10.5.16
Is it too early in the week to think about brunch this weekend? I think not. I just want to give you something to look forward to! This will be last post of the week since I head out TOMORROW for Austin, Texas. The BlogHer Food Convention is being held there this year, and after blogging for a whole year, I’ve decided to head south and pick up a thing or two of knowledge on what this crazy blogging world is. I look forward to meeting fellow food bloggers who’ve been doing it way longer than me, and others who have yet to begin. I hope to take workshops to help me improve everything from my photography, social media presence, and continue to bring more readers in to this B(i)atch of a world. I am also just super excited to head back to Texas for a few days! I went to college in Dallas and made my way to Austin with some friends while I was there, but by no means got to appreciate what the city is. Or was even be able to experience it over the age of 21!
So you don’t get a Fresh Friday this week, but get excited because I’ll be sharing pictures from my trip to Austin when I return! And for now, you’ll have to settle with some scones. A classic combo of lemon and poppyseed, using Meyer lemons, giving it that perfect tart, but not too tart, pizzazz.
I made these scones a handful of times over the summer and each time they were a hit. I love scones because, like homemade biscuits, once you realize how easy they are to make it’s difficult to ever convince yourself to buy them again. Especially when scones are so versatile, and you can throw basically anything into them. I’ve made sweet and savory ones in the past, and it’s hard to pick a favorite. But for late summer and fall, these are still great to serve at your breakfast table, or when you have some friends over for weekend brunch.
I love all things lemon. I think if I get hard up for inspiration on the blog, I’ll just do a month of lemon things and drive you all crazy. I could eat lemon tarts, cookies, cakes all day long. And these were no exception. I wanted them all.
When I brought these over to a friends for brunch, they had homemade strawberry preserves to put on them. It was heavenly.
I decided to pull some photos out of the vault for today’s outfit. These pictures are from when my sister visited a while ago and I made her shoot my outfit on our way to lunch. She had no idea what she signed up for. But I think she did great! I’m sure she’ll think twice before visiting again knowing I’ll put her to work!
I think what’s great about this outfit is even though I took these pictures earlier this year, this dress still works as the fall begins to set in. And this dress is PERFECT to wear to a casual weekend brunch! I grabbed it from Banana Republic Factory Outlet a while ago, but these cotton dresses can be found anywhere. It’s the comfiest thing ever and a great low key option. As October continues on and temperatures can still fluctuate, I like having a light jacket on me, even if I’m wearing long sleeves. A denim jacket should be in everyone’s closet. Invest in one and you’ll have it for years and it will never go out of style.
We took these right on the sidewalk outside of my apartment. I don’t take a lot of pictures out there because there’s actually a lot of foot traffic. And while I’ve become more comfortable about people seeing me taking photos, it’s actually more tedious to just wait for people to get out of the frame. But in these photos, I love the activity going on around me. It perfectly captures what my life is actually like. Always walking somewhere, busy neighborhood, buildings everywhere.
Sometimes I long for more nature, or more quiet time in a park (that isn’t Central Park). While I love Central Park and have ran it hundreds of times, it’s hard to find peace and quiet there. I’m still overdue to shoot some pictures up in Fort Tryon Park by the Cloisters at the top of the island. It’s actually very close to where I live and beautiful, but we haven’t visited in a while. It’s a perfect spot to feel like you’re not in the busiest city in the country.
But on days like today, I like the energy, the activity, the community. I love that my neighbors and I say hi to each other, that I live next to Australian jazz musicians and sometimes they play a soundtrack as I bake, practicing in their apartment. It’s definitely a lifestyle unlike anything else. I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.
Banana Republic cotton dress – old (similar) / Pink Converse / Modcloth Sunglasses – old (similar) / H&M Denim Jacket
Lemon Poppyseed Scones
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and sliced
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- zest from 2 Meyer lemons
- 3/4 Tbsp poppyseed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- In a large bowl, whisk together your flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until combined, set aside
- In a medium bowl, whisk together, your egg, sour cream, heavy cream and vanilla until smooth
- Add in sliced butter to flour mixture, half at a time, and cut in with a pastry cutter or two forks until small clumps of butter are mixed throughout
- Make a well in the center of your flour mixture and pour in combined wet ingredients
- Using a spatula or your hands, carefully mix until dough begins to form
- Once dough starts to come together, dump in zest and poppyseed and continue to mix until both are distributed throughout
- On a lightly floured Silpat or piece of parchment paper, roll or pat dough out into a 1/2 inch thick disc
- Slice the disc into 8 equal piece and transfer mat or paper to a baking sheet
- Bake for anywhere from 13-18 minutes, the scones should just begin to brown on the edges
- Allow to cool slightly, these can be enjoyed warm, or at room temperature
P.S.
*This dough should be slightly sticky. However if it’s too sticky to work with, add a bit more flour
