(Raisin) Scones

Wow, as I've started collecting recipes that sound good to me, I realize that I have really unhealthy tastes! Or maybe it's just that I tend to see more recipes for baked goods than I do for healthy meals.

I also sometimes automatically substitute ingredients--in this case I'd replace the raisins with chocolate chips or take them out completely, which is why I put Raisin in parentheses. I got this from the Parade magazine that came in the Sunday paper.

(Raisin) Scones
Instead of spending money at a bakery each morning, make breakfast scones at home. These light treats are ready in 30 minutes flat and freeze well.

1 lg egg
1/2 c milk
2 c. all purpose flour
2 1/2 T. sugar
1 T. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
6 T. cold butter, cut into bits
(3/4 c. raisins)

1. Preheat oven to 400. Whisk egg & milk together in one bowl and the flour, sugar, baking powder, & salt in another.

2. Drop the butter into the flour and, using your fingers, cut and rub until the mixture is pebbly. Pour in the milk and egg. Mix with a fork until the dough is evenly moist. (Add the raisins and give the very sticky dough a few more stirs.)

3. Spoon a dozen mounds of dough onto a foil-lined baking sheet & bake for 20-22 minutes, or until the scones are golden brown. Cool for a few min. Serve warm w/ butter or jam, or a little of each.

I think I've been stabbed in the back!

I was talking to a friend of mine today, and he said that he saw an acquaintance of mine. I say acquaintance because we know each other and might possibly be friends, but there always seemed to be some tension between us and I don't know what it is; we just never really "clicked." So anyway, I was talking to my friend and he said that this person said some stuff about me...stuff that only a few people know. It's not that I have any deep, dark secrets. I just happened to share some of my deepest fears at a really rough time in my life with very few friends, and I have a feeling that one of the people I talked to told this other person. Let me see if I can explain this better...

I was going through a rough time as so many of us do. I leaned on a couple friends. Like, TWO friends. And I told them pretty much everything. One of those people, we'll call her "Person A" is friends with my acquaintance, "Person B." Person A knows that I don't particularly like Person B. So when my other friend, "Person Z" told me that Person B knew all kinds of stuff about my emotional turmoil of a few years ago, the only one I could really think of who would have shared such information would have been Person A.

I'm very confused right now because, first of all, this information was probably shared years ago, and that situation has long since passed. I'm over it and am now very happy. I don't know what good it would do to confront her about it. At the same time, though, I want her to know that I'm not pleased that she shared this information. And then there's a tiny part of me that wonders if I'm barking up the wrong tree. Maybe she didn't say anything!

Ugh, I'm so angry and hurt right now!!! But the good thing is that Chris will be home in a few hours and I can't wait to hug and kiss him and make up for the four days we've been apart!!!

Melt-in-your-mouth Strawberry Muffins

I got this recipe from a Stonyfield Farms yogurt lid, but I haven't tried it yet. I'm considering replacing the strawberries with chocolate chips (I know I'm terrible!) because I tend to like to keep my fruit and my baked goods separate.

1 c. all purpose flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 t baking soda
2 eggs
1 c. Stonyfield Farm yogurt
1/4 c. butter, melted
1 t. vanilla
1 c chopped strawberries, fresh or frozen

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375. In a bowl, mix together flour, sugar, and baking soda. In another bowl, mix eggs, yogurt, butter, and vanilla. Toss strawberries into the flour mixture, then pour yogurt mixture into flour mixture and stir. Spoon batter into greased muffin tin, bake for 20-25 min, or until the tops are golden brown. Yield: 12 muffins.

Contest to win a beautiful bracelet! (I REALLY like this!)

I found the most adorable giveaway on the Contest Corner blog! We went to England last year and I loved it so much, so I really hope to win the bracelet! Here's a direct link to the contest so you can check out the bracelet:
http://contest-corner.blogspot.com/2009/05/giveaway-london-calling-bracelet.html



And here's the link to the etsy shop so you can see all of the wonderful things that Bebe and Yaya have to offer:
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5205135

Closed again

We got word this afternoon that my school is closed again on Monday because of swine flu. Here are the latest articles:

http://www.wgrz.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=66352&catid=305

http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/School_district_awaits_H1N1_results_20090503

While I love the idea of another day off, it's also incredibly frustrating because this is such a busy time at work that I really need to be there, and also, this creates a conflict with two big events, which will now have to be scheduled for the same day! ARGH!

Our bathroom remodeling project

We've decided to remodel our bathroom. Our tub is a little on the nasty side. It looks like the tub wasn't installed properly, and the caulk is all flaky and hard to clean. We figure we're going to have a kid who I imagine is going to need a bath occasionally, so that was kind of the impetus for us to seriously think about getting this project in gear.

Today we went to a place in Orchard Park called L.A. Hazard because we heard that they had a beautiful showroom, and people are right, that place was amazing. It wasn't terribly large, but it was beautifully organized and the ladies there were so nice! They showed us a lot of things, gave us opinions, etc... We really had a nice time, and now we have some decisions to make. Tonight I think we're going to sit down and work on throwing around some ideas and seeing what we can put together.

As you can imagine, I want this project to be as green as possible, however, it looks like I may have to forfeit some "green-ness" for two reasons--first, it's hard to tell what's really the greenest option considering all of the extra supplies you need for something like granite or tile, and secondly, the seemingly greener options are so much more expensive that we just can't afford them. We did find what appears to be some pretty nice, long-lasting flooring, but it's essentially plastic, which doesn't exactly thrill me.

We also decided we might do the project in phases so we're not shelling out a load of money all at one time, and it will give us some extra time to pick out some details that we really like for the second phase. The first phase will be to get the separate shower installed, then to get the new tub installed. The vanity, sink, and faucet will be the next phase.

My "day off"

Yesterday I didn't go to work, and it felt really weird. Normally if I stay home on what would usually be a workday, there would be three feet of snow in the driveway and it would be a snowday. But yesterday was a swine flu day.

I figured I'd use the day to tackle some of the work-related tasks I have waiting for me, but instead I talked on the phone with other schools, the health department, etc... So many precautions have to be taken when a kid is diagnosed with what is proving to be quite a deadly disease!

A lot of people are saying that it's being blown out of proportion, and to a great extent I agree, but I DO NOT think that our superintendent overreacted by closing school today, and there are many reasons why I believe this. First of all, a lot of thought and discussion went into making this decision. Our superintendent was on the phone and in meetings ALL DAY trying to determine what would be the best course of action, and you know what...he had to do WHAT WAS IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE KIDS, those little people (and not so little people, since this is a junior/senior high school) who we are paid to protect. Yes, it's our job to educate and guide them, but I think that even more important than the educating and guiding is keeping them safe. So yes, maybe this was a drastic measure, but if they hadn't closed school and kids started getting sick, then people would have been even more angry, and understandably so.

I've noticed that this topic is making people fight. People are arguing about whether people are overreacting or whether it's worth it to try to make sure we protect ourselves. My feeling is that the more we talk about it, the more we're perpetuating the hysteria. If you're not worried about it, why not keep your mouth shut until you're asked? The only reason I'm taking the time to write about it is that I was directly affected by this situation.

Be safe, everyone. Wash your hands, don't touch your face, and do everything else you'd normally do. (Universal precautions!)