Foodie Friday: Irish Soda Bread Scones

With St. Patrick's Day weekend, I thought I would share a recipe I collected from my trip to Ireland in 2015. That trip was my first time eating mutton, lamb, or "chips" (French fries) with pizza. It's true; the Irish really do eat potatoes with every meal. While in Ireland, I had the best yogurt I have ever eaten in my life, as well as clotted cream, and scones. On that trip we toured a sheep farm. The farmer's wife served us tea with Irish soda bread scones, clotted cream, and marmalade. The scones were delightful. Our hostess generously shared her recipe for scones.

Each St. Patrick's Day, I make an Irish themed meal, usually Irish stew with lamb, colcannon, and Irish soda bread or scones. Even though The Bean is now sixteen, she still enjoys my holiday themes and meals. The scones are her favorite.

Ingredients

• 1 lb (about 3 1/3 cups) all purpose flour

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 2 Tbsp granulated sugar (optional)

• 1 3/4 cup (414 ml) buttermilk

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 450F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

• In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and sugar.

• Slowly add the buttermilk to the flour mixture until the dough is shaggy but not too sticky and wet. You may not need to use quite all of the buttermilk.

• Place the dough on a well-floured surface and quickly knead a couple of times to bring it together. Gently pat it into a disc about 1 inch thick and cut out about eight scones, reshaping the dough as needed. You can also cut traditional triangles.

• Place the scones on the prepared baking pan, turn down the oven to 400F, and bake for about 20 minutes until well risen and golden on top.

• Serve warm with butter and jam, or alongside soups and stews.

On this St. Patty's Day weekend, stay safe, be smart, enjoy the Irish traditions, and keep washing your hands.

Looking Forward To Market Season

Our "rain set-up" for Ligonier Country Market

As we make our way into spring, I can't help but get excited for the upcoming market season. This year, we have graciously been accepted into all twenty Ligonier Country Markets, which will begin May 17th and end in September. I love going to the Ligonier Country Market. Despite there being a bit of market drama this year and people taking a stand either for or against it, I love the market, the people, the vendors, and the directors. We have made so many great friends: Tricia, Christina, Pat& Sherrie, Carlene, Pam, Lauren, Sharon, and Karen to name a few. We have always been treated well and I have no complaints. My approach to business/market/life is to keep my head down, stay in my lane, not get distracted by drama and politics, and be professional and respectful. It's not a complex plan to follow. I feel that as long as I conduct myself professionally and appropriately, I have nothing to worry about. To date, this has worked for me.

With the upcoming market season and The Bean taking on smaller shows, we decided to revamp our market shelving units. We have an Amish friend, a cabinet maker, who makes our shelves for the market. We wear a lot of hats, but when it comes to quality and having durable, long-lasting displays that can handle the task of being moved weekly, we go to the professionals for help. The shelving units we currently use are sturdy and well built, but also heavy and cumbersome. The Bibbed Wonder has been complaining about them from the start. This year, we finally decided to have new ones built. The design I found on Pinterest will fold nicely, lay flat, dismantle easily, and be less cumbersome. I have chosen a crisp, clean white rather than the distressed black finish. We have also decided to have the builder finish them because the professional cabinet finish is much more durable than standard paint. It also cleans up much easier than standard paint. I am very excited for our new shelves.

Since our shelves will be a crisp, clean white, I have decided to repaint our wooden crates to match. Eric hates the wooden crates, but I think they add variety to the display. I have been researching visual merchandising. It's all very interesting to me and I enjoy the topic. I have taken a page from Visual Merchandising 101 and will add crates on all three corners of our display for visual interest. Along with the crates, I will decoupage colorful paper or fabric onto foam board to add pops of color and visual interest. This should make our display eye-catching and appealing. I enjoy DIY projects, so this is right up my alley. I'm sure, The Bibbed Wonder will have something to say about it, but he will conform.

I'm also ordering table covers with our logo emblazoned on the front, and having prints of our goat stickers made so I can display them with our soaps. Ashleigh Bowman's Artwork is the talent and mastermind behind our goat stickers. Ashleigh's creations are too beautiful not to have on display. We are so blessed to have her as our friend and artist. Ashleigh is also creating seasonal artwork for our thank you cards, which we include in each online order. I can't wait to see what this talented young artist creates. I think Ashleigh's thank you cards would be lovely framed and displayed. It's just an idea to use and enjoy what you have. It's also a reminder that we appreciate you.

Currently, The Bibbed Wonder and I are at odds over a portable hand-washing station. This is a bone of contention because he doesn't want to "drag more junk back and forth every week," and I think we need to give shoppers an opportunity to try our foaming hand soaps. I am working on an idea that won't take up too much space, be easy to transport and dismantle, and won't infringe on the walkway of the market. We shall see who wins this battle. I am unsure why he can't just be a team player and go along with all my good ideas. Sigh.

I have a few other ideas to make our display stand out, look more appealing, allow shoppers to experience our products, and make our set-up more efficient. My bib overall-wearing partner doesn't like change, so this could lead to more battles. It's not always easy to be married to your business partner. However, for the most part, it is fun and rewarding. We would get along a lot better if he eradicated the word "no" from his vocabulary. Sigh. It's all him, dear reader, all him. Insert a giggle.

On this lovely spring day, stay safe, be smart, mark your calendar for the beginning of the market season, and keep washing your hands.

Save The Date

As we move through March, we are looking ahead to May, specifically May 3rd. We will host our annual Spring Time At The Farm event on Saturday, May 3rd, from 10 until 2. I am always excited for our farm events and love welcoming everyone to the place I love best. This year, we will welcome many of my favorite friends, with an addition of a few new faces. It's all very exciting.

Each year, I debate whether we should change, add, and reconfigure things. The conclusion I come to with the help of my nay-saying husband is to keep it simple. There will not be bouncy houses, carnival games, petting zoos, or glitzy, trendy additions. That's just not us. The true stars of the show are my talented friends. This is a showcase of my favorite small business owners and their talents. We have talented people in our area, and I love showing off all the wonderful things my friends can do. I'm proud of my friends and love sharing their talents with my soap family. It's a way for you all to come together, like a big meet and greet between friends.

A few days ago, I sent out email invitations to all my vendor friends. I am waiting to hear back from just a few. When I have received responses from everyone, I will share the roster with you. Save the date: May 3rd, from 10 until 2. Plan to come and spend a few hours on the farm with some wonderfully talented and delightful people, show local and small, and enjoy admiring my goats. They are equally delightful.

On this warm spring day, stay safe, be smart, save the date, and keep washing your hands.