Pucker up for a kiss of sunshine

• I love lemons, as just about anyone who has read my blog can tell. I'm always looking of new ways to use my favorite citrus.
• Of course, I love limes and grapefruits too. Oranges make winter mornings sparkle. And tangerines are great.
• But lemons are sunshine for your tastebuds.
• I have made lemon and poppyseed muffins and bread. But scones are a little different, so I thought I'd give those a try.
• Scones are Scottish quickbreads that took their name from the Stone of Destiny (or Scone), which is the place where Scottish kings were once crowned. The original triangular-shaped scone was made with oats and griddle-baked. Today's versions are more often flour-based and baked in the oven. 
  Try this recipe with some lemon tea and with a dollop of lemon curd. It will be like a cool splash of sunshine.
  

  Lemon-Poppyseed Scones

  2 cups of flour
• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 4 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 3/4 cups of margarine
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 2 tablespoons of poppy seeds
• 1/2 cup of milk (soy milk or skim milk both work well)
• 1/2 cup of water
• 
  
• •Preheat the oven to 400º. Grease a baking sheet.
• •Sift the flour, the sugar, the baking powder and the salt into a large bowl. Cut in the margarine until the mixture is the consistency of large grains of sand.
• *Stir in the poppy seeds, the lemon zest and the lemon juice. Combine the milk and the water, and gradually stir into the dry ingredients until the batter is moistened, but still thick like biscuit dough. (You may not need all of the liquid.)
• •Spoon 1/4 cup sized plops of batter onto the greased baking sheet so they are about 3 inches apart.
• •Bake for 10 to 15 minutes the preheated oven, until golden.

Vegetarian.