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scones

Empathy and gratitude/a few thoughts

December 7, 2014 by Edlyn

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It’s been a strange, strange week in these parts. I see everybody getting into the Holiday mood, with freshly chopped Christmas trees and fairy lights (YES!) but we’re not quite there yet. We’ve got a tree of our own only once and while it makes the house look 100% cozier than normal, I gather it’s all in my head. We’re not going to be in India for Christmas, but we do have almost similar weather plans. My mind is still in Goa though and I’m not sure that will ever change. I don’t want it to. It’s not a flaw.

This past week has also strengthened the part of me that’s been working on the meaning of empathy. Understanding the feelings of other + walking a mile in their shoes + not being an asshole. Deep, right? When I first moved here, I found it strange how complete strangers asked me: “How are you?” I was fine, of course. But not always. They were doing their job but I was secretly getting tired of answering. I actually wanted to know how they were. Everybody walks around, carrying burdens that they wish they could share. Life is not easy. When your cat dies, you can’t take a bloody sick day. If your cat dies though, I’d like to tell you I know how that feels. Maybe I could do it with a look or by actually giving you a few more seconds of my time to tell you that it will be okay, that it’s all just a moment in the grand plot, that it feels like forever and it will get better. So much cliche. I’d pack it all in. I want you to know I don’t walk around without analysing the process of existence. It beats within me. Yesterday I wished I spent two more seconds with the man I saw holding up a “need help” sign. He told me he liked the painting I was holding and I thought “what a fucking idiot I am”. He needs more than I can ever help with and what did I do all day? Justified to myself that this (print of a) painting was worth it. It was worth it. It was beautiful. I wish art could save us all. I wish everybody had that opportunity to be saved.

That’s all it takes really- one chance. Sadly, empathy is something that severely lacking. We make excuses like “the begging mafia owns all the kids”, rather than just talking to them. Same with the people who can’t afford to eat in America. I sometimes can’t justify why I blog about food. I’m not an extravagant person an I find amazing amount of comfort in potatoes. The fact is, not everybody can afford the same choices as I do. I empathise with that. I don’t see this blog change into a thrifty one just because I do. What I do hope is that I can talk to more people and talk to people about food. I’ve had a lot of conversations with people in Seattle lately. People in the middle of the most difficult part of their lives and little chance to change the course of it all. I don’t live it but I get it. I can talk to you and learn your story. Stories never leave you.

I read something recently that said charity is selfish. That we do it more for our own karma (promounced “karm“) than for another. It completely rejects the theory of empathy. Charity has no guarantee. Humanitarian workers know this first hand. They do it anyway and have their hearts broken more each time, but for that one moment. This season of giving, I’m counting my joys. I’m listening more already and asking you about you because I want to know. I’m sprinkling more gratitude on each meal I share and thanking my family for the choices they let us have.

Have a blessed season.

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The recipe for these pear and dark chocolate scones can be found on Smitten Kitchen. I’ve linked them and just changed their original name apparently. I found that I needed to use more flour than what the recipe called for. This could be due to the pears’ being slightly more ripe than what Deb used. I didn’t measure the amount of extra flour I used. I just kept throwing more over until the dough took shape and was easy to cut through after being shaped. The scones were mixed (never over-mixed) completely by hand. I need to remake them to see what I can do differently 🙂

The crème fraîche recipe can be found on The Vanilla Bean Blog. The photos on Sarah’s blog are always my favourite.

Happy Sunday. Xo.

 

Filed Under: sweets Tagged With: creme fraiche, scones

This wasn’t the plan + Mint-coconut scones with rhubarb chutney

June 9, 2014 by Edlyn

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I thought there was something wrong with today. First of all, I didn’t need to go to Seattle. I wasn’t supposed to work today. After staring at my phone all the way from Everett, like us zombie commuters do these days, I decided to look at the schedule one stop before the wonderful commissary that we convene at before the hustle. What took you so long, Edlyn? I mean you only had to wake up at 5:30 am and complain about how tired you are. Next thing you know, you hop on the 6:33 am bus (don’t ask me about the minute-specifics, somebody must be having a jolly ol time predicting these things) and get all emotional about the World Cup.

Thanks a lot, pre-made Spotify playlist.

I crossed the road and took the bus right back to Everett. No sheepishness here. None. Except it was 4 buses back to Everett. Again, no big deal. Seattle folks with their pitying faces, I’m not ashamed! Our buses smell better than yours and are mostly bigot-free.

I’m home now and happy that my day suddenly freed itself up. I made brownies. The post I was scheduled to write on Wednesday is now this post I’m writing on Monday. It’s about time too because I hear rhubarb season is ending tomorrow. You’re going to have to illegally hunt your rhubarb and find strawberries to pair them up with. Speaking of rhubarb, P!nk is coming up. She said to get this party started.

Or something.

Mint and coconut scones

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These were meant for tea time, a passion of mine that rarely gets pursued in this culture/country of pasteurised milk (ew). Allow me to give more importance than these seasons require by saying these are the perfect season-transitioning snackies. I took two to work, gave three to the neighbours, ate two and gave the other two to my ol’ friendly friend husband. One disappeared mysteriously. I call them my tropical (mysteriously disappearing) scones on my other blog.

Ingredients

  • 140 gm (1 cup) all-purpose flour + more for dusting
  • 135 gm (1 cup) whole wheat flour
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 37 gms (less than 1/4 cup) turbinado sugar (or your sweetener of choice)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1.5 tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped
  • Zest of 1 lime
  • 6.5 tbsp (88 gms) cold unsalted butter (cut into small cubes, if mixing by hand)
  • 156 gms (1 1/2 cups) whole milk
  • 1 egg, beaten, for the egg wash
  • 1/2-1/4 cup of dried coconut (unsweetened)

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Pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees F.

In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients: the flours, baking powder, sugar, salt and fresh mint. Add the butter to the mix. If you’re going to use a powerful food processor, you can just cut the butter into half or quarters and pulse until it cuts into the flour. There should still be small pieces of butter in the flour.

If you’re going to break down the butter by hand (like I did), cut it into small cubes to make the process easier. Mix the butter with your fingers until the flour mixture has a coarse texture. Add the milk to the flour and knead until it all comes together. Flour a clean, working surface and pat down the scone dough. Flatten out the dough into a circle (with your hands) until it is 1- 1 1/2 inches thick.

Using a circular cookie cutter (or the rim of a glass), cut out the scones and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the scones with egg wash and sprinkle dried coconut on the top. Place the baking sheet in the oven for 15 minutes or until the tops of the scones are deep golden brown. If you feel the scones need more time in the oven, but are already too brown, cover them with aluminium foil and bake for 5 more minutes.

Let them cool for a little bit before cutting them in the middle and eating them with…

Rhubarb chutney

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I love how easy this is to make. In a house where 2 people live, it lasts forever. It’s very similar to a sweet mango relish I grew up with and binge ate along with my sisters in India. Today morning I used it to make a grilled cheese sandwich with some sharp cheddar. And sour dough. Hangover-I-hate-when-I-go-to-work-by-mistake food rules! I also ate a little bit of it with my aloo-gobi (potato-cauliflower) and rice on Sunday. It’s so versatile. If you feel adventurous, you can also add some chilli powder to the mix. You will need 1 pint jar to store the chutney.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups rhubarb, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 1 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 3/4 cups turbinado sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/2 tsp, fresh grated ginger
  • 1/4 cup raisins

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Put all your ingredients in a small pot and bring it to a boil, while stirring. Once the liquid is boiling, turn down the heat and let it simmer for 40 minutes or more, if you want a thicker chutney. Keep stirring throughout the process to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pot and burning. You will know when it’s ready when the chutney becomes slightly harder to stir. Put the chutney into a jar and store in the fridge for up to two weeks.

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Filed Under: sweets Tagged With: breakfast, Chutney, rhubarb recipes, scones

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