Weekend Distractions

Yeah!! I'm so glad that the latest storm has passed through and the sun is shining again. Temps are expected to be in the 70's this week. We had quite a lot of rain and had some flooding in our area.

  

I know someone that wasn't bothered by the rain

 

 In fact, he was very happy it rained

 

He could play outside again

 

Ok, the fun is over, right? Wrong, he is actually laughing and screaming with such delight that he can hardly contain himself!

I have not heard what has happened in the burn areas since yesterday morning. The news reported that several people who lived in an area where they were expecting the worst, were trapped in their homes (because they ignored the evacuation orders). But, emergency teams said that due to the dangerous conditions, they were not going to intervene (see yesterday's post). I hope the residents in the mudslide areas are safe. After hearing about the latest earthquakes in Chile and Argentina, I have been on "bad news" overload and will wait to hear about what's going on in the world tomorrow. We were happy to hear that several friends in Chile were safe.

Saturday evening, we met my sister Lori and her husband Jeff at The Montage in Laguna Beach. As we headed south, the storm was clearing and we were able to enjoy the beautiful blue sky, puffy clouds and sunlight. 

 

Highway 73 - Toll Road

  

Ditto

  

One more

 

Laguna Canyon Road

 

Approaching PCH

 Entering the Montage

 

I know these pics are bad, we were moving! But hey, they're free!!

It is a beautiful resort. Check it out at http://www.montagelagunabeach.com/  We had a great time hanging out and catching up as we enjoyed a fabulous dinner at The Loft. Our table was outside on the balcony overlooking the ocean. It was a beautiful evening with great family/friends, exceptional food, and the sound of the ocean crashing on the rocks below. From the fromage at the beginning, to the mini ice cream sandwiches at the end, our meal was delightful! Today, I'm wishing I had pictures to post of everything we saw and ate last night so that I could share it with you. Sadly for you, I enjoyed being "in the moment" rather than looking at that moment pass by through the camera lens. Quite honestly, it didn't cross my mind, even though I had my camera in my handbag and had good intentions. Bye Lori and Jeff, Doug and Gail, we had the best time with you! Come back soon! And to the rest of you out there, if you have the chance, you need to go to The Loft at Montage. Add it to your destination wish list and take your camera. You can take your own pictures.

This morning I decided to make some scones. I will confess, I love scones. Not just any scone, it has to be the perfect scone, because I am very particular about scones. If I am going to enjoy those extra calories, I want it to be just right. It has to be crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. It can't be white, it must be made with a whole grain flour, and it can't be covered in a thick layer of frosting. If it is a coffee shop scone, I can tell just by looking at it if it passes the test. 

If you are a scone lover too, you should check out this recipe. It went together very quickly. It uses whole wheat flour, oats, a banana. Rather than butter, it uses peanut butter as the fat. I found the recipe here: http://www.aminglingoftastes.com/2010/02/peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-scones.html.

I changed a couple of things. I used crunchy peanut butter and regular sized chocolate chips. I added a teaspoon of Vanilla. My only ripe banana was quite small, so we didn't taste any banana flavor. I will definitely use a medium/large banana next time. Due to the smaller size, I baked them for 13 minutes at 400 degrees. It made 24 instead of 8-10. I thought they turned out great.

As you can see, they don't look like the typical triangle shaped scones.

 

I cut mine into small squares. That way you can have two instead of one and you get lots of crunch in every bite. 

 

Now the rest go in a freezer bag and into the freezer. They crisp up after they defrost in a toaster oven set at 400 degrees for about 4-5 minutes, or until the outside has turned crispy rather than soft. Enjoy!