Delicious Scones

A few years ago I came across a strawberry scone recipe and decided to try it out. When I did, I was pleasantly surprised. The scones weren't dry and they tasted delicious! I changed the recipe a bit and then decided to sell it in my little bakery business. They were a great hit. I would say my Auntie Jen was the biggest fan. :) When my family became gluten free I stopped making them. However, this past weekend, my Auntie Jen came to visit. So, my mom thought it would be a good idea to try the recipe again and this time, make them gluten free. So, I made them, along with my sister, and the scones turned out great. In fact, that's all I wanted to eat all day. It was perfect weather, cold and cloudy, so I sat with my warm tea and ate scones with my family. It was lovely.

Here are some pictures!

Blueberries!

You can download the gluten free recipe here Strawberry Scone GF and the regular wheat flour recipe here Strawberry Scones.

I hope you find the scones to be to your liking!

Red and White Petunia

I just thought I'd post about this flower because it has such an AMAZING design. This red and white petunia is just a small picture of how God shows His love to us through His creation.  See how the red parts on the petals form hearts? God is so wonderful!

All-Day Beret

This year I found a really great knitting pattern for a beret. I love it! The berets make great gifts. And they're pretty easy to make too! I have made two berets so far and hope to make many more. If you don't know how to do some of the stitches you can search the web for how-to videos, they're pretty easy to find. Here's the pattern!

All-Day Beret

Hat Circumference is 21".

Materials                                                                                                                      

Stitch Nation by Debbie Stoller Bamboo Ewe:
1 ball of Bamboo Ewe yarn(your choice of color)

Circular Knitting Needles: 3.75mm [US 5] 16" and 5mm[US 8] 16".
1 Set Double Pointed Needles 5mm [US 8].
Yarn needle.

 Gauge: 20 sts=4"; 24 rows =4" in pattern stitch using larger needles.
Check Your Gauge. Use any size needles to obtain gauge.

Notes:

Hat is worked in the round. As stitches are decreased and no longer fit on circular needles, divide them among 3 double pointed needles to complete.

 Diagonal Stitch (Mulitple of 4 sts)
Left Diagonal:
Rnd 1: * P1, ssk, yo, k1; repeat from* around.
Rnd 2: *P1, k3; repeat from * around.
Right Diagonal:
Rnd 1: * P1, k1, yo, k2tog: repeat from* around.
Rnd 2: * P1, k3; repeat from * around.

Hat
With smaller needles, cast on 104 sts. place marker for beginning of rnd and join, being careful not to twist sts.
Brim ribbing:
Rnd 1: *P2, k2; repeat from* around.
Repeat Rnd 1 until piece measures 1".

Next rnd: Change to larger needles and begin Left Diagonal Stitch Pattern. Work until piece measures 4" from beginning, ending with Rnd 2.

Next rnd: Begin Right Diagonal Stitch Pattern. Work until piece measures 61/2" from beginning, ending with Rnd 2.

Next rnd: Repeat Left Diagonal Stitch Pattern until piece measures 81/2" from beginning, ending with Rnd 2.

Shape Crown:
Rnd 1 (dec): * P1, ssk, k1; repeat from * around (78 sts).
Rnd 2: * P1, k2; repeat from * around.
Rnd 3 (dec): * P1, ssk; repeat from * around (52 sts).
Rnd 4: * P1, k1; repeat from * around.
Rnd 5 (dec): * Slip 1 purlwise, p1, psso; repeat from * around (26 sts).
Rnd 6: Purl.
Rnd 7 (dec): P2tog around. Cut yarn leaving long tail. Thread yarn through remaining 13 sts to secure. Turn hat indside out. Weave in ends.

I found the pattern on this website www.stitchnationyarn.com. I have yet to try any of their other patterns but, considering how this pattern turned out, I think it wouldn't be a bad idea.

Hopefully, I will be able to post pictures of the finished product soon!

The First Pie of the Season

Ever since I was a little girl, I've loved baking. When I was ten, I started my own baking business at home called Madison's Neighborhood Bakery. As the name suggests, I started out baking for my neighbors. Soon, family members began to order and they told others about my baked goods and God graciously kept the orders coming. I sold homemade bread and cookies when I first started but then went on to make fruit filled scones and pumpkin scones as well.  Though It was tiring somedays when I would be baking all day to fulfill the orders, I loved it; I was making people happy, eating the leftovers with my family, and earning money at the same time!  :D Thank you to all my family members for generously buying my baked goods and for kindly supporting me!

A few years ago, my Mom and older sister were diagnosed with Celiac Disease, which means they are allergic to gluten which is a protein commonly found in rye, wheat, and barley. So we started having to bake with different types of flour such as rice flour, corn flour, and buckwheat flour, which makes for a different consistency than what we were used to.  I stopped my baking business because I couldn't bake with wheat flour anymore and now we bake every once in a while each time being an experiment.

Apple pies are good every time of the year but especially good in the fall when the apples are in season. I love baking apple pies in the fall. Last week, my sister and I made the first apple pie of the season, a gluten free pie to be exact. We weren't brave enough to make our own dough, due to the fact that we had guests coming over, so we used a ready made gluten free dough. Hopefully we will have time to come up with our own soon though. :D Anyway, It was delicous!

Here is the recipe:

 Ingredients:
8 apples ( 4 granny smith and 4 fuji)
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon of sucanat sugar
1/3 cup of maple syrup
2 tablespoons of gluten free flour blend (or rice flour)
1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon of grated lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 gluten free pie crust (we used the one from Whole Foods)


1.   Adjust an oven rack to the lowest position. Place a rimmed baking sheet on the rack and heat the oven to 500 degrees.  Toss the apples with the sucanat and maple syrup, flour, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and spices, and then set it aside.

2.   Roll out the top crust to a 12" circle.  Spread the apples in the unbaked pie crust bottom, mounding them slightly in the middle (make sure to add in all the sugary juices from the bottom of the bowl).  Lay the top crust over the apples, seal and crimp the eges, and cut four vent holes in the top.  Brush the crust with the egg white and sprinkle with 1 Tb. of sucanat.
3.   Place the pie on the heated baking sheet and lower the oven temperature to 425 degrees.  Bake until the top crust is golden, about 25 minutes.  Rotate the baking sheet, reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees, and continue to bake until the juices are bubbling and the crust is deep golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes longer.  Transfer the pie to a wire rack and cool to room temperature before serving.