a shout out

organic valley has coupons on its website!! the cost of milk is way up, and organic milk is even costlier. i am sure you've already noticed this increase, but, well, at least there are coupons... and for butter and cheese, too.

they are scrumdidilyumtious!

***finally, i have a camera, a canon powershot sd 1100is. it's awesome. it's named "veruca, sweetheart." i love how, in willie wonka and the chocolate factory, mr. salt says this line to his obnoxious daughter, veruca. i was saying it over and over last week when i was playing with new camera, and blake suggested that "veruca, sweetheart" should be the camera's proper name.

i am now making mostly scones for the housing works. and this week, i made a new flavor, maple oatmeal (recipe to come later). for now, pictures of the goods. which are so good.

first, cranberry oat.

orange-currant.
a super-puffy version of goat cheese and green onion. they taste like onion bagels. they're bagels disguised as scones. yum.
and, lastly, maple-oatmeal. incredible. really. la creme de la creme. as you can see, i ate one.
and you can see the strawberry scones in this one. and my messy kitchen table.

organic wins.

by the way, if you think that the organic produce is just the same as the conventional, that it is too expensive, that you can't afford it, i totally get you. BUT, you have to eat the organic romaine lettuce. i know, it sounds weird, like how would it matter, anyways? it does. it's so good and spicy that i keep asking the brother to bring it home from his organic-friendly-work neighborhood (that's soho, kids).

and, a savvy friend sent me this list.
if you are wondering which organic produce makes the most sense, you can consult the list. if you think you can't afford every item organic, then this is the list for you.

converted.

those scones i wrote about yesterday? well, i made them vegan with soy milk and vegan butter. they taste incredible. even my brother ate some. and he's picky.

never have i ever.

so, before i started baking for housing works, i had never made scones before. i soon learned that they are incredibly easy and oh-so-quick to make. i mean, i don't know why i never did it before. few ingredients are required, and most recipes ask for you to mix them by hand, but i just do it is slowly on my stand mixer with the paddle attachment. i'm really into making strawberry scones, as they have oddly been on-sale in my incredible harlem supermarket (that's sarcasm, there). i initally found this recipe online somewhere but i am can't seem to remember the site.

1 cup chopped strawberries
2.5 cups flour, unsifted
3 tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
6 tbsp butter, very cold, chopped into pieces
2/3 cup milk (could be soy, could be cream. it all depends on you.)
pinch of salt, though if i use salted butter , i don't add any extra.

heat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit. approximately. my oven can be inappropriately incorrect.
1. mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
2. add butter. it will look oddly crumbly and coarse. that's how it is supposed to look.
3. add strawberries. mix.
4. add milk all at one time and only mix until it is "just" combined.
5. take the dough out of the mixer with your hands and knead it just a bit and then put it on a table or cutting board and smush it into a circle about 1/2 to 1 inch thick.
6. cut the circle into 6 pieces and place them on a baking sheet (recipes tend to ask for the sheet to have parchment paper but i think it's wasteful, so i don't use it. BUT, i do use a nonstick sheet. it makes it all so much easier).
7. cook for about 12 minutes. they will get a bit golden and lovely.

i like these with butter, even though they are filled with butter. some people like cream. they are best hot, but if you refrigerate them, they will keep for a few days.

when i make some tomorrow, i will take a picture and post it.