Mel, for the first time, in a long time, I felt as if all of the citizens of the world stopped for a brief moment to all be on the same wavelength, and that wavelength was love! It had been a week of enormous tragedies…innocent children and families having their lives changed in a moment’s notice. A tragic school bus accident taking two beautiful souls and another all too common school shooting, leaving us all wondering, why again? Of course, the ongoing political climate and mean spiritedness, world hunger, poverty, and social injustice is seriously enough to be sad. So, yesterday’s brief moment of respite from all of the sadness that the world seems to have at the moment felt welcomed world-wide. I am such a sucker for all of the romantic details and symbolism. You know your dad just shakes his head at me!

This was my favorite moment! Courtesy of Today.

You know what I loved the most, all the symbolism in the choices that they made, and the  message those choices sent! The message never got lost in pomp and circumstance; from Harry picking forget-me-nots from the garden for her bouquet to having an African-American pastor giving a passionate sermon about love and a gospel choir singing Stand By Me. I am sure the interned Kings of England, under those black and white checkered floors, were rumbling in their tombs a bit! Most of all, I loved that their union gives possibility and hope to young girls and young woman. Not just the possibility that even a commoner, who happens to be divorced, biracial, from America, and from a not-so-perfect family can marry a British prince – heck, I guess if you marry the right guy, you married your very own prince! Rather that those small things we do in life can make such a difference in the lives of others. I perfectly understand that they have the means to do big things, but we all have the means to not just speak-up and speak-out, but to actually do something; starting with being kind, patient, forgiving, and yes, loving! We all have the means to take a moment to help where help is needed, listen, and pay attention to others. Sometimes we get so consumed with our own lives, imagine if we spent the same amount of time focusing on those that are less fortunate and in need. Not just in need of money, but in need of time, emotional support, inclusion, and companionship.

Now, for my special treat in honor of the royal wedding! I made scones! Actually, banana-walnut scones!

I started with two ripe bananas, mashed them and added some half and half to make about 1 cup. Then I added a little more than a half of a 7 oz. container of yogurt. I let this sit while I got the dry ingredients together.

Two and a half cups of flour, two teaspoons of baking powder, half of a teaspoon of salt, and a couple of teaspoons of cinnamon (or more if you like it super cinnaminny – is that a word – lol!) You can add ground nutmeg and cloves if you like it spicy!

Next, I added four tablespoons of butter in small pieces. You want the butter to be cold. This is what creates the beautiful moistness and layers in a pastry. Using a pastry knife I worked it just until the butter was the size of peas. You do not want to overwork the dough or it will become tough. I added some small pieces of walnut after the butter was incorporated.

The dough will be loose and wet. Put a piece of parchment on a plate and form the dough into a circle, about an inch high. Then cover with another piece of parchment and put in the freezer for 30 minutes. This gets the butter cold again after if had been worked. When it comes out of the freezer, cut through the dough into eight pieces – like you’re slicing a pizza! Transfer to a baking sheet, separate the wedges just a tad, and put in a 400 degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes.

Take it out of the oven and let cool. While it’s cooling make a glaze using confectioner’s sugar, maple syrup, and half & half. Before it’s completely cool, slice through the wedges to separate them if they baked together.  When cool, drizzle the glaze, over the top. They can be served with butter, jam, peanut butter, of course clotted cream and tea!

Enjoy the simplicity of this recipe! It’s a message in itself – when you put the right ingredients together, handle them with love and care, keep an eye on them when baking, and when they are done, put them out and share! Maybe a lesson for us on how to live our lives! 123!