But this post  is not about raisins, or even about scones.  It’s about sun and spring, and being led by our delight rather than our to-do list.  Feel like a little soulful baking-for-no-reason?  Then why not treat yourself. Scones take just a few minutes, and fear not–all your work will still be there when you’re done!  But now you’ll have fresh, warm scones to go with it.  Here’s a recipe (adapted from one by Deborah Madison):

Spontaneous Spring Scones for a Sunny, Chilly Morning

1 cup rolled oats, plus more for the cutting board
1 1/2 cups flour (I like to use 1 cup whole wheat pastry, 1/2 cup all purpose, but any combo of these, or all one or the other will do)
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small squares
1 large egg
1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons buttermilk (or milk, or cream, or a combination of these)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup currents or raisins (chop the raisins into small pieces if you like)–these are optional

Stir the dry ingredients together, then cut in the butter until the mixture resembles course crumbs.  Whisk together the milk, egg, and vanilla, then add to the dry ingredients.  Stir a few times, then add the currents or raisins if you are using them.  Continue to mix just until the dry ingredients are evenly moistened.  Scatter a layer of oats onto your cutting board, then turn the dough out on top of them and pat it into a 3/4″ thick circle.  Cut into six or eight wedges, and bake until nice and golden brown for 15 minutes (or so) at 425.  I like to put them on a baking stone.  If you have one, put it in the oven before you preheat, and let it heat up for at least 10 minutes.  Then put the scones right onto it.  If using a baking sheet, you don’t need to prepare it–plenty of butter in the scones!

These are good with your favorite jam, of course, but I like them plain, right from the oven.

Rice and Raisins for Breakfast

For two servings:

• 1 scant cup of water
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (or to taste)
• 2 cups of cooked brown rice (can be cold, right out of the fridge)
• 2 tablespoons toasted sunflower seeds (I prefer salted sunflower seeds, as I like the mix of sweet raisins and salty nuts, but you can use unsalted if you prefer.  And I always toast them, even if they are “roasted and salted,” because they are so yummy when freshly toasted–hot, brown, and almost popping…)

Bring the water, raisins, and cinnamon to a boil.  Layer the rice over the top, cover, lower heat, and simmer for five minutes.  Sprinkle with the toasted sunnies and eat up!

You might also enjoy Tangled Nest Granola.

We are huge breakfast muffin fans around here, especially now–during fresh, local berry season.  My absolute favorite muffin recipe is one of Martha Stewart’s, loaded with butter, sugar, buttermilk, and other lovely things.  The muffins weigh about a pound each, and come out of the tins almost dripping with melted fat.  Heavenly.  But not for everyday, alas.  I like to make super-healthy, reasonably tasty, multi-grain muffins for my family, but Muffin Enthusiasm does not run nearly as high for such things.  Today I’m sharing my favorite compromise “very-yummy-and-almost-healthy” recipe:  mixed flours, no white sugar, chock full of local blueberries–a true super-food.  Some mornings (like today) Claire works the compromise further, wooing me into streusel topping.  But why not?  Harvest season blueberry muffins are cause for celebration.

Here’s my recipe, adapted over time from Ginny Callan’s Horn of the Moon Cookbook (no longer in print):

Tangled Nest Almost-Healthy Blueberry Muffins

Mix together dry ingredients:

• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 3/4 cups unbleached white flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

In a separate bowl, mix well:

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup milk or buttermilk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup honey (if your honey is crystallized, warm  it to liquid before adding to the mix)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Make a well in the dry ingredients, add wet ingredients.  As usual with muffins, stir just enough to moisten–don’t overmix.

• Fold in  1 1/2 cups of blueberries, fresh or frozen, with a few strokes.

This recipe makes 12 standard size muffins.  Fill muffin tins and if you’re feeling celebratory, add a sprinkle of your favorite streusel recipe, or use this one–

Mix together with your fingers until crumbly:  5 tablespoons melted, unsalted butter; 2/3 cup flour; 2/3 cup confectioners sugar; 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon; dash of salt.  Press lightly onto the tops of muffins before baking.

Bake 20 minutes at 400 F, until golden brown on top.  Let the muffins sit for a few minutes before removing from tin, and cooling on a baking rack.  Enjoy!

As an alternative, we’ve been loving our homemade granola.  This recipe evolved through trial and error, and meets Claire’s rigorous 10-year-old taste-testing standards.  Since apple juice provides both sweetener and liquid, it uses less oil than some recipes, and is lower in fat.  It’s both fun and super-easy to make.  Of course you can play with the dry ingredients–add wheat germ, flax seeds, different nuts–to suit your taste.  Just keep the ratio of dry and wet ingredients about the same. Most of this stuff is typically available in bulk.  Enjoy more nutrition, more yumminess, and less waste.

Tangled Nest Granola

Mix on a high-rimmed baking sheet, and toast for at 300 degrees for about 25 minutes, stirring halfway through:

6 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup chopped walnuts, almonds, or mixture
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1 cup shaved coconut (OK–even though we get lovely fair trade, organic coconut at our local food coop, it still comes from Sri Lanka!  Not a great use of our food miles, we admit–but it is a concession to Claire, who learned to love granola when we were traveling in Tanzania, where coconut is a much different thing–falling all around us from the trees.  We are thinking about weaning coconut out of our granola slowly, without Claire noticing…Meanwhile, if you do use coconut, add it halfway through the toasting time, when you take the granola out to stir–otherwise it will overbrown.)

In a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, stir together:

1 cup frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed (we live in Washington state, where local AJ is plentiful–another sweet juice concentrate could be substituted)
1/2 cup brown sugar or honey
4 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, or  to taste

Turn the oven up to 350.  Tip the toasted ingredients into a large bowl, pour the apple juice mixture over the top, and mix thoroughly.  Oil or spray the baking sheet, or line with parchment, and spread the granola into the pan.  Bake for about 30 minutes, stirring halfway through.  Let cool, and store in an airtight container.  Add berries, raisins, dried fruit, and milk or yogurt.  Enjoy!

More box-free breakfast recipes to come, but meanwhile try:  quick-breads, scones, summer berry muffins, home-mixed hot cereals…

Full disclosure:  we still have a box of Trader Joe’s Os in the cupboard…