Strawberry-Basil Scones

This morning rolled around a little too early for my taste. We awoke to the glorious sounds of Vinnie banging on his door to get out. Thats a wonderful way to jump start your morning by the way. So after getting up and getting downstairs I started making four different breakfasts. Yeah, thats right, you heard me right...four different breakfasts. Vinnie needed his Special K bars with chocolate milk. Anthony wanted toast with Nutella and juice. Alex wanted a vegetable egg scramble and I wanted none of the above. So I decided to go ahead and make the strawberry scones I have been eyeing for a couple of days now. Everything started off well. I got all of my ingredients together, including my now clumped together strawberry powder. After pulsing it through my spice grinder, all was well. Then I picked some basil from my windowsill. Which got me and Alex involved in a discussion about how many houses on our block or road for that matter had even one ingredient that could be found in our house. Of 25 items located in our house, maybe one per house would have it....we have eclectic tastes. But one item of note here, when slicing your basil make sure you do not bruise it. You want to sort of roll the leaves together long ways and then take a very sharp knife and slice gently but quickly through the leaves so you are slicing and not tearing them. When you tear the leaves they become bruised and lose some of the pretty green color. And who wants to eat basil thats an ugly greenish brown color??

I did use a pre-mixed scone box. Sometimes it is just easier that way. And Fresh and Easy has a good one. Perhaps this was my greatest downfall....oh well. So after following the directions on the box I added some strawberry powder, fresh sliced strawberries, and some chiffonaded basil. Then I spooned into my scone pan. If you ever wanted to make scones and you didnt want to buy the scone pan, just take your dough and form into squares and then cut diagonally into triangles and lay on a baking sheet. I happen to have a scone pan my mother-in-law gave me last year. Then I took some regular sugar and sprinkled on top of the scones.

Then you bake these at 400 degrees until golden brown and cooked through.

I let these cool some and then transferred to a plate....voila! Breakfast is served. Heres where the morning fell to pieces. The strawberries ended up soggy inside the scones. There also was not a lot of sugar in the scone and I think it desperately needed it. When I told you my greatest downfall was using the scone mix it may have been the original recipe called for more sugar than the box had. But while that was an issue, Alex's biggest issue with the scones was the basil taste. He said it reminded him of eating a meatball from the basil and yet the taste of strawberry. It was an obstacle he could not overcome. And when you dont notice something and someone brings it to your attention what happens?? That is all you see or in this case taste. So my next bite tasted like strawberry meatballs!!

Well at this point I had dreamed of these suckers and put enough energy into them I was not giving up!! So I decided the biggest hurdle for me to get over was the lack of sugar. So I made up a quick confectioners sugar glaze (just powdered sugar and milk) and drizzled over the top.

It improved the taste some. Alex didnt like it any better. He said he still tasted the basil and it was still a turnoff for him. I ate them. I mean I had'nt had any breakfast yet so I was eating these suckers!! But the mushy strawberry was still not pleasant. So I assume the remainder of the scones will end up in the trash. It's awful really. I thought this would be a great recipe, spent all morning making them and then they flop. So why am I posting this then?? It is because a lot of people ask me if I ever make anything that doesn't taste good and I can only ever come up with one real answer. I know there have been lots and lots of others but none I know off the top of my head. Well this is one! And I want to show people that I do not always make good food. I am subject to error in judgement and cooking just like the next person. Now I do not like to admit it. But then again who does? So heres to my big fat strawberry-basil scone flop!!