I picture myself eating a scone in some beautiful English garden while sipping tea. Sounds like a very relaxing way to spend some time. A scone is a quick bread with an origin from England and is easy to make with great results.

This recipe is for Strawberry Coconut Scones. I think the easiest way to slice a strawberry is to put it in an egg slicer. Those tight wires go right through the berry and yield slices of identical thickness. I also cut bananas using this clever tool. Funny I would have an egg slicer, I don't eat eggs, but I have found some time saving uses for it.

The interesting part of a scone is how it is prepared for baking. Once the dough is all mixed, you pile it on your baking pan and shape it into a circle. The dough is somewhat sticky, but a bit of butter on your fingertips will help. Once you have your circle, you take a long sharp knife, spray it with cooking spray and cut the circle into 8 wedges, but DO NOT CUT ALL THE WAY THROUGH! This defines the pieces and when fully baked, you can cut through each wedge to serve it.

This is wonderful served with some whipped cream or just by itself. You could also toast a little bit of the coconut and sprinkle on top of the whipped cream. They are best the first day but wrap them tightly to prevent them from drying out and they should last a couple of days, if you don't eat them first!

With a cup of tea, my beautiful desert garden will have to make do while eating this tasty scone.

Strawberry Coconut Scones

1 ¾ cup flour

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

¼ cup sugar

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 Tbsp grated lemon peel

½ tsp salt

¾ cup heavy cream

2 large eggs

1 pint (12 oz) strawberries, washed and hulled, sliced and diced

2 Tbsp sugar

Heat oven to 375. Coat a cookie sheet with nonstick spray. Mix flour, coconut, ¼ cup sugar, baking powder, lemon peel and salt in a large bowl. In a small bowl, blend the cream and eggs. Pour the egg mixture into the large bowl with the flour mixture and add the strawberries and mix until dough clumps together. Scrape onto the center of your cookie sheet. Pat into a 9 inch circle and sprinkle with the 2 Tbsp sugar. Spray a long sharp knife with nonstick spray and cut the circle into 8 wedges, not going completely through. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until puffed and well browned and a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Susan Lang makes greeting cards which are for sale at Stephen's Hair & Boutique located at 312 W. Mesquite Blvd. #12 in the Bull Dog Shopping Center. Each card is different and has a message sure to make you laugh and some also come with recipe cards. While you are there, grab a new outfit for dinner!