Gesine and her amazing cream scones

It's always been my dream to open up a cupcake shop/bakery, or even just work in one. If Tim and I ever move, we're moving somewhere where I can either go to culinary school to get a degree in pastry/baking, or I'm going to work in a bakery :) 

I found Gesine Bullock-Prado's book ***"Confections of a Closet Master Baker" at the library a couple weeks ago, and she did just that. She had been working at her sister's (Sandra Bullock) production company but was unhappy. Her passion was baking. She and her husband ended up leaving Hollywood behind and moved to Vermont, where they opened Gesine Confectionary. What a dream come true!

What I absolutely love about her book is she tells a story in each chapter that sometimes incorporates a recipe at the end of the chapter! I got only to chapter 3 before I skimmed that chapter's recipe and immediately went into the kitchen and started baking. 

Cream Scones. With cranberries and lemon. Your home will smell divine while these are baking.

Light and fluffy with the perfect amount of sweetness/zing from the cranberries and freshness from the lemon extract. So great.

I don't even know how many of these I ate. Tim loved them too :)

We ended the night watching my favorite show, The Great British Baking Show :)

I just realized she has a BUNCH of other books too, which I will be reading in the very near future. She is such an inspiration. Tim and I have always wanted to go to Maine, so we'll have to make a pit stop at her bakery :)

Cream Scones

from "Confections of a Closet Master Baker", by Gesine Bullock-Prado

Makes 8 scones (depending on the size you make them :D)

• 1/2 cup heavy cream, plus additional for brushing the scones
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp lemon extract
• 3T sugar, plus additional for sprinkling the scones
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1T baking powder
• 6T  (3/4 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries  (you can leave them whole; I actually cut my up because I thought it would incorporate the flavor more)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

     In a bowl, whisk together the cream, egg, lemon, and sugar until well combined.

     In another bowl, stir together the flour, salt, and baking powder; blend in the butter with your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse meal (I used my pastry blender rather than my fingers).

     Stir in the cranberries and the cream mixture with a fork until the mixture just forms a sticky but manageable dough.

     Knead the dough gently on a lightly floured surface for 30 seconds, pat it into a 1/2-inch-thick circle, and cut out rounds with a 1 1/2-inch fluted cutter (or whatever shape you'd like).

     Gather the scraps, repat the dough, and cut out more rounds. Place the scones on an ungreased baking sheet. Brush with cream and sprinkle with sugar.

     Bake the scones in the middle of the oven for 15 to 18 minutes, or until golden brown.

Gesine says these have a crumbly, slightly sweet allure that invites compulsive eating. Boy do they ever!

***Apparently the name of this book was changed to "My Life from Scratch" if you're looking to buy it :)

About Me

You know what I love? Hand soap. Isn't it just the best when you find a good smelling hand soap? I just washed my hands with "Spring Water" hand soap, and it just smells so fresh. Great little positive moment in my day today...moving on...

Today I thought it'd be fun to write down some random things about me that make me me. Because I know you want to know all about me, including these things that really aren't important. I always love reading blog posts that show a person's "faults" because I find I can relate better to them then haha :) I also included a bunch of terrible and super awkward photos of me, so you can see that I don't look good all the time ;)

1. My eyes water when I yawn….so much so that I've been told I look like I got beat up. Or people just ask me what's wrong because I look like I've been crying. It's super annoying-why can't I yawn like a normal person?
2. When I eat smarties, I can squirt water out from under my tongue.
3. I LOVE popping zits/black heads. LOVE.
4. I drink everything with a straw.
5. Apparently I look like a worn out "monkey" when I'm tired. Tim calls me Monkey Lips--my entire face just relaxes to the point where I look mad and my lips get all pouty. In other words, I look completely exhausted haha
6. I love buying presents for people. I'm happiest shopping for others.
7. I suck at remembering people's names from movies. Even if I've been told them a billion times. 
8. I'm terrible at telling stories. I do a lot of "Oh! Okay, forget what I just said and let's back track..."
9. I used to bite my nails. A lot. To the point where they hurt because I bit them so low. Thank GOD I don't do that anymore!
10. I get red. Easily. Face, arms, and my chest. It never used to be that bad, but then I became an idiot way back when and started going to the tanner. I swear it's because of that as to why my skin is so crappy. Happy? Red. Sad? Red. Excited? Red. Meeting someone new? Red. Working out? Beat red. Thank God for makeup.
11. I don't take confrontation well. I may not have even done whatever I'm being confronted about, but because I suck at confrontation, I'm sure the person thinks I'm guilty, what the the BIG gulping, red face, arms and chest, and immediate dry eyes to the point where I have to constantly blink or else everything gets blurry and my contacts want to fall out. Seriously? I would love to be normal.
12. Also, I have a strong urge to sleep whenever I'm in an argument. It's like my brain just shuts down.
13. I've gotten laser hair removal before. On my upper lip, and even my toes haha
14. When I'm concentrating, I look mad. And confused. Apparently I need some botox for my forehead because I look so cross haha
15. Speaking of botox, I've used it before. And will never use it again. Who wants to get rid of their ability to show emotion?! I don't care that I have like 20 lines on my forehead, they're all from things I've been through, and I just like being able to move my forehead/eyebrows. You seriously can't move those when you get Botox, it's awful.
16. I am obsessed with English and formatting: correcting paperwork, writing letters, grammar, and especially with things being centered….it's bad. It has to be perfect. It's so annoying how good I am at attention to detail. I have actually gotten annoyed with myself about it. I am the person that would not hire someone based on how many errors are on their cover letter/resume, and if a photo frame or letter being written to someone isn't centered, Lord help me. It drives me nuts.
17. I make lists. About everything. This may be pretty common, but I think it's definitely a quirk. I have a notebook that I carry around with me all the time. For our wedding, I had about 20 lists going. I also have a bucket list, a culinary bucket list, a "What to do in the Spring/Summer" list, a "What to accomplish this year" list, a "25 books to read by the end of the year" list, a "Things to do for others to make their lives better" list, and so on. It sure helps me stay on track.
18. I have wanderlust. I know this isn't a quirk, but it's so much a part of me I have to write it :) Now that our wedding and honeymoon are over, we can finally start saving money to not only update our home but to travel. Anywhere. Everywhere. I don't care if it's half an hour away or across the world, I want to see it. I'll write a bucket list post soon :)

  

 This picture is seriously so awkward-it was the first time I tried dry shampoo that was colored, and apparently I really loved it. So much so that I had to a take a picture with the most awkward smile ever.

 I love the dentist haha-I will never get Restylane.

Won't you be my friend? :D

Tim's parents are up from Pennsylvania for the week, and I swear I've eaten my weight in carbs. Where they live, they don't have Big Al's, KFC, or Pizza Hut, so each night we've been indulging in whatever they want. We've had a $60 KFC meal (18 pieces of chicken haha!) and have eaten pizza four times so far. It's been yummy; however, I can't WAIT to start eating healthy again! It's amazing how crappy my skin starts looking and how much more pudge I get on my lower stomach.  I'll probably juice for a few days after they leave; it'll feel great! That being said, I love having them here, and I love that we get to eat all this food :) I'm glad I get along with my in-laws.

This is my last week of "vacation"; I start my new job next Monday! I'm going to be a receptionist at a dentist office! I'm so excited-yes, I will start out making less than what I did, BUT I will only have to drive 5 minutes to work compared to 45 minutes---that's going to save me about $60-70 in gas money, so what I'm making really evens out! Also, not only do I get to work with a boss who does everything by the book, but the employees are SO nice, the atmosphere is relaxing, and I can really see myself enjoying working there. Plus...the building is RIGHT on the river, so I can go for walks on the river walk on my lunch if I wanted to! It's such a beautiful area. This really proves that God has a plan for me. I had always thought it'd be fun working at a dental office, and this place was actually my first choice when I started applying at available jobs. I prayed before all my different job interviews, but rather than pray "Oh, please let me get this job!", I prayed "Lord, keep me calm, help me to answer the questions to the best of my ability, and just let me do the best I can in the interview; however, You are in control; and if I don't get the job, there's a reason for it." I was told "No" by a couple jobs, and this was why. Wouldn't it be nice if we could see 6 months into the future to know why things happen the way they do? Then maybe we'd trust God more. That's what walking by faith is all about though.

This picture has nothing to do with what I've written about, but it makes me happy.  Sunshine, no snow, Julia Child, my wedding rings, and cupcakes. Cupcakes make everything better.

Yummy, yummy in my tummy! I love food. I especially love carbs. Breads. Oh bread, you are the love of my life and my enemy. I really think you're the reason behind my random pimples. 

The other day, I stopped by our local bakery. I just love the atmosphere in there: large windows letting the sunshine in, soothing music playing, a candle burning, warm bread being sliced. Talk about my kind of heaven. And the smells, oh the smells! I walked away with a loaf of freshly baked farmer wheat bread as well as a bunch of goodies that I shouldn't have bought but did anyway. I tell ya it's the air in there, you're in a fog of delicious aromas, and then you walk outside and realize how much money you spent. Oops. Oh well, it's going to happen again haha :) 

Berry scone

Chocolate almond danish-good, although it had amaretto flavoring in it, which is not my favorite. Still couldn't stop taking bites of it... 

Orange brioche-LOVE

I got to spend the day at my sister's house, and we thoroughly enjoyed those carbs.

These past couple of weeks, I've been blessed to not be working. I didn't realize that my job had literally been sucking the life out of me-I was going to work and coming home from work in a bad mood, and I'm an optimistic person. Being unemployed is usually stressful, but Tim and I were prepared for this. We not only have a nice cushiony emergency fund, but he also makes enough money to support both of us and has constantly told me to "have fun" and take this time before my next job to rejuvenate and relearn who I am.

So I have. These past few weeks have been exactly what I've needed. Yes, I've been applying at jobs, but only jobs I'd love to work at. I have two interviews next week at two places I know I'd be happy working at; and they're nearby, like five minutes from my house, compared to the 45 minute commute I've done for the past two years. I so hope one of them works out!

In my spare time, I've just had fun:

• I finished Gilmore Girls (boo!), SO hoping they make a movie! Although, I heard that Edward Herrmann passed away in December :(

Haha, totally Tim when he's old :D

• I've spent time with my sister, my niece and nephew :)

• I watched the rest of The Great British Baking Show-so sad the season is done, but so glad I found the show! It really inspired me to start baking again :)
• I've gone to our local bakery!
• I went to the LIBRARY! I haven't been there in over a year!

• I've made dinner every night and also made a bunch of new desserts. Those will be later posts because you'll surely want the recipes :)
• I've finished up painting the trim/doors in our dining room:

• I've started running more-the last few weeks of work I really didn't run because I wasn't feeling well. I'm back up to five miles a day and have also upped my weightlifting. I am officially down to my pre-wedding weight, plus I can feel my arms getting stronger and more toned and my butt getting more of a shape due to all the squats/lunges I've been doing  :) 

I think just overall, my outlook on life has improved TREMENDOUSLY. I know it sounds silly, but it's seriously like a cloud has been lifted, and I can feel the sun again. I know my life is moving in the right direction, and I am SO excited to see how everything turns out :)