Chocolate Chip Scones and My Irresponsible Confession

Hi everyone. Today’s post is about taking responsibility. I am feeling very sad about the fact that I thought I was taking responsibility, but realized I was not as responsible as I thought I was. You see, I promised my family I would take care of my family’s photos, some of which dated back to the turn of the 20th century. I have a big basement so it seemed to make sense.

This past week with Hurricane Irene, however, I did not have the forethought to check and see which boxes were on the floor and which were up on risers. Call it laziness, denial, forgetfulness, whatever, the majority of these sacred photos that my father took, documented and saved for decades are either damaged or completely destroyed. The photo above was miraculously unscathed. My mother was on a cruise and pregnant with me, all of 33 years old and already with four of her seven children (who was watching the other four????).

We all may have good intentions but if we don’t remind ourselves to maintain safe practices, we may all, dare I say, suffer.

I think you know where I am going with this, as this is a cooking blog and I do tend to get a bit dramatic at times.

What better time than Fall to start taking responsibility for our health and our family’s health? It may not be enough to make a back-to school-resolution. Like the photos’ safety, we may all need to have a plan that we check in on periodically to make sure we are doing right by our family.

Please consider making and continuing healthier food practices this year. I promise I will help you. Here are just a few ideas to get you started:

Join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program in your area
Commit to researching healthier ways to make lunches for school ( Check out my CBS article with a lot of tips:
http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/guide/thinking-outside-the-lunch-box/
Talk to your friends about healthy snacks for play dates so everyone is on board
Make “everything in moderation” your mantra, with healthy meals as the foundation of your diet

Here is a healthier, homemade alternative to a twinkie to serve your kids for special occasions. Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Scones:

Ingredients
2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sugar
6 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 egg
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Mix well. Cut in butter. In a separate bowl, combine cream with beaten egg then add to dry ingredients. Stir in chips. Shape into triangles and bake for 15 minutes or until brown.