Monday, September 7, 2015

Scones,bricolage , cast iron and the changing of the guard~~













my mom's dutch oven was done after:)






I have a few cast iron pieces..  2 are from my mom.. a large dutch oven..and her Griswold regular pan..  through the years I collected a few odds and ends..the pie plate that I love..the scone one..the corn bread..small skillet etc..one..the ridged huge one..Wagner brand..same as my mom's dutch oven..is just too heavy for me..and on our ceramic cooktop..it just doesn't make sense..so I gave it to Frédérick..he's strong and he has a beautiful 6 burner gas stove/oven.It's all seasoned again..so he should get some good use out of it..I got a bicep workout~
I use  a coating of oil and bake in the oven at 320 F for ap 1.5 hrs.  .
I don't do this often..I was in cleaning..organizing mood.
Make sure you use a neutral oil and not too much.

I made scones in the cast iron..I am sure you are like me and have as many scone recipes as cookie recipes..well..almost..
I used a usual fave of mine and added my orange  infusions..good.. very good..but w/ the addition of sour cream and greek yogurt.. because I did not have enough sour cream..they took on that not quite scone but cake..y texture..
I love a DRY scone..so I will try w/ another recipe next time..either Katrina's or Linda's..or my pom ones:)
Some of my recipes call for overnighting..some have fruit..etc..
Ina's are my favorite make aheads..

next time no yogurt.

Still very good and pretty w/ my jam..David Lebovitzs'...We went through 3 batches this summer..
It can be made all year now though as we can usually get strawberries all year now..not local..but sweet and edible nonetheless..

we had a few hot ugly days..more than.. and then a few beautiful hot days..
so some Christmas things are underway..like  the ornaments...I have been making..what will I do next year? No new ones to make..yet:)  this year is the last collection I am working on..you can find a link to Alicia's patterns on that post..I ♥ her ornaments..and her daughter:)
and some special cards..
I love stamps..I am not a stampoholic..I don't have thousands..but I do have quite a few..:)
the boys were quite taken with them last Sunday..:)
I was happy to find a boy image stamp ..not at all at that site..our canadian Amazon had it..this week..and a good job..etc one..both of them..are for the Littles of course~
fun to add personalized notes..words..initials..
There is a definite changing of the guard here..the days are a tad shorter..the light definitely different..our magnificent spring blooming apple blossom trees have turned into crabapples:)

Still pretty..

I think maybe 20yrs ago+.. a favorite store of mine started carrying glass vases..and the owner would put whatever was in season in them..w/ floating candles on top.. 15 yrs ago when we moved here I dragged my 3 tall vases here..but could never find floating candles again..that were not hot pink or lime green..so they have been in a box..for 15 yrs..
Linda..posted some floating candles a while back..and I have been on a sporadic search..finally found some..
now you can probably get these tall vases at the $ store !~ A sign of the times..
Back then not..still I am glad I saved them..water gardens:)
Thanks Linda..for the reminder~
Even Jacques said.. :"c'est vrai c'est joli".
Kind of looks like Valentine's or Christmas w/ the crabapples though..practice run..snowberries are out also..but that would be a winterfest..
Too soon for mums and such  autumnal colors outdoors....I dislike pink blooms w/ fall colors.I need the trees to be golden and vermilion..the pinks to be gone..before adding pumpkins and mums..~Even for the wreath..and why swoosh it along?
We crave summer..I am still breathing  what's left ..in.
I have been playing with my Creative Girl book you see on my sidebar..I still love it..I have made so many little fun projects with this book..I think I know who this one will be for..

I sewed a piece of glittery organza on top of the beach words..you can lift it up;)I am thinking mini mini envelopes w/ hidden messages..
I added a starfish that was on one of the perfumes I favor and wear..L by Lolita Lempicka.This review..what a review! Anyways I love it..I do not recommend buying at Amazon..I did once and I am almost certain it was not the same quality...Imagine.And I love Amazon..
I do like scents..I love Angel..this one..Eden..etc..my mom's fragrances..
So I thought she could even be a Lolita Lempicka ..I am not finished but  what fun these girls are to create..and you can personalize so much.
Again the tips in the books and recommendations are FAB.
I know some of you have bought it..and I am glad you did..thanks for telling me:)..I still rate this book 10/10♥



Do you see the heart at the top?It just happened..  there are little ideas she gives you..not tests..but..well I cannot pinpoint the word..practices etc..:)Well that happened.
There are so many tidbits I can't share because I want you to benefit from having the whole book:)
She is so nice to share her talent.
I also added a few new for me splotches and I have e-mailed my friend to ask her if I can put a link to her blogpost so you can learn also.She taught me../us:)
I will as soon as she says ok.I am sure she will say yes..but because I emailed..I want an answer..you know me...
I never noticed my Grumbacher set was missing Cyan:( A big empty spot!I think from day one..
And the new year begins~
Fingers crossed for everyone~




62 comments:

  1. I do believe I'd be happy having a scone for my last meal. I so love them. I like them crunchy on the outside, but have to have moist on the inside. You remind me of a little girl hurrying to get a day's worth of fun fit into it. A busy bee you are Monique. Glad you haven't lost the child in you.

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    1. I can't believe you took the time to pop by w/ all you have going on.
      I commend YOU.
      I would bring you over some scones;)

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  2. Another wonderful post, Monique. That photo at the very top, with the scones and the jam, is simply gorgeous.
    Amalia
    xo

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    Replies
    1. I love to craft and take photos like you do..I just don't travel..like you do:)
      You are exploring..taking it all in...keep it up.

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  3. Oh nice! I love these scones...we don't get them at all in India and I miss them a lot...

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  4. What lovely scones. My husband loves them and when we lived in the islands, a trip to the bakery for a scone was the first thing we did after we got off of the boat. I must try to make them sometime for him. He would be thrilled. I know what you mean about pans being too heavy. I have a couple myself that I have to ask for assistance when I use them. I am in love with you tall vase and the floating candles - so attractive. Our markets are full of mums now, so I guess we've officially entered autumn, although it's still very warm here. Hope you enjoy your week.
    Sam

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    Replies
    1. Here too mums everywhere..I love them and they last till frost..I always wait..I still have too much to water in this drought..and it must be by hand..watering restrictions forever it seems and rightly so..no car washing even..

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  5. Mhhh, comment résister à tous ces scones ?
    J'en sens la douce odeur d'ici :)

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    1. J'aimerais bien manger comme vous..il semble que c'est trop tard dans la partie chez nous...
      J'ai un mari raffoleux de viandes..de protéines..(je le comprends..)..de son p'tit sucré...

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  6. I bought a blueberry scone just yesterday. They are a perfect little snack with tea or coffee. Your selection far surpasses the one I had, though it was tasty. All your images are gorgeous as only you could share, but my favorite, the one that strikes a happy note for me ~ the collection of cast iron pans you have. To think that some belonged to your mom and that you lovingly care for it and use it. I don't think I've ever seen such shiny, beautiful cast iron pans.
    Happy Day, Monique.

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    1. Sarah..Saturday I went to our brocante..early..and already so many people were there..so I was in and out and about quickly..2 plates immediately caught my eye..because of you.
      Quimper pottery..they were $45.00 each..

      not sure was the market prices are where you are..but wanted to tell you:)
      It was the first time I noticed them.
      :)
      They had just been oiled.. a tad less shiny after the oven...

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    2. Monique, I'm happy the plates made you think of me. '-) That is likely a great price for the plates, though prices have declined in recent years. I think the market flows like the tide. I packed up lots of Quimper last spring and a friend is taking it on consignment to see at her booth in Round Top later this month. Have no idea if things will sell, but it doesn't need to be sitting in boxes in storage. Time to let go. '-)

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    3. There comes a time..when it just seems ok to do so.
      I must have gone through 30 magazines yesterday..all food..etc..gone..
      Good luck with your simplifying ...I am there too..and then I see something like your lit Christmas house lol..

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  7. Como siempre, maravilloso.
    Besos

    lagalletarota.blogspot.com

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  8. I agree, anyone who doesn't like a scone, hasn't had a good one. Love your vases. I have a ton of those from my sons wedding stashed away, what a great and beautiful idea!

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    1. I still have a few wedding lanterns..oh the things we keep..;)

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  9. The scones and the scone pan are wonderful! I love my cast iron pans :) Treasurers one and all.

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  10. Those pictures are a poem to scones, how perfect they are --- the colors, the textures -- ooh la la!
    I love my cast iron and try to take care of it but rarely make scones... silly me. Maybe this weekend I will be brave!

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    Replies
    1. In this heat..I keep the scones in the fridge the next day and just reheat as we go along.
      Thanks Deana..

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  11. Wowza! I am super jealous of your cast iron collection! I only have a cast iron skillet! Too bad my apartment is super small. I would be buying more right now :p

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You have so much time to acquire!
      And so much time to have more space.You are a baker and a cook and I see interesting collections in your future!

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  12. Oh, I should have come here for jam making tips!!!!

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  13. Well, as I have said before I haven't had a good scone, so these look so good. I have to try some of these. I need a scone pan as well. You have a great collection of pans Love the crab apples in the glass vases, of course with the floating candles. They look fabulous! You are welcome Monique. I am so glad you found some. I don't know why I get your email subscription so late.

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    1. :)
      Walmart online here in Canada of all places..one Google search amidst many over the last few months and there they were... every color of the rainbow and well priced..TY:)Not in Walmart stores here.
      They have a great method for free shipping at a drop off locale near us..

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  14. I love your cast iron collection. Mine is limited to my mom's skillet and I only use it several times a year, especially for Irish Soda Bread. That scone pan is to die for! I have a recipe that I use just a biscuit cutter. Your recipes are great but Ina's is a killer with all that butter and cream! I have some pillar vases and I am going to try to do what you have done once our crabapples turn redder. I used to agree with you on pink in the fall garden but since growing colchicums and Sheffieldd pink chrysanthemum I have changed my mind. The chrysanthemum blooms late, mid to late October. I will take any flowers in any color at that time of year!

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    1. Yes the pink mums..pretty pretty.I have never seen colchicums in fall...
      .I use a lovely wood biscuit cutter from a friend ..and I love that classic shape too..
      my mom made my brother's steaks in that pan.. eggs..my dad fried his french fries..the menu was not elaborate at home..but I remember what was cooked in that pan:) Her dutch oven also.My dad was a duck hunter and she made duck in it..(I never ate it).
      You can put mums in the vases too..I find a spritz of hydrogen peroxyde keeps things fresher:)

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  15. Bacon eggs each Sunday after mass were made in her skillet. Liver with bacon and onions and of the three sisters I was the only one whole loved it. Thanks for that tip with the mums. One year we got an early snow and I was out there cutting my Sheffield pink as the snowflakes started. You should try to get colchicum. Some multiply like crazy.

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    1. I LOVED bacon liver and onions when pregnant:) LOVED it..we have not had that in 30 yrs I am sure..
      I will look for the bulbs..any blooms can usualyy work in water for a bit..lemons..anything!

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    2. Jerry makes calves liver that is soaked in milk the night before, it is so yummy. I do the bacon and onions. The dish is heavenly in my opinion.

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    3. You are making me crave it..I used to soak it in milk too at one point and am forgetting why..I loved the texture,everything!
      Gotta see how much protein..and maybe make again..

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  16. I don't have scone or cookie recipes, I wasn't blessed with a talent for baking and cooking. But I love seeing the results of your recipes! I love seeing how this book has inspired you! And I love your play with the rubber stamps. Unlike you, it I most dream of autumn. The last of the summer heat is upon us here. Today I will try to hide from it during the midday hours!

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    1. It's been sooo hot here also Rita.. uncomfortably so..this is the summer ..well Aug-Sept that I have spent the least time in the gardens..Suffocating heat.
      I was not blessed with any cooking baking gene..I marred someone who loved to eat..and I discovered Martha Stewart..a girl at work told me about her..so many will say julia inspired them..and she did me also..but I would say it was Martha Stewart..Jacques would tape her shows for me..
      I was a very young bride who knew nothing..nothing at all.
      Then ..with some relative success..later ..much later..I guess I fancied people liking my food..
      when Jacques traveled..I could eat a bowl of cereal all week:) Or I would make a batch of soup and eat that..this is years ago;)
      I tell ya what? I'll swith for your art talent.
      Guess what? through my daughter I found a second hand French easel..when I went to pick it up..the sweet young girl had no idea how to open it..me neither..

      wow..I won't be traveling far w/ that..I watched a Youtube video and boom..done..but now I don't think I can close it;)
      Heavy things aren't they?
      Not a big traveler...at least there's that.

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  17. Wish I hadn't left my cast iron at home ;((
    Sch a pretty, yummy post. Salivating !!!

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    Replies
    1. Have you kept things in storage?
      IN CASE..you ever decide to come back?

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    2. Carol..Qui sera le prochain chef pâtissier is back on..here in QC..
      I love that show..I inadvertently checked their FB page and soiled my surprise..I know who wins..but still..

      Pierre Marcolini..Christophe Adam..Christophe Michalak,Philippe Urraca..so great...the guests..the young chefs and their creations..astounding.Think of you.

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  18. Just about every time I visit here I want to buy something new :) Of course I need the boy stamps - after all, there soon will be three. My stamp collection was started when my girls were little so many are too feminine for the boys. But there are animals and Christmas stamps too. I was just browsing at Creative Girl this morning ;) It is a wonderful book. I'm making a supply list. Scones! They all look so wonderful. I think I would love Ina's too. It's been raining and gloomy here so I'm making tomato sauce from my crop of tomatoes that are getting over ripe. Need to do something with the peppers too. Good day to be inside and cook. Bad light for pictures though :) I hope you get permission re the heart ♥ Beautiful idea for the crab apples and the floating candles! They are so pretty and we need lots of candles to get us through the next several months. I've never tried the floaters!

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    1. I'll let you know how cute the stamp is when it arrives nanato3boys;)
      Ina's are perfect for Christmas morning..both girls wanted the recipe after..

      Hot hot hot again today..got home at 7PM from downtown Mtl..a zoo.
      Ronelle emailed me and the splotches..splatters etc..will be forthcoming;)
      The ♥ just happened when the colors seeped into each other..no tutorial..serendipity:)
      Nanato4boysx

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    2. Ronelle does the best splotches :) I haven't visited her in a while - must say hello again. Looking forward to the stamp review!

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  19. I used to do the floating candles thing all the time. They have disappeared for while now, but I guess I should get them out of hibernation. I like stamps but I don't like clutter and I have never found a good way around that. But I love what you did with them, so who knows? And you really did season your cast iron. What a great steward you are! Now I need a scone!

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    1. I don't like clutter either..and after all these years..I have accumulations..but..
      we have a finished basement..and I have a craft room.. and my stamps..inkpads..etc..are compartmentalized;)
      Ask my daughters:)
      I turned into this..
      I don't think it was my nature..
      I married an engineer ..I was 20..
      I turned into his organized nightmare.
      Yes get the floating candles out..the bell bottoms..fringed vests..etc;)
      I am older than you..I go way back...

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  20. Bonsoir chère Nana,

    Grrr... Internet m'a joué un tour ! Je venais d'achever d'écrire mon petit message et hop ! plus rien...
    Je te disais que j'étais toujours très heureuse de venir te visiter et d'admirer tes belles photos. Tes douceurs excitent mes papilles. Tout comme toi j'ai dû me séparer de certains plats qui ne convenaient plus pour l'induction. Mon fils aime cuisiner sur son fourneau à gaz. Je lui ai donc confié toute ma collection.
    Tes moules sont très jolis.
    Je suis sous le charme de ton aquarelle. Les couleurs sont d'une grande douceur.

    Gros bisous ♡

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    Replies
    1. Bonsoir!
      Je vais aller te visiter demain matin..de retour?

      Delete
  21. I love your iron ware Monique, but you are right it is very heavy. I have a skillet and a corn stick pan. That is all. Even Le Creuset is very heavy. I have only a medium sized casserole, but cannot imagine being able to easily lift anything else! I love LOVE your scone pan! Perfect, as are ALL of your scones! The stamps, the candles, all wonderful. (I must look for crowns.) What I love most is seeing what you are doing artwise. I am still waiting for my book to arrive. It should hopefully be here by end of the week. I can't wait to get stuck in! Love and hugs. xoxo
    PS - autumn is here. Cooler temps. changing leaves. Sigh . . .

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Le Creuset and Staub..yes I find them very heavy too..no wonder thse things last lifetimes..I have had those crowns for years..they were made by an artist on Etsy when I first discovered Etsy..a little bagful..I will see if there is a record of them and let you know;)The heat is supposed to break Friday here.. the last 10 days at least have seen..near 100 in the sun...

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  22. Oh my, where to start!! I could write all day long about all that I'm feasting my eyes on! Scrumptious cones, candles floating in gorgeous vases, awesome iron collection and art and on and on! Nana, you are one fabulous blogger, your posts are truly inspirational!

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  23. I agree, there are some bad scones out there! But I have never had a bad homemade one!
    I just love the painting! That is how I see myself!
    I too am holding onto summer as long as the weather does! We have to head to the lake one more time!

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  24. As a matter of fact...I bought some blueberry scones to take to the cottage last weekend...looked delicious...unfortunately dry as sticks!
    I guess I have never had homemade scones...I have sooo much to learn from you!
    Love your vases with the floaters...I did that a few years ago with cranberries...very festive!
    I have actually started picking up the odd gift here and there...better to do it now...lots of crochet on my list!!
    Hope you are enjoying the nicer temps...
    Miss V napping...going in the pool when she wakes up!♥️
    Have a wonderful day and a bonne weekend my friend...
    Cheers!
    Linda :o)

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    1. I wish I could crochet..sooo many cute cute things..
      I have a lot to learn from you too;)
      Yes have a great weekend!
      Still warm today..tomorrow the heat is supposed to break~

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    2. We had a ball in the pool.....
      Beautiful day♥️

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  25. Your scones are divine my dear! :) And I am still drooling from your lovely cast iron collection. I just seasoned two basic frying pans last week... with coconut oil. I am hoping that is okay... Also, your floating candles came out beautiful!

    Thank you for the kind and warm welcome back. I hope your summer was sensational!

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  26. Que maravilla de scones, tienen una pinta deliciosa.
    Besos

    lagalletarota.blogspot.com

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  27. Tes vases sont ravissants. Quant à tes poêles en fonte ! elles sont extraordinaires ! J'ai celle en forme d'épis de maïs mais par ici, c'est presque introuvable, ces choses-là ... et par internet, comme les belles pièces viennent presque toutes des États-Unis, cela coûte un bras, vu leur poids ! ;o)) Allez, je prends un scone, même avec yaourt, avant d'aller travailler. La journée va être longue ...

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    1. Oui par la poste le prix doit..devenir exhorbitant!
      Vraiment..incalculable..
      Si jamais nous nous rencontrons.. le poids en avion?

      Hihihi..encore pire?

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    2. Déjà, si on se rencontrait ici, mon bonheur serait complet ! Même sans cast iron ... ;o)

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