Dinner this evening was a reliable family favourite; Beef Goulash with steamed buttered rice, as per my recipe posted on May 17. The beauty of this dish is that the bulk of the cooking is done in the oven, without so much as a second glance from the home cook. Which is just as well, considering I was undecided about the after school snack. 

Children are always ravenous when they arrive home from school. It’s almost as though the morning tea and lunch packed with care disappeared into thin air as soon as they hit the playground. Coming up with snacks that will appease rumbling tummies, but not fill them up completely making dinner a non-event, takes  a little forward planning. Of course it’s very easy to just buy convenience store junk foods, but this sets children up to have unhealthy eating habits at an early age. I’m all for giving children treats, but in moderation. 

When I bake something delicious for afternoon tea, I always make extras to tuck into lunch boxes the next day. Again this forward planning means the task of making school lunches is just that little more manageable. You see, making school lunches is my least favourite part of the evening. Yes, evening because I do all the preparations the night before. I have attempted only a handful of times to fill, cut and wrap sandwiches, dice fruit into a salad, wrap muffins …. and pile the lot into lunch boxes in the morning. Unfortunately this last minute process just doesn’t work in our household of five children, especially when I am asked to listen to piano practice, or tie a shoelace or find a missing library book at the same time. 

This afternoon just before the school pick up, I mixed up a batch of Cloud Scones, the name reflects their light, fluffy texture.  I popped them into a hot oven just as the children came home from school. By the time they had all washed their hands, changed, unpacked bags and added more school notes requiring attention to the in-box, the warm, golden scones were on the waiting bench to be filled. 

I placed a small bowl of whipped cream, and jars of cherry, strawberry jam and honey for the youngest (who would be happy to drizzle this over everything if I let him!). Tall glasses of cold milk complemented the scones and provided an extra boost of their daily calcium. 

This is also a marvellous recipe to make for morning tea, or as a gift for a friend, especially if you present it with a jar of home made jam. 

Cloud Scones

Ingredients
250 ml mineral water
250 ml thickened cream
3.5 cups self raising flour
a little extra cream  (about 2 tablespoons) mixed with half a teaspoon of vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 225 degrees conventional setting or 200 degrees on fan forced. 

In a large mixing bowl, pour in the mineral water, cream and flour. Stir to combine. 

Turn out onto a clean  bench top, lightly dusted with extra flour. 

Kneed the dough lightly just to make it smooth, then using your whole hand, gently pat it into an even round shape with a thickness of about 2.5 to 3 cm.  

Using either a round cookie cutter or a glass with a diametre of about 5 cm, cut rounds from the dough. It’s worth first dusting the cutter or glass in a little flour to prevent sticking. 

Place the scones in a baking tray so that they are just touching. I line my tray with baking paper first which makes washing up faster. 

Mix together 2 tablespoons of the extra cream with the vanilla and brush over each scone with a pastry brush. 

Bake for about 15 minutes (20 minutes for thicker scones) until golden. 

When ready split each scone, fill generously with freshly whipped cream and your jam of choice.

If packing for school lunches the next day, wait for the scones to cool completely then add only jam or honey omitting the cream to prevent spoilage.