24 scones from one batch of dough, but I either rolled mine out thinner or they just look smaller on TV.  I think I made about 36 (the first 24) were too big for my tastes.  I think when I make this again I will try to make 36 from the start.  There was nothing petite about the first batch out of the oven!

Overall, this is still two thumbs up!

Vanilla Scones - The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients


SCONES
■3 cups All-purpose Flour
■2/3 cups Sugar
■5 teaspoons Baking Powder
■1/4 teaspoon Salt
■2 sticks (1/2 Pound) UNSALTED Butter, Chilled
■1 whole Large Egg
■3/4 cups Heavy Cream (more If Needed)
■2 whole Vanilla Beans

GLAZE
■5 cups Powdered Sugar, Sifted
■1/2 cup Whole Milk, More If Needed For Thinning
■1 whole Vanilla Bean
■Dash Of Salt

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Split the vanilla beans down the middle lengthwise and scrape out all the vanilla "caviar" inside. Stir caviar into cream. Set aside for 15 minutes.
Sift together flour, 2/3 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt.

Cut cold butter into pats, then use a pastry cutter or two knives to cut the butter into the flour. Keep going until mixture resembles crumbs.

Mix vanilla cream with egg, then combine with flour mixture; stir gently with a fork just until it comes together.

Turn dough onto a floured surface and lightly press it together until it forms a rough rectangle. (Mixture will be pretty crumbly.) Use a rolling pin to roll into a rectangle about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch thick. Use your hands to help with the forming if necessary.

Use a knife to trim into a symmetrical rectangle, then cut the rectangle into 12 symmetrical squares/rectangles. Next, cut each square/rectangle in half diagonally, to form two triangles.

Transfer to a parchment or baking mat-lined cookie sheet and bake for 18 minutes, removing from the oven just before they start to turn golden. Allow to cool for 15 minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

VANILLA GLAZE

To make the icing, split one vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape out the caviar. Stir caviar into milk; allow to sit for awhile. Mix powdered sugar with the vanilla milk, adding more powdered sugar or milk if necessary to get the consistency the right thickness. Stir or whisk until completely smooth.

One at a time, carefully dunk each cooled scone in the glaze, turning it over if necessary. Transfer to parchment paper or the cooling rack. Allow the glaze to set completely, about an hour. Scones will keep several days if glazed.

Proverbs 31:25

I have tons on my mind lately and I'm feeling like certain things are completely out of my control.  I don't want to go into specifics, but I saw this earlier on another blog and it was the perfect time for me.  Maybe someone else out there needs some words of encouragement today...

"Strength and honor are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come." - Proverbs 31:25 (American King James translation)

Vacation, part 1

I'm slowly, but surely catching up on my sleep. I can't seem to sit still without falling asleep, so I've already had a nap every day we've been here! Unfortunately, I'm having trouble sleeping at night, for multiple reasons. Maybe if I skip the naps, sleep won't be so hard to find at night?

I've been reading a lot. I'm working on The Hunger Games now, but I'm not really hooked yet. Considering everything I've heard about the books, I'm sure I'll get into it soon.

We went shopping yesterday. Really, I should have gone alone since Mama hates to shop so much. I got not one, but two Coach purses (since the prices were so much lower than I expected) as well as shoes from Nine West and clothes from J. Crew and Banana Republic. Although typical Accountant attire (cardigans and sweater sets) so are boring, I'm set for summer! I did get several cute skirts and two pairs of linen pants, so that'll make my summer clothes a bit more interesting.

It's been rainy and blah all day today, so after going to church, it's wasn't hard to go back to sleep. Eastern time doesn't make it easy to get ready for 8:30 church! Mama and Daddy have been to First Methodist Church of Gatlinburg, so that's where we went this morning. The church is tiny (I think I attached the front of the bulletin that depicts the church) and is so different from any church I've attended, but it was nice, nonetheless. They have a pianist, but don't have a choir for the early service, so I'm afraid I had the strongest voice in the congregation. At least I knew the hymns and I wasn't afraid to sing out since I'll probably never see these people again. Maybe I've finally gotten over the 8th grade pre-All-State audition audition fiasco?

It's certainly not warm here like I expected it to be, but the gas logs are a nice touch and we've got Netflix to keep us occupied. I'm hoping the sun will come back out tomorrow.

I'm sure it sounds like we've done nothing substantial so far, but that's the point. I've been so stressed over the past few weeks and I need to decompress. The purpose of this trip is rest and relaxing and I'm certainly doing both!

Vacation

We (Mom, Dad, Emma and I) finally made it to the condo tonight. This morning was hectic and the end result was certainly not what I wanted, but we still headed East, as planned.

Mama snapped this picture with my phone once we arrived. I'm not usually a hat person, but I'm brought it as I was determined to spend some time in the pool-until I stuck a foot in and realized the heated pool wasn't heated. Oops...

I napped off the anesthesia from earlier today after my ill-fated pool attempt and now I can't sleep. It's supposed to rain tomorrow so I can sleep in until we decide to go shopping. I'm just used to going to sleep after midnight and it's just after 11 o'clock at home. I'm not going to be here long enough to get used to eastern time!

Emma keeps giving me the evil eye, so maybe I should turn the lights out. Night all!

Finally...

Tax day is upon us. All CPAs are breathing a sigh of relief--at least the ones of us that are tax accountants Today was horrible, but I only have one return to finish tomorrow. That should be manageable if I get the answers I've requested. I've been stressed beyond belief for the past week, but it's almost over. I won't work another 85 hour week until next April. Or maybe never again...

The best thing about all the hours I've been working is that my bonus will be big enough to splurge on a new purse. I rarely buy full-priced purses and carry whatever TJ Maxx bag I buy until it's literally falling apart. I decided that my present to myself would be a classic Coach bag. We're going to Gatlinburg (Lord willing) on Friday after I have a doctor's appointment at Vanderbilt and I plan to hit the outlets for some post-busy season retail therapy!

I left work early (9 o'clock) and needed to run some errands. First to CVS to use some super good coupons I got with a prescription refill. I'm now stocked up on many toiletries. CVS didn't have one thing I really wanted and I wanted a greeting card from Target, so I went the long way home to stop there. For reasons unknown to me, Target boxed up and put away all of their cards, so I went to Walgreen's instead. Why are 95% of the birthday cards either stupid or crude? I had a very hard time finding anything remotely appropriate.

Now I'm ready for bed, but my brain is wide awake. Either the fact that I haven't slept before midnight in weeks or all if the 5 Hour Energy that has been necessary to keep me functioning, I guess. It's going to be ugly starting on Wednesday when I stop drinking caffeine again. I should probably slowly taper off so I don't kill anyone! :)

On a side note, I'd appreciate prayers for my doctor's appointment on Friday. The last time I didn't get good news and I'm praying that all the stress of busy season hasn't made things worse. I'm pretty scared, to be honest, since medication only treats the symptoms and the "cure" is scary and life-altering. I definitely don't want to be "cured". My appointment is Friday at 10 o'clock.

You know you're from Alabama when...

I saw this on Facebook (yes, I check Facebook during the last minutes of busy season when I can't stand to look at a balance sheet for five minutes more) and thought reposting it with some of my own commentary would be funny.

1. You have a party or a barbeque whenever Alabama plays Auburn in football. Party, yes. Barbecue no. More like try not to freeze to death.

2. You go to Gulf Shores every summer. I actually haven't been since I was 20. We're Gatlinburg people now since I burn so easily.

3. You call the Atlanta Braves baseball team “us” like they’re actually from Alabama. The only team I'm really for are my Auburn Tigers. Although, if I had to pick a team, it would likely be the Texas Rangers since we have a family friend who works for the franchise.

4. You have family who would much rather visit Florida than California. Agreed. Personally, I have no use for California outside the Napa Valley.

5. You don’t “take”, you “carry” or “tote”… as in “You want me to carry you down to the 7-11?” Since when does Alabama have a SINGLE 7-11? I think a Yankee wrote this! I do speak more "Southern" around my family. I did with Grams in particular. However, I don't usually speak this way in everyday conversation.

6. A soft drink isn’t soda, cola, or pop, it’s Coke. Yep. I can tell you're not from around here if you call it anything other than Coke.

7. You call it a “buggy” and not a shopping cart. Guilty.

8. You’ve said “fixin’ to,” “might could,” or “usetacould” during the last week. I don't think so.

9. Someone you know has used a football schedule to plan their wedding date. When and if my time comes, this would be a consideration. I'd probably just not have a Fall wedding so this wouldn't be an issue. I couldn't possibly schedule around both Auburn and Alabama. And I'd totally get my feelings hurt if I found out people were picking watching football over coming to my wedding.

10. You can properly pronounce Arab, Eufaula, Opelika, Loachapoka, Bayou La Batre, and Oneonta. Considering I lived in Auburn for five years and Auburn and Opelika are in the same county, that's a "yes". I've been to the Syrup Sopping in Loachapoka and know all about "Wreck Tech". Also, in order to get to my Uncle's house, I have to drive through Oneonta, so that's a "yes" as well.

11. You know exactly what chitlins and rocky mountain oysters are, and though you may not, you know someone who eats them anyway. Ewwww...

12. You think that people who complain about the heat and humidity in other states are sissies. Even in Nashville, it's better. It's amazing the difference from Nashville to Florence to Auburn.

13. You aren’t surprised to find rental movies, groceries, ammunition and bait all in the same store. Have these people not heard of Wal-Mart? I'm pretty sure they exist outside the South?

14. Asian food is always “CHINESE” regardless of the fact that it may actually be Korean or Japanese or Thai. I know Asian food other than Chinese exists, but legit Chinese is my Asian food of choice.

15. People actually grow, eat, and like okra. One of Daddy's favorites!

16. Mamanem means the whole family, i.e., “Are mamanem comin?” It took me a while to figure this one out.

17. You measure distance in minutes or hours. People ask me how far away home is and, more times than not, I say two hours and then add "Well, 100 miles."

18. You know what “cow tipping” is. For some reason, this reminds me of Mrs. Eck's BC Calculus class and our joke about going Snipe Hunting.

19. You know all four seasons: Almost summer, summer, still summer, and Christmas. I think Summer started early this year.

20. You know the difference between redneck, hillbilly, country, and southerner. True.

21. You think everybody from the north has an accent. Even people from Tennessee have a different accent.

22. Y’all is a word. Totally. I don't think I ever use this "word" when I'm speaking and I certainly don't use it when writing.

23. There is no such thing as tea.. it’s sweet tea. I have to argue with this. Tea, by definition, is SWEET in the South. No need to order it sweet. Any other tea should be described with a modifier. Ex. Hot tea, Earl Grey tea, green tea.

24. You say “sir” and “ma’am” if there’s even a chance someone is even thirty seconds older than you and it is just the polite thing to do. I struggle with not saying "sir" or "ma'am" to some of my coworkers. It's just habit, but is not the norm around my office.

25. Almost everyone you know is Baptist or Methodist. Pretty much true. The biggest churches are always First Methodist or First Baptist.

26. You know everything goes better with Ranch dressing, especially french fries. Eww...no.

27. Krispy Kreme doughnuts are the only doughnuts that exist. I refuse to eat Krispy Kreme since I blame them for Culpepper's closing. The Donut Shop in Florence is a somewhat satisfying replacement, but not the same.

28. You know at least one Bubba, and maybe a few guys named Bo. When Mama was pregnant with me, back in the dark ages when you didn't know what your baby was before it was born, I was "Bubba". Bo Jackson is an Auburn legend and "Bo Knows".

29. You actually get these jokes and your friends do too. *wink*

Letting Go

I'm taking a five minute break from tax returns so I don't completely lose it. It's definitely been one of those days. I'm feeling extremely stressed and I'm seriously wondering why I ever thought that this was a good profession. It's almost ten o'clock and there's absolutely no way I'll leave tonight before midnight and that makes me even more stressed. My list of projects that must be accomplished before next Monday (to allow time for review and processing) is still growing. I really need it to stop.

I was looking up above my THREE computer monitors earlier and this quote I have pinned to the wall of my cube caught my eye. I've got several things running through my mind for my future and I'm trying to decide if some things are just the life I have *planned* or if they are part of the life that is *waiting* for me. If you really know me, you know I have a plan for everything. I really prefer if the people in my life have a plan too. Case in point, I ask Mama every day what her plan for the day is. I have to admit, I get a bit frustrated when more often that not she doesn't have one yet. If I didn't know better, I'd say I'm not really her daughter since we are so different in appearance and personalities.

So, dear friends, all can tell you is that I may be asking for advice from some of you in the coming weeks. I feel like I'm supposed to take a giant leap, but I'm scared to do it without the support of those I hold dear. Sorry to be cryptic, but time's up and the IRS waits for no one! :)