Scones and a van.

These were made last week and I thought about baking only 4, then freezing the other 4. But, I didn't. So 8 were eaten in one day. Some were taken by Pete to work, but many were not. They must be eaten the day they are baked, I think. It's a recipe I altered years ago from this little scone book, Simply Scones that I think I actually got when I was still in high school. It's not really a book anymore—but pages falling out of a cover. I think I have made every scone in this book.

Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Scones (altered slightly by me)

Pre-heat oven to 400ºF

• 2 cups flour
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 Tablespoons butter (chilled)
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup toasted chopped hazelnuts

In a bowl, mix the dry ingredients and add the butter in small chunks. Cut in the butter using your favorite method, I like a pastry cutter. Add the liquids and stir just a bit. Add the chocolate chips and the nuts and stir more. It will make a mess with little shape. Dump onto a cookie sheet and pat into 2 circles—these should be thick, about 1/2 high. Cut the circles into quarters and separate, making 8 scones. Brush with milk or an egg wash if you want to and fancy sugar if you are feeling extra special. Bake 17-19 minutes and then let them cool at least 10 minutes (this will be hard to do).

Heaven, I tell you. I love Oregon hazelnuts with a passion. Worth every penny. They are the first item I get at the farmers market.

Unrelated but extremely important:

I have a huge soft spot in my heart for Portland's own zine shop, Reading Frenzy. They have been around forever, have a great shop, support local artists and writers, and their existence just makes me happy about the world. Chloe, the owner, needs some help converting a van to make it wheelchair accessible for her son Henry and there are many things we can do to help.

1. Here's info about Wheels for Henry and a bit about Reading Frenzy.
2. There is a 2 week online craft bazaar where a percentage of proceeds will go to Wheels for Henry. You can sign up to participate as a vendor. Here's a list of participating vendors so far.
3. Please shop at this event! To shop, click on a vendor listed here, look around the sites and buy something. For convenience you can also sign up for the Wheels for Henry RSS feed. This event runs from Sunday, October 18 - Saturday, October 31.      
4. You can donate directly. There's a Paypal button at Wheels for Henry.
5. Here's the blog and facebook page.