A Blithe PALATE

Oooooooooooooooooooh Yum.

No doubt about it.  I have the best friends ever.  (Thank you Katherine!)

Don't forget:  Vosges is still on discount through the end of the month...

Scones and a Spoon of Blueberry Jam

I used to make scones once a week, indulging in a weekend tea ritual with Hubby.  Unfortunately, our somewhat hectic travel schedules this past year has precluded the continued observance of said ritual.

But lately, with momentous changes on the horizon, I've found myself yearning for the sweet simplicity of a scone slathered with Devon cream and jam.

A friend who knows I am mad about scones and tea sent me a jar of Spoon's blueberry jam recently to try.  Spoon began as a catering company based out of New York and has since ventured out into homemade jams, baking mixes and gift baskets.  It seemed the perfect opportunity to bake a batch of scones.

I like scones that are soft, moist and a bit flaky, not cake-y.  A friend of mine goes overboard with ingredients and last year presented us with a basket of dense hockey pucks overladen with a plethora of indecipherable additions.  I'm rather plebeian in that I prefer just golden raisins in my scones. I figure the goodness of a scone rests the accompanying cream and jam.

Between Pug, me and my cousins, we managed to devour most of the scones.  Hubby is coming home from another trip this weekend; I suppose we'll make another batch for him.  But alas, the blueberry jam is all gone...

Homemade Granola

I'm very fond of granola.  Always have been.  A perfect breakfast bowl for me is granola with milk and some fresh fruit.  When we were in Ireland last year, I pretty much devoured George's homemade muesli every morning; I always meant to ask for the recipe but kept forgetting.

I'm not sure why it never occurred to me to make my own granola:  there are plenty of recipes out there and it's surprisingly easy.  I suppose it was one of those things I simply purchased and never considered making from scratch.  I've been buying a particular blend of granola for a while, but with the recent price increases in food, I just can't justify $5.00 a pound for what are essentially rolled oats, dried fruit, nuts and sweeteners. 

I found an easy recipe that I liked on Myra Goodman's site.  She's one of the co-founders of Earthbound Farms Organics and has written a book, Foods to Live By, which features her Maple Almond Granola recipe.  Her recipe calls for seven ingredients and she has video instructions available online as well.  Having particular preferences, I modified some ingredients to make it wholly my own -- you can too. 

Myra's been kind enough to offer me an extra cookbook to give away -- if you'd like your own copy of Foods to Live By, send me an email [ablithepalate (AT) gmail (DOT) com] with your address by November 20 and I'll pick a recipient at random.