Cherry and Chocolate Chip Scones with Devonshire Cream

I sure do like scones. And almost everything is better when you add some chocolate chips to the batter! At the Maple Street Bistro where I get my coffee at times, they serve their scones with Devonshire cream. Once I enjoyed this treat, I had to savor it again...but alas, the next time I went in greatly anticipating my blueberry scone topped with Devonshire cream...they were out of the cream!!!! I was disappointed to be sure, but I tried to control myself and not let it show. I simply told the barrista how much I enjoy Devonshire cream and mentioned how I'll have to try to find the recipe for it. So later on when I was at a table sipping my latte and eating a blueberry scone...plain...this sweet barrista came over with a copy of the recipe for Devonshire cream!! I was very happy, and have made it three times since! I know you'll enjoy it too...and it's very easy to whip up! I promised the gal that I wouldn't sell the recipe and make millions off of it (though I'm sure I could since it is THAT good)...so I'm trusting you not to do the same!

Maybe tomorrow, I'll take a picture of a scone topped with the Devonshire Cream to get you drooling enough to make this recipe!

Cherry Chocolate Chip Scones

2 2/3 cup flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup soft butter
1/2 cup whole dried cherries
1/3 cup (or more) chocolate chips
1/2 cup milk (don't be tempted to add more!)
Sugar in the Raw

In your mixer, mix together dry ingredients. Add butter and mix until butter is a little less than pea size. Stir in cherries and chocolate chips. Add milk all at once and stir until all flour is sticky, but don't overmix! Shape into 2 balls. Flatten each ball into 3/4 inch rounds and place side by side on greased cookie sheets. Sprinkle tops with Sugar in the Raw. Using a sharp knife, cut each round into about 6 to 8 slices (but don't seperate the slices). Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes.
Note: For a variation, use chopped dried apricots instead of cherries.

Devonshire Cream

3 oz cream cheese
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 cup heavy cream

In your mixer, blend cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Add heavy cream and beat until peaks form. (The first time I made this I over beat it, and it turned into a thin liquid with butter chunks in it, so be careful to stop mixing as soon as you have a really thick custard looking cream that makes some peaks). You shouldn't have to beat for more than a minute or so. Keep covered in the fridge for up to several days. Serve chilled.

Easter Pics!!!

Julia's first Easter!

Check out the shades on Abby! Elijah looked very handsome this Easter Sunday...and he told me that I looked very pretty...I thought that was sweet.

I think she likes Easter!

My Spring Chicks

Hannah learned to ride her bike with no training wheels this week!!!!

I love this pic of Abby...the heels, the dress, the crown, and the bandaids on both knees. You should of seen her running in her heals too!

Look at Hannah (it's like this everyday too)...all the neighbor kids wear jeans and tennis shoes. But not Hannah. She always likes to look like a lady...even when learning to ride a bike. Notice the skirt...and the shoes!

I made these Hanky skirts for my Spring Chicks. They were a lot of fun to make, and every time they wear them, it makes me smile :-) I'm making Julia a dress and bloomers to match.

This Week in Pictures

This is Julia's first time to sit on grass...just not green grass...yet. This week Hannah learned to ride a bike with no training wheels!

By the way, today is the first day of spring! (We woke up to about 1/2 an inch of snow on the ground!)

Holy Week

Since this is Holy Week, I thought I would put a hymn on here for meditation. Today is Maundy Thursday, which was the day that we remember Christ's Last Supper with His disciples before He was crucified. At that Last Supper, He washed the disciple's feet, yet another picture of baptism, "If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me." (John 13:8). So tonight during our Holy Week liturgy, we will be washing one another's feet. In our family, we use Doug Jone's Easter Liturgy. Since Christ the King is here, every night we have chocolate and wine. But tomorrow night, the chocolate and wine will be on the table, but will suddenly be taken away, since it will seem that our hope in the Messiah has perished. On Easter morning, chocolate and wine will abound!!! I like how these tangible things can really drive home the greatest story...the resurrection! If you're interested, here's a link to that liturgy, though you would be starting a little late (but better late than never) http://wmson.wordpress.com/2007/03/28/.

Okay, so here's a hymn:

Jesus Christ, Our Blessed Savior

John Huss

Jesus Christ, our blessed Savior,

Turned away God's wrath forever;

By His bitter grief and woe

He saved us from the evil Foe.

As His pledge of love undying

He, this precious food supplying,

Gives His body with the bread

And with the wine the blood He shed.

Whoso to this Board repaireth

May take heed how He prepareth;

For if he does not believe,

Then death for life he shall recieve.

Praise the Father, who from heaven

Unto us such food hath given

And, to mend what we have done,

Gave into death His only Son.

Thou shalt hold with faith unshaken

That this food is to be taken

By the sick who are distrest,

By hearts that long for peace and rest.

Christ says: "Come, all ye that labor,

And receive My grace and favor;

They who feel no want nor ill

Need no physician's help nor skill.

"Useless were for thee My Passion,

If thy works thy weal could fashion.

This feast is not spread for thee

If thine own Savior thou wilt be."

If thy heart this truth professes

And thy mouth thy sin confesses,

His dear guest thou here shalt be,

And Christ Himself shall banquet thee.

More Than Thrifty

I've been making out like a bandit at the thrift store around the corner from our house. Ben and I have been wanting a LONG table for a LONG time, and last Saturday, I found it! For $25!!!! It can seat about 12. With our other table, we were stuffing up to 8 adults around that thing, and kiddos had to sit somewhere else! Not much elbow room for sure! This table is major sturdy, and will fit beautifully into the dining room at the Parsonage which we'll be moving into in a few weeks. The top could use a refinishing job, which I think I'll tackle this summer. All we need now is some more chairs. We christened it by eating our St. Patty's day meal on it: corned beef, sweet potatoes and cabbage...and beer.

I also found a new solid wood, dovetailed dresser, in almost perfect condition at the same thrift store...$12!! Our family has expanded, but our dresses never have. So we've had a major deficit in the where-to-put-clothes department.

And then I found these moss green velvet pillow shams which I absolutely fell in love with...with a matching bed skirt...and a matching duvet cover (which I'm going to cut up, because I like my current duvet cover...thanks Lauren!). So thanks for sharing in my excitement over my finds!

Gems

Don't you just love the color of these eggs? Very beautiful...very vibrant! My favorites are the aqua colored ones! We dyed these for our seder meal tomorrow night.

The last remaining snow...

Abby and Elijah gathered up what was left of the snow, and made mini snow forts for some of their critters. The last few days it has rained a little...a nice change from the snow!

Summer Please Come!

I made these summer dresses for the girls...doing our part to encourage the coming of Spring! I love the fabric. Hannah is wearing a turtle neck under her's, because, yes, it is still cold here in the NW!

Blue Eyed Clabber Girl

Our New Church Building

Our church has purchased it's first church building, and we are all so excited and are so blessed by the Lord. Before, we were meeting in a Grange building with quite disgusting bathrooms. We've worshipped at our new building for 2 weeks now; Ben will be preaching there on Easter Sunday! Here is a pic of part of the building.

In a few weeks, Ben and I will be moving into the parsonage next door to the church. The house will be a big blessing to us, and will give us a lot more room for hospitality. The parsonage was actually the original church building in the 20's and 30's, and in the 40's the church had grown too large, so they built the new church building, which we are now worshiping in! I sure would like to know more about the first pastor's family of the home we will be living in.

We have lost our FIRST tooth!!!!

Hannah lost her first tooth yesterday! Very exciting for all of us. Incidentally, we all forgot to put the tooth under her pillow last night for the Tooth Fairy. But unfortunately, I accidentally threw her tooth away. I had put it in a little sandwich baggy and later that night when I was cleaning up the kitchen, I threw it away. It's a good thing the Tooth Fairy goes by the honors system!

Seder Prep

This Saturday Ben and I are hosting a Seder (Passover) Meal. We decided to start off small this year (but I'm not sure how small 26 people are!), with the intent of doing it church wide next year. So this year is kinda of our practice run. I'll let you know how it goes. Yesterday I made these matzo covers...very Jewish looking don't you think?

I got the idea from Martha Stewart's website to add trim to men's hankies.

The Passover festival celebrates the sequence of events that led to the Israelites' freedom from slavery. While thoroughly based in those historical events, the celebration encompasses much more as it become's a vehicle to celebrate the very nature of God and His gracious work in the world through our Saviour Christ Jesus! This Passover is a remembrance of God's new work of deliverance in Christ; thus as the New Israel, we Christians have every reason to celebrate and rejoice!

Moka Pot

This is my new Moka Pot and boy does it make GOOD coffee...the Italian way! I bought it after my espresso machine broke...again...aauurrgghh. But this little stovetop espresso maker makes better espresso than even my espresso machine did! I'm very pleased! Even Ben likes the coffee I make now! All Italian homes have these in them, so I'm convinced that Italian's have one up on American's when it comes to their coffee. This makes a very rich, almost thick brew. Mmmmmm!