Cinnamon Nut Scones

Happy Sunday to you all! I hope everyone's weekend was as fabulous as mine.  Today's recipe is one that is near and dear to me...primarily because I love cinnamon & who doesn't love scones?! I have been making these for almost 10 years now and I feel like this recipe has been perfected to a T.  They taste great with coffee or tea.  Make them for your next tea party and they are sure to be a hit!

Ingredients:
3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup fat free yogurt
6 TBSP + 2 TBSP sugar
1 TBSP fat free half & half (can also use 2% milk)
2.5 tsp double-acting baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 TBSP + 1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
3/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
3/4 tsp salt
2 TBSP whipped cream cheese frosting (I used Betty Hines)

Directions:
1.  Sift together flour, 6 TBSP sugar, baking powder, baking soda, 1 TBSP cinnamon, and salt in a bowl.
2.  Add butter and blend mixture until it resembles meal.
3.  Stir in walnuts & yogurt.
4.  Combine the mixture until it just forms a sticky dough.
5.  On a well floured surface, kneed the dough lightly for 30 seconds and pat it gently into a 1/2 inch thick square and cut diagonally so that it forms two triangles.**
6.  Arrange scones on an unbuttered baking sheet.  In a small bowl, combine remaining 2 TBSP sugar, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, & cream.  Brush top of scones with the mixture.
7.  Bake scones in the middle of a preheated 400 degree oven for 12-15 minutes or until they are golden brown.
8.  Place the icing in a ziplock bag, cut a small hole in one of the bottom corners of the bag, and pipe out icing on top of the scones once they have cooled completely.
** You can also use a 2 in round cutter if you prefer to cut the scones in rounds.

  

Fennel Tea

Last month, Both my husband and I had the worse cold, sore throat, sinus infection, and just gunk that we just couldn't seem to shake off.  In a matter of a week, we went through 3 boxes of kleenex between the two of us! =( But more than anything else, my itchy, scratchy, & sore throat was what bothered me the most.  After talking to a friend of mine about it, she suggested I make this tea to soothe my throat and help it get back to normal.  After just drinking 2 cups of this little mix, my throat was no longer sore  or scratchy & back to normal in no time.  Since this is the time of the year when so many people come down with the common cold, I thought it was the perfect time to share this recipe with y'all bc it is truly a Godsend!  The picture below shows what raw fennel seeds look like as well as the tea itself.

Ingredients:
8 oz hot water
1 TBSP raw fennel seeds
Honey to taste (I used about 2 tsp)

Directions:
1.  Heat up 8 oz of water in the microwave for about 2 minutes on high heat.
2.  Once the water is done heating up, pull it out of the microwave and add fennel seeds.
3.  Add honey and stir.
4.  Cover with a dish or saucer and let it steep for about 5 minutes.
5.  Strain the tea into a clean cup.
6.  Enjoy!

P.S. You can either eat the fennel seeds or toss them.  Personally, I like the taste of them so I tend to eat them.