Oatmeal Raisin Scones

• 1-1/2 cups flour
• 1 cup oatmeal
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 3 teaspoons baking powder (1 tablespoon)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup margarine, softened (1 stick)
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 medium egg
• Sugar for sprinkling (optional)

First soak the raisins in hot tap water in a cereal bowl, to plump them up. This makes them soft and juicy in the scones, instead of hard nasty nuggets that the children pick out with the precision of a brain surgeon. Next, find your best big bowl. In it combine the flour, oatmeal, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Unwrap the margarine into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Use your hands to mash the mixture together, the same as for biscuits. Don’t over mix. The mixture should be lumpy. Measure the milk in a measuring cup. Crack in the egg and mix well. Dump this milk and egg mixture into the bowl with the flour and oatmeal mixture in it. Mix well, like for biscuits. Make a soft dough. Place the dough on a sheet of waxed paper that has a few spoonfuls of flour scattered about it. Knead the scone dough 8 or 10 times. Do not knead it any more than that, or your scones will be tough. Place the dough on a well-oiled pizza pan, or cookie sheet. Pat the dough into a large circle, about 1/2-inch thick. Cut the dough into 8 or 12 pie shaped wedges. Bake at 400° for about 15 minutes. The scones will be golden brown. If you want to be fancy, you can sprinkle a little sugar on the scones before baking. This gives them a pretty appearance when they come from the oven. Serves 8.