And it goes like this.

Remember me telling you about the killer omelettes my dad made for me on weekend mornings when I was growing up?  Well, my Mother also had a tradition of making something on weekends: scones and a pot of coffee.  I think each culinary choice accurately depicts their personalities.  Scones make for a lovely morning-they are so delicate and remind me of both my Mother and my time abroad in Europe.  I could not ask for much more. My mom's scones are one of her signature creations and whenever I make scones, I simply follow her recipe (adjusting the choice of dried fruit, nuts or chocolate is encouraged).  The result is a warm, crumbly-but-never-dried-out, four inch piece of heaven that emerges from the oven in the form of a scone.  If I were to make any recipe other than the traditional one, I would almost feel as if I were betraying  someone or something. I usually love experimenting and trying new recipes, but I have remained loyal to the same scone recipe. And then something changed.
Last weekend, I stepped out of my little scone box and tried something new! Can you believe it?  We need to get something straight. This was not because I was tired of my Mom's recipe or because I had made a bad batch.The truth is, someone put in a request for a particular flavor of scones: cherry with an orange glaze.  I did not want to try to modify my mom's recipe, because, in my book that would have been major recipe betrayal, and we wouldn't want that.  I searched high and low for a new recipe that still fell somewhere along the lines of healthy.  I ended up making cranberry orange scones, not quite cherry-orange, but close enough, right?  In addition to trying this new recipe, I did something else very odd.  I baked the scones in the evening so they would be fresh on Monday morning for the special delivery.  The orange zest filled my kitchen with a delightfully fresh scent and left me yearning for summer.  I did not have any orange juice on hand, so I simply made my own, using fresh oranges and my citrus reamer. Although this batch of scones wasn't for me...I would be lying if I said I didn't sample one.  The scones had a slightly different texture than my mom's, but were scrumptious.  I have already added the recipe to my collection.

Cranberry Orange Scones (Taste of Home)

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 10 teaspoons sugar, divided
• 1 tablespoon grated orange peel
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3 cup cold butter
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup half-and-half cream
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon milk

• GLAZE (optional):
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar 
• 1 tablespoon orange juice 

In a large bowl, combine the flour, 7 teaspoons sugar, orange peel, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs; set aside. In a small bowl, combine the cranberries, orange juice, cream and egg. Add to flour mixture and stir until a soft dough forms.
On a floured surface, gently knead 6-8 times. Pat dough into an 8-in. circle. Cut into 10 wedges. Separate wedges and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Brush with milk; sprinkle with remaining sugar.
Bake at 400° for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack.
Combine glaze ingredients if desired; drizzle over scones.

*When I made the glaze, I used more orange juice and only a few table spoons of sugar.  The scones are already sweet, so I didn't top the scones with glaze.  I put it in a bowl so the consumer could add it if desired.  It kept in the fridge for a few days.