Another exciting weekend in the Bean Town, as we had a visitor! My mom came out for her first visit since I moved out here after my Business Man and I got married. We had a full weekend planned, and got right to it when she arrived late Friday afternoon.
We took advantage of the gorgeous fall weather and went for a walk when she got here. She desperately needed to stretch her legs after being cooped up in a car for 6+ hours, and I can never turn down a walk through the beautiful leaves.
Then, my Business Man got home from work, and we took my mom on a driving tour of the Bean Town. We showed her all our favorite places, and some of the historic sites as well. I might just have to do a "driving tour" for the blog sometime.
After working up an appetite, we grabbed dinner from Beer Barrel Pizza, which is literally 0.2 miles from our apartment. And, it's the best pizza around, in my opinion. We order an "EBA" (everything but anchovies) and a Greek salad to go and enjoyed it in the comfort of our apartment so we could visit more easily.
Beer Barrel is a must-go if you ever are visiting the Bean Town. It's just so good! And convenient, too...
Saturday morning, I enjoyed a quick run while my Business Man and mom got up and ready. We enjoyed some Ray's donuts, including the beloved blueberry and a seasonal pumpkin flavor. The pumpkin was my fav of the day.
While my Business Man took care of a few things at the office, Mama and I hit up a craft bazaar at a local church. Definitely put me in the Christmas mood! I cannot wait for Christmas music and cookies and lights and hot cocoa... goodness I just love this time of year. I'm already thinking ahead to what I'm going to put in my cookie tins this year. My Business Man thinks I'm crazy.
Anyways, I came home with a new Christmas wreath, courtesy of mi madre. She walked away with a few goodies as well, which is never a bad thing! My parents' home is going to be on the Historical Christmas Tour in our hometown this year, so she needs to make sure that she's prepared! (Any excuse for more 'Christmas crap', as my dad calls it...)
After the busy morning, we headed up to Toledo to watch my XC team compete in their final race of the season. On the way, we stopped at the Toledo Botanical Garden. Nothing compared to the Missouri Botanical Garden, but it was free of charge and a nice place to go walk around for an hour or two!
We took advantage of the gorgeous fall weather and went for a walk when she got here. She desperately needed to stretch her legs after being cooped up in a car for 6+ hours, and I can never turn down a walk through the beautiful leaves.
Then, my Business Man got home from work, and we took my mom on a driving tour of the Bean Town. We showed her all our favorite places, and some of the historic sites as well. I might just have to do a "driving tour" for the blog sometime.
After working up an appetite, we grabbed dinner from Beer Barrel Pizza, which is literally 0.2 miles from our apartment. And, it's the best pizza around, in my opinion. We order an "EBA" (everything but anchovies) and a Greek salad to go and enjoyed it in the comfort of our apartment so we could visit more easily.
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| It looked a lot like this! (I grabbed this image from their website, haha...) |
Saturday morning, I enjoyed a quick run while my Business Man and mom got up and ready. We enjoyed some Ray's donuts, including the beloved blueberry and a seasonal pumpkin flavor. The pumpkin was my fav of the day.
While my Business Man took care of a few things at the office, Mama and I hit up a craft bazaar at a local church. Definitely put me in the Christmas mood! I cannot wait for Christmas music and cookies and lights and hot cocoa... goodness I just love this time of year. I'm already thinking ahead to what I'm going to put in my cookie tins this year. My Business Man thinks I'm crazy.
Anyways, I came home with a new Christmas wreath, courtesy of mi madre. She walked away with a few goodies as well, which is never a bad thing! My parents' home is going to be on the Historical Christmas Tour in our hometown this year, so she needs to make sure that she's prepared! (Any excuse for more 'Christmas crap', as my dad calls it...)
After the busy morning, we headed up to Toledo to watch my XC team compete in their final race of the season. On the way, we stopped at the Toledo Botanical Garden. Nothing compared to the Missouri Botanical Garden, but it was free of charge and a nice place to go walk around for an hour or two!
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| Mom and I on the bridge! A beautiful fall day. |
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| There were swans and ducks everywhere! And with that, lots of little things you don't want to step in! |
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| Loved these rows of trees. They were more yellow toward the other end, and so so pretty! |
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| Neat-O sculpture. |
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| And the random life-size beehive in the middle of one of the gardens. |
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| My favorite part of the fall foliage, MUMS! |
Saturday night was pretty low-key, and then Sunday morning we made scones! When my Business Man and I honeymooned to Michigan, we stayed at this wonderful B&B with the most delicious breakfast treats. Twice, we enjoyed their scones, and later found the recipe on their blog. They are super-simple, and super-yummy.
Today, we made a dried cherry and chocolate chip version for my mom... she loved them!
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| Yum, yum, yum. |
We have also made a blueberry version and apple-cinnamon-pecan. I can't wait to try cranberry-orange for Christmas!
And I will leave you with the recipe! Have a great week everyone.
Cream Scones
These scones are light and flaky. A perfect breakfast treat, or a wonderful addition to a brunch buffet.
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ cup dried fruit or chocolate chips
- ½ tsp. vanilla extract
- ½ tsp. almond extract
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 egg , beaten
- 1 tbsp. white sugar, for sprinkling
Method
Preheat oven to 425*F. In bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Fold in dried fruit and/or chocolate chips. 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. With a pastry brush, coat scones with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake for 10 minutes at 425*F. Then, reduce heat to 350*F and bake an additional 10 minutes. There should be a crispy crust and a moist, light interior. Let cool about 10 minutes before serving.
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. With a pastry brush, coat scones with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake for 10 minutes at 425*F. Then, reduce heat to 350*F and bake an additional 10 minutes. There should be a crispy crust and a moist, light interior. Let cool about 10 minutes before serving.
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