I’ll make scones if this endless hot summer ever ends

Every day — no, several times a day now — I’m checking the weather app on my phone or the Tuscarawas Weather Network site for signs of cooling off. It seems like we barely got a dose of April showers before this endless hot, humid summer began. This past weekend saw the first day below 80 when I could risk getting some serious yard work done while avoiding heat stroke. Poison ivy out there means head-to-toe clothing to be safe, and it has been much too hot for layers and long sleeves.Are we ready for comfort food yet? As I write this, another week in the upper 80s and 90s looms ahead. It’s still just too hot to think about heating up an oven to make anything serious, and I’m up to here with cold sandwiches and quick-cooked summer dishes. I’m ready to let some fresh air into the house and stop feeling like I’m in a sci-fi movie where you dare not step outside lest your skin be scorched off. The sun has felt differently this summer, as though its hot light was more penetrating, more quickly burning. Enough already. I’m actually happy to see all the early season fall merchandise appear in stores. Yes, bring on those pumpkins and the ubiquitous pumpkin-spiced everything.Soon we’ll be able to open the windows and think about hearty soups, braised meats and dumplings. Roasting and baking won’t seem so foolish after the hard-laboring air conditioner has gone silent until next year. I think it’s safe to sneak ahead a little. The mornings are slowly moving into a cooler sunrise heat-wave respite. One of these mornings I’m making scones for breakfast. Until a few years ago we would have sniffed at scones as a British tea thing unsuitable to our hearty farm ancestry. Then during the fad for tearooms (quarter-sized cucumber sandwiches and thin soups served in tiny recycled sugar bowls, anyone?), they became better known locally and are fairly common now. They’re easy to find in bakeries, but the real treat comes in enjoying them freshly baked and ready to soak up butter or jam. There are many, many variations on the basic scone recipe, and they can be sweet or savory. It is worth exploring the possibilities. This is a simple and basic starting recipe. The only thing they require that you might not have on hand is a little sour cream. SCONES1 3/4 cups flour4 teaspoons baking powder1/4 cup sugarPinch salt5 tablespoons butter in small pieces1/2 cup raisins1/2 cup milk1/4 cup sour cream1 egg1 tablespoon milkPreheat oven to 400 degrees. Sift together flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Use a pastry blender to cut in butter until it all resembles tiny lumps. Add the raisins. Mix together 1/2 cup milk and the sour cream in a measuring cup. Add to the dry ingredients and stir gently until well blended. With floured hands, pat the scone dough into balls 2 to 3 inches across, depending on what size you want. Place onto a greased baking sheet and flatten them a bit. Whisk together the egg and 1 tablespoon of milk. Brush the tops of the scones with the egg wash and let them rest for about 10 minutes.Bake 15-20 minutes and serve warm. They’ll be a bit soft until they cool a bit.