Pot Belly White Chocolate Raspberry Scones

I turned 40 on Monday.

I flip back and forth between sheer excitement and utter angst. Cymone said to me yesterday, "Mom, you're never going to be 39 again." True.

I recently glanced down at my hands and noticed that my veins are starting to bulge. No matter what I do, I can't seem to attain that flat stomach I used to have. My mannerisms are increasingly habitual. As I watch my daughter blossom, I morn the loss of my childhood. Yet in the same breath, I'm happier now than I ever have been. Despite my jiggling post-pregnancy-10-years-later belly, I feel strong, healthy, alert, and alive. I bike to work every day, run long distances, work long hours in the garden, and still have energy to keep going.

I stopped drinking alcohol 6 months ago. I didn't lose weight as a result, but I do feel cleaner. To take my health craze one step further, I ask myself if I should consider eliminating wheat from my diet. Dr. William Davis claims that wheat elimination yields explosive health benefits, including reduction of blood sugar and pre-diabetic tendencies, improved rheumatoid arthritis, improved ulcerative colitis, reduction of irritable bowel syndrome, reduction or elimination of gastroesophageal reflux, better moods, better libido, and improved complexion. My main consideration: flat belly.

Then again, why should I? Maria de Medeiros in Pulp Fiction said so eloquently, "No. Pot bellies make a man look either oafish, or like a gorilla. But on a woman, a pot belly is very sexy. The rest of you is normal. Normal face, normal legs, normal hips, normal ass, but with a big, perfectly round pot belly. If I had one, I’d wear a tee-shirt two sizes too small to accentuate it."

So...
I won't sway from my health craze, but I vote to take my 40s on with a vengeance. To start this new decade, I made some delectable (I might say so myself) white chocolate raspberry scones. Allow me to share:

Ingredients:
1.5 cups flour
1/2 cup dried rolled oats
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbsp (3/4 stick) cold unsalted butter
1 large egg
1/2 cup cream cheese
2 Tbsp milk
1/4 C. dried raspberries
1/4 C. white chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees (F).
2. Have ready an ungreased baking sheet.
3. Whisk together flour, oats, sugar, baking powder and salt.
4. Drop in butter. Cut in the butter with 2 knives or a pastry blender, tossing pieces with the flour mixture to coat and separate them. The mixture should resemble coarse bread crumbs.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, cream cheese and milk.
6. Add wet mixture to flour mixture, and mix thoroughly until dry ingredients are moistened.
7. Add raspberries and white chocolate chips. Fold into dough.
8. Gather dough into ball and knead it gently until all small pieces adhere and the bowl is fairly clean. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and pat the dough into an 8" log, approx. 3/4" thick. Cut into 2-12 wedges and transfer to baking sheet 1/2" apart.
9. Bake until tops are golden brown (12-15 mins).
10. Remove scones from oven and let cool for 5 mins. Sprinkle with icing. Best when served a little warm.