Raspberry White Chocolate Scones

What's not to love about Pinterest, right?!  I mean, seriously, what did we DO before Pinterest?!  We had to buy cookbooks (which I still still absolutely adore) but we were so lost out there on our own...stranded in the darkness... thank GOODNESS for Pinterest is all I can say.   And thanks to Pinterest, I found the cutest food blog, Little Dairy on the Prairie, which is loaded full of recipes and other fun things.  

Being that we LOVE breakfast at my house, I saw this recipe and knew we had to try it.  Of course, it was a huge hit, the whole family loved it, and paired with some eggs or a protein source, it made a fun addition to a busy school morning breakfast!  I made it the night before, super quick & easy, and for me it tasted better the next day warmed up a little.  

It's part biscuit, part cake, super moist, and SO incredibly delicious!  

original recipe here

Raspberry White Chocolate Scones

(I doubled the original recipe so that I would have leftovers, so this version is DOUBLED already)

Scones:

4 c. unbleached all-purpose flower

1/2 c. granulated sugar

4 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tsp. salt

12 Tbsp. butter, diced 

1 c. half and half (plus a little more if you need)

2 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 c. fresh raspberries

1 c. Ghirardelli's white chocolate chips (they just taste so much better than most)

coarse sugar for sprinkling on top

Glaze:

2 c. powdered sugar

about 3 Tbsp. canned milk (or whatever milk you have, whipping cream would work, too)

dash salt

Wash raspberries and set in a single layer on a plate or sheet.  Freeze while preparing the rest of the recipe.  Keep butter in the fridge until needed, as well.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a food processor, add flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Pulse until combined.  Add butter and pulse until pea sized crumbs start to form.  Add half and half and vanilla.  Pulse only until the dough starts to come together.  Add extra half and half if mixture is too crumbly.

Remove dough onto a piece of parchment paper.  Gently incorporate the raspberries and chocolate chips into the dough without handing it too much.  It's okay if the dough gets a little sticky from the moisture in the berries.  Just press everything in together gently until it's evenly distributed.  

Place the dough onto the baking sheet lined with parchment paper, form into a round disk, about an inch thick.  Sprinkle the coarse sugar all over and cut dough into 16 wedges.  

Bake for 20-25 minutes.  Make the glaze by combining all ingredients until you reach the desired consistency you want.  For thick glaze, add less milk; for thinner glaze, add more milk.  If you get it too thin, just at some more powdered sugar.  I have found that my favorite glazes ever are made with heavy cream, but these scones are rich enough without it, so it's up to you on what you would like.

Glaze the scones when they are warm but not too hot.  

Remember When...

So I've had this discussion MANY, many times and the consensus is the same:  the 80's & 90's had the best of EVERYTHING.  Movies, TV shows, Saturday morning cartoons, McDonald's toys, and let's not forget music.  My childhood was filled with the best-of-the-best.  For me it was a time when all was right in the world, I had no worries, and TV commercials with toys or McDonalds involved were magic. Case in point:

..Beastmaster - who didn't want a ferret after watching this movie?!

um...THE BEST. EVER.  My friends and I would laugh hysterically at this movie - I probably watched it a hundred times all through high school.

It wasn't until I had children of my own that I noticed the horrible language in this movie!!!  As a kid I didn't notice - one of my ultimate favorites.

And the TOYS - just to list a few---

I totally had this Barbie.  Loved her.

All I ever wanted was a Cabbage Patch Kid.  THREE CHRISTMASES LATER I finally got two of them. No two dolls were ever as loved as mine.

McDonald's Happy Meal toys - I had all of these!

Strawberry Shortcake - my cousin had all of these and we would play with her homemade doll house and these dolls for HOURS and hours and hours.  They smelled so good, too! 

...and let's not forget the Saturday morning cartoons and rad TV shows!

I can't remember this one---anybody know?

The Cosby Show

Duck Tales

The Golden Girls.  Classic.

Gummi Bears

 These all need no explanation:

Wuzzles.

And the music.  Goes without saying. 

So I found a fun website if you want to see some more childhood fun:  I'm Remembering! has hundreds of pages of great memories.  **Warning: it's a major time waster--but lots of fun if you can set a time limit!!**

Long live the 80's!!!

Another Fun Find

Do you ever wish you could catalog all of the beautiful things you see in this wide world of internet goodness?!  Do you ever see a really good idea and then save it to a file on your computer only to forget about it and never see it again?!  Do you wish you had a little haven full of beautiful things, just for YOU?!

{cue annoying informercial music}  

WELL...Kadie introduced me to the coolest. site. ever.  It's called "Pinterest" and you have your own personal space to post anything and everything you love!  {gasp!!!}  And heaven knows we all like our own personal space.  {and I prefer mine NOT to be filled with crumbs from last week, drool, used *moist* kleenex, dirt, and fingernail clippings.  I don't have a fingernail clipping problem at my house---but it's just gross.}  

Anyway---I just started pinning, so my boards are a little bare, but feel free to follow along HERE and let me know if you're pinning up some cool stuff, too!!!  

Winter Blah and other stuff

First things first -  fitness challenge info coming soon when I get more than 5 minutes of spare time - eeek!  I have WWAAAAAYYY too many irons in the fire but at least it keeps my mind off of winter. {ugh! with emphasis!}   I have a big stack of your jackpot money and I will post a list as to who has paid up.  Don't fret - if you sent it, I probably have it.  When my little busy-body baby goes down for a nap, can go over my list.  Or I can sit in silence. hmmm...

Anyway - does anybody else feel done with winter?!  I'm completely done with it.  Snow is falling with big, fat, slow, beautiful flakes and all I can think about is springtime blooms.  So what do I do?!  I go to my fave Etsy artist, Katie Daisy at  The Wheatfield - and order some prints for my collection to hang on my walls to remind me that life is beautiful, bright, colorful, and happy!  This is my collection thus far - I think I'm her biggest fan!!!

...I love this. This is it, isn't it?! Life isn't always perfect, but this is it, so make the best of it, right?! And the colors in this are amazing.  Makes me giddy.  It's pretty much all of my favorites in one place.

 {gasp!} Don't you LOVE this little birdie?!  I've got a chocolate brown guest bathroom and that's where he lives.  It brightens up the place!

This just makes me smile looking at it - still looking for the perfect spot on my walls...

This one was my first print - I ordered a huge one to go in a 11 x 14 frame AND I ordered a custom oval-shaped mat from JoAnn's to frame it with - that's how much I love this print!  When I get it hung on the wall I'll show it off to  you.  OH how I love this painting - it completely takes my mind off of the bleak, gray days here.

Ahhh.  I feel more cheerful now!!

Pumpkins!!!

I. must. have. hundreds. of these.

I'm madly crazy and in love with all things Fall and pumpkiny-related, so imagine my utter delight when I saw Sandi's new pattern. {I pretty much had an embarrassing screamy-gasp-fest}  After settling down, I ordered & downloaded it - very easy - and I'm SO EXCITED!!  {I'm not sure if it's obvious or not...}  I've got some Farmer's Market fabric and even some Pop Garden fabric waiting to be turned into precious little gourdes and pumpkins!  Now if I could get Baby Spaz convinced that we don't need to always be *touching*,  I might be able to whip out some of these this weekend....yeah, we'll see about that...

Our Upcoming Super Saturday...

First, let me explain that our ward over here is so precious and unique for you girls out West - there aren't a lot of active sisters, so our group is on the small side, and we don't have many crafters.  There is interest in crafts, but there aren't crafters, so everything we do has to be fairly quick and easy.  A lot of what we're doing you have already seen on my blog, so they won't be new to you, but most of my ladies don't even know I have a blog, so this will all be new to them!  We might do another one of these craft days this Fall with Christmas/Holiday items, but for now, we're sticking with simple, quick, and easy.  ALL of these ideas can be used as inexpensive gift ideas during the Holiday season, though.

Here is a link to our Super Saturday plans with pictures of each project.  I don't have blog links up on that site simply because we're already going to be making the projects, but below is a list of links with their tutorials except the earrings.  My girl, Kadie, does those and I don't have a tutorial on them.  I think my favorite part of the day is that we're going to have an awesome luncheon: Build-your-own-gourmet-sandwich bar complete with grilling option and Kadie's homemade French bread!  We're going to have the works - smoked turkey, cucumbers, sprouts, lettuce, tomato, artichokes, pesto, and whatever else is heaven on a sandwich.

(I will also have a couple of quilts to tie, as well as a "scrapbook / misc." craft table up and running for the ladies who want to bring their own projects to work on.)

AND...what's my motto?  "It's All In the Details" So, for each project there will be printed instructions, supply lists, and recipes for each person, on half-sheet-size cardstock, and a little folder for the ladies to keep them in.  I'll show you when I'm done with them.  This way, they can always go home and make more without having to remember what exactly we did. {gasp!}

Scrabble Tile Necklace Pendant Tutorial
Etched Jar Tutorial (yes, you can use vinyl lettering!  or stickers. but they come off.)
Crochet Scarf Tutorial
Cafe Napkin to Apron - (get a napkin, throw THIS waistband on it)
Dry Erase Board Tutorial - here's mine (below).  I love it so much already.

Something New...

I'm unveiling a tiny pet project I've been wanting to do for a long time, but I just never got nervy enough. Nervy or Nerdy? Pretty much both. Anyhoo...I have had this frustration lately. I like photography, I'm not a "photographer," but I want a gallery collection of my favorite personal photos that I've been collecting and holding on to for a couple of years...and I feel like an idiot for having a "photography" site. {and I never feel like an idiot, so it's not a comfortable 'place' for me to be, mentally, you know...} So I'm opening up sort of a gallery, if you will. There's no interaction there, just pictures.

Sometimes I think a piece of cake is the most beautiful thing ever, or a piece of fruit, so I'll photograph it and then what? And we all know my own obsession with this lady here who has my dream job! {well, and like a bazillion times more talent} Sometimes I'll see a building and go nuts over it, or a flower, or something very random like this one here. haha. So I blew the dust off of the old file folders, opened up my pictures, (copyrighted them, of course) and now they're up and out in the wide open! I'm inviting you to come visit, take a peek, and enjoy.

That's all I have to say. Now let's have a group hug...

HERE'S THE LINK: Abby Welker PhotoArt

A Hamburger Dress?! Seriously?!

Okay, this is crochet at it's finest! Who on EARTH would have thought to make a "Hamburger Dress"?! It's absolutely amazing!!! ....suddenly I'm really hungry now...

Here's what I want to know - where can you get some fragrance that smells like a char-grilled burger? Maybe have the dress steamed in the Burger King kitchen?

(Check out more of the dress here.) Unbelivable.

I love Aran Goyoga and Amy Atlas

Whew! We're back from our trip - D.C. was amazing with so many things to see and do. I'm exhausted and I haven't done anything but sit around for days in my home that I missed so much!!! Doing nothing is FABULOUS!

OKAY, so I stumbled upon two incredible women and had to share. Is it possible to be this amazing?! I honestly think it's superhuman. BUT I'VE NOW DISCOVERED MY DREAM JOB!!! You know how some of us non-academic people are like, "If I could go back to school, I'd do..." ?? You know what I'm talking about? Well I've FOUND my THING!! FOOD STYLING!! You get to set up and style gorgeous food, photograph it, and get paid for it! Could there be anything better???? {okay, a food-styler-picture-taker-taster would be even better} What a dream job, eh?!

Now....if there was only more of a demand for it...and if I had some serious training and lived in New York or L.A....and if I knew Martha Stewart personally...this just might work out for me.

Just look at the amazingness and beauty of it...HERE at Aran Goyoga Food Styling. Isn't it the most beautiful food you've ever seen?! HERE is her blog, too. She's my Idol.

The other Superhuman Creative Goddess is Amy Atlas. She plans events and sets up the most AMAZING table displays!!! HERE is her design site - {warning}: you might freak out from awesomeness - and develop a sudden craving for sugar. love her!!!

THEN I found yet another smattering of eye candy...I'm DYING here!!! Check out this cool event planning site - Lollipop Events and Design I've got eyeball cavities, if there is such a thing. Their blog here is full of all kinds of party ideas.

Summery Skirts!

So, um, I'm barely 9 weeks along but I can't fit comfortably into my pants....???? What the? Guess there's more chub on me than I thought FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE. It's summer time and the only comfortable clothes I have are my cookie pants. {scream!!!} I can't wear black cookie pants everywhere because then I'd turn into "Flabby Pregnant Frump Mom" and we all know how socially suicidal that would be. Oh the AGONY.

These women have saved me from unfathomable humiliation and I couldn't be more excited...if only I had more energy, then I'd be ecstatic...

This one here is from Little Birdie Secrets and she got the tutorial here at Altered Cloth. Soft, stretchy knit?! Do you even know how wonderful this looks to me right now?!




This one here is from Make It and Love It and I loved this one so much that I bought the $5.00 pdf pattern from her Etsy store here. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it! I'm SO ready to make one!







I'm going to finish out my summer in style and darn it, I'm going to be COMFORTABLE!!! {and cute! hehe!}

Cute Baby Stuff!

I'm always on the lookout for cute baby stuff - and first on my list is the Diaper Bag Diva. ADORABLE stuff there, ladies. There's all kinds of baby gear there and you can get it all matchy-matchy!!! ('cause that's popular nowadays, I hear...) They've actually got a bunch of really cute bags on clearance, too. If you're lazy like me and run out of time to make your friend something for her baby (sorry to my girls out there), just order something way cute from here and you're done! Hey - I'd rather show up with something cute than nothing at all, okay.



Next up - I'm TOTALLY interested in trying these G Diapers out. Kinda pricey, but I abhor regular disposable diapers and I'm not into the whole cloth diaper thing - so maybe this could be a good happy medium?! Anybody out there DISLIKE these so I can change my mind?! What else is there to do? Potty training an infant? Ideally, yes - likely, no. I HATE BODILY SECRETIONS!!!




AND, finally, a huge thanks to Kadie for getting everybody within a 20-mile radius of our town hooked on these amazing Moby Wraps! Oh my gosh - I'm totally buying one! I've seen these in action and they're SO much better than those silly Snuggli things that break your back. Plus, who wants everybody touching your baby?! You just tuck the little one way down in the Moby and you avoid all of those annoying people touching the baby's head, face, and hands - all without the heavy, annoying baby seat we think we need to lug around. GENIUS.

There's just way too much cute baby stuff out there - I need to pace myself...

I can't STAND it!

Now that the hyperventilating is over, I can finally show you what has gotten me all wound up. I had to take like ten Prozacs just to regain my normal heart rate. {don't try that at home...I'm sure it's not healthy}


I must, must, MUST, {must} make some of these little birdies! I found the birds on this site here {love her} and she had a link to this site here but the pattern isn't showing up!!!! OH NOOOOO! HOWEVER...I think I can eyeball it and make my own pattern, though. {breathe...stop panicking...it'll be okay.} AND I'm going to make a nest!!! {gasp for air}

**Update: here is the bird pattern - my friend Graves Babe found it. {type this in to your browser: www.spoolsewing.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/birdpattern1-1.pdf} Atta girl - way to be a thinker! {I love it when people are smart because I can lean on them like a crutch...}

And then THIS?! Why does the Pottery Barn have to always one-up me in the most major way??? Okay - so picture this - my bedroom has a big, blank wall to the left of my bed and I was going to enlist Kadie to help me do a cool tree sihlouette with branches and leaves and little birdies sitting on the branches on the one wall, extending through the corner and over to my side of the bed - and the paint color would be just a couple of shades darker than the brownish color already on the wall. OKAY...do you have that image?

They used my idea and it's gorgeous. Well, at least I can say that I'm right there with those big thinkers. I'm just unambitious and slow. Bad combo.

And could that archway idea be any more AMAZING? I'm totally going to do that someday - as soon as I get my contractor's license.

LOVE this!

Can I just say that I LOVE cute little treats?! Thankfully this one isn't edible (heaven knows I don't need anything edible) but it's one of those simple treats that make you smile and feel giddy that you have amazing good taste. (or maybe it just affects me that way...)

I found this fun "Box of Questions" game on the Deseret Book website a few weeks ago when I was looking for Easter stuff - and I figgered "Why not?" It's so cute! I think I pretty much bought it for the adorable packaging...who cares what's inside?! (SEE, ladies - it's all in how you package something! It could be totally ugly and worthless but if the packaging is cute - that's what is really important. Never forget that.)

My family and I have had the most fun with this and I'm sure you could create something similar on your own if you're cheap like that - but why not splurge and get something cute in the mail?! (they should totally send me a free one now with that amazing plug...maybe I should tell them...) Anyway - what a fun gift for a friend when you take them dinner or something - because you should do that every now and then if you're a good friend. I'm not a very good friend - but if I were, I would do this. Instead I'm keeping this little treat for myself. Besides, I love watching my kids' eyes light up with the fun questions in here - they really come alive with some creative answers!

More Valentine Stuff

Have I mentioned before that I LOVE Valentine's Day?! (mostly for the pretty colors and the distraction from winter-induced depression.) I can't resist these good ideas - enjoy!


Kissed Pretzels - on U Create, who got it from No Fuss Fabulous. FABULOUS! My worries are over because I'm totally making these babies for my kids' V-day parties this week!!! I've honestly been agonizing so I'm very, very happy I found this. HOWEVER...the instructions say to preheat your oven to 400 degrees - DON'T DO THAT! Preheat to 200 degrees and they'll turn out perfect.


Strawberry Bouquet - from Family Fun. I don't know if I'll have the time this week, but I TOTALLY want to make some of these for my kids' teachers! How fun and easy! This website also has a bunch of other great V-Day ideas and printable color pages.


Crayon hearts - from Martha Stewart. I saw these last year on this site and wanted to do some but I totally forgot! I love the colors they used, too.




ADORABLE (and so easy) heart scarf. I'm TOTALLY doing one of these this week even if it kills me. I found the idea from Betz White (love her) but if you need a tutorial, it's on the Martha Stewart site. (You know you've made it when Martha wants you on her show...) I probably won't do the whole felting thing, but store-bought felt or soft, fuzzy fleece and embellishments would be fun.


Little Birdie Secrets had this cute wreath tutorial on her site and this looks like SO much fun. My little girl would love to make one with me. If only I were an organized mother!