Cranberry Scones with Hazelnut Flour

 Still chilly this morning in Michigan. To warm up the house, I made cranberry scones with hazelnut flour. This flour gives the baked goods an extra sweetness that's not overpowering. Wonderful with tea, coffee or milk. The hazelnut flour also makes the scones taste richer and more decadent without the massive calories that icing or frosting imparts. The recipe is from "Cooking Light" magazine with a few adaptations namely the hazelnut flour.

CRANBERRY SCONES

Mix together 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup hazelnut flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda and 1/4 teaspoon of salt in a large bowl. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and add to the dry ingredients along with 1/2 cup of cranberries cut in half and 1/2 low fat buttermilk. Combine the ingredients until moist and the dough is sticky. Knead the dough lightly on a floured surface and place the mixture on parchment paper and then on a baking sheet. Form the mixture into a rectangle or circle that's about 1/2-3/4" thick. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes then reduce heat to 350 degrees until the edges are golden are about 15 minutes.

Baby Bird's Nest on Garage Lights

A mother robin decided to build her nest on my garage lights. The lights are motion activated which provides extra warmth for the nest. Not certain it's a good thing for the baby birds.

The babies beaks are open and begging for food from their parents. I do believe spring is here, even though the temperature reads 38 degrees.

Fish Bone Painting

Just a quick painting to cover a problem above my stove. The wall needs to be painted. And while I don't have the time to paint the wall, move the stove, wash the wall, etc., I do have time to do an impromptu piece of art.

Reverting Tulips

Maybe it was a mistake made by a worker filling the bag of red tulips. Maybe they dropped some pink and white bulbs in the bag tagged "red". Maybe. Chances are greater that my red tulips reverted to their original color.

Last year the tulips in my yard were all red in color. Bright red with yellow centers. This year, in the corner of my garden, sprouted pink and white tulips. Tulips, like many other flowers, are bred to enhance a mutated gene's color. I would think red would be dominant and in this case, I would be wrong.

There is another answer - squirrels! Squirrels could have switched bulbs on me. The likelihood of that happening and me winning the Powerball jackpot are one in the same.

Leaf Drawings for $4

That's right. These leaf drawings only cost $4.

I used watercolor paper and drew four separate images of leaves and placed them on 11"x14" sheets of black cardboard. The frames cost a buck a piece at the Dollar Store. Voila! Instant glam for the walls.

Kitchen Cabinet Turned Console

I got a great deal on a white kitchen cabinet at Home Depot about a year ago. And I had a plan for the pre-made cabinet.

First, I bought bracket supports for each of the four corners and attached them to the bottom of the cabinet. Next, I purchased four wood turned legs with a screw mounted at the top to adhere to the brackets. Then I sanded and painted each leg three times before attaching them to the bracket supports.

That's it. So easy and it adds lots of extra storage space with shelves inside each door unit.

Heart Print Using Hands

This idea came courtesy of the magazine, "FAMILY FUN". It uses two hand prints overlapped to form the shape of a heart. Much more striking when done with two different colors of paint for each hand.

This would be a cute idea for couples getting married - one handprint from each person that together form the heart motif.

Artichoke and Potato Casserole

I found a recipe using artichokes and potatoes on cooks.com. Of course, I tweeked it. And it was DELICIOUS! Thumbs up from everyone. Yay! Best of all, no eggs were used in making this dish.

Drain contents of two 14 oz. cans of plain artichokes, one 16 oz. can of sliced white potatoes, two small cans of black olives and two small cans of water chestnuts. Roast one large red pepper and slice after cooled into 1/4 inch pieces. Cut artichokes into 1/2 inch pieces. Combine ingredients in a large bowl along with 1/2 cup of Romano cheese, 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 cloves of garlic-chopped fine, and 1 cup of bread crumbs. Mix well and empty into an ungreased 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. The recipe recommended letting the mixture sit a day refrigerated before baking and that's just what I did. Super yummy!

Easter Finery for a Dollar

Check it out! Jones New York silk top for a dollar at the thrift store. Such a deal!

Gerbera Daisy

My gerbera daisy has a lovely white flower - just in time for Easter. This must mean spring is around the corner.