Oatmeal Scones

I used to make these quite often because they were a big hit with my kids. They're delicious warm from the oven with a bit of butter and cherry jam for breakfast, but more often than not I serve these alongside a good homemade soup.

I use organic rolled oats for these scones, but any old-fashioned, slow cook type oats will do.

(That being said, don't use steel cut oats unless you want to crack a tooth. Bad for you, good for my husband's business. Ditto eating sticky toffee when your mouth is full of old fillings, opening beer bottles with your molars, and playing hockey without a mouth guard, all of which we've seen. But I digress...)

Oatmeal Scones

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup cold butter (salted or unsalted)
3/4 cup buttermilk*

In large mixing bowl, combine flour, oats, baking soda, and salt. Cut in cold butter with a pastry blender until the butter is the size of peas. Stir in the buttermilk just until mixed. (You might need a tad more buttermilk if the mixture looks too dry to hold together.) Divide the dough in half. On a floured surface, pat into 2 circles 1/2 inch thick. Score into quarters. Place on parchment paper or a greased pan and bake at 400F for 12-15 minutes, or until they are lightly browned at the edges.

*If you don't have buttermilk you can sour milk but putting 1 tsp of vinegar or lemon juice in a measuring cup and then adding milk. Let sit for 10 minutes to sour. But really, buttermilk is the best because it adds so much flavour, so use it if you can.

So....

Do you, gentle readers, want me to publish more recipes?

Often? Occasionally? Don't care either way?

Embrace Your Mistakes

Texas artist Qiang Huang writes a blog about painting. He paints every day and many of his paintings are experiments, since he sets about to test colours and values. Sometimes a painting will work, often it doesn't. He says of these so-called failures that that it isn't the painting that's not working, but the theory. "Having wrong theories is very common in research. That is why experiments are so important."

So instead of beating himself up about what isn't working, he looks at it this way.

"You should congratulate yourself if you see problems in your painting, because you have caught the problem, it is no longer hiding, so you are half way to success already."

The same could be said of your writing.

Or your relationships.

Actually, it's a good lesson for life.

Thus endeth the lesson.

I could expound.

But I'm going to make oatmeal scones and tea instead.

And there is nothing you can do to stop me.

An intriguing new fabric

For those of you who are constantly wondering "what can I possibly get Pam for her birthday?" have a gander at this.

It's a cloth cape, covered in embroidery, and made entirely out of spider silk. The yellow, almost egg-yolk shade is its natural colour, and it took millions of spiders (and 80 human workers) over four years to make it.

What kind of spiders would these be, I hear you asking. Spiders the size of your hand, I reply with an involuntary shudder.

It is to go on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London if you want to have a closer look. That is to say the fabric, not the spiders, who are now back to cavorting and gorging on flies and small children in Madagascar.

Listen to an interview here.

Watch a slide show here.

And there's a longer article here.

Maybe next time I'm tempted to smack one of the little devils with a rolled up magazine I'll capture it and put it to work for me.

Can you do this with a Kindle?

My eldest daughter and I have been debating the merits of Kindles vs books, actual, made with paper and hold in your hands books. My father printed books for a living so I have a deep-seated love for real books. I remember he used to bring home "dummies," the prototypes for the hardcover books before they went to print. I used to fill the blank pages with my own stories.

There is nothing quite like holding a brand new book, opening it and feeling the spine crack slightly. I always admire the cover art, read the front inside flap to read the synopsis and the back inside flap to check out the author photo, examine the binding, feel the quality of the paper, scrutinize the typeface, smell the fresh ink....oh, that new book smell is intoxicating for someone who loves books. Even that musty old book smell is exciting because it means a good story and a new adventure might be hiding in those pages.

However, that being said, I love my Kindle. I carry it everywhere. In fact, I want a second one because the one I bought for my husband at Christmas is much smaller and lighter than mine and now I covet it. I'm also into instant gratification, so to own a device that let's me read a chapter then order the rest of the book instantly, wherever I am and whenever I want, well...that's also intoxicating.

On the other hand, I want to support small bookstores. They are struggling to survive these days against not only the big box stores but Amazon which is, well, an Amazon when it comes to book sales.

So to strengthen her argument, Eldest sent this video made by a couple in a tiny Toronto bookstore.

It came with the note "can your Kindle do this?"

Alas, no, it cannot.



I do not concede defeat, but I do admit that no, my Kindle cannot do this.

Battle of Wits

If you play a battle of wits with a toddler, prepare to lose.

Every time.

When your camera is set on video

And you're trying to take a photo.

It turns out like this.



And this. These two are adorable. I hope we're like this when we're this couple's age. Still playful and sweet. Wait until the end, the things he says to her under his breath.



From I Think It's On Video where there are a few more.

Have you ever done this?

A Most Excellent Way to Start the New Year