Scones

I find it really hard to believe that I've never done a post on scones. I've made them several times before -- maybe more often than pie. My usual recipe is written on post-it note that I wrote down while watching some local morning program a million years ago. It is a drop scone recipe that calls for berries to be added at the end. 

My favorite type of scones to make are white chocolate chip/apricot. A coffee cart in the building of my former job made that flavor and it was always a treat to buy one. Maybe that long-ago scone is why I prefer drop scones to the kind I made here, which I'll call "wedges."

The well-worn post-it recipe is good, but I was inspired to find a new one because I have too much self-rising flour on hand. I found this recipe, which I adapted by omitting the orange peel and cranberries and adding chocolate chips (on the left) and white chocolate chips and apricots (on the right.)

I have to apologize for this picture, which was taken at work under fluorescent lighting and while the scones were in a box. I completely forgot to take a picture before I packed them up and headed out the door!

Listening Party

Ten more books down. An infinity to go! Right now I'm just listening to the books but maybe I'll review them down the road.

1: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)
  Mindy Kaling

2: Quiet
  Susan Cain

3: What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast
  Laura Vanderkam

4: Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim
  David Sedaris

5: Someday, Someday, Maybe
  Lauren Graham

6: Self-Inflicted Wounds
  Aisha Tyler

7: Fahrenheit 451
  Ray Bradbury

8: Me Talk Pretty One Day
  David Sedaris

9: When You are Engulfed in Flames
  David Sedaris

10: The Making of a Chef
  Michael Ruhlman

Sweet Potato Pie (Flour Crust)

You may remember an old post about Sweet Potato Pie from a few years ago. At that time, I used a graham cracker crust, which I thought was really tasty. This time around, I made a regular pie crust. I'm not sure which I like better since they both complemented the filling. The graham cracker crust is sweeter, so points to it for that. But regular pie crust from scratch is so delicious. I don't make this pie that often so I guess I don't really have to pick a favorite. 

Banana Cupcakes with Leftover Frosting

When I made the cupcakes for the 50th anniversary party (see last post) I made three batches of cupcakes and three batches of frosting. I put a generous amount of piped frosting on the white cupcakes but still had about two cups of frosting leftover. Since I had some bananas that I was saving for banana bread, I decided to make banana cupcakes to use up the extra. They were a little sweet so I would recommend using less sugar than the recipe calls for. But I took them to work, and they were well-received.

Whole star-shaped cupcake and split cupcake to show off banana bits.

50th Anniversary Cupcakes

Entire batch

Close-up. White cake with white frosting and golden sugar sprinkles. The liners are also gold foil.

Displayed at the party, which had a Route 66 theme.