Scones and Determination
Lemon Blueberry Scones Inspired by Can't Spell Treason Without Tea
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“Run away with me. You like tea. I like books. Care to open a shop and forget the world exists?” (Thorne 17).
I listened to Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea on a 12-hour drive to see family (not to mention four hobbits and Levar Burton but I’ll save that story for another time). The warm relationship between Reyna and Kianthe made the long drive easy and entertaining. For a brief week, I, like the two main characters, left my life and dove into something new and different. Different because I left my two children at home. I haven’t been away from them longer than a night or two.
I drove alone, I made my own decisions, and I found my self buried underneath the constant thrum of motherhood. With that title stripped away, I reunited with the strong, grounded woman I have trouble accessing with so many other responsibilities calling my attention. And the wonderful news is that I really liked her.
“A person could work and work and work, and still never ‘earn’ their dues. Sometimes success meant determination… and sometime, it was just luck” (Thorne 131).
As Reyna and Kianthe struggled to find their footing in an unknown, somewhat curmudgeonly, old town, they overcame roadblocks to opening their own tea/bookshop (New Leaf Tomes and Tea), while also managing a relationship. I paid attention to their grit, their ability to problem-solve everything from how to redo an old barn to finding dragon’s eggs to dealing with an evil queen. Instead of getting flooded by the stress of it all, they did the next right thing, and if it didn’t turn out to be the right thing, they went another direction.
My children are growing older and they need me less and less, so I’m trying to rediscover myself beyond the shroud of motherhood. Who am I now? I’m definitely not the same person I was when I got pregnant. I returned home from my trip with a renewed fervor and, most importantly, with a little recognition of that woman in the mirror, the one I’d been setting aside for far too long.
Part of getting to know myself again has involved getting out into the community. I haven’t divulged too much on this Substack yet—this is only my third post, after all—but after giving birth to my first son, I experienced severe postpartum depression that lasted three years. I became not only depressed but agoraphobic. And I also left my lifelong religion. I lost my community and I didn’t yet have the tools to pick myself up.
Fast forward ten years and here I am in a new state with few people that I know but with a lot of therapy and a lot of soul-searching I’ve added some tools to my box. One of which, is getting out and forging community. I joined a book club and they chose my book recommendation—this one. Putting myself into uncomfortable social situations isn’t my first choice, but it sure has been worth it.
“Reyna laughed again and strolled back to the kitchen. The sound of pouring water, gentle clinking of copper over a flickering flame made a peaceful soundtrack, only interrupted by Reyna’s soft singing. She’d even lit the fireplace, filling the room with a pleasantly smoky scent” (Thorne 110).
I made a recipe inspired by Reyna’s blueberry buttermilk scones and presented them with sheepish pride. My kitchen smelled of caramelized blueberries and sugary pastry.
Like I did with Goldberry’s Feast, I found not only cozy food references but other inspiring details to create the ambience of New Leaf Tomes and Tea.
“This barn looks like a green house” (Thorne 219).
Experiment with a variety of plants to make your party look like a green house. Here are a few plants specifically mentioned:
• Cheery poinsetta
• Cacti
• Ferns
• Spider plants
• Figs, palms, wisteria
Like Legends and Lattes, food was a major player in this book. I chose to recreate Reyna and Kianthe’s picnic for my family and made the scones for the book club. The picnic included “fresh-baked bread, sliced yellow cheese, grapes, apples, and strawberries, cacao squares” (244).
I made the scones by adapting Alice Waters’ base scone recipe from The Art of Simple Food.
Buttermilk Blueberry Scones
Adapted from Alice Water’s scone recipe in The Art of Simple Food
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Measure and mix together in a large bowl:
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2.5 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
Stir in:
1 - 1.5 cups buttermilk
1 cup blueberries (I used frozen. Wild blueberries would be wonderful.)
Add the buttermilk slowly until the dough starts to come together. I only needed one cup. It really depends on where you live and the humidity. The dough will be sticky. If you don’t want the dough to turn blue, add the blueberries after mixing the buttermilk.
Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead briefly, just enough to bring the dough completely together. Pat into an 8-inch circle. Brush with:
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
And sprinkle with:
1.5 Tablespoons sugar (I used turbinado)
Cut the circle into 8 wedges and place the wedges 1 inch apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment or silicone. Bake for 17 minutes or until golden brown.
(I made three 3-inch circles out of the dough in order to have tiny scones for sharing with multiple people.)
I also added a delicious lemon glaze by mixing half a cup of powdered sugar with lemon juice.
More Food Options:
• Fresh cookies
• Powdered croissants
• Cacao scones
• Puffed sweet bread with “melted Leonalan cacao over the top” (109)
The Scents of New Leaf Tomes and Tea:
• Cookies
• Pine
• Fresh-baked bread
Tea:
• Ginseng
• Dandelion root
• Raspberry Leaf
It was simple to pile some of my favorites into a simple basket and feel like Kianthe and Reyna off on their picnic. Take it with you beneath a tree and listen to the audiobook, get swept away by the excellent narration, along with the comforting story. Kianthe and Reyna’s characters felt so real and honest. It’s one of those books where you feel like you’ve become best friends with them along the way.
Rebecca Thorne’s1 Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea was a terrific addition on my journey as I learned to be patient with myself and also to keep going because you never know where the road will lead you—just keep walking.
If you’d like to purchase one of the books I’ve mentioned in Lit & Vittles, please consider doing so at Bookshop.org. Not only are you supporting local bookshops, but I would receive a small percentage, which helps to fund my work.
I had the joy of meeting Rebecca Thorne only two weeks after my trek. Not only was she a delight but she was also inspirational. See the lovely note she added to my title page—“Keep writing!” And I am.
The scones sound delicious! Glad you're reconnecting to yourself in new and brave ways. And Can't Spell Treason is such a cozy book!