Back to basics

It's no secret I'm not the most confident in the kitchen. And while I've taken steps to remedy that, I want to learn how to make more than just different types of cookies. I want to learn a few desserts, a few meals, and maybe a few things in between. I combined that with my love for projects, and my new summer series was born!

Each week I'm going to share a recipe I've found, and my experience in making it. Twelve weeks of summer, a dozen recipes to explore. I've tried new recipes before, but I really want to enjoy the time in the kitchen that it takes for me to create these. Whether they turn out well or not, I want to find joy in baking or cooking.

And why not start with one that didn't exactly turn out the way I expected?

Blueberry Scones with Lemon Glaze

I found this recipe through Pam's blog, For the Love of Cooking. I'd never attempted scones before but they looked pretty simple.

Let me just say it's a good thing I can laugh at myself.

It started out just fine - I combined the dry ingredients, and I even took care not to smash the blueberries when I added them in. You have to use your hands for this recipe and usually that's not my cup of tea - but I did it, because you try new things when you're learning. (See how I was coaching myself through this?) Then I went to put the batter on the table to cut, and it didn't exactly stay together.

I started laughing and preparing myself that this might end up horribly wrong. But I cut the dough into the amount of pieces the recipe called for, and put it in the oven to bake.

When I opened it, instead of scones we had...this:

I laughed as I remembered what my mom always told me when we were baking: it doesn't matter what it looks like as long as it tastes good. I let it cool, added the glaze...

...and dubbed it "scone cake." I'm here to tell you, it was delicious!

I realized after we ate it all it finished baking that I didn't use the lemon zest, but it still tasted fabulous to me! Also, I had way too much glaze - I only used half of what the recipe called for - but that might have had something to do with how it absorbed it as a "cake" instead of scones.

I had a blast making this. I'm more comfortable altering recipes now, (there was a time I would have freaked out if I realized I forgot an ingredient), and the fact that I can laugh at myself shows how far I've come!

What do you think? Will you try to make your own "scone cake?" Have you ever made something that didn't go according to the recipe, but ended up being good anyway?

(Banner created by the lovely and talented Katie!)