Lavender Scones: Recipe

A nearby lavender farm served these scones (and also lavender whipped cream over strawberries) and then I ordered from Etsy.com a bag of culinary lavender, one of many types of the herb. The lavender to cook with is called "Provence" lavender. Just spoon the whole buds into the batter. Yes, the buds stay bluish-purple, and the taste and the fragrance are lordly. This quick recipe makes 4 scones and can be doubled.

Lavender Scones

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 or 2 Tablespoons of white sugar, to taste
2 Tablespoons of unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1/3 cup plus 1 Tablespoon of whole milk or evaporated milk
2 level teaspoons culinary lavender

1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Grease a baking sheet.
2. Whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt and sugar. Cut in the butter using a food processor, pastry blender, or two knives.
3. Make a well in the center of the flour-butter mixture and pour in the milk and spoon in the lavender. Use a rubber spatula to mix the ingredients into a soft, wet dough.
4. Pinch off 1/4 of the dough (it helps if your hands are floured) and make a patty about 2-1/2 inches across. Make 4 of these and space them on the baking sheet.
5. Bake them 10 to 12 minutes until they're lightly browned. If desired, sprinkle them with sugar [pictured]  or powdered sugar, or glaze them lightly with a powdered-sugar-and-water glaze.

Scones are best eaten while still warm. I make only 4 at a time because if I made 8 I'd eat them all.

Breakfast Pizza with Eggs & Bacon: Recipe

Ordinary breakfast ingredients reconfigured and more tempting. One 9-inch pizza serves 2 heartily or 3 more moderately. Fruit and coffee complete the meal.

Thin-Crust Breakfast Pizza with Ham and Bacon

1 9-inch thin-crust pizza shell, unbaked (don't thaw if it's frozen)
1 pat of butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon oil
2 eggs, beaten
3 ounces of cooked ham, chopped into small dice
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (more if desired)
7 strips of cooked bacon, cut small
jalapeno peppers, sliced (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat the 1/4 teaspoon of oil in small to medium skillet and spread it around. When the skillet is hot, pour in the beaten eggs. Let them sit and cook in the pan without scrambling them, like an omelet. If the eggs stay wet on top, flip them over until they are fully cooked. When done, let the eggs cool on a plate. Then slice them in strips and slice them again crosswise until you have squares of one inch or less.

Brush the pizza shell to the edges with the melted butter. Sprinkle on the pieces of egg and the chopped ham. Dot with jalapeno peppers if desired. Blanket the pizza shell with cheddar cheese. Sprinkle the bacon on top. Bake on a pizza pan for 20 minutes or until the cheese bubbles. Then let the pizza rest for about five minutes before cutting into it, because that will make slicing easier.