Scones Take Two

Before I headed to the gym Thursday night, I made these:

But we'll get to them in a second.

I made it to the gym for my run the other night. Let's just say that ice cream was NOT a good idea before. I totally cramped the last half of my 3 mile run. Thankfully, I still pushed through and accomplished what I set out for. I came home famished. Randomly, I was craving orange.

Carrot and sweet potato fries! I had three plates just like that. There. Hunger satiated.

The next morning I woke up surprisingly craving a sweet breakfast. As big as my sweet tooth is, I always reach for savory in the morning.

Whole wheat waffles! One with almond butter one with Brummel and Brown butter spread, both topped with sliced strawberries and plenty more strawberries on the side.

And a blueberry scone. Carbolicious.

And what's a scone without tea? Green tea in fact! With a little sugar in the raw.

Hunter is a shameless beggar.

For a snack later, I revisited the PB & Co. White Chocolate Wonderful. Ok, NOW I taste the white chocolate.

Perfect on a pink lady apple.

Are you ready for scones?!?

Blueberry Buttermilk Scones

1 c. all purpose flour

1 c. whole wheat flour

2 tbs granulated sugar plus extra for sprinkling

2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 c. (1 stick) butter (I used unsalted)

1 heaping cup fresh blueberries

zest of one lemon

1/2 c. buttermilk (plus extra for topping)

1 large egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

extra sugar for sprinkling on top

Preheat oven to 375.

Whisk together flours, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add butter and blend with a pastry cutter. Gently stir in blueberries.

Note: these scones have much less sugar than the previous ones I made. If you like them sweeter, add another 2 tbs or so of sugar to the dry ingredients. These are more biscuit-like which is how I prefer them.

In a smaller bowl, whisk together lemon zest, buttermilk, egg and vanilla extract. Pour over dry ingredients and mix until almost all combined. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and gently knead once or twice to incorporate the rest of the flour.

Pat dough into a 1-inch thick round. Cut into wedges, brush the tops with buttermilk and sprinkle on sugar. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until golden. Transfer scones to a wire rack to cool.

Viola!

Hmm, I made myself hungry. I think I'll go have one right now!

P.S. Does anyone know what I should do with my zested lemon?

What's your best post-workout fuel?

What's your favorite item to bake/cook?

My Butt Is Big

Thanks everyone for your tips on Google reader. I must be getting the hang of it because...

When I saw this pop up, I knew it was time to write my next post.

Um, THANK YOU!!! Ok, Nike, you might pay little kids ten cents a day to make your shoes but at least you just made a total kick butt (pun intended) advertisement. You see, I very much relate to this. I'm a pear shape and I carry my weight in my trunk. I've spent far to long wishing I had a cute, tiny butt. Then one day, I got over myself. Who cares? I love myself just the way I am! :)

Ok, onto my day. My best friend Audrey's birthday was a few days ago, so I took her for lunch today to celebrate. We went to a local pizza/pasta place called Smoky Mountain Pizza.

Everything on their menu is so good. It was very hard to decide.

We started with a house salad with their house dressing on the side:

Their house dressing is like a creamy raspberry vinaigrette which is SO good.

Audrey cutting into her salad, isn't she so cute?

Then, they brought out our bruschetta appetizer:

Mmmm. The bread was the right balance of crispy and the toppings were very flavorful.

We split the Spicy Chicken Linguine:

Onions, garlic and red peppers sauteed and tossed with spinach, chicken breast, parmesan and linguini. Somehow, we expected it to not have so much spinach, but it was still quite good.

Afterwards, we perused Sephora for a while. Talk about a grown woman's candy shop. It's sad to say that I feel it's a big deal when I leave spending less than $100. I (almost) always something I NEED from there.

Today it was a bright red/coral. Lost Without My GPS.

After we picked up some groceries at CostCo, we got a treat. Dessert (and dinner) was a chocolate vanilla swirl ice cream.

Perfect pre-workout fuel right?

But seriously, I haven't gotten my run in yet today. So despite that all I want to do is zone out in front of the TV, my big butt (I can honestly say that with pride) and I will be heading to the gym in a little bit. Step 1: put on workout clothes. Ok, go.

Hope everyone had a FABULOUS day! I know I did.

What are your thoughts on this Nike ad?

What's your favorite item to order from a pizza/pasta place?

Festivals and Fridge Cleaning

Thank you everyone for your running comments and tips! All of you inspire me so much!

Hunter looking out the window at the rain.

Ok, I admit, I didn't go to Body Pump. I slept in. When I finally woke up, I woke up to the sound of thunder. Thunder? I listened again. That's either thunder or a LOT of rumbly trucks going by. Even my dog, who is so laid back was looking around wondering what all the ruckus was. When we got up to investigate, sure enough, there was a storm a brewing. However, 15 minutes later, it had passed by at things were bright and sunny again!

Let's rewind just a little bit. Last night, I headed downtown to the Basque festival with Sara and two of our friends. It was fun listening to music, catching up and of course eating authentic cuisine!

Basque flag.

Authentic music. There's two of them under the white tent. One is wearing a green shirt. See them? It's like Where's Waldo?

Some sort of wooden instrument. Sounded sort of island-y. They actually came from Colorado to perform at the festival!

Kyla and Sara enjoying some croquettas. Mmm.. fried cheesey goodness.

I got myself a lamb sandwich with sauteed onion and red pepper. Yum!

Some mornings, I forgo breakfast and skip right to brunch. But this morning, I was feeling like some yogurt, granola and peach. With some green tea of course.

Breakfast while catching up on blogs.

My plan today was to clean out the fridge. Lunch was the rest of my yellow farmer's market beans and a meatball burrito. Yes, you read that right.

I'd been enjoying some homemade bean burritos for lunch, they're such an easy fix! I just take a can of refried beans, add some green chilies and zap it in the microwave. However, I didn't have quite enough beans so I cut up a few left over meatballs that needed to get eaten and stuffed those in too. It doesn't look too exciting but was quite satisfying.

I also had a simple spinach salad with feta and grape tomatoes.

I've been lacking in the vegetable department but I definitely made up for it today!

Dinner was a new twist for me on a sweet potato.

I added some Bees Knees PB & Co. Mmm!

Here's an interesting tidbit for you: when I was younger, I was allergic to tomatoes, nuts and citrus fruits. Thankfully, I outgrew my allergies. To this day, however, peanut butter is something that isn't a big deal to me. I like it, but I guess I'm one of the few who isn't crazy about it!

Tomorrow is running day!

Hunter hanging out with my running shoes. He likes to use them as a pillow.

I'm trying to figure out Google reader, anyone have any tips? Please?!?

What cultural events do you enjoy in your city?

What interesting meal have you made from your leftovers?

Thoughts on Running, Films and Food!

Thank you everyone for all your wonderful comments! I love hearing from and getting to know all of you! I truly appreciate each and every one.

Today, I went for a run for the first time in a month. When I drove out to Oregon a few weeks ago, my knees got kind of stiff (partially from 8 hours of sitting in the car) so between that, the heat and perhaps a bit of laziness I had backed off of running.

My usual running route.

Anyways, I took Hunter, my faithful running companion and we headed out. I tried not to make the running mistakes I sometimes do:

-Rushing: I start off too fast and get my heart rate too high and tire out/give up halfway through. Since it had been a while plus it was almost 90 degrees outside I did my best to pace myself.

-Stiffening my shoulders: I carry the majority of my stress in my shoulders. When I run or even do weight training, I have to consciously relax my shoulders. It definitely makes things easier!

-Checking my distance every 2 minutes: Am I the only one who thinks that just makes my run seem longer? This time, I didn't check my distance or time the entire run. I just focused on my body, my surroundings and the music I was listening to.

-Negative talk: "It's too hot. I've run long enough. I'll just walk for a while. Maybe I'll just turn around here. Ugh! Sprinklers. I can't do this." For me, half of the game is mental. There are always a million reasons NOT to run. When I start thinking negatively, I check in with my body. Are you tired body? Do you hurt? The answer was no. My body was just fine. So I took a deep breath and realized my mind was fine too.

Since I was consciously aware of all these mistakes, I was able to counteract them and I had a fabulous run. It was hot and my face is still beet red but that feeling of completing what I set out to do and not cheating made it all worth it. After all, the only one who gets cheated is myself. Oh, and it reminded me to get my lazy butt out of bed before it gets hot next time.

I have my best thinking time when I'm walking but when I run, my mind is blank. All my thoughts come crashing in my mind after my run (and a good chug of water).

I've been watching some interesting foreign and documentary films thanks to my Netflix subscription and I strongly recommend the following:

The Stoning of Soraya M.- You really have to be in the right mood to watch this one because it is intense. Based on a true story, it's set in Iran in 1986 where a man accuses his wife of adultery so he can marry a younger woman. Her aunt tells her story to a French journalist in hopes of getting her story out to the rest of the world. I truly believe everyone should see this. It is so easy not to think about the crimes against women that are happening on the other side of the world. Farsi with English subtitles.

Food Inc.- A documentary that exposes some of the very ugly truths about the food industry. If you have not seen this, I strongly encourage you to do so. It really makes you think.

Ok, onto some goodies!

Hee, hee. Red velvet batter in a red bowl. Total coincidence.

Yes! Red velvet cupcakes! Another fabulous recipe thanks to Andrea.

Bless Andrea's heart, she made her own cream cheese frosting but since I had the store bought stuff from my triple chocolate brownies I slapped that on instead. The recipe is a little unconventional (at least to me) but I followed it exactly and was quite impressed with the results.

Hunter is so good at emotional support while I'm baking.

I also made myself a BBQ pizza. This was a recipe from Hungry Girl, though I think I modified it to my own liking.

BBQ Pizza

1 mini pizza crust

1 stick string cheese, shredded in a food processor

chopped green onions (or cilantro)

chopped chicken

BBQ sauce (I mix a lower cal with regular sauce)

2% milk cheddar cheese

Mix chicken with about a tablespoon of BBQ sauce. Spread some more sauce on the pizza crust. Sprinkle half the shredded string cheese on the pizza. Top with BBQ chicken, green onions (or cilantro), remaining string cheese and cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes.

I just love mini pizzas.

Well tonight, I'm heading downtown for a bit to check out the Basque Festival with some girlfriends. Tomorrow is an early start with 6 am Body Pump!

What are your tips on having a good run? Please share!

What's an indie/documentary/foreign film you recommend?

At LAST!

(Are you hearing "At Last" by Etta James in your head? I hope so.)

Happy Monday everyone! A couple of "at last" moments from the past weeks include...

Floating the Boise River! This is a popular thing for people in my city to do when the weather is hot, hot, hot.

I went with my friend Jana, who I have known since 9th grade.

Over the rapids I go!

Luckily, Jana's camera is waterproof. I risked life and limb to capture this action shot.

The water is still pretty dang cold. Eventually though, your butt just gets numb and you just float by without a care in the world! Flip flops also make excellent paddles.

Speaking of which. Let me introduce you to the only ones I will wear:

I also have a dark gray and pink pair I bought last summer.

They're made by Terrasoles, and though they are pricey, they are SO worth it. If you do a little google research, you can find them cheaper on other websites. Here are some selling points from Terrasoles themselves:

-anti-microbial (read: they won't stink!)

-textured, massaging foodbed (so nice!)

-superior arch support and airflow

I like them because they are very comfortable to walk in for extended periods of time and don't make my feet ache like regular flip flops. They are also very durable. Women's Health mag recommended them last summer and I've been hooked ever since. If you try them, you'll never go back. I promise.

At the grocery store, I decided to take a look in the peanut butter aisle just in case...

Oh, my gosh, I FOUND IT!! I swear I stood there for a good five minutes with my mouth hanging open in disbelief. This was the first time I had come across Peanut Butter & Co. at the store. Too bad it was so pricey. I would have bought all 4 flavors which included mighty maple, bee's knees, white chocolate wonderful and dark chocolate dreams.

I bought these two and sampled them as soon as I got home.

I was a little disappointed with the White Chocolate Wonderful. It tasted like regular peanut butter to me. The Bee's Knees was so yummy though! Just the right hint of honey.

While I was at the store, I also came across the most interesting item in the sushi cooler.

Yes, you read right. Tiny octopus salad. Ugh. (Just so you know, that was NOT an at last moment. Just an "oh my gosh what an awesomely weird thing to post on my blog" moment.)

At heart, I am truly a baker. For the sake of my husband's and my survival, I have become a better cook, but baking is truly my creative outlet. I was craving scones so I searched for a good recipe and came across this one.

White Chocolate Cranberry Scones

(adapted from Catch the Spoon)

1 c. whole wheat flour

3/4 c. regular flour

1/4 c. sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

pinch of salt

1/4 c. cold butter, cut into chunks

1/2 c. dried cranberries

1/2 c. white chocolate chips

zest from one orange (though lemon would be good too!)

1/2 c. sour cream

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/3 c. buttermilk, plus extra for topping

1. Preheat oven to 375. Combine all dry ingredients, including sugar, in a large bowl and mix well. Cut in butter using a pastry blender or fork. When butter is fully incorporated, it should look like clumpy, damp sand. (It takes a bit of time and patience.)

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together 1/3 c. buttermilk, sour cream, vanilla, and orange zest. Pour into dry ingredients and mix until just moistened. Add white chocolate and cranberries. Divide dough into 8 equal portions, brush tops with buttermilk and bake for about 20 minutes or until tops begin to turn golden.

I served mine with the orange sections and some tangerine white tea. Heavenly.

Oh, the baking has only just begun! For now, I'm doing a little bedroom furniture shopping and then going to lunch with Sara before she jets away to D.C.

Do you float the river, splash in the lake, or hit the beach in your town?

What's your favorite PB & Co. flavor?

What was your recent "at last" moment?