So as some of you know, I got back from a cruise recently (and will be posting pics and inspired recipes soon!).
Overall, the experience was wonderful. I met so many awesome people, gained so much exposure and knowledge for photography and blogging, and got to travel to the Caribbean islands of St. Maarten, St. Thomas and the Bahamas, taking in their exotic beauty, amazing culture and fabulous food.
But if I had to complain just a little about the experience, it was my raging seasickness (seriously, I didn’t think I’d be affected but dude, I was a dead man walking. Homie don’t play with seasickness) and the fact that my room was haunted.
Yes, haunted.
See, I was rooming with Alyssa from Simply Quinoa and even she agreed that our room was possessed, probably from people who’d fallen overboard or something in years past. We’d be chillin’ in our room minding our own business and suddenly the toilet would flush. I mean, I was under the impression that ghosts didn’t have bowel movements but seeing as our toilet legitimately flushed in our room, I suppose they ate the creme brulee and had to expel immediately.
Then on another day, Alyssa and I were chit-chatting and the shower started leaking. Not like the normal after-shower shower dribble most do, but like someone had turned it on for a couple quick seconds and then it shut off. It was so bizarre, and we both stopped mid-sentence and just looked at each other like, WTF. Later in the week, the shower did the same thing, the sink made a leaky drip noise, and we’d find towels on the floor that weren’t there prior. Needless to say, it was bizarro.
Oh, and then there was this enormously LOUD crash during the night. It woke both of us up in a startle and in the morning, we checked the bathroom thinking our makeup exploded everywhere, but the bathroom was pristine. No fallen pictures with shattered glass everywhere, no bloody messages written on the mirror, nothing.
In other words, our ghost was clearly the most hygienic ghost I’ve ever encountered. And the crash? It was probably doing its best to navigate the closet-sized bathroom too. I hear you, ghost. I was bonking my elbows everywhere while trying to shave in near-contortionist-positions. I feel ya, man.
But next time? We’re forcing it to go in on the room cost. I don’t care that you didn’t bring clothes, that you aren’t hogging the outlets or that you merely disappear during nighttime, leaving the awkward “who’s that ghost guy gonna sleep with tonight?” question. You’re paying a third for using up all our towels and making the stateroom attendant think we’re insane with our voodoo toilet.
Now that I’m back home, I’m not experiencing anything paranormal except the need to make everything Valentine’s-y for Valentine’s Day. And to me, red velvet goes hand-in-hand with this lovely holiday since it’s such a rich, delectable flavor and of course, because of the ruby red color.
So if you’re already thinking ahead like me, may I suggest some Red Velvet Scones? Not only are they simple to make, but they taste phenomenal. Soft, flaky, chewy and moist, they taste identical to red velvet cake but in a scone form so you can eat ’em for breakfast (you’re welcome!) They’re topped with a sweet and creamy cream cheese frosting to bring the whole flavor together and create a pretty striped topping. While I like them plain, feel free to sprinkle on nuts, dried fruits, or sprinkles for a festive touch.
And whatever you do, don’t share with the bathroom ghost.
*adapted from Duncan Hines
Red Velvet Scones
Ingredients
- 1 & 1/2 cups red velvet cake mix
- 1 & 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 8 Tbsp cold butter cut into cubes
- 2/3 cup heavy cream or milk
- 1 can cream cheese icing
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone liner or parchment paper that's been misted lightly with cooking spray; set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the cake mix and flour and whisk together. Drop in the cubed cold butter and using two forks or a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour mixture until the mix resembles thick, coarse crumbs.
- Make a small well in the center of the mixture and stream in the cream or milk. Then, using a spoon or your hands, begin working the dough into the milk, working from the outside in, until the mixture is just barely combined. Do NOT overmix or this will result in very tough scones!
- Remove the dough from the bowl and knead into a ball. Place the ball onto the prepared baking sheet and gently press it into about a 10" circle. Score the circle into 8 wedges with a sharp knife. Bake for approx. 20-25 minutes or until the scones appear set and are golden around the edges. Allow scones to cool for about 30 minutes.
- Cut the scones into separate wedges and allow to cool completely. Once cooled, melt the frosting in the microwave (be sure to remove the lid and foil wrapping first!) until pourable. Drizzle over top of the scones and allow the icing to briefly set before serving.
Buttery, soft, chewy, moist and bursting with that rich, decadent red velvet flavor, these scones are an indulgent breakfast that can’t be beat! The cream cheese drizzle is the icing on top of these flavorful, festive scones 🙂
Have a delicious day!
xo, Hayley
Ashley (QLCC) says
Aw, these look like the perfect Valentine’s Day tea time treat 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
thedomesticrebel says
Thanks, Ashley!
Monica says
Oh.My.God. Just another reason for me to never get on a boat! I live the haunted life and ghosts on a vacation sounds unappealing when you deal with them on an ongoing basis.
So I moved from San Diego to Las Vegas several months ago. At first it was just little things like full glasses of water precariously balanced on the edge of the table, getting shocked EVERY SINGLE TIME I touch a light switch (I mean, seriously?). None of that really bothered me, but a couple weeks ago I was in bed with my dogs when we heard an insanely loud knocking on the door leading to the garage. I freaked thinking somebody was going to murder me, but just like the idiot in the horror movie, I went to check it out. The banging was still going on and my dogs were jumping on the door and trying to kill whatever was on the other side, and that’s when I realized the door was unlocked and locked myself in the bedroom and told my fiancé to leave work because someone was trying to break in. While I was huddled in bed waiting to die I realized that a person would have just opened the fricken door. Oh, and that there was no way for somebody to get into the garage without having a clicker on the right frequency, and somehow navigating the piles of crap without making noise…literally impossible. By the time my fiancé got home 10 minutes later (bless his heart for going 110mph on the freeway for me) I knew it was the ghost, demon, whatever that was haunting our house! Just to be sure, I made him go into the garage and pound in the door leading to the laundry room as hard as he could…and I could barley hear it!! EEP. So apparently I pissed off Mr. Ghost, perhaps due to my recent lack of cleaning? I bought some sage smudge sticks to burn in the house and have a list of things to do/say to make them leave you alone. Hopefully this works. All I know is that this crap is REAL, FOOL. And while most everyone blew me off when I told them about the water glasses, now they believe me!
Wish me luck on my endeavor to purge my ghosty-thing! Maybe I should make these scones as a peace offering or sacrifice? Hmm…
thedomesticrebel says
Monica, that is SO SPOOKY! I seriously freak out over stuff like that happening 🙁 Unexplained noises totally give me the creeps! I hope you’re able to purge those ghosts away and enjoy some scones in the process!
Shefali says
Oh my god! I don’t want to ever eat this but keep staring at the amazing color it has and the way it looks! Really! As Ashley said, a perfect recipe for Valentines’.
Thank you!
jaise says
Thanks for sharing. It has amazing color that I can’t stop myself to try this.
Anna says
I love the red velevet scones. Off to get myself a few right away
Shawn says
It is looking so yummy. Wanna eat them right now.