Utah Buttermilk Scones

Move-in week. We left at 6 a.m. Saturday for Kearney. The Taurus behind my pickup, both loaded to the roof. Amber drove the Taurus. I drove the pickup with Dave, Tyler, Justin, and Josie. Gayle had wanted to come but had had a hard week with her knees, and we agreed on a phone call when we got there instead. The drive was uneventful. A forty-five minute drive that felt like both nothing and eight hours.

We got to her dorm at 7:15. A sprawling complex called Mantor-Centennial Hall. Lindsay was already there with her mother. Lindsay is short and friendly and reminds me of Josie's teacher; I liked her immediately. Her mother, Lola, and I shook hands and chatted while the girls started unpacking. Dave and Tyler and Justin hauled boxes up three flights of stairs and came back down in twenty minutes with sweat patches. Josie arranged Amber's desk because Josie has opinions about desks and Amber had given up protesting.

By noon the room was set. The quilt from Gayle on the bed. The framed photograph of Amber and me at the truck stop on the desk. The plant Josie had given her (a succulent, in a pot painted with "BLOOM" in purple) on the windowsill. Amber stood in the middle of the room and looked around. She said, "Okay. This is my room." Lindsay said, "This is our room." Amber smiled. Lindsay smiled.

We walked them to the dining hall for lunch. We ate with Lola and Lindsay. We toured the student union. We found the social work building. At 2:30 Lola hugged Lindsay and left. At 2:40 Dave put his hand on my lower back. At 2:41 I said to Amber, "Baby." Amber said, "Mom. Don't." I said, "Okay." She hugged me. She hugged Dave. She hugged Tyler, then Justin, then Josie, in that order, and longer with Justin than with anyone else. Justin, who said nothing, did not let go for a long time. Justin has lost one mother. He was about to watch his sister walk away for a year. We did not say this out loud. He did not cry. Amber did not cry. None of us cried.

We drove back to Grand Island in silence. Josie was asleep on Tyler's shoulder by the time we passed the exit for Shelton. Dave held my hand on the steering wheel. I cried once, silently, about ten miles from home. He squeezed my hand and did not say anything. We got home at 6. I made chili — the chili from the book, the one that started the whole thing. The kitchen smelled like 2016, like a truck cab, like the year the blog began. I ate a bowl at the counter. The house had five plates at dinner for the first time since 2012. The arithmetic is new. I will adjust. I am adjusting.

That night, after the chili and the quiet and the five plates, I couldn’t sleep. I got up early Sunday and made these scones—the Utah buttermilk scones from the book. The dough is forgiving. You work it with your hands and it doesn’t fight you. The kitchen filled with the smell of something warm and golden, and for a few minutes the house didn’t feel so still. Josie came down in her pajamas and ate three before anyone else was awake.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 12

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/3 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
Vegetable oil, for frying (about 2 inches in a heavy pot)
Honey butter or powdered sugar, for serving

Instructions

Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.
Cut in the butter. Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, work the cold butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs with a few pea-sized pieces remaining.
Add the wet ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and egg. Pour into the flour mixture and stir with a fork until a soft dough just comes together. Do not overmix.
Roll and cut. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat to about 1/2-inch thickness. Cut into rectangles or squares, roughly 3 inches across.
Heat the oil. Pour vegetable oil into a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven to a depth of about 2 inches. Heat to 350°F over medium heat.
Fry the scones. Working in batches of 3 or 4, carefully lower the dough pieces into the hot oil. Fry for 1 to 2 minutes per side, until puffed and golden brown. Adjust heat as needed to maintain temperature.
Drain and serve. Remove scones with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Serve warm with honey butter, powdered sugar, or your favorite jam.

Nutrition (per serving)

Utah Buttermilk Scones — The Kitchen Smelled Like the Year It All Began