We'll Be Over In 15 Minutes . . . .

It is triple digits on the prairie today.      Therefore, we tend to stay indoors -- gardening now is just turning on the sprinkler for the allotted time and getting back into the cool of the indoors.

Neither breakfast nor dinner nor an afternoon tea break is taken on the porch nor on the patio nor under the pergola.     Any and all food is consumed inside!   (Husband Jim, however, does brave the heat to go out and grill dinner steaks).

I was puttering with inside chores this afternoon when I received a call from friend Barbara.     It seems that she and Priscilla needed to go over garden club "things" with me.       "We'll be over in 15 minutes", she said.

With the larder bare (of cookies or madeleines or financiers), I hurriedly put together some scones, put them in the oven, set the table in the breakfast room . . . and as the doorbell rang 15 minutes later, I was pulling the hot scones out of the oven.

It doesn't take long to set a tea table.    The hydrangeas make a good centerpiece.

The table in the breakfast room.    Plenty of room for note making while we sip and munch.    The china is English -- blue and white but with the addition of pink flowers.    It, too, was an estate sale find.    The teapot is Aynsley's Pembroke.    As is the creamer.

Scones and tea and honey

Afternoon scones are fine with cream and jam but they are also good with butter and honey.
Especially local honey from the Farmer's Market.    The only thing better would be if I could find the beehive that has the store of lavender honey that the bees have been working on most of June.     An English pearl handled tea knife is the perfect spreader for butter.

A pot of local honey

Honey served in a wee Waterford mustard pot.     With a mustard spoon for serving!     It's special honey and needs a special container and I love to see the golden honey through the crystal.

Scones are a perfect afternoon nosh for company

A warm scone with butter melting and honey dribbling over the sides onto the plate.     To be dabbed up with the unhoneyed part of the scone.

We drank the pot of tea, we ate all of the scones, we finished the business we needed to.    It was actually a nice afternoon . . . even though it was unplanned.

The scones are so easy and go together in a thrice.     Two cups of self rising flour, a tablespoon of sugar and a cup of cream.    Ingredients always in the pantry and fridge.    Mix together in a bowl until the dough holds together.    Knead a few times and then cut into American scone shape (triangles) or English scone shape (rounds) and bake for 10 to 12 minutes in a hot (450) oven.

You can make biscuits the same way -- omitting the sugar and just using the self rising flour and cream.   If you've been biscuit challenged, these are easy biscuits (or scones) to make.  

For the scones you can add dried fruit it you want or some herbs.

It's Tuesday and I'm joining Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday and Sandi at Rose Chintz Cottage for Tea Time Tuesday.