Last Sunday I was feeling inspired and made a lovely little scone. By now you have probably heard me say several times that, “I am not a baker. My husband is the baker. I cook. He bakes.” Well, that’s changing. Somehow having a cookbook out has promoted “redistricting” of sorts, with the kitchen my (nearly exclusive) territory and all-that-is computers his. I guess I should have expected as much. Sadly, my attempts to get him to publish a book on doing laundry and cleaning bathrooms have only met with accusations of naked gerrymandering :).

Back to cooking: As with any new endeavor, there have been baking colossal flops. Frankly, I expected as much. But out of those failure, come much learning, growth, and determination that I can become a competent baker.

This morning my little girl brought one of my baking cookbooks to me and said, “Mommy, make something yummy please? How about muffins.” And so I opened that cookbook (and cupboards and oven door) with a glad heart: I seem to be making progress. I hope you enjoy this subtle, but not overly sweet, scone:

Maple Walnut Scones

This recipe is from Simply In Season: Recipes that celebrate fresh, local foods in the spirit of More-With-Less. Perfect for using up any nuts you have leftover from holiday baking that are not stale.

3 1/2 cups flour

1 cup finely chopped walnuts (or other nut)

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup butter, chilled

1 cup milk

1/2 cup maple syrup

Preheat oven to 425F degrees. Combine flour, walnuts, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter until the mixture resembles course crumbs. Stir in milk and maple syrup and work into a soft dough, kneading half a dozen times or so. Roll into a 7 inch (across) circle approximately 1/2 inch thick. Cut into 12 wedges. Place on a greased baking sheet and cook 15-18 minutes.

Many of you often ask us to recommend other books that will help you save time and money around the kitchen. We invite you to check out the resources we’ve linked to on Our Bookshelf.

The books listed here grace the shelves of our own libraries. Indeed, in many cases they are “go-to” resources we have been using for years. In a few cases, we’ve added some newer gems to the list that, like our own book, update common-sense approaches to daily living in our modern age.

Lindsay and I provide a review on each book on this list so that you can get a feel for what WE like about a particular book. We’re only featuring books which save time, money, and offer simple, practical wisdom. NO FADS. Just excellent books written by those in the trenches of family life, just like us.

So grab a cup of coffee and enjoy a stroll through our bookshelf. Happy Cooking!