The 15 minute every-other-day scone

I'm beginning to wonder if I every do any gardening. All I appear to natter on about are adventures, pretty flowers and walking alot, oh yeah and food! Today more food - quick baking - the 15 minute scone always ace, quick and tasty. I'm always a bit perplexed when folk tell me they don't have time to cook, never mind bake. I know we're all busy, I can hold my hands up and say that about our family life, its often quite chaotic. But, even in the darkest stressful crazy work-loaded PhD days, or the busiest of family weeks, I've always found time to cook and bake. Maybe its just because its part of our every day routine?

I do tend to cook everyday, mostly from scratch, or often with a bit of a helping hand from 'bulk' cooking at the weekend for through the week. However, I don't bake everyday - but probably a few times a week, every-other-day, which is much cheaper than buying shop bought cakes and biscuits.

I guess we're lucky we all enjoy food and get pleasure from not only eating it but making it too. Often I think I do alot of cooking and baking in my sleep - well almost. I'm generally an early morning (before I've got out of my pj's type of baker )- I think its the southing routine of regularity whilst slowly waking up and harkening the day ahead. I find it relaxing.

For instance, today - bit of a busy one here - alot on, I'm up at 8am (I'm not a very early morning person), kettle on for a cuppa - bowl out of the cupboard to make scones. 15 minutes later - freshly baked scones on the table, second cuppa in my pj clad hand.  Green nails are of course optional but help you giggle when you make them. The cellist obliged by being the team photographer for today, she wanted a lift to the bus stop!

The fifteen minute scone routine is thus: down stairs, kettle on, oven on (highest setting), bowl/cutter/cup measure/knife out cupboard, tray out too. Coffee made, begin to slurp. Lob all dry ingredients into bowl - (2 cups sr flour, 1tbsp sugar), dust tray with flour, then lob in 1tbsp butter to dry ingredients, rub in  butter, then grab butter knife and add a cup of milk to the dry ingredients - mix with knife until the dough forms - turn onto floured board. Don't kneed, lifes too short for rock hard scones. Cut into shapes, lob into oven, timer on for 12 minutes - which is a perfect amount of time to tidy up and get dressed. Kettle on for another cuppa.......

Home made scones in less than 15 minutes - lob a tea towel in a basket, turf hot scones into basket - cover for the time it takes to make that second cuppa. Retire to the kitchen table, butter, jam, scone and cuppa in hand - begin to plan your day. Perfect start I'd say.

Needless to say, its 4.30pm and they're all munched. No worries, tomorrows another day.

And for added gardening interest and to prove I do actually do a bit - here's a basket of veg from my plot at work and the last few courgettes from the polytunnel at work, where I've got a few plants hidden.....

Not bad eh? Wonder what I kind of a cake I can make with any of that lot!

Enough showing off, back to the baking/cooking - do you have a 'do it without thinking' quick recipe/meal you can do whilst half asleep? I'll bet you do!