Super Easy Scones

Blueberry scones closest, chocolate chip scones farther.

I've just been craving scones, so this seemed a good idea.  Easy, pretty quick, and versatile.

You'll need (for 8 good sized scones):

• 3 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 5 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon (or another nice seasoning, depending upon your add-ins)
• dash salt
• 3/4 cups butter (at room temperature)
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup half 'n half (if you don't have half 'n half, just sub milk)
• something tasty to add.  

The steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Combine dry ingredients
• Cut in butter using a pastry cutter, fork, hands, or food processor.  Easiest if you cut the butter into smaller pieces before adding.
• In a measuring cup, beat together egg & milk
• Make a well in the dry mixture and gradually add egg & milk mixture.  You likely will not use all of the liquid mixture.  Add it little bits at a time, mix in using a fork, and just keep adding until moist.  The consistency should be conducive to rolling out.
• Add your goodies.  I added blueberries to some and chocolate chips to others.  Cranberries and orange zest is a good choice.  If you want something not so sweet, try dill or cardamom.  
• You can either roll out the dough and cut it into triangle pieces or just grab it by the handful and shape it into triangles (I chose the latter).
• Bake on a greased cookie sheet for 15 minutes.
• Enjoy for breakfast, brunch, mid-morning snack, mid-afternoon snack.

Chocolate Covered Blueberries

So, this is my 4th of July dish, since blueberries, to me at least, feel right for the 4th of July.  And the blue will go with the tomatoes in the quiche I made earlier today.  The white, well, I suppose I will serve them on white dishes.

This will literally take you 10 minutes.  And is delicious.

You'll need: 

I don't have quantities here because you can adjust them depending upon how many people you're serving.  Basically, one bag of chocolate chips should roughly do fine with one box of berries

• Fresh blueberries (brought to room temperature and dried after being washed)
• chocolate chips
• butter or shortening

The steps

• Melt chocolate chips with a bit of butter or shortening in 15-20 second bursts in the microwave, stirring between each go 'round in the microwave.
• Before you start assembling your deserts, be sure you have the container for them ready.  I used a flat skinny tupperware.  You may want to line with wax paper for easier cleaning later.
• Once the chocolate is melty and syrupy and delicious, add the blueberries a handfull at a time. Stir the berries in, gently, until covered with chocolate.
• Using a spoon and your fingers (best to keep spoon hand clean and only let the other hand get chocolatey), scoop out about 4-6 berries into your container.  Repeat, spacing the clusters just so they won't touch.  
• When you've used up all your blueberries, use your spoon to scrape the sides of the bowl and drizzle this chocolate on top of your blueberry clusters (it's okay to eat some too).
• Refrigerate your chocolate blueberry clusters for at least an hour or until the chocolate has formed a hard, delicious shell around the berries.

These are good on their own, with whipped cream, or over ice cream.

Declare your Food Independence and cook/eat locally for your 4th of July celebration!