Cranberry-Chocolate Scones

     I have successfully completed my first attempt at making scones. I have been wanting to try my hand at this for awhile for a few reasons. 1. Scones are simply scrumptious and the thought of a scone and a cup of coffee on a Saturday morning sounds perfect. 2. At some point in my life I would enjoy to have a coffee & pastry shop where I made all the pastries myself. So this was a start towards fulfilling both of my reasons. I was pleasantly surprised that scones were not difficult to make and that, perhaps by beginners luck, they turned out perfectly!

If you desire to also try your hand at scones or enjoy a new treat here is the link to the recipe: http://www.bhg.com/recipe/desserts/scones/.

This is not the exact recipe that I got out of the magazine but the only changes are as follows:

Add 1/4 cup of chocolate pieces & 1/2 tsp finely shredded orange peel into egg mixture.

If you want to top the scones with a drizzle after they have cooled you can make an orange drizzle: 

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tbs orange juice

1/4 tsp vanilla

Mix together and stir in additional orange juice (1 tsp at a time) to achieve drizzle consistency

"Christ"-mas Time Is Here!

Merry Christmas!
We love this time of year, most likely due to the amazing memories of Christmas with our families for the past 25 or so years. We have learned and acquired the traditions from our families and since being married we've tried our hands at starting new traditions. For Tim, his most memorable family tradition is the Christmas Eve See's Candy eating fest. Essentially, the entire family sits around the living room coffee table and enjoys their favorite sampling of candy! For me, I vividly remember my family heading up to the mountains to tromp through the snow and cut down our Christmas tree. It was a wintery adventure complete with poof-y jackets and snow pants, hot chocolate, and baked goodies to enjoy.

At the base of all those traditions stands the thing we enjoy the most ~ family. We have been blessed with loving families that we simply can't wait to spend the holidays with. But it isn't  the "family" that makes it special. For if you look below the base you will see the roots, which uphold our families, and that is the foundation of Jesus Christ. THAT is what makes this season so special. Our families have the blessing of  having the common thread of Jesus tying us together. So we are thrilled to spend time with our families, but we feel honored and blessed to celebrate the birth of Jesus our Saviour, who makes true family a reality.