A little catch up...

Two weekends ago Mom, Dad and Grams came for a visit. They got a lot of play time in with the girls on Friday while A and I were at work. Then, on Saturday we woke up and Grams and I made orange-cranberry scones. They are so good but seriously high-maintenance! It’s a recipe from Barefoot Contessa that everyone loves and I had a special request for them that weekend. It says on the “prep time” that they take about 30 minutes to prepare and about 30 minutes to bake. Let me tell ya!...with both Grams and I going at it as fast as we can it takes every bit of 30 minutes to prepare! We’re talking about grating real orange zest & kneading the dough…really baking from scratch…something I don’t do too often! Anyway, I always enjoy spending time in the kitchen with Grams and it’s fun to hear everyone rave over the “high-maintenance” scones when they come out of the oven! The girls also had their share of fun with Grandma Rose and Boba and Poppy too. Plenty of time was spent coloring at the little table, playing dolls and cooking up treats in Emmerson’s own kitchen! It was another fun weekend!

On Friday night we took the girls to see Bolt! It was Evynn's first movie! She sat so sweetly and chowed down on her popcorn for about an hour and the rest of the time was spent up and down the stairs and out in the lobby with either Boba or myself! :-) Emmerson loved the movie and talked about "Bolts" for a week! :-)

We tried really hard to get a picture but it was so cold & the girls just weren't having it!

Here we are...hard at work in the kitchen!

Mom, Grams and I headed out to Holiday Happening to do a little shopping and a lotta looking on Saturday!

I think the girls kept Grams entertained! I love this fun pic!

Here's the recipe for the Cranberry Orange Scones...if you dare!


Ingredients
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar, plus
additional sugar, for sprinkling
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
3/4 lb cold unsalted butter, diced Yes! That’s almost a pound! J That’s why they’re so darn good!
4 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup cold heavy cream
1 cup dried cranberries


Egg Wash
1 egg, beaten with
2 tablespoons water or milk


Glaze
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, plus
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
4 teaspoons freshly squeezed orange juice


Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix 4 cups of flour, 1/4 cup sugar, the baking powder, salt and orange zest. Add the cold butter and mix at the lowest speed until the butter is the size of peas. Combine the eggs and heavy cream and, with the mixer on low speed, slowly pour into the flour and butter mixture. Mix until just blended. The dough will look lumpy! Combine the dried cranberries and 1/4 cup of flour, add to the dough, and mix on low speed until blended.
Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead it into a ball. Flour your hands and a rolling pin and roll the dough 3/4-inch thick. You should see small bits of butter in the dough. Keep moving the dough on the floured board so it doesn't stick. Flour a 3-inch round plain or fluted cutter and cut circles of dough. Place the scones on a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Collect the scraps neatly, roll them out, and cut more circles.
Brush the tops of the scones with egg wash, sprinkle with sugar, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are browned and the insides are fully baked. The scones will be firm to the touch. Allow the scones to cool for 15 minutes and then whisk together the confectioners' sugar and orange juice, and drizzle over the scones.