Cranberry Walnut Scones: What a Wonderful Breakfast Treat

Last night before bed I was thinking what wonderfulness can I make tomorrow morning.

I have decided that we can eat “good for you” food every weekday but the weekends are special and we should have something even better.  So Sundays I make something wonderful like Lobster Rolls or a Pork Tenderloin Roast with Homemade Sauerkraut and Root Veggies or a Moroccan Roast Chicken with Guava Paste.  But Saturday morning should be special also.  So I remembered making scones once before.  The recipe was from a Rachael Ray cookbook and honestly it did not do it for me.  So I got on the computer and found a recipe from All Recipes.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/79470/simple-scones/

I of course made some changes and this is what I came up with:

Cranberry Walnut Scones

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup chopped nuts I used walnuts
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen or pretty hard
• 1/2 cup sour cream (fresh heavy cream with 1 teaspoon vinegar added)
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries (soaked in warm water for a few minutes and drained and patted dry)
• 1 tablespoon regular white sugar

Heat the oven to 400 F.  In a medium-sized bowl mix the top 5 ingredients.  Grate the butter into the flour mixture and with a pastry blender or two knives cut the butter into the flour mixture. Do not use your hands as it will melt the butter. Add the walnuts and mix well, place in the fridge until ready to add the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl add the sour cream or the cream and vinegar mixture and set aside.  Add egg to cream and mix well.

Add your egg/cream mixture to your dry ingredients. With just a few strokes incorporate it – it will have dry ingredients that have not mixed well.  No problem just turn out onto a work area (I use a large plastic place mat).  With your hands knead gently until you have a soft dough.  Do not overwork, you do not want to melt the butter pieces. Just a few strokes with your hands should incorporate it into a nice dough.  Shape into a disk about 1/2 inch thick and approximately 7 inch diameter. Sprinkle top evenly with cranberries and pat into the dough. Sprinkle with the white sugar. Cut like a pie into 8 pieces.

Place on a baking sheet with parchment or another non-stick mat. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes.  Watch that the bottom does not burn.

Serve hot with honey butter mixture or my favorite cream and honey.

Cream or Butter Sauce:

• 2 tablespoon butter or heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon light honey

Mix together and serve on the side with the hot scones.

Great with a good cup of coffee sitting on your porch watching the street come to life.

Following Election – Interest in Moving/Investing in Ecuador Peaks

The following article has been re-posted with permission of Tom Saunders.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/following-election-interest-movinginvesting-ecuador-thomas-saunders

Thomas Saunders

CEO at Ecuador Beachfront Property

Nov 9, 2016

Change multiplies uncertainty. Now, as greater uncertainty comes into play, US Citizens and International Investors seek ways to hedge existing bets on the direction and volatility of the US and World economy.

The labyrinth of unknowns instantly created by the results of the latest election cycle have brought “thoughtful pause” to many of us looking for a safe, solid ROI and a high quality of life today and through our retirement years. After being blindsided by bubbles and bailouts, we seek presently-undervalued real assets that will maintain or increase their value despite, or as a result of, the ups and downs around us.

Ecuador has been described as Costa Rica with real estate prices 40 years behind the curve. Ecuador recently received a HUGE upgrade in terms of infrastructure (new roads, new hydro plants, new refinery, new airport) and international recognition as the world’s highest-value retirement destination by CNBC, Forbes, International Living Magazine and the New York Times. The official currency of Ecuador is the US Dollar and its two main cities are a short (4 hour), direct flight from Miami or Ft. Lauderdale (via Jetblue). Ecuador’s time zone coincides with either EST and CST depending on daylight savings time in the US, making it a viable base for the digitally mobile worker.

Despite all the recent attention and upgrades, Ecuador still has many undeveloped beachfront destinations. You can still have large undeveloped beachfront lots at prices ranging from $35-100K. Investors can still find 75 acre parcels with beachfront at very low prices such as this property we will soon be announcing near the surf town of Canoa:

This gorgeous property has a brand-new concrete road designed and built complete with a bike-lane by a national government focused on developing tourism along its coastline. Here is a look at the road and the property to the east and west:

For those looking to move down soon or buy now and rent until retirement, beachfront condos can provide exceptional value and appreciation. New condo projects are just beginning to become available for the forward thinking retirees and investors along the beaches just outside of the busy cities. One example is our Ensenada del Pacifico project located in San Clemente, Manabi that is now nearing completion. Demand for the first phase of the project was strong and only two units are available as resales at only $154,000. The majority of the project was sold prior to completion.

Click here for the listing

With the ups and downs of the US and World Economy, purchasing tangible assets in Ecuador in the form of land, investment, or an income-producing vacation property that is presently well undervalued in the global market might be just the right move for you.

If you are looking for more information about Ecuador for retirement, investment, or both – enter your email by following the link below so we can send you our “Know Before You Go” guide that reviews each town on the Central Coast and provides vital tips for the foreign traveler planning a visit:

“Know Before You Go” Guide

Also, please take a look at our Frequently Asked Questions page for answers to questions like, “Can foreigners own clear title to property in Ecuador?”:

Frequently Asked Questions

Please see

http://www.ecuadorbeachfrontproperty.com/listings/index.php/browse-properties/all-for-sale/houses/cozy-garden-home-90

for the listing of our home.

Joe just Loves this Chocolate

Do you like unsweetened dark chocolate? Joe does. When we were staying in Manta Joe found this unsweetened chocolate in Super Maxi. I think in the states it’s just called cacao – no sugar OR milk solids/fats added.

He would buy several bags and each evening he would sit and have just one of the disks.  It is not for me, unsweetened chocolate – can you say WHAT? That is for making brownies or hot chocolate but eating it straight from the bag?  Not for me!!  But Joe may have something here. All the news you hear about superfoods, chocolate is supposed to lower blood pressure, lower “bad” LDL cholesterol and lower the risk of heart disease. Another reason that dark chocolate is especially heart-healthy it has inflammation fighting properties, which reduce cardiovascular risk.  We do not know if that is true or not but Joe loves it and it really helps him from having other snacks after dinner.

While in Manta last week at the SuperMaxi I found a shelf full, I think I picked up 10 packages.  Joe will just love it and of course he will think I am the greatest for picking it up for him.

12″ Banana Bread for $2

On our way home from Manta earlier this week, Leigh stopped to buy a banana bread from a man on the side of the road. Of course, I had to try one myself, how could I resist.  It was still warm from the oven and at $2. it was a bargain to me.

As soon as I got home I cut a few pieces added a nice pat of butter and we went to town.  I really think I need to cut it in half and put that in the freezer for another day.

Hurricanes and Living in South Florida

Joe and I moved from the snow and sleet of NE PA to South Miami, Florida back in 1976. We had never heard of a hurricane and boy were we surprised when one actually was headed towards our home.  This was many years after our moving out of our first apartment at Kings Creek Village to our first home in Cindy’s Place in South Miami.  It was Sept. 1979 and the hurricane was David.

We thought what good fun and planned a hurricane party. We got together with friends at their home on a golf course. Well things got a bit dicey when the palm trees in front of their house were bowed almost to the ground. We were not partying any longer, it became nail-biting time. As we sat watching the weather reports on TV we became even more nervous. We were lucky it passed us by with only 70 MPH winds.  We never took a hurricanes approach lightly again.

So as I watched folks walking on the beach in Florida yesterday I say, “How Stupid”.

How could you take the chance that this Category 4 storm with somewhere between 120 and 140 MPH winds would not turn inland and strike with the force of Andrew that hit Florida or Katrina that hit Louisiana with such destruction. It is insane to stay on the coast when history has shown that these powerful storms cause destruction beyond anything you can imagine. History does repeat itself.

Never again would Joe or I take a natural disaster for granted.  With a hurricane you have many days notice and you should secure your property and evacuate. Your property will be their when you return, but the loss of your life would be an unreasonable risk for safeguarding a few of your precious THINGS…

Laughter is Great Medicine

Our friends Leigh and Rick took me into Manta with them yesterday.  We told stories, laughed having a great time. We had breakfast at a local restaurant with Angie and Raphael, the restaurant served Llapingachos – but not with potato – with yuca, they have a different name which I failed to catch. They also serve the traditional Ecuadorian breakfast meals from Chicken and Rice to Encebollado which is a soup of Albacore Tuna with onions as well as over-easy eggs.  My kind of place. I love encebollado but had to have the over-easy eggs with the llapingachos and a café con leche.

Of course we had to take a few of the llapingachos to go. They are now in the freezer waiting for the perfect day to bring them out for another feast.

We then went to the mall and SuperMaxi for some shopping while Rick took his truck in to get detailed -you cannot call it washed as it looked like a new truck when he came to pick us up.

We then went out to lunch, fish ceviche, excellent.

It was a laughter filled busy day, thanks Leigh and Rick for such a fun day.

Life is Short

Here is the YouTube link for our beach home:

A Whirlwind of Activity on our Home For Sale

It has been a very long several days since we made the announcement that we were leaving Ecuador and moving to Uruguay.  Between working on a write-up for the sale of our home as well as taking and reviewing the pictures so the place would show at its best, Joe and I are exhausted.  So many details to go over, where to advertise, which realtors to contact, so many questions to ask, what is a realtor looking for here, we know the process in the US but we have never sold a property outside of the US.

Now we are getting inquiries and questions from folks looking for a nice beach home and we are so excited about the response. That is great news, now to find just the right people to make this place their home… I know you are out there, looking for just the perfect place to call home.

If you have not seen the YouTube post please take a look:

or view my actual blog post at

www.goo.gl/U8TJV2

Thanks to all our friends that have re-posted our original blog post, you are the best!!!!!

We would love to hear what you think.