Simple Scones

All Photos - The Grower's Daughter

This past Saturday, I hosted a bridal shower (there will be photos of that coming soon, courtesy of Jenny from Reed Photography). It was a tea.

When I think of tea, I think of plump scones smothered in melted butter and a generous spoonfull of sweet preserves. I've tried numerous scone recipes and, until now, have yet to be successful in finding the perfect scone recipe.

Unsuccessful that is, until I came across this recipe from Bill's Food by Bill Granger.

It took me 3 attempts to get the results I was looking for. I added my own personal notes to the recipe in hopes of maybe preventing you from having to try three times as well.

The recipe itself is super simple. I guess that's why he calls them Simple Scones.

Simple Scones

1 tbsp. Icing sugar

2 1/2 c. plain flour [spooned and leveled]

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder [good quality to help them rise beautifully]

pinch of salt

1 c. milk

1 oz. melted butter

White sugar and 1 tbsp. milk for tops

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. In a bowl, sift together dry ingredient. Add milk and butter. Stir with a knife to combine [don't over mix, and stop stirring once it's mostly incorporated].

Once it's roughly together and sticky, turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead quickly and gently together just until smooth. [This is key! The dough should be slightly sticky and moist so that the dough incorporates quickly. Just do quick little pats and turns until it's fairly smooth and not piecey. Over - kneading activates the glutens too much and makes the scones tougher.]

Pat disk out until it's about 1 1/2 inches thick. Using a 2" diameter circle cutter, cut scones from dough. Place circles on a lightly greased cooking sheet. Quickly and gently knead the scraps and cut again until all the dough is used.

Brush tops with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake 10 minutes and remove when golden.

[I found that the baking time was actually more like 15 minutes, and that they browned nicer, without over baking, when I turned on the broiler for the last minute or two, watching carefully.]

Serve warm with butter, lightly whipped cream, or more preferably, clotted cream, and preserves.

I found a set of these butter knives in a huge lot of vintage silver plated cutlery I picked up a while ago.

This is a cute little milk and sugar set I picked up at a thrift store. It's small and has engraved violets. It's perfect for tea for one!

I really am happy with this recipe. The scones are perfectly shaped and delicious!

Of course, Willen joined me for tea. He even wanted to add his own milk as it was a "Teeny tiny milk," according to him "and he could do it on his own, mummy.".

These are little ironstone Demitasse cups I found at a bakery in town. They're so sweet, with pretty detailing, and are perfect for espresso, or as tea cups for Willen!

I've Got a Dollar

All Photos - The Grower's Daughter

Recently I've been going through old photos I have in my files and burning them to backup disks in case something happens to our computer. I have all of Willen's baby photos, and pretty much everything else on here and I've been meaning to get them off my hard drive for a while now. It's taking me quite a long time, but it's worth the effort.

In the meantime, I've really enjoyed flipping through old photos I haven't seen in a while.

I found these while going through our honeymoon albums.

This is a house Ryan and I came across. It's somewhere near Virginia.

I think it's gorgeous.

Oh, and by the way - it was for sale!

Mhmmm.

A Day in the Country - Antiques & Vintage Sale

Happy Wednesday.

I just wanted to pass along an invitation I received to an upcoming event that I am very much looking forward to:

A Day in the Country

Antiques & Vintage Sale

Remember these lovely booths at Christie's that I posted on a while back?

Tattered and Torn

Feathers

Well if you've been dying to check them out again, as I have, then come out to their sale and expect to come home with amazing finds!

Here are the details of the sale since it may be a bit hard to read the original invite:

Saturday, November 19th from 10 until 4

Sunday, November 20th from 10 until 4

903 Haldibrook Road. Calidonia, Ontario. N3W 1N5

No early birds and bring your mittens because it might be a little chilly, despite being under cover.

email - tatteredandtorn@shaw.ca

Hopefully I'll see a lot of you there!

Afternoon Tea at The Prince of Wales Hotel

All Photos - The Grower's Daughter

Last week I went for tea with my cousin. It's a special treat to get out just the two of us, and this time was even more lovely, as we were able to catch up over a lovely pot of tea and the most delicious little treats.

It was quite a wonderful way to spend a dreary Fall afternoon, let me tell you. Both being Austen fans, we couldn't help but long to have tea like this every time we paid our social visits!

Here's a little peak at how we got to spend our afternoon out. I'm sure it won't be long before we head back again!

Enjoy.

Tea is served in the Drawing Room at the Historic Prince of Wales Hotel, downtown Niagara on the Lake.

The Outer Room - Note the cold, rainy day.

The room is ornate and full of old parlor Antiques.

Around the love seats and larger sitting areas are the cozier spots for Tea for Two. This is where we were seated. I decided I would like to look for a pair of chairs like this, redone in linen, along with a simple, small table just for afternoon teas like this.

Our cozy little corner. We were the only ones for most of the afternoon which made it even cozier.

We ordered the Traditional Tea for Two. We could each select a tea from a list of the finest loose tea, brewed perfectly. We decided on Earl Grey, and a classic Orange Pekoe. After tea was poured, our accompaniments came out: A selection of four little desserts (A Strawberry Petite Four, Chocolate Dipped Shortbread, Chocolate Mousse with Mandarin Orange, and a Lemon Tartlette), a large scone with Jasmine infused raisins and traditional clotted cream, churned butter and Greaves Strawberry Preserves (a local favourite), and finally an assortment of tea sandwiches (including Ham and Cheese, Cucumber, Salmon and Egg, all on house made breads).

Needless to say, it was delicious!

The yummy little treats.

Somehow, two hours managed to fly by leaving our pots empty, our treats finished, and us very relaxed. We toured around the hotel a little while before heading home. The entire hotel is extremely ornate. The halls were lined with a vast collection of old portraits, and very rich wood details.

Outside the weather brightened a little, and we walked around the hotel.

The hotel spans a block downtown.

Inspirations - Autumn Decor

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Here are some of my current inspiration rooms.

The seasons effect my tastes so much. They have a great deal to do with my ever-evolving home. I believe that your home is never complete. I'm constantly developing my style, and tweaking it. It is being effected by my surroundings all the time. To me, it's what makes decorating fun, and what keeps it interesting.

Country Living

Obviously, rich woods paired with contrasting clean whites are always a favourite, but they seem especially Fall. I love the look of bits of nature scattered throughout a room: A small ironstone dish of collected acorns, a pumpkin or gourd tucked amongst a vignette, and maybe even a few gathered branches in a vase for a colourful arrangement.

Country Living

I find Fall to be one of my most favourite seasons to cook: Rich ingredients, comfort foods, colourful produce. This is a gorgeous pantry, perfect for housing rustic rolling pins and boards, large ironstone mixing bowls, vintage jars full of grains and flours, and baskets full of earthy carrots, potatoes and onions.

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This fireplace is breathtaking! The floors are gorgeous, and the chairs are just as charming. What a perfectly cozy setting for an intimate wedding. I also love cream pillar candles. I find I burn mine nearly each night during these months because it seems to get dark so early. They make my living space cozy and inviting - perfect for knitting or reading with my tea and knitted throw.

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This kitchen is bright and spacious, and more true to my kitchen tastes. There are a few little details in this particular one though that are my favourite.

1 - Those gorgeous old light fixtures.

2 - The collection of old rolling pins and how simple they look displayed on the wall.

3 - The collection of old bottles on the left counter. I wouldn't be able to live with them out on my counter, but they would look equally as lovely in a window.

4 - That door. How I love that door. It's perfect.

Country Living

And finally, collections of old classic literature. As I've mentioned before, I have been reading through all of Jane Austen's novels and I am enjoying myself immensely. In fact, I've been so inspired by their social calls and afternoon teas that my best friend and I have decided to go for high tea tomorrow at a historic hotel in Niagara on the Lake. I couldn't think of a lovelier way to spend a dreary Autumn afternoon than over a cup of perfectly served tea, complete with petite sandwiches and delicate pastries, warm scones with jam and Devonshire cream, and of course, good company. Later, we will "do town" and pop in and out of the quaint little shops, trying to avoid the rain. I'm so looking forward to it.

Have a lovely afternoon.

Road Trip Highlights - The Country Living Fair and Ohio

All Photos - The Grower's Daughter

My mother kindly reminded me this morning that I had yet to blog about our road trip down to Ohio for the Country Living Fair.

How has it already been a month since we've been back?

Well... better late than never! Here are some highlights from the Country Living Fair in Columbus, Ohio, and a few other photos from our trip out to Charm, a quaint little town in Ohio, and a favourite vacation spot of my parents.

Now, first you have to understand that whole "Trip to Ohio" thing. When we were little girls, my parents used to take us to "visit the Amish". That's right... That was were we vacationed. At one point, they even bought all four of us little Amish dresses and bonnets. Most parents vacationed in the South, or maybe headed East, but not my parents. For years they have made annual trips down to Ohio; Charm, Ohio to be exact. It's not that I remember having a bad time there - it was always fun. But, as we've grown up, it's become a joke in our family that my parents still insist on going back to their favourite little spot.

This year, having already planned to attend the Country Living Fair, which happens to be only a couple hours from Charm, my parents convinced me to head out there with them. I took Willen and my sister along for a little road trip and honestly, I can't say I was expecting to enjoy myself as much as what I did. I mean I knew it would be fun, especially for Willen, but I didn't think I would love it nearly as much as I did.

Being only five hours away from us, it was the perfect distance for our weekend adventure. We ate at my parents favourite little restaurant each night, walked the local towns, and of course, enjoyed the best coffee and donuts in all of Holmes County. The inn we stayed at was cozy, and complete with a fireplace and jacuzzi tub (Willen was convinced he had his own personal swimming pool). The towns were nestled into big rolling hills, speckled with horses, and humming with the constant sound of buggies passing. The houses were simple and white and always in pristine condition (and always with a laundry line that seemed to go on forever!). But all the quaint, country charm and homey goodness aside, there was one particular reason I loved the trip.

The junking.

Barns full, warehouses full, even roadside sheds full! It was a constant hunt for the best hidden treasures and I came home with a car full of beautiful pieces!

The fair was a great afternoon, as always, but it really was only part of the fun, and to be honest, I can see exactly why my parents go so often.

After all, I can't wait to go back.

Enjoy.

The fair never fails to inspire me for the soon arriving Fall season.

This booth was a great assortment of vintage industrial.

These pillows (and bag below), were a favourite handmade find.

Urban Farmhouse - Always a  favourite.

I think this year, STASH took the place of my favourite booth. There was just so much going on, and such creativity, you could spend hours browsing through her gorgeously styled booth.

Summerhouse - Another favourite, was beautiful and full of ironstone as always.

The gorgeous countryside.

And my father's favourite find. This is literally a shed on the side of the main road through Charm that is just full of the most random assortment of junk. The owner can be found repurposing old windows into garden benches, another stack of finds piled high on his old pick up. I think my father shopped there each day.

This is how we spent a lot of our time - driving around, climbing through old barns.

And of course, there was lots for Willen to do as well! In town, there was a hugely popular family farm. It was a petting farm, store, bakery, farmer's market and restaurant all in one. He spent his time there feeding ice cream cones full of pellets to the hungry little goats and chasing chickens. He was in awe of "Big Ben", the 3000lb Clydesdale and even rode his first pony, Shorty. A highlight of the trip was when we first arrived in Ohio. He stepped out of the van and in his most serious voice, he plainly greeted a local Amish man with a "Hey Cowboy.". We all nearly died laughing. It was priceless.