Vicarious shopping

Today is Katie’s 3rd birthday – Roberts niece. Robert gave me full permission to scour H&M for a birthday outfit for her. The words ‘Hello Kitty’ had barely crossed his lips, and I was already on my way out the door.
How ridiculous are these tunics I found? And those patterns! Talk about sophistication. If they had them in my size, I would have bought them. Wading through this much tiny peoples clothes is bad for the hormones.

Scrumptious scones

It’s been far too long since I’ve made scones, so we planned to have them for tea on Sunday as a nummy treat. These light and fluffy scones are the perfect weekend baking project and keep throughout the week for a grab-and-go breakfast. Special thanks to my dad for the recipe! Alternatively, you can enjoy your scones old school style – fancy tea cups, saucers, strawberry jam, and an artery clogging dollop of cream. It is the only way. One of these delights packs quite a punch, so one is all I was able to handle. Click below to see the super simple recipe. Get your om nom on. 


Ingredients
1/2 lbs self raising flour
1/2 tsp salt
1-2 oz of stork or margarine
1-2 oz sugar
1/4 pint of milk
1 egg
Sultanas or raisins or both {as much or as little as you like!}

Method

Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Rub margarine into the flour with your fingers until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add and mix the dried fruit. Make a well in the mixture and add the egg and not quite all the milk. Mix with a wooden spoon until it resembles a soft spongy dough. Add more milk if necessary. On a floured surface, kneed dough lightly until just smooth. Divide into two. Roll out half of the dough until it’s 3/4″ {2cm} thick. Cut out with a cookie cutter or an upside down cup. Do the same with the other half of dough. But I wasn’t that organized yesterday. What I did was simply form dollops of the dough directly onto the baking tray. They won’t get as many points for aesthetics, but I find it quicker. Butter your baking tray followed by a light sprinkle of flour before you place your scones – my all time favorite trick for complete non stick. Brush the scones with a beaten egg for a glossy crust if you like. 

Cook until golden brown – roughly 15 minutes at 180C. Take out and allow to cool a little bit before delving in. For real treat, cut in half and smother in about an inch of strawberry jam and cream along with a nice cup of tea {insert Homer drooling sound here}. 


Click here for a handy cooking calculator, should you prefer to measure in cups, mls, oz, etc.

Get your lounge on

I saw these today and couldn’t leave without them. A new line of pyjamas ‘Love to Lounge’ from Penneys {aka Primark} immediately reminded me of a cross between Northern Getaway {which I’m sad to learn they closed in 2007} and the Mariposa Market
Yes, these are pyjamas for Christmas. Yes, I bought them in August. But when you’ve been away from Canada as long as I have, you don’t need an excuse for buying anything that reminds you of home. They are epic, and I can’t wait to get my lounge on in them. €7 each. It’s on.