Lemon Poppy Seed Scones

For the longest time scones intimidated me- they just sounded too fancy. A few years ago I came across a basic scone recipe that I made my own and since I have played with it on and off to make different flavor of scones. 

We are leaving Japan in just a few weeks which means I am working hard to creatively us all items in my pantry so nothing goes to waste. The other week I mentioned I was going work on a chai white chocolate scone recipe so I started but couldn't find my cinnamon. Not wanting to waste the already mixed ingredients- later found my cinnamon- I saw a jar of poppy seeds  laying on the floor (impromptu baby toy) and thought 'lemon poppy seed.'

I have never made lemon poppy seed scones but figured that since my scone recipe isn't too hard to tailor that it wouldn't be so hard. Well it wasn't but I also didn't get the lemon flavor I was going for at first.

My first batch tasted great but you probably wouldn't have been able to guess they were supposed to taste like lemon. I thought that using lemon flavored Greek yogurt would have done the trick but it didn't. The second batch I added some lemon zest and stuck to just the vanilla yogurt and that seemed to do the trick!

Ingredients:
3 cups flour
1/8 cup sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup poppy seeds
1 cup cold butter cubed
1 egg (beaten)
1 cup vanilla yogurt
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 Tablespoon packed with lemon zest
milk for brushing
sugar for sprinkling

Directions: Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and poppy seeds until well mixed. Cut in butter until mixture looks crumbly. Stir in egg, yogurt, lemon juice and lemon zest just until mixed. Empty onto a floured surface and knead just until dough comes together; do not over knead. Form and roll out into a 9" diameter circle. Brush with milk and sprinkle sugar on top generously. Cut into 8ths (sometimes I cut those 8ths in half rather than cutting the circle into 16ths). Eat warm with raspberry jam!

Take Me Out to the Ball Game!

Last week we finally got to go to a ball game! We had wanted to go so badly the last time we came and it just didn't happen so we wanted to make sure we got around to it this time.

One of Chris' coworkers kindly organized a baseball night for all those interested in his code. I met Chris after work and then we took a train and subway into Yokohama.

Baseball in Japan is an entirely different experience than in America. When your team is up to bat you stand and each player has their own cheer/chant that is lead by a person in the stands wearing white gloves.

State-Side Project Inspirations

At first I was going to title this 'Summer Project Inspirations' but then I realized that I probably won't get to all these projects this summer and have the deadline of returning to Japan come winter. In that moment I realized that I will only have about 6 months in the US before we head back to Japan again, wow! Our next stay here though will probably only be half time which will fly by comparatively.

Anyways, enough about that! After being directed to some fabulous blogs via Pinterest, here are some projects I've been incredibly inspired and motivated by. See this as my DIY goals or 'to-do' list:

Source: (1) LollyJane (2) Sew, Mama, Sew (3) Indulgery (4) 517 Creations  (5) Chez Beeper Bebe (6) DIYing to be Domestic  (7) Addicted 2 Decorating (8) dirtsastudio (9) Me Sew Crazy (10) HGTV (11) Martha Stewart Living

1. Just before leaving for Japan we bought the largest cubical Ikea shelf in the store! It didn't look as big in the warehouse as it does in our living room... Right now it just has books kind of thrown on it so when we get home I want to organize it more decoratively. I like the idea of having crates on the bottom to hold kid toys.
2. Not sure what I miss more- my Kitchen Aid or my sewing machine! Though Gabriel is probably getting passed the age of cute little fabric shoes I do know many babies and soon to be babies that aren't and I really want to try my hand at making some! 
3. I grew up with having outdoor fires and really miss that aspect of my childhood. The goal is to have some sort of outdoor fire-pit area by the end of summer.
4. Okay so I know this oversized rule has been out there a long time but I just LOVE it! Again, this was something we did growing up- we had a wall where we recorded our height (and my foot size...) and I would love to do the same for our children.
5. Along with an outdoor fire-pit I want to dress up our backyard and make it feel very welcoming. Aren't these hanging canning jars so sweet?! 
6. Let the boy awesomeness begin! At first I was sad that I wouldn't get to have fun with clothes like I would have if I had a girl... And then I discovered how cool boy clothes can be! Yes, I love this. 
7. We have a cat and though I love him I do not love having his littler box in our downstair's bathroom. It's really the only place for it and it drives me nuts. When I came across this I instantly knew I had to make one for him. Now his littler box will be disguised and that works for me. 
8. Another popular item in the blog world- anything and everything scrabble letters. I want to incorporate the trend somewhere in our home. 
9. Back to the sewing machine! Our son is tall and lean. At the age of 9 months he is wearing 18 month pants that will only stay on his derriere if he's wearing a bulky cloth diaper. I'm looking forward to sewing him some more well fitting clothes. 
10. Our bathrooms are dates to the early 1990's. At first thought that doesn't sound like that long ago but it is already 20+ years ago. We're all about DIY inexpensive upgrades so this is right up our ally. Add some bead board to the side of the tube for a more up-to-date look. 
11. Cannot forget Christmas! Much of my Christmas crafting starts early because I just love it so much! Also because I try to stock up my Etsy early. I've been wanting to put together an advent calendar for years and think this one is totally precious. 

What projects are inspiring you these days? 

Turkey Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce

I got my first exposure to Greek flavors back in 2007 on a trip to eastern Europe. I love how light but powerful the flavors can be, perfect for warmer days!

This meal was a great addition to our regular flavors- really shook it up in a good way! Christopher couldn't help himself from going back for pita after pita! The best part is that this dinner is rather quick to put together and prepare.

Tazatziki Sauce Ingredients:
16oz plain Greek yogurt
1 cucumber peeled/seeded/grated and patted dry
2 garlic cloves minced (or 3t minced garlic)
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 garlic salt
1/4 pepper

Mother's Day Weekend- Sarushima (Monkey Island)

Since the beginning of the project Christopher has been scheduled to work Mother's Day weekend. I was a little bummed but that's how it goes sometimes and we talked about celebrate another weekend.

Friday night Chris came home with flowers and Twilight Breaking Dawn Part 2 in hand and says, "I have been lying to you for three weeks..." WHAO, holdup. I thought the flowers were for Mother's Day, not for an apology- what is going on?! Well the previous weekend was originally Chris' weekend off but they needed manning and Chris was one of the few guys who could take it. What Chris didn't tell me a month ago when the schedule changed was that he got Mother's Day weekend off in the shuffle but didn't tell me because he wanted to surprise me! Well he sure did!

Verny Park

Verny Park is a great little place right next to base and by little I actually mean pretty large. The park spans much of the water front between The US and Japanese naval bases on Tokyo Bay. There is a lovely wooden boardwalk, cherry trees that bloom in April, a children's area, thousands of rose bushes and even a Starbucks!

Verny Park was named after Francois Leonce Verny a French officer and naval engineer. Verny not only directed the construction of the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal but also the Kannonzaki Lighthouse we visited the other week. His work in Japan between 1865 and 1876 helped jump start Japan's modernization.

The End of Golden Week, Zushi Beach

Chris was slated to work again last weekend. After working Saturday he was told that if he didn't get a call Sunday morning that he wasn't needed at work! Well he called in the morning just to be safe and was told that he had a 1.5% chance of being called in. Chris said he was planning on leaving the apartment soon in shorts and asked if he should bring pants just in case- he was told 'yes.'

Napping before hitting the beach.

During brunch Chris' phone range- oh that dreaded work phone ring -he answered and was given great news, no work! We were glad to be able to stick to the plan and head to Zushi Beach (yes I know we said we were going to go to Miura Beach now instead of Zushi, things change) which was supposed to be hopping because of Golden Week.

Golden Week is something I'm not all too familiar with, I just observed that everywhere seemed to be a whole lot busier last week. From what I have found online Golden Week appears to be a week with a collection of four national holidays: The birthday of the former Emperor (died in 1989), Constitution Day, Greenery Day, and Children's Day.