Unplanned Cooking

Today my friend, Liz, from The Kitchen Pantry Scientist, stopped in for coffee. I was thrilled for some adult company. When our 4 y.o. was born, most of my friends worked. Quickly I discovered how lonely being housebound could be, especially given the long hours Matt worked. And so I became determined to make as many friends as possible before winter hit.

I stalked women at the park. I stalked women at the grocery store. I courted like a man; I casted a wide net, collecting email addresses wherever I went, and sorted through what I dredged up. And over time, I met some women I adore.

With our first child, I felt compelled to be friends with women who parented as I did. Breast feed or bottle feed? Stay at home or work? Cry it out or attachment parenting? Those issues felt more polarizing than being a democrat or republican.

But now that I’m on my third child, what I seek more is the quality of our friendship. As Lisa Belkin wrote for The New York Times, “When I first had children, I was sometimes overwhelmed by everything there was to do. As they get older I am ever more aware of what I can’t do — the stark fact that, however much we love and teach and stay vigilant, it might not be enough.” Now I make friends who will be there for me when it’s not enough. Because it never is.

I’m making Oatmeal Pumpkin Cranberry scones for our play date. We’ve got what seems like fifty tons of pumpkin puree leftover from Halloween, and Matt — after days straight of pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin lattes, pumpkin bread, and pumpkin eggs — has put his foot down: No more hiding pumpkin in his food.

Oatmeal Pumpkin Cranberry scones, adapted from Cooks Illustrated.

• 1 1/2 cups quick oats
• 1/2 cup half and half
• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 10 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg)
• 1/4 cup cranberries (optional)

First, our 2 y.o. and I spread our oats out on a baking sheet.  We toasted them in the oven for 7 – 9 minutes at 375 degrees.  When they cooled, we removed 2 tablespoons of oats to a small bowl.

Next, we whisked together the half and half, egg, pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice in a bowl.  We measured out 1 tablespoon to a small bowl for glazing.

Then, in a separate bowl (our glass salad bowl — you can use a mixing bowl; ours had sand in it), we mixed together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  We added the cold butter, and mixed again until it had the texture of cornmeal.

We poured our pumpkin puree mixture into our dry ingredients.

We sprinkled our leftover oats on our counter.  With our hands, we mashed the dough into 7-inch circles about 1 inch thick.  Then, our 2 y.o. painted each scone with our leftover liquid pumpkin puree.  Lastly, we pressed the cranberries in.

We baked until golden brown, about 12 to 14 minutes.  Then we cooled our scones on their baking sheet for five minutes, before removing them to a cooling rack (aka our stove top).  Thirty minutes later, Liz and I enjoyed them.

Jennifer’s rating:  8 out of 10.  No complaints here!  Typically not a scone eater, but loved these.  They were soft and grainy, thanks to the oatmeal.