Scones!

My boyfriend, Jake, asked me to learn how to make scones... so I did!  They're not triangles like you'd see at Starbucks or something, instead they are more traditional; they're circles, like you'd find at tea time with the Queen :)  They're whole wheat with raisins... not very exciting, but they were DELICIOUS with blackberry jam.  I'm thinking of trying some different scones with a fruit in it.. maybe orange?  Stay tuned...

What you'll need:
1/4 c. cold butter
2 c. whole wheat flower
1 c. all purpose flour
2 T. sugar
1/2 t. salt
2 1/2 t. baking soda
2 eggs
3/4 c. buttermilk
1/4 c. raisins

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Grease and flour a baking sheet (there's a kind of Pam specifically for baking that has flour in it).
Cut your butter up into small pieces.
Stir up your dry ingredients (flours, sugar, salt, baking soda).  Then add in the butter and use a pastry blender (or your hands) to make big crumbs.
In a separate bowl, whisk your eggs and buttermilk.  Take out 2 T. for glazing and set aside in a small bowl.
Stir the egg mixture into the dry ingredients so that it holds together.  Stir in the raisins.
Roll out your dough, about 3/4 in. thick.  Use a circle cookie cutter to stamp out your perfect scones.  Put them on the cookie sheet and brush with your glaze.
Bake them until golden, around 10 min.
Enjoy!
They're real easy to split in half to put butter or jam on :)

Tropical Sangria

It seems summer is rapidly coming to a close, (I start graduate school tomorrow - eek!) so I thought I'd post one last fun summer recipe.  I made this a few weeks ago, and my boyfriend and I LOVED it and drank it for a few nights in a row... but watch out, it's a little alcohol heavy so it'll getchya!

You'll need:
1 bottle of Chardonnay (750 ml), you can use a different white wine, but a cheap chardonnay will keep it from getting too sweet
1 12 oz. can of frozen lemonade
1/2 c. of light rum (I used Bacardi because that's what we had on hand)
1/2 c. of triple sec
3/4 c. simple syrup (take 1/2 c. sugar and 1/2 c. of water and heat in microwave until completely clear, stirring occasionally, allow to cool to room temp and it will become a syrup)
1 20 oz. can of pineapple chunks in juice
1 apple, unpeeled, cored, and cut into chunks (I used a granny smith)
1 orange, in thin slices
1 lemon, in thin slices
1 c. strawberries, halved
1 can of lemon-lime soda (I used Squirt, but anything would work)

In a pitcher (a gallon size is what I used), pour in your wine, lemonade, rum, triple sec, and simple syrup.  Stir it up pretty good so that the ingredients mix together rather than separating.  Pour in the entire can of pineapples (including the juice).  Then add in all your fruits.  Stir and refrigerate -- the longer the better.  If you let it sit, the fruit soaks up the mix and becomes softer, and the flavors from the fruit mix in the drink.  Don't add in the soda until right before you serve so that it doesn't go flat.  Pour over ice.
And you're done!  Yum :)