Teachers dont want Apples, they want Scones!

My son Carter is just finishing up his second week at preschool.  This is his first away-from-mommy school experience.  I'd be lying if I said it was going well...
Each day at drop off, there is a lot of screaming, crying, clinging like a monkey to my leg.  It's pretty bad.  The worst part is he's the only one in his class that seems to have a problem.  And to add to it, my Mom is a teacher there so it's very embarrassing that everyone knows me pretty well and its my kid that doesnt want to be in school.  It was so bad on Monday that a neighbor of the school actually came and knocked on the door to make sure that everything was ok.  He could hear Carter screaming from his house!!! So I decided that I could help all the teachers forget about the fact that my child is the one causing all the ruckus by distracting them with yummy baked goods.  
Carter's teacher had my eldest son Oliver as well.  When Oliver was in her class I baked scones for them.  His teacher jokingly asked for scones again, I said no problem.  So today I made a batch of strawberry scones for the teachers of the school to enjoy and hopefully forgive...
You will see pretty quickly reading this blog that I ADORE Alton Brown.  He is a chef who has a show on Food Network.  If you've ever seen his show, Good Eats, you'd know that Alton focuses on the science, chemistry and process of cooking and baking.  Baking is very much a science.  Everything has to be exact.  Unlike cooking you cant just add a dash of this and a pinch of that.  In fact, in culinary school, recipes are called formulas.  That's one of the main reasons why I love baking and hate cooking.  
So, here is Alton's recipe for scones.  It's easy and basic.  You can add whatever you like to the base to change the flavor.  Today I added chopped up strawberries because that's what I had (and they were already pretty chopped up thanks to the lady at the supermarket who put them in the bottom of the bag).  You could add nuts, any kind of fruit (dried or fresh), spices like cinnamon or ginger, lemon and poppy seeds, chocolate chips, the possibilities are endless.  Just beware that if you add something pretty liquidy dont over mix the dough.  Like my mushy strawberries. ENJOY!!!!! 

Scones
2 cups Flour
4 teaspoons Baking Powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sugar
4 tablespoons butter   --------> I used 6TB of Butter instead of the shortening because I never use the stuff.
2 tablespoons shortening
3/4 cup cream
1 egg
Handful dried currants or dried cranberries (or anything you want, see above!)

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Mix well. Cut in butter and shortening. In a separate bowl, combine cream with beaten egg then add to dry ingredients. Stir in fruit. (Dont over mix!!! The less you work the dough the more tender the scone.) Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Roll dough out and cut into biscuit size rounds. (I skip this step and keep my counter clean by just scooping big scoops with a large cookie scoop.  Its easier and less to clean up!) Bake for 15 minutes or until brown.

Oh no, another SAHM starting a blog...

Ok, I know what you're thinking.  This stay-at-home mom (SAHM for future reference) has nothing better to do than start a blog-how creative!!!! I have very little free time as other SAHMs and definitely working moms understand.  But my only sanity during my week is the small amount of time I get to do my ultimate passion: Baking.  For me this is not just a hobby, its my profession.

Way back when I was in my first year of college at Stony Brook University I realized I was not loving any of the classes I was taking and didn't see myself sitting at a desk my whole life.  I was always the creative sort, painting, drawing, sculpting.  I told my concerns about my future to my friend Jasmine and she ended up giving me the best advice.  She said, "think about what you do at home as a hobby that you love".  I told her I've always loved baking.  She said, "why don't you go to school to do that?" So I finished that year, moved back home, started working at a deli in my hometown to get the experience I needed and began my culinary journey.

Three years later I graduated from The Culinary Institute of America (C.I.A. for the cool kids) with an Associates Degree in Baking and Pastry.  I knew I had found a way to work doing something I loved.  (Insert cheesy line about never working a day in your life....)

So.....There is just a snippet of my background and how I got here.  Now I will explain why I decided to start this blog.

At least once a week I bake something.  Usually something I've never tried before or haven't made since graduating from school.  I get ideas from TV, magazines, a craving....whatever it may be.  I usually poll my family (all of them live in my apartment building) to see what specific flavors or ingredients they would or wouldn't like because they get to be the taste testers.  I get my recipes from all kinds of places: the internet, my cookbooks, magazines, school textbooks and then I adjust some things if I need to make it more of my own.  Then after I bake, I usually end up posting a picture of the final item on facebook.  I get lots of "likes" and comments from my family and friends.  Some asking for the recipe, some just asking for me to ship it to their house!

I want to be able to share my recipes, ideas, failures (and there are some...) and crazy life with anyone who's willing to read it.

Please feel free to request recipes, cakes, cookies, breads, whatever it may be that you would like me to try and I'll give it a go.  And I will always give credit to the original recipe authors. 

Thanks for listening and enjoy the Blog!!!
Andrea