Strawberry Pecan Scones

I had a few leftover strawberries from last weekends Farmer's Market that I needed to use up so I combined a few different scone recipes into one and loved the results.  These scones are light and fluffy like a muffin but the edges are crispy and well done like a scone.  Since I had strawberries on hand, I used them but I would think that any fresh berry would substitute well.  

3 cups all-purpose flour


1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar


1 tablespoon baking powder


1/2 teaspoon baking soda


1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cubed


1 1/4 cups buttermilk, plus more for brushing


1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract


1 1/2 cups sliced strawberries


For Glaze:


1/2 cup chopped pecans


2 cups confectioners' sugar


3 tablespoons buttermilk


1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour with the granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using a Kitchenaid mixer, pastry blender or your fingers, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in the buttermilk until just incorporated, then gently fold in the sliced strawberries.

Using an ice cream scoop or a spoon, scoop the dough into 16 mounds on the prepared baking sheets. Brush the scones with buttermilk and sprinkle with reserved sugar. Bake in the upper and lower thirds of the oven until the scones are golden and cooked through, rotating the pans from front to back and top to bottom halfway through baking. This should take about 20 to 30 minutes, but keep an eye on them as the berries have a tendency to burn. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Spread the pecans in a thin layer on a small baking sheet and toast for about 8 minutes, until just golden. Remove from oven and let cool.

To prepare glaze, in a small bowl, whisk the confectioners' sugar with the buttermilk and vanilla extract. Drizzle the scones with the glaze, then top with the pecans, pressing if necessary to adhere. I found it helpful to apply the glaze again over the pecans to hold them in place a little more. Let the glaze set for for 10 minutes, then serve. 

Are you a Mother, Mom or Mama?

image credit

My grandmother was a mother, my mom was a mom and when I become a mother, I will mostly likely be a mama.  What are you?  I find it so fascinating what people choose to be called by their children.  Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers, moms, and mamas (also to all the Aunties and friends that are there day in and day out, helping to hold all the pieces of life together).  It's a great day to celebrate!

ps.  I'm in the middle of having severe baby fever.  It's so bad that I even created a Pinterest board devoted to Mamas and their little ones.  You can check it out here, if you are so inclined... http://pinterest.com/caracrowley/mama-love/

Sweet William ~ Happy Birthday

If you follow my business and talk to me in person for more than five minutes, you will find out that I am devoted Auntie to two nephews, Luke and William.  Lucas comes up more in conversation because he works more within my business.  Luke (age 8) helps me pick paint colors, fabric selections and furniture layouts on occasion for projects.  The kid has the best design eye and a strong opinion about how to design and how to throw a good party.  William comes up less in conversation only because on the surface we seem to have less in common but when I really think about it our interests may differ but our personalities are so alike, it's a little scary.  William is headstrong, in the best way possible.  Once he gets an idea about something he generally acts on it immediately, he takes risks and likes the thrill of trying new things.  He loves fiercely and is extremely loyal.  He is generally camera shy and it can be hard to capture his day to day moments.  But today, he was hanging out in the backyard while I was working at my desk that overlooks the backyard.  I looked up from a project I was working on, saw these special moments and was able to capture these moments from the distance.  These photos sum up William to a tee and as he turns 5 in a couple of weeks, I can help but be proud of this little being that shares my life with me and thankful that has challenged me in the best possible to be an "out of the box" Auntie.  Happy Early Birthday, Sweet William.  I look forward to the Monster Car Truck Rallies that I'm sure I'll be coursed into attending in my future.    xoxoxo.

a little pick me up

Today is a gray, overcast May day and I'm not feeling quite like myself.  I'm pushing myself to finish a few projects and getting myself organized.  While I was out running errands this morning, I stopped at Trader Joe's for fresh flowers.  Fresh flowers never seem to fail making me feel better.  I came home put them in my favorite Threshold vase and immediately seemed to have more energy and have seemed to hit upon a second wind to finish up on my projects.  I'm also loving this soft purple, pink color of these snapdragons, they go perfectly with my blushy pink living room walls.

New Chicks ~ Adventures in Urban Farming

(these photos were taken on the day that they came home when they were two days old)

A week ago three little chicks came into my small little family.  They are perfect.  They are growing like weeds and are healthy and thriving.  Their names are Ina, Gemma and Dolly.  Before I get too far into how much I love them, I should back up and tell you that this all started with a trip to Costco.  I went to the back of the store looking for paper towels and when I turned the corner saw a giant chicken coop for the perfect price.  I had been thinking about chickens for a while but the price of coops kept putting me off.  But this one, this one was affordable and it was well constructed and had all the features that I had been looking for.  So the coop became my impulse purchase of the month at Costco.  Darn Costco!  But moving forward... 

After getting the coop, I started my research for chicks.  I wanted the best breed for my climate and wanted to healthiest, local chicks that I could find.  Last week I went to Western Feed Supply on 33rd Street in East Sacramento.  They were so kind and gave me so much information.  A few days later, I went back and purchased three chicks, feed, food and water containers.  The chicks have been flourishing in the garage, for now, under a warming lamp and they will stay there until they are a couple months old and then be moved outside to their coop.    I can't wait for fresh eggs, which should happen in about five months.  

I should point out that according to code enforcement in Sacramento, you are entitled to have three hens on your property.  Every community is different and you should check with your local rules before getting chicks or hens.  

House Tour ~ My Kitchen

As most of you know, I live a big life in a small space.  I love living in 850 square feet!  It's always such a great design challenge to find dual purpose items and find ways to decorate having everything on display, like the recycling.  For the kitchen, I established a color palate with a Caitlin Wilson fabric, Mustard Fleur Chinoise fabric by the yard. I had a custom roman shade made from the fabric.  I pulled out the cool mint from the fabric and used that as the accent colors around the room. The walls are painted Plantation White from Behr and the back of the cabinets are painted in Coastal Tide from Behr as well.  I had the peg board installed a` la Julia Child for extra storage and also use a craft cart from Ikea to hold Weck and Ball jars for dinner leftovers, vases to make it easy to arrange garden flowers and small vintage Pyrex bowls to whip up a quick scrambled egg or two.   Because I cook a lot, I splurge on nice things like Williams Sonoma hand towels, Le Cruset enameled cast iron pots and a Nespresso maker for morning coffee.  I also use big baskets to corral recycling and collect vintage sets of Pyrex bowls to house fresh Farmer's Market fruit and flowers.  All these details come together to make my kitchen one of my favorite places in my house.  

Sources:

Vintage Pyrex Bowls: Flea Markets and Antique Stores

Small Colorful Skillets: Cost Plus World Market and Target

Small Colendars: Cost Plus World Market and Home Goods

Le Cruset: Sur La Table

Nespresso Machine and Hand Towels: Williams Sonoma

Cutting Board: Target

Cafe Latte Bowls: Anthropologie

Cake Print: Paul Ferney

Vintage Milk Glass Vases: Flea Markets and Antique Stores

Glass Vases: Dollar Store

Craft Cart: Ikea

Seagrass Basket:  Homegoods

DIY ~ Golden Horseshoe

This was the easiest DIY I've ever done.  I originally made this golden horseshoe for a client project and loved it so much that I made one for my own home.  It's simple project and can be completed in just a couple of minutes.

1.  Pick up an old horseshoe from a flea market or antique store.
2.  Spray a flat spray paint primer over the entire horseshoe and allow to completely dry.
3.  When the primer is dry, spray the horseshoe with a high gloss metallic spray paint from the hardware store.  Spray one side and when dry, flip the horseshoe over and spray the other side.

I originally was going to hang it above my front door but for now I've been using it as an accessory in my living room.