Can I just tell you how lovely Sunday was?

Sunny and 60 degrees. Perfect spring weather. Love!

Even better was spending the day with my lovely friend Sarabeth. We met up in Greenwich Village for a scrumptious brunch at Elephant & Castle - you must eat there! Should we discuss how wonderful brunch is? I'll save that for another post.

Then we walked up to Chelsea to check out the flower district. It was already 3 pm, so most of the shops were closed but we still saw plenty of flowers and I befriended two fat cats.



It was such a beautiful day that we even had ice cream! Mister Softee trucks are all over the city, but I was pretty skeptical about them because to me, Mister Softee sounds like a toilet paper brand. But in the spirit of trying to be a real New Yorker (whatever that means) I gave it a try. Surprisingly tasty. And sprinkles!


Perfect day.

At least once a year a crazy idea pops into my head. Sometimes these ideas are crazy and unrealistic - for example - move to Europe next week and live an awesome life. Other times they are equally crazy, but achievable (at least in theory). The latest of these crazy ideas is to run a half-marathon.

Do I run? No, not really.

Have I gone running lately? Nope.

Total distance I've ran in my life? I'm going to guess maybe 50 miles in the past 25 years. That's a generous estimate.

But this crazy idea took root in my brain and I've decided to run with it (pun intended!). I've registered for the Detroit half-marathon on October 20 - that gives me over six months to train and I am going to need every moment of that to build up to running 13.1 miles. I can't even run 1 mile at this point. Sad? A little bit.

This whole half-marathon thing is a huge challenge for me, but I think I can do it! Go team me!

And so the training begins! Wish me luck! I'd love advice and inspiration, so share away.

This week I bring you buttermilk biscuits. They're simple and delicious - simply delicious.

My blackberry and ginger scone extravaganza left me with over half a quart of buttermilk. What to do with it? I wanted to make something simple - biscuits or pancakes? Biscuits won this time. (Confession: this is the first time I've ever made biscuits.)

Flour + Butter. When combined these two ingredients become some of the best baked goods: scones, biscuits, shortbread...

Buttermilk Biscuits

Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda in large bowl to blend. Using fingertips, rub the grated butter butter into dry ingredients until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk and stir until evenly moistened. 

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Pat it down until it's 1/2- to 3/4-inch thick. Use a 2-inch biscuit cutter for smaller biscuits and a 3-inch for larger to form the biscuits. If you don't have biscuit cutters (like me) use a glass to form those lovely, round discs of dough.

Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Bake until biscuits are golden brown, 12-15 minutes. 

These biscuits are best served warm. I topped mine with even more butter and blueberry jam, but feel free to load yours up with whatever your heart desires - eggs, sausage, nut butter, etc. - the possibilities are endless. You can experiment with adding things to to the dough - herbs, cheese - you name it! 

Enjoy!

This weekend I baked you blackberry ginger scones. Mmm so tasty. Try to stop yourself from eating all of them!

No time for experimenting in the kitchen, so all recipe credit on this one goes to the wonderful Joy the Baker whose blog and cookbook are some of my favorite sources for baking inspiration. You should definitely check her out - she's great!

The recipe calls for raspberries, but I subbed in blackberries. Other than that, it's all the same.

Raspberry (or Blackberry) Ginger Scones

From the Joy the Baker Cookbook
Makes 1 dozen scones

Ingredients

1 large egg
1/2 cup cold buttermilk
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups old-fashioned oats
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
3/4 cup fresh raspberries or blackberries
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger

Directions

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Whisk together the egg and buttermilk. Set aside

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and ground ginger.

Using a box grater, quickly grate cold butter until it is all shredded. Using your fingers, quickly incorporate the butter into the flower mixture, breaking the butter pieces into the flour.

Pour the buttermilk mixture over the flour mixture and stir with a fork until the dough comes together. The dough should be wet and sticky.

Gently fold the berries and the fresh ginger into the dough, being careful to not completely break down the berries. Five to eight turns of the spatula should be enough to incorporate the fruit and ginger.

Turn the dough out on a floured work surface. Flour your hands and begin to press the dough together into a rough circle about 1 1/2 inches thick.

Use a 1/4 cup ice cream scoop (or a 2-inch round biscuit cutter) to portion out 12 scone dough balls. Place on the lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until the tops are golden and firm.

Transfer to a cooling rack for 10 minutes before serving. These are best the same day they are made. Enjoy!

Vegan Chocolate Chip Banana Bread 

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup margarine, at room temp
3 very ripe bananas, mashed well
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup vanilla soy milk, mixed with 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt