I just celebrated my 58th birthday. Wow. It is hard for me to believe I have been on the planet that many years, that I am no longer an awkward teenager going off to Europe for the first time in the summer of 1972. Now, I have responsibilities and gravitas. I have aged and changed―for this I am lucky.  I watch the grey coming in my hair, while I see my young daughter, with her luminous dark brown hair, her incandescent smile, transforming from a little girl in pigtails to a beautiful young woman full of grace and confidence. I watch my son prepare to live in his first apartment, his first true home-away-from-home. He explores life and new loves, while my husband and I stay settled into a marriage, into a relationship that has lasted some 23 years, but feels fresh and new every day.  We grow older together with the confidence and the knowledge that our family comes first, that it is the strength of our family that allows us to love and be generous, to welcome new friends,  to give back to the world in some small way every day.

The start of each day in the Bray household is full of the promise of love and creativity. When I hear the birds singing their morning greetings at sunrise, I come downstairs to pour a hot cup of coffee and get a fresh breakfast on the table for us all. Made with berries freshly picked at the farm, these Blueberry Cinnamon Scones,  are a treat. I like to make the batter and shape the scones the night before, so all I have to do in the morning is pop them in the oven. Filled with buttermilk and cinnamon, they permeate the house with the scent of spice and an aroma of sweetness. Enjoy them warm with just a few fresh berries on the side or top them with a bit of sweet cream butter and jam, for an outstanding way to start the day.

I look forward to seeing you in my kitchen, gathering flavors, soon.

Dena

BLUEBERRY CINNAMON SCONES

Yield: 12 Scones

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus a little more for shaping the dough
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 8 tablespoons (one stick) butter, cold and cut into small pieces
• 2 large eggs
• ¼ cup buttermilk
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup fresh blueberries, picked over, rinsed and towel dried

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. Using a fork or pastry blender, work the butter into the dry ingredients. The mixture should have the texture of cornmeal.
2. In mixing cup or small bowl, mix together the eggs, buttermilk and vanilla. Stir this into the dry ingredients. Gently fold in the blueberries.
3. Place a bit of flour on a clean work surface. Turn the dough out onto the flour and shape it into a rectangle, about 6 x 8-inches, and 1-inch thick. Wrap the rectangle tightly in Saran wrap and refrigerate at least one hour or overnight.
4. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
5. Remove the dough from the Saran wrap. Using a sharp knife or pastry cutter, cut the dough in half, on a diagonal, then cut each half into 6 triangles. Place the triangles on the prepared cookie sheet.
6. Bake for about 25 minutes, until the tops are golden and the scones are puffed.
7. Serve warm*.
8. Enjoy.

Notes:

1. To create a dessert, serve scones with frozen yogurt and Fresh Strawberries Marinated in White Wine and Honey.