Chocolate Chip Scones and Campblogaway

I am not a morning person, but I love breakfast.  What's a gal to do?  Make these flaky Chocolate Chip Scones, (freeze them before baking) and just pop one in the oven for 15 minutes while making my morning coffee.  

Of course, no one is going to blame me for having one with an afternoon tea, or a midnight snack while watching a taped segment of Shark Tank, either.  

The key to these flaky scones is in the ingredients.  Using good chocolate makes a huge difference.  Using a great quality butter is an absolute.  Many of the European butters are wonderful, and for mine I used Kerrygold butter.

I'm not kidding when I tell you, Kerrygold is luscious and it will make you butter a scone.  I know my friends from "ye ol'London-town" are gasping out loud at the idea of using butter on a scone, but I couldn't help it.  I was taking the pictures for this post, the scones were fresh, hot out of the oven, the Kerrygold package was sitting there and then I opened it. 

A moment later I had smeared it on the inside of my scone and eaten half of it while moaning in a butter induced dream. 

I learned a lot about Kerrygold butter and cheeses while I was at sleep-away camp.  It wasn't when I was a kid, I went to camp last week.  Crazy, right?  It's called CampBlogAway and it's a blast.  This was my second year (see last year's post here for Avocado Bacon Margarita.)

I slept in a cabin with a FoodBlogging buddy:

Cheryl from BlackGirlChefsWhites.com

I took walks in the beautiful San Bernardino enclave known as de Benneville Pines-

We toasted S'mores over the fireplace at night.

Patti (WorthTheWhisk & Creator of CampBlogAway), Priscilla (She'sCookin), Dara (CookinCanuck) with Rachel (LaFujiMama)

CampBlogAway is a chance for Foodbloggers to hangout with other peeps who like to talk/write/photograph/eat and marvel over food.

There were many wonderful sponsors:

Wente Wines

Roland Food

National Honey Board, National Mango Board, Kerrygold Butter and Cheese

Paperchef Products

 We had beautiful salads made by Nancy of Melissa's Produce.

Nancy, Stacy, Dorothy (Shockingly Delicious)

We had breakout sessions where other bloggers lead discussions on topics of interest (like Sarah from AverageBetty.com lead a session on Video.)

Throughout the day we also had speakers (people with experience in journalism, internet matters and techniques) telling their personal stories of growth and gladly answering our questions.  

It's not a stuffy conference where everyone is straining to hear or see the screen.  It's casual.  It's friendly.  It's camp!  

If you have "camp envy", go to CampBlogAway.com and get ready for next year's camp on Memorial Weekend, 2013.

If you have "Scones made with butter so good it will make you butter a scone-envy", make these:

Recipe:  Chocolate Chip Scones

1 1/4 cup Flour (plus more for board)

1 Tablespoon Sugar

1 Teaspoon Baking Powder

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

2 oz. (4 Tablespoons Butter, preferably Kerrygold) cold, cut into small cubes

1 Egg

2 Tablespoon Sour Cream

2 Tablespoon Milk

1/3 Cup Chocolate Chips

1)  In a bowl, whisk together Flour, Sugar, Baking Powder and salt.

2)  Toss in the Kerrygold Butter cubes and using your fingertips, rub the cubes into the flour just to break them up a bit.

3)  Add the Chocolate Chips into dry ingredients and toss to coat.

4)  In a separate bowl, whisk the Egg, then whisk in Sour Cream and Milk.

5)  Using a fork, stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until combined.

6)  Pull the dough together with your hands and place on a well floured board.  Roll over once to coat with flour, pat into a disk (approx. 8 inches round).

7)  Cut into fourths, then cut each fourth in half to make 8 small triangle shaped scones in total.

8)  Place on a parchment covered baking sheet and bake in a preheated 375-400F oven for 18-20 minutes.

***These can also be frozen on the tray before baking, then bagged and kept in the freezer for several weeks.  Take out as needed, place on a baking sheet or toaster oven tray and bake for 20 minutes in a preheated 375-400F oven.***

CampBlogAway & Spicy Avocado-n-Bacon Frozen Magarita Recipe

I went to Camp and all you got was this

Spicy Avocado Bacon Frozen Margarita recipe.

Why would anyone drive hours from home into the mountains of California and sleep in a cabin to talk about food blogging?

Because it's FUN, people, it's FUN!

Not only was CampBlogAway fun, it was inspiring. Yeah, I know that word can be overused. But when you leave a place with the feeling of energy and renewed focus because of other people's lives, viewpoints or challenges they overcame - what else can you call it?

Joy (Joy the Baker), an extremely successful gal, let us in on her secret to a great Food Blog: Write from the heart, be yourself, give your best and they will come.

Cheryl (5 Second Rule) and Susan (Food Blogga) reminded us that building a "community" and reaching out to others, paying attention to who reads our blogs, and staying accountable for what we put out there will result in a larger community and a better planet.

I call that inspiring.

Not only was CampBlogAway inspiring, it was informative.

I didn't know that Idaho Potatoes are naturally capable of being crisp on the outside and firm, but fluffy on the inside because of the Volcanic minerals in the soil of Idaho.

I didn't know that Fiji Water was helping villages receive water supplies for themselves, as well. I didn't know you could buy eggs (SafeEggs) that are pasteurized, therefore no worries of deadly salmonella.

I didn't know that fondant is so easy, anyone can create beauty. I didn't know that Wente Vineyards have such a light, crisp Chardonnay. I didn't know the inside of a California Avocado (next to the shell) has the most nutrients.I didn't know that Patti (Worth the Whisk and camp captain) was a Virgo (structured, yet nurturing, humorous and inventive). I didn't know that Rachel (LaFujiMama) and Dara (CookinCanuck) could talk and laugh until 2:30 in the morning, just like me.

I call that informative.

CampBlogAway was like being a teenager, away at camp with buddies......except there's wine and better food.
A special thanks to Diane (CreatedBy-Diane) for the buttery Lemon Poppy Seed cookies that got me through my afternoon munchies.

To cap off my adult adventure and use one of the perfect avocados I got from camp, and to send us into Cinco de Mayo - here's a savory, almost healthy (wink, wink) cocktail. SPICY AVOCADO & BACON FROZEN MARGARITA: (serves about 4)

1 ripe Avocado (peeled and chopped)
1/2 Jalapeno (chopped)
6 Slices of Bacon (cooked crisp)
3 oz. Tequila (can use Vodka)
2 oz. Triple Sec or Cointreau
4 oz. Lime Juice or Sour Mix
ICE

1) In a blender, start with a little ice, then add the avocado, jalapeno, 1 slice of the bacon, the Tequila, Triple sec (I used Cointreau) and lime juice. Puree this, then add more ice until it reaches the consistency you like.

2) Taste along the way and increase the lime juice or ice as needed.

3) Separately, grind 3-4 slices of crisp bacon into dust for garnishing the glass edges and use the rest of the bacon pieces as swizzle sticks. This is a savory tasting cocktail, not sweet like the fruity ones. Serve immediately for a creamy texture or hold in refrigerator and stir briskly for a more liquid version.