Happy Birthday to ME (and my sister)

Today, April 18, is my 22 birthday and because I am a twin... it is also my sisters birthday.

 Happy birthday Jill!

This is Jill (annddd me). She is so awesome and a great gardener and can bake like nobody's business. She also likes flower patterned shorts and to embrace messy hair and Harry Potter is totally her thing.

 Last night we went to see hunger games because I have been dyyyyinnngg to see it. This was her third time! What the heck! By the way, Jill told me we could only go see it Tuesday night. Why? Because that's cheap night and " there's no way I am paying full price when I can go on Tuesday for so much cheaper!" I have lost that extreme frugalness apparently. Thankgoodness she still has it!

Because I love food, specifically sweet, homemade food, I decided yesterday that on my birthday I am going to eat good food.

Last night I searched through the blog Joy The Baker  to find exactly what I was going to eat for breakfast. I chose joy's blog mostly because she shares my love of making dessert into breakfast. How can you go wrong eating chocolate cake for breakfast?
Answer- you can't.

 But because I am trying to eat better. ( ahem no cake for breakfast) I decided to go with orange and chocolate scones and rice pudding.... Totally healthy I know!

Some people really don't like rice pudding, I on the other hand love it.
I could eat it everyday.
Preferably with only a few raisins and maybe a touch if cinnamon here and there.
But, to be honest, I have never met a rice pudding I didn't like.
The newest way I have cooked it is kinda like risotto... The rice is cooked in milk with sugar. Ummm sooo good!! There are also crock pot variations, oven baked variations, left over rice variations, custard variations. The list goes on.

Anyways I am sure you don't really care about the numerous ways to make rice pudding... Especially because this blog post is actually about the chocolate orange scones.

Oh man.
They are just so good!

Orange Chocolate Scones
Recipe from Joy The Baker

1 1/2 cups Flour
2 tbsp Sugar
2 tsp Orange zest
2 1/4 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
6 tbsp cold Butter
1 large Egg Yolk
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp buttermilk (or soured milk)
1/2 cup Semi-sweet or dark Chocolate chips

Move oven rack To upper third of the oven. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Mix together flour, sugar, orange zest, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Cut butter into dry ingredients until butter chunks are very small and mixture looks coarse. I like to use my pastry blender, but you can use your fingers equally well.

In a small bowl combine egg yolk and buttermilk and beat till combined. Add to dry ingredients and stir with a fork till moistened. Add chocolate chips.

Use your hands to bring dough together, kneading a bit so it holds together easily.

Place dough onto a lightly floured counter. Flatten till 1 inch thick. Cut into four squares. I like to make eight smaller scones so I then cut the four large scones in half.

Bake immediately on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet at 425 for 12-15 minutes.

Best eaten the same day they are baked.

Also, after scones are shaped, you can place them on a cookie sheet and freeze until solid then transfer to a plastic bag and keep in the freezer for a quick breakfast treat!. Then when you are ready to bake them, preheat oven, place scones on a cookie sheet and bake from frozen. They may take just a few extra minutes to bake.

Freezing scones is always a good idea if you can not bake immediately. Even if your just waiting for room in the oven. Putting the scones in the freezer even for 15 minutes, helps to keep your butter cold (for flakier layers) and slows down the baking powders rising action (higher, more even rise of the scones in the oven) .