Confessions of a Part-Time Bakeaholic: May 2012

As might be imagined, my cooking, baking, cleaning, dish washing, general tasks of daily living productivity took a serious hit while I was studying for Step 1. It's not so much that I had no desire as that I lacked the time and energy. The Husband Unit gave me The Pioneer Woman Cooks as a sort of congratulations on finishing up classes surprise gift way back in February/March. As he can attest to, I look at her website all the time and had been wanting her cookbook for quite awhile. While I was studying, I would occasionally flip through the book while I was taking a break (for lunch, for example) and picked out some recipes that I wanted to try sooner rather than later. There is a recipe in there fore maple pecan scones that I have been wanting to make for about two months now and this weekend I finally made it (and used the cute little mini-scone pan I got for my birthday, too). It was definitely worth the wait.

The scones are delicious on their own, but the maple icing is, well, the icing on the cake...or rather scone.

Yes, I do love sloths in case that wasn't obvious....

but don't worry, I'm only like Kristen Bell about puppies.

Maple Pecan Scones

From The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes From an Accidental Country Girl

Pecan Scones

3 c AP flour
1/3 c sugar
5 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt (leave it out or use less if using salted butter)
2 sticks butter, chilled
1/4 c pecans, chopped
1 egg
3/4 cup heavy cream (I used half & half)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder & salt. Cut butter into the flour mix with a pastry blender (or I suppose you could use a food processor) until a crumbly mixture is achieved.
3. Finely chop the pecans and stir into the flour mixture.
4. In a small bowl/measuring dish, mix the egg & cream together. Add this to the flour mixture and stir until just combined.
5. Either prepare the dough the usual way for scones (gently roll it out to 3/4 in thickness and cut into shape) or press the dough gently into a scone pan. Bake for 22-26 min or until just barely starting to brown. I used a mini-scone pan and only ended up baking mine for 10-12 min.

Maple Icing
1/2 batch

1/2 lb powdered sugar
1/8 c milk
2 tbsp butter, melted
a tad bit of coffee
dash of salt
1 tsp maple flavoring/extract

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix until smooth. Pour over completely cooled scones and allow to set for several minutes.

I am happy to report that there is life after Step 1. Only six months ago, I had trouble thinking of my life beyond the end of April and now I am starting my first rotation, surgery, tomorrow! I am excited but also terrified and intimidated and worried about how to not be the wallflower I have been for the past quarter of a century this year.

Shortly before I actually took Step 1, we welcomed this lovely little furr ball into our family.

We were originally told that she was a he and I was quite ecstatic that the Husband Unit agreed to name him Fitzwilliam (after Mr. Darcy, of course). After a week or two, however, it became apparent that little Fitzwilliam was more of a Fitzwilliama so she is now affectionately referred to as Fitz or Fitzy. Cats have never really been my thing, but having had Fitzy since she was 7 weeks old, I completely adore her. She is the most mellow kitty (except when she wants food or when you're trying to eat). She loves attention, loves to be petted, loves to be held, and will let you do pretty much anything.

Just a little over a week ago, we decided that Fitz might be a little lonely, especially since we will both be gone for long hours during the day. After much searching, we brought a second little kitten into our lives.

We have named her Tiger Lily (since she is supposedly a girl despite the characteristically male coloring). She is quite the character! She plays almost like a puppy or a dog, loves to sleep on us and be near us, but will protest quite loudly whenever she is picked up. She also is a fan of perching on shoulders (parakitty?), which while occasionally painful is quite adorable.

Despite never previously envisioning cats in my life, I am head over heels in love with our kitties. They are a joy to wake up to every morning and to come home and play with every night. I have missed having pets for the past 6-7 years, but the gap is quickly being filled in.

After my exam, I spent a week in Costa Rica with my mom and had much more fun than I anticipated. The country is beautiful and full of all sorts of animals I never thought I would see outside of a zoo. I was introduced to Costa Rican culture and quickly became cognizant of the fact that Central (& South) American cultures are quite varied despite the similarities. One of the things that surprised me the most was that the food was really quite bland in terms of spices; I guess I was subconsciously expecting it to be more like Mexican food.

Fun Fact - In Costa Rica it rains too much (85-185 in. annually depending on which part of the country) to bury the deceased underground (no one really likes bodies floating up to the surface). Consequently they bury everyone above ground in cement/tile structures that look like this. After 7-10 years the bones are removed and placed somewhere else regardless if the plot is owned or rented. Cremation seems like a sensible alternative, but it is too expensive for most people to afford in CR.

So many kinds of flowers!

Sunrise over the Caribbean Sea.

Jungle Cruise, anyone?

When it rains, it pours....but only for a little bit and then it clears up for a bit until the next drenching.

I still remember learning about poison dart frogs in kindergarten during our rain forest unit. These little guys are tiny, about the size of the tip of a thumb.

Arenal Volcano enshrouded in clouds.

Suspension bridge in the rainforest canopy.

Baby monkey riding on a pig, baby monkey! (Please note, remembering this video is what got me through all my wedding photos with a smile on. Life-altering video)