Finding Time

I know it often seems like an excuse that I "don't have time to blog daily'. And I have to be honest, before I had a kid, it would have absolutely been an excuse. I know tons of people who do so much everyday, and some days, I am that person. But there are days, days like today actually, when my child is so tempertastic that getting to the grocery store and back seems like a feat and a half and makes me long for the days that I was a working mom. (I mean really, getting to go to the bathroom by yourself, typing at a keyboard without a 'mommy hold me' whilst pulling on my arm, sounds like a dream!). But I chose to take this route, and most of the time, I don't regret it, but argh, the terrible two's are a time of testing one's sanity, working or not. So anyway, I haven't posted in a couple of days, use your imagination, I'm sure you will not come up with as many fantastical tempertantrum scenarios as what actually happened in real life. Go on, I challenge you :-)

Lemon Poppyseed Scones
I love scones. I mean I loved them before we moved to England, so, absolute dedication to my love of scones. I've made a ton of different types with varying success. So when I happened across a recipe that promised scones that didn't sit in the pit of your stomach, I decided to give it a go.  My husband's favorite flavors are lemon poppyseed (anything), so I decided that is what I would do as I had a ton of lemons on hand, and thanks to a recent trip to the Atlantic Spice Company, some poppyseeds.
What you'll need:
3 cups of all purpose flour
1 cup of sugar
2-3 tablespoons of poppyseeds (depending on how much you like them)
1 tablespoons of baking powder
1 lemon, zested
1 lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 sticks of chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg
1/3 cup milk (I would recommend 2% or whole, any more and you are introducing more water than milk into the recipe)
Preheat the oven to 375F
Mix flour, sugar, poppy seeds, baking powder, zest and salt together (can do in a processor, if you have been reading this blog, you know that I LOVE using my hands)
Add butter in batches and pinch together into flour mixture until you get a grainy feeling mix or 'meal'. Whisk together egg and lemon juice in a separate bowl. When they are combined add to the flour mixture. Now add the milk. This should form a sticky dough mixture. Flour your hands and a counter surface (or a large cutting board) and dump the dough out on your working surface. Knead dough until it is manageable and you can beat down to cut your scones. I like using cookie cutters so that I have a uniform shape (and I let my child pick out the cutter and cut them out). Make sure if you are using a cutter to flour it as you go. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake for 20-25 minutes. (I normally top the scones with some sugar and nutmeg before I put in the oven, but this is just my person preference)

Grilled Cheese with Pickle and Tomato
I have an affinity for grilled cheese, especially when I'm feeling a little nostalgic for New Jersey. (Not they they are related to NJ in any way, just my memories growing up I guess). I also love Branston's Pickle. It's an acquired taste, one that I picked up while pregnant in London. It was a craving that I can't quite get rid of. I love the vinegar taste. I thought I would make my sandwich a little more grown up, so I cut some extra sharp cheddar cheese, a tomato and buttered up my bread. I spread of layer of pickle on my sandwich and then arranged per my liking. It was delicious, and the crunch of the pickle and tomato was wonderful with the oozy cheese!

Pesto Pasta
So you may remember that I have been trying to grow herbs in a couple of windowboxes with a varying degree of success. But my basil has exploded. I mean take over the entire windowbox exploded. So I decided to make pesto, because who doesn't love pesto? You can make this your own by adding ingredients (or omitting) as you like! So this is what I used (this time);
2 handfuls of fresh basil
1 tablespoon pinenuts
1/2 cup of parm cheese
3 tablespoons of olive oil
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
Blend all the above ingredients until combined
While you are doing the above, make the pasta per the box or your personal preference. When down drain, reserving about a tablespoon of pasta water. Add pesto to pasta and serve while hot. Add more olive oil if needed.