The birds are chirping, the sun is shining, and the grass is turning green again! Yay for spring!
Spring weather makes me crave "spring" food. Like fruits and salads and quiches and asparagus and citrus. Lemon especially.
I haven't posted a lot of breakfast recipes on the blog. On most days of the week, we usually just eat oatmeal, cereal, or a Clif bar on the way out the door. Hey, it's life. But on Sundays, I actually cook, err.... bake. Sundays are Fun-days in the kitchen! Usually I make some sort of muffin, sweet roll, or scone. Mostly scones. I love scones.
I have posted about scones once before, right here. That is my absolute favorite scone recipe. I am constantly changing up the mix-in ingredients. My favorites are cherry-chocolate chip, apricot-almond, blueberry-walnut, apple-cinnamon, and cranberry-orange. (Favorites? ha! That was five flavors right there.) I am constantly searching my brain for other flavor combinations that work would fabulously with that scone recipe.
Sunday morning I woke up waaay early, before my alarm. Too early to even go run yet. So I lay in bed and thought up delicious scone combinations. I wanted something light and springy. And it came to me: LEMON POPPYSEED! I had never even heard of a lemon poppyseed scone. Of course I had to try it. And of course we didn't have two of the key ingredients: heavy cream (for cream scones) or lemons (for lemon poppyseed.) Surprisingly, we actually had poppyseeds.
No problem, I thought... I'll pick them up at the store on my run. And so I did. I ran a longer 4.5-mile loop to the grocery store, bought my heavy cream and lemon, and then ran the 2-miles home with groceries in tow. Did I look a little ridiculous? Yes, I'm sure, but I was a girl on a mission.
[Side note: Running with a carton of heavy whipping cream will cause the cream to get very foamy inside the carton. I almost thought it had become 'whipped' cream. Not quite. But close.]
The verdict? They were woooonderful. Like a lemon poppyseed muffin, but better. Light and delicate. Not dry at all. (Nothing worse in the world than a dry scone!) They had the perfect flavor of spring, if spring can be embodied in a flavor. These would make a great Easter morning breakfast! Just don't take any drug tests afterward.... hehe.
Source: Castle in the Country
Meanwhile, on the running front...
After last week's long run (19 miles!), I've finally entered the taper! My calf is still bothering me quite a bit... I've self-diagnosed it as tendonitis, based on where and how my pain is occurring. Recovery advice (from the vast knowledge of the internet) seems to be rest, ice, and ibuprofen. Well, the rest has come as a result of tapering, I've been icing like crazy, and I need to get on the ibuprofen train. Note to readers: If I didn't have a marathon in just 17 days, I would take some time off running, no problem. I will be taking lots of rest days after the marathon. Just sayin'. Perhaps the two weeks of bad decisions, like back in college? Believe me, I will expand on that more after the marathon.
In other good news, my Business Man and I made it to the good ole' DQ for the first time since November tonight! My mom gave us a gift card for Christmas, but the DQ wasn't even open then! I was so stoked to go tonight.
As we tried to pay with mentioned gift card, we discovered they don't even take gift cards! I guess it's independently-owned, so they don't take 'corporate' gift cards. I'm glad I remembered to grab my wallet, too, or I would have been one unhappy-ice cream-less camper. (I guess that's why the other DQ across town doesn't even have chocolate ice cream. Which is so tragic, FYI.)
French silk pie made with chocolate ice cream. Hands down. However the DQ here in the Bean Town does not make that one so I settle with Chocolate Extreme. Which is still totally rad.
Spring weather makes me crave "spring" food. Like fruits and salads and quiches and asparagus and citrus. Lemon especially.
I haven't posted a lot of breakfast recipes on the blog. On most days of the week, we usually just eat oatmeal, cereal, or a Clif bar on the way out the door. Hey, it's life. But on Sundays, I actually cook, err.... bake. Sundays are Fun-days in the kitchen! Usually I make some sort of muffin, sweet roll, or scone. Mostly scones. I love scones.
I have posted about scones once before, right here. That is my absolute favorite scone recipe. I am constantly changing up the mix-in ingredients. My favorites are cherry-chocolate chip, apricot-almond, blueberry-walnut, apple-cinnamon, and cranberry-orange. (Favorites? ha! That was five flavors right there.) I am constantly searching my brain for other flavor combinations that work would fabulously with that scone recipe.
Sunday morning I woke up waaay early, before my alarm. Too early to even go run yet. So I lay in bed and thought up delicious scone combinations. I wanted something light and springy. And it came to me: LEMON POPPYSEED! I had never even heard of a lemon poppyseed scone. Of course I had to try it. And of course we didn't have two of the key ingredients: heavy cream (for cream scones) or lemons (for lemon poppyseed.) Surprisingly, we actually had poppyseeds.
No problem, I thought... I'll pick them up at the store on my run. And so I did. I ran a longer 4.5-mile loop to the grocery store, bought my heavy cream and lemon, and then ran the 2-miles home with groceries in tow. Did I look a little ridiculous? Yes, I'm sure, but I was a girl on a mission.
[Side note: Running with a carton of heavy whipping cream will cause the cream to get very foamy inside the carton. I almost thought it had become 'whipped' cream. Not quite. But close.]
Lemon Poppyseed Scones
Servings/Yield
6These scones are light and flaky. A perfect breakfast treat, or a wonderful addition to a brunch buffet.
Place the dough onto a large cutting board or mat, and form into a one-inch thick disk. Cut into 6 wedges, and place on cookie sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes at 425*F. Then, reduce heat to 350*F and bake an additional 8-10 minutes. There should be a crispy crust and a moist, light interior. Let cool about 10 minutes before serving.
Drizzle with powdered sugar glaze for extreme deliciousness.
Powdered Sugar Glaze
Combine 1-2 cups powdered sugar with a splash of milk and a splash of vanilla extract until desired consistency.
- 2 cups flour
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- zest from one lemon
- 2 tbsp. poppyseeds
- ½ tsp. vanilla extract
- ½ tsp. almond extract
- 1 cup heavy cream
Method
Preheat oven to 425*F. In bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Fold in lemon zest and poppyseeds. Combine cream with extracts, and add to flour mixture. Stir with a spatula until large clumps form. Using a squeezing motion with clean hands, press the dough into a ball until all the flour has been absorbed.Place the dough onto a large cutting board or mat, and form into a one-inch thick disk. Cut into 6 wedges, and place on cookie sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes at 425*F. Then, reduce heat to 350*F and bake an additional 8-10 minutes. There should be a crispy crust and a moist, light interior. Let cool about 10 minutes before serving.
Drizzle with powdered sugar glaze for extreme deliciousness.
Powdered Sugar Glaze
Combine 1-2 cups powdered sugar with a splash of milk and a splash of vanilla extract until desired consistency.
Source: Castle in the Country
Meanwhile, on the running front...
After last week's long run (19 miles!), I've finally entered the taper! My calf is still bothering me quite a bit... I've self-diagnosed it as tendonitis, based on where and how my pain is occurring. Recovery advice (from the vast knowledge of the internet) seems to be rest, ice, and ibuprofen. Well, the rest has come as a result of tapering, I've been icing like crazy, and I need to get on the ibuprofen train. Note to readers: If I didn't have a marathon in just 17 days, I would take some time off running, no problem. I will be taking lots of rest days after the marathon. Just sayin'. Perhaps the two weeks of bad decisions, like back in college? Believe me, I will expand on that more after the marathon.
In other good news, my Business Man and I made it to the good ole' DQ for the first time since November tonight! My mom gave us a gift card for Christmas, but the DQ wasn't even open then! I was so stoked to go tonight.
 |
| Crazy eyes! So excited! |
As we tried to pay with mentioned gift card, we discovered they don't even take gift cards! I guess it's independently-owned, so they don't take 'corporate' gift cards. I'm glad I remembered to grab my wallet, too, or I would have been one unhappy-ice cream-less camper. (I guess that's why the other DQ across town doesn't even have chocolate ice cream. Which is so tragic, FYI.)
 |
| Happy, happy girl. |
Anyways, I'm outta here. I gotta check out a new show, "Extreme Couponing"... haven't quite figured out my thoughts on it yet.
Questions of the Day
What's your favorite "spring" recipe?
Caramelized Onion & Bacon Quiche... believe me it will be getting its own recipe post soon. Promise.
What's your favorite DQ blizzard?
French silk pie made with chocolate ice cream. Hands down. However the DQ here in the Bean Town does not make that one so I settle with Chocolate Extreme. Which is still totally rad.
Comments
My favorite DQ Blizzard? Cookie Jar or Caramel Brownie. I think these were both Blizzards of the month, so I am not sure if they are on the regular menu or not.
It's amazing. YUMMM.
And, I am boring and like a cookie dough blizzard or the mint oreo.