Love in a Package

I am a long distance grandmother, and my granddaughter has been ill, on and off, for the last two weeks.  I can't be with her to wrap her up in a warm blanket, hold her, and tell her that it's going to be all right.  What is a grandmother to do?  How about making strawberry scones to send?  It's love in a package.

It rained this morning, but after a quick trip to the grocery store to pick up cream, butter, and sweet Florida strawberries, I made strawberry scones when I returned home.

In a large bowl, I mixed 2 cups of flour, 1/3 cup of sugar, 1 tbs baking powder, a dash of salt and a sprinkle of nutmeg.  I washed and chopped up the berries to avoid big chunks in the dough.  Separately, I measured out 1/3 cup of cream and added pure vanilla extract for taste.

In the bowl with the flour mix, I scissored in 6 tbs of unsalted butter and added the strawberries.  After stirring this, I finally added the cream.  I turned out the dough on a floured spot on the table and kneaded until well mixed.  I had to add more flour because the dough was not firm enough--a bit runny.

While the oven was heating, to 425 F degrees, I formed small balls (12) and put them on a greased cookie sheet.  I let them bake for 15 - 17 minutes, watching the scones carefully turning a pale golden brown.

In addition to the strawberry scones, I sent store bought chicken soup, a summer sausage, a few cans of ravioli and some M&Ms.  I also included a small blank book to fill with various stickers and crayons.

I send care packages with love rather often.  It's not important what I send but it's a way of keeping in touch with my granddaughter and her family, to let them know that I am thinking about them.  Stay well, little girl!