Planning a Tea Party-

The ladies at my church are having their annual tea this weekend. This is very cool for me because I have Scottish / British roots and with my love of things Japanese, tea is very high up my cool list.

I also have a British ex-pat family that recently moved to states to join my church. I promised them some scones - in reality it was just an excuse to make a big batch of them.

In my pantry, I have a baking section that covers most of my usual needs. I had to decide if I wanted plain scones or something else - I opted for blueberry scones. I used canned blueberries because it was the least amount of overage from what the recipe called for. The cans were $2.79 as opposed to $3.99 for fresh (I would definitely use the fresh in season - its way cheaper). The only other thing I had to buy for the scones was milk because I do not keep in in the house.

I used a basic recipe from Cooks.com. It took 20 minutes to get the batter mixed, rolled out and the scones into the oven. I was able clean the table off while they were baking and the dishes while they were cooling off. Got good reviews for them.


BLUEBERRY BREAKFAST SCONES

3 3/4 c. flour
3/4 c. sugar
1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/3 c. shortening
2 tbsp. cold butter
1 c. blueberries
3/4 c. milk
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in the shortening and butter using a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add blueberries and toss lightly to distribute. In a separate bowl using a fork beat together the milk and eggs until well blended. Using a large spoon gently stir the egg mixture into the flour mixture. With floured hands gather the dough up and place on a floured surface. Sprinkle the top lightly with additional flour and pat the dough out to a thickness of about 1/2 inch.

Using a 2 1/2-inch fluted or rounded cutter, cut the scones out (dipping the cutter in flour before and after each one) and place them on a lightly greased baking sheet. Gather up the scraps and cut additional scones until all the dough is used. Sprinkle the tops of the scones with granulated sugar and bake for 10 minutes at 425 degrees. Do not over bake or scones will be dry.