Tuesday 25 November 2014

More with Cranberries

I have cranberries on my mind. Hence the juniper, cranberry arrangements I made in my last post. I love me a good scone emmm emm. Especially when they are dense and sweet. This one has all the above.
 ::Lemon Cranberry Scones::
Preheat oven to 375, and place oven rack on upper 3rd level of the oven
3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1tbsp grated lemon peel
1 tsp salt
-Mix this all together in a large bowl-
Add 3/4 cup of chilled butter, cut up into small squares.
-Use a pastry blender to incorporate the butter to make a coarse meal consistency-
Stir in 1/2 cup of sliced (each in half) cranberries (I used frozen)
1tbsp of lemon juice, poured in a 1 cup measuring cup.
Add half and half to the measuring cup to fill it to measure 1 cup.
-Pour into your scone mixture and mix until clumps form then gather with you hands to form one solid lump, don't over mix. Divide in half and pat each into a 6 inch flat, round. Cut each into 6 triangles. Place on greased/ parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for 20 min.-
Once the scones have cooled, make a glaze of
1/2 cup icing sugar, sifted
a dribble of lemon juice
and just enough milk to make a slightly runny icing (about 2 tbsp)
-Mix this up and drizzle it over your scones. Once this dries you can stack them up in your tin just fine.-

Now speaking of icing makes me think of what I saw outside early this morning...

The trees look like they were dipped in frosting.



Dusted with icing sugar


Wednesday 19 November 2014

What's going on here (?)

A little over a month ago now we were blessed to have moved out to an old farm. A little ways off from the area we first moved to when we relocated to western Canada but only to the next county SE from where we were. We really felt it was worth it for sure. So this beautiful location brings lots of trees in the immediate area surrounding our home, lots of land to explore, hills and coolies, barn cats, old buildings, quiet...
I really am so thankful for this new location.
 
The other week we got to see these beautiful birds which we found out are called Bohemian Waxwing. They come this way from colder regions, eating the berries on the trees.
 
 
This morning there was a beautiful hoar frost that covered everything.
 
 
 
This is the friendliest of all the barn cats. He was named Garfield.
 
 
 
 
Willow is a naturally outdoorsy dog. She is in Heaven out here.
 

 
I grabbed some juniper branches to stick in jars with some cranberries for my early Christmas decorations. It smells wonderful in the house now.
 
 So often I get to thinking why do things happen the way they do?
 I'll be honest to say that I was having a very hard time living in the area we just moved from. I was not used to the over-crowded living. Everything man made, and hardly able to enjoy nature or quiet and privacy.
 Then there is another part to this story I have been adapting to the fact that I've recently developed Epilepsy. Which has been kind of mind boggling for me. And a little less than a year ago I was told I can't drive until its under control. You want to talk about depressing and totally inconvenient! There was nothing I can do about it. I have gone through a lot of feelings that I felt were defining. But I am slowly coming to the realisation of what the truth is of these feelings. Satan wants me to feel defeated by this disorder, and let it undo me. 
 Not to mention there are other issues that have been growing within our family as well.
So as I write about this new venture of a place we now live it makes me ponder... maybe this place was made possible as a refuge of sorts. I've thought a many times -what were we thinking moving out to the country when I cant get to town?? But Its not really that much more inconvenient any way and I love it out here and the way I can spend my days. 
 So usually it takes me quite a while to see the big picture, but maybe the Lord has given me a chance to see this one earlier than usual.
 You will be secure, because there is hope; you will look about you and take your rest in safety. Job 11:18