Scone Party

After a really long and frustrating week, what else to do on Friday morning but bake apple scones with the 1.5 year old?  We both needed some cheer and some good food in our bellies.  And I figured out the until now elusive to me secret to successful baking with my toddler.  Of course it involves involving her in everything, but today it thankfully did not involve her arms wrapped around my legs while she looks up at me and screams.

She was first situated at the table with juice and a snack so she could sit next to me while we baked together.  Then while I was gathering the ingredients and baking tools, inspiration struck.  I realized I had an almost empty baking powder can and a new one.  I cracked the seal on the new one and dumped in what was left of the old one.  Then when I got down the glass mixing bowl, I also grabbed an identical smaller bowl.  When I sat down with Cate on the bench, I set my big bowl in front of me, and gave her the little bowl, her own baking powder can, and a teaspoon.  A couple of spoonfuls of flour in her can, and she got right to work. 

Important work it was, popping the lid on and off, and spooning flour from here to there, but not to eat!  She occasionally helped me with my baking, dumping in a spoonful of premeasured salt, adding a bit of her flour, or nabbing a bit of my mixture for her play.  Of course a few pieces of apple were nabbed from the bowl and she got to lick the soy yogurt measuring spoon.  No big deal to sneak tastes as we were vegan baking.  I was a little bit surprised, but she pretty much sat happily beside me the entire time.  We had fun.

Best vegan apple scones ever, and a twirly, squealy little girl...just a little bit hopped up on sugar.  A pretty good day.

Apple & Pear Scone recipe (aka "the best scones ever!") from an old issue of Good Housekeeping.  The only subs I had to make were soy yogurt for the buttermilk and a stick of vegetable oil margarine (willow run or earth balance).  I didn't have pear today but it is better with pears.  I add more fruit than the recipe calls for.  You can find the recipe here.

The first (Backa the monkey)

I made this little sock monkey for Catherine for Valentine's Day.  It wasn't a surprise because she saw me working on it, but that was cool because it was so sweet to see how excited she got knowing it was hers and watching the progress.  It was also sweet that she wanted to help add the stuffing, or "helpa" as she would say. 

She pretty much grabbed him away from me the second I finished sewing the body closed and gave him a big hug, while making monkey noises.  Even though with no limbs or facial features he looked more like a bean than a monkey at that point.  It was a while before I could get it back from her to work on it some more.  Every time I would reach a stopping point, monkey would go "backa" (back) into her little hands.  I'm pretty sure that his name is Backa now.

I used an old pair of socks and sort of wung it since I couldn't remember exactly how a real sock monkey is constructed.  So this is my version of a sock monkey, anyway.