Quiet Mornings - Tea in Bed with a Side of Journaling
The start of a new year. The beginning of a fresh chapter draped with the promise of endless possibilities yet to be written. Blank pages that will inevitably be filled with adventure, sorrow, love, growth and above all, passion. There is something so sweet about the slow first couple weeks of a new year. A time for reflection and dreaming and setting intentions. A time where hibernation and nourishment is encouraged. A season of soups and cozy nights and endless cups of tea.
I love the quietness of January. Mornings seem slower, a bit more meditative and careful as we journal and savor the post festive season lull. It is a time, not so very different from the flora and fauna of Mother Nature, as winter is a time for quiet growing. We forget that winter doesn’t officially begin until the 21st of December, and thus, we are only newly settled into the season as the new year begins. The coldest days are only just now arriving and we are meant to use this first chapter to hunker down, hibernate and rest. Contrary to popular belief, there should be no need to push or force in this season of life. Allow your resolutions to be more subtle, more kind. Be generous with yourself and find the beauty in slow moments, for the seeds planted are intuitively working, roots growing silently and unseen. And just like the garden, we are quietly preparing to elegantly bloom, to flourish in the spring. Let us be like Mother Nature herself, for she is the purest example of slow, intentional moments.
As I am taking the time to allow my heart and soul to rest this season, I am spending countless moments reflecting on the lessons learned and dreaming of the person I am endlessly growing into. I am excited to continue down the path of creativity and expression. I am looking to add more beauty to my life, and striving to cultivate wondrous adventures and experiences with those that I love so dearly. I am focused on adding more curiosity and joy to my days. I hope to be captivated by the simplest moments and to find beauty and perfection in the messy imperfections. I am hoping to be utterly true to myself and to be deeply enamored with life as a whole. That is my wish for the months ahead. May 2024 be a year of illumination and picturesque moments for us all. Xx
English Breakfast tea with a splash of milk and a bit of honey
English scones
French butter and lemon curd
Dreamy morning light
Journals on journals
English Scones
60 g sugar
1/8 tsp kosher salt
4 tablespoons baking powder
55 g unsalted butter
100 ml buttermilk
50 g crème fraîche
1 egg
buttermilk or cream for brushing the tops (turbinado sugar is great to add too)
Preheat over to 425ºF and line a cooking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add cold butter in 1/2 inch cubes and toss in flour to coat. Using your finger tips, work the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles that of course sand. In a small bowl, whisk together egg, butter milk and crème fraîche. Pour into flour/butter mixture and work together with the spatula until very roughly combined. Dust a work surface with a bit of flour, and gently work dough together until it just barely holds. Flatten out to about one inch thick and use a floured 1 and 1/2 inch pastry cutter to cut out scones. Press remaining dough together and cut out scones until all dough is used up.
Set scones on the parchment lines baking sheet, spacing them out about 2 inches apart. Brush tops with buttermilk or cream and place in freezer for 20 minutes. Bake for 12-15 minutes until tops are a nice golden brown.
Serve with butter, jam, lemon curd or clotted cream. So light and fluffy and delicious!
