My Christmas Kitties:

Hot Apple Cider infused with “tea” bags:

Gluten-free sponge cake for the trifle; it tasted like the real deal!

The finished trifle and the infamous custard skin:

Something a little more festive than my normal MO; Christmas dream drops with crushed candy cane and dark choc chips:

The Guinness Gingerbread process, it was yummy but next year I think I’ll add grated fresh ginger for more punch:

A little variety of goodies; my mom’s famous sour cream cake, Guinness Gingerbread and Date Nut Pinwheel Cookies (my great aunt’s recipe):

Gluten-free Cran-orange-walnut cookies, Dream Drops and Date Nut Pinwheels:

The yummy spread on Christmas Eve:

Me and my wonderful Mom:

Mychel always steals the show with her witty cuteness!

Pouring a “Half & Half, Irish Coffee two ways and Rooibos Chai in our new double-walled glass mugs:

Peanut opening her Christmas stocking!

Some traditional Filipino favorites; Pancit Bihon, Empanadas and a garden salad for 20 people!

THE FINISHED PRODUCT; TARYN’S BUTTERMILK SCONES WITH SEASONAL DRIED FRUIT:

TARYN “HARD AT WORK”  MAKING HER SCONES:

Taryn is many things; a wonderful friend, a devoted wife, daughter & sister; an enthusiastic collector of all things antique and beautiful; a passionate cook and unabashed foodie.  When you are invited to her home she truly makes you feel welcome, taken care of and completely at ease.  When she invites you in, she has a way of making you feel that as long as you are under her roof you are going to be completely relaxed, have lots of laughs and be extremely well fed.  Taryn has an impeccable attention to detail and thoroughness that I so appreciate.  It shows in everything from the way she cohesively arranges all the found objects she brings home to always having honey and half and half for my Earl Grey tea when I come over.  She is truly a woman after my own heart!

So when I started cultivating ideas for my Food, Love & Tradition project, she was one of the first people who came to mind for me.  I know that tradition is very important to her and a strong aspect of her family and marriage.  This comes through in her cooking and in how she chooses recipes that become part of her regular repertoire.  She recently mastered her mother-in-law’s family recipe for cottage-cheese pull-apart rolls that they traditionally serve at Thanksgiving dinner.  When she had finally perfected the recipe, she thought to herself, “Now I am truly a member of the family!”.  She holds these family traditions close to her heart and goes the extra mile to keep them going.  However, she is also in the business of creating her own family traditions.  One of the new traditions is making her favorite Buttermilk Scone recipe.

The recipe for these scones came as a hidden blessing at the end of a rather painful and unhappy journey.  Taryn had just had her heart broken by the first boyfriend that she had truly loved.  She was completely crushed and in a really dark place in her life.  Out of the broken relationship with this guy, however, came a valuable and unexpected friendship with his cousin, Julie.  They had only met once in person, since Julie lived in Southern California, but they had developed quite a strong connection via email.  Throughout the breakup and even long after, Julie was a great comfort and support to Taryn; she was one of the special people who helped carry her through to the other side.  Several months after the breakup, Taryn flew down to L.A. to stay with her grandparents, who just so happen to live near Julie.  When Julie learned that Taryn would be staying so close, she invited Taryn over to her house for a family dinner.  Julie served a wonderful pasta dish, but the thing that stood out most to Taryn was the dessert.  A delectable scone recipe was served with vanilla gelato and peaches.  Taryn loved the scones so much she asked for the recipe. To this day she uses the very same recipe that Julie copied for her on a tiny piece of paper.

Fast forward a few years and she meets Phil, the love of her life.  At this point, Taryn has this recipe down pat and she loves sharing her favorite recipes with the special people in her life.  Phil was definitely fitting the bill as one of these special people.  He is also the kind of guy who has absolutely no fear of food;  he can put away food in astounding amounts and still manage to keep an athletic figure.  He takes a backpacking trip every year with a group of buddies to The Sierra and he always comes back, as you can imagine, really hungry.  And you know what satiates that intense, been-hiking-for-5-days-and-eating-re-hydrated-foods-from-REI hunger?  Buttermilk Scones.  Devoted wife that Taryn is, she always has a fresh batch awaiting Phil when he returns home exhausted, grimy and starving.  It’s become one of his favorite things about coming home from this yearly excursion and is one of the strongest of their new family traditions.

I was lucky to receive a batch of these wonderful scones recently from Taryn as a thank you gift.  I love scones, but having a wheat intolerance, I don’t get to eat treats like these very often.  I made an exception to try these wonderful scones and I was not disappointed.  They have everything that I could want in a goodie; creamy richness, the brightness of orange zest, the tart-tangy-sweetness of mixed dried fruit and the spicy comfort of cinnamon sugar sprinkled on top.  It’s a wonderful recipe, somewhat changed over time due to experimentation with ratios as well as which kinds of dried fruits are available each season.  They have a  richness and wonderful citrus undertone that works so well with my favorite kind of tea, Earl Grey.  Which, as I mentioned above, Taryn always has available to me each time I visit her.   I’ll save up my “wheat points” any day to have the experience of eating one of these little nuggets of goodness; they’re so yummy!  Or as Taryn would say, “They’re Super Yummo!”.

THESE ARE SOME OF THE TREASURES THAT I FOUND SNOOPING AROUND TARYN’S HOME:

SOME PEOPLE USE A COOKIE CUTTER FOR THIS TASK, BUT NOT TARYN…. AN ORDINARY WINE GLASS DOES THE TRICK!

SOME MORE OF THE TREASURES FOUND IN TARYN’S HOME:  A PORTRAIT OF HER AND PHIL, THEIR LAST INITIAL PROUDLY DISPLAYED IN THE KITCHEN, THE TINY RECIPE HAND WRITTEN BY JULIE….

THE FAMOUS CUP OF EARL GREY TEA SHE ALWAYS MAKES FOR ME IN HER WEDDING CHINA…

THE “YOU ARE SPECIAL TODAY” PLATE USED, WHEN SHE WAS GROWING UP, TO COMMEMORATE WHENEVER A MEMBER OF THE FAMILY ACHIEVED SOMETHING SPECIAL.  IF IT WAS THEIR TURN, THEY GOT TO EAT THEIR MEAL SERVED ON THIS PLATE.  WE GOT TO SERVE THE FINISHED SCONES ON IT… QUITE AN HONOR; ESPECIALLY WHEN SERVED WITH A STEAMING CUP OF EARL GREY…

BUTTERMILK SCONES

“These Fruit-laced, buttery scones are sure to please.  They’re fragrant with orange peel, and sweet with a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar that’s baked to a delectable crispness.  Serve them hot, with lots of butter and steaming cups of strong tea”

3 cups flour

1/3 cup sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup firm butter OR margarine, cut into small pieces (12 Tb)

3/4 cup chopped currants OR pitted dates (or mixed dried fruit of your choice)

1 teaspoon grated orange peel

1 cup buttermilk

About 1 tablespoon whipping cream OR milk (or half and half)

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon mixed with 2 tablespoons sugar

“I use Trader Joe’s dried chopped fruit medley, but have used currants a couple of times.  You can use any dried fruit like dried blueberries etc.  Mix dry ingredients.  Cut in butter until fine crumbs.  Add dried fruit and mix.  Stir in buttermilk then knead dough on floured board and pat or roll to 1/2″ thick and cut out into rounds.  Brush with cream or milk and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.  Bake at 350 approximately 20 minutes until the tops are light golden, don’t let bottoms get too brown,  Enjoy!

There is also every color of Columbine flower you could imagine, these are just a few examples…

Going to the beach early in the morning is something I would have never thought to do had it not been for Mugs really wanting to blow off some steam, but it was so beautiful.

Another flowering tree in the pea family….

Old cars at the historic Tallac Property….

Enjoying the sun….

Preserved kitchen and wash room at the Tallac house, I LOVE old kitchen gadgets!

Virginia City was actually cooler than I remember from when I was a kid.  Touristy and crowded but still super cool…

Yes, you BIG fans, this is a real Zoltar….

A taste of the Old West….

Elke got into the spirit with her new straw cowgirl hat, so cute!

This old Pediatric scale was pretty cool and the oldest church in Nevada has a gift shop INSIDE!  Isn’t that sacrilege??