This week I was thinking about apple pie and apple crumble. American staples for Thanksgiving and all holiday season. Apple crumble is purely American to most people, and I wanted to make apple crumble scones filled with apples and streusel topping. To normalize apple crumble for breakfast. In full transparency, I overcooked these. They were still delicious. But I found it fitting to post a metaphor about America being overcooked after the election.

America is an Overcooked Apple Crumble Scone

I know it’s not advisable to be “political” on an entertainment platform like a blog. This is all about my love of food and art and my creative journeys through cooking and painting. And it will be. But it’s impossible to separate politics from life now. I was not stressed about this election. I voted for Kamala Harris, partially because the opposition was detestable. And because she is excellent. Kind. Smart. So I checked poll numbers for weeks. It was super close. But then a few election experts forecasted that we would have our first female president, and the numbers looked optimistic.

We stayed up all night in Portugal refreshing the results on election night. After going out to eat Indian food and playing darts at our favorite bar – a small place around the corner from one of Porto’s most famous restaurants. Sergio, the owner, gave us free shots. He serves a few Portuguese dishes, too, including a flaming sausage. We met a local man who joined us in playing darts and threw them like missiles at the wall. After every turn he would disappear and go outside to smoke or talk to Sergio at the bar and we just laughed.

The Election Results

We walked back to our apartment with a cloud of anxiety hanging over us as the first results filtered in. Florida was first and I wanted it to be close. It wasn’t. In fact, it was a lot less close than expected, not in Harris’s favor. Then, Georgia started to come in, as well as the other swing states. Suddenly it was 4 in the morning and it didn’t look good. I fell asleep with my laptop open on my bed and slept restlessly. When I woke up that morning I saw that Trump won the presidency for a second time.

One of my core values is to respect everyone, regardless of their beliefs or politics. That is not possible with this election, or with Trump. I have circled over and over in my head trying to justify the results. Maybe people are naive, not fundamentally bad. They are gullible, not evil. They are in pro-Republican areas and don’t know anything else. But honestly, Trump has shown everyone who he is more than enough times. To still support him is fundamentally and morally wrong.

Dealbreakers

I’ve heard people say they don’t agree with everything he says, but they can’t vote for Harris. I’ve heard people say that he says some outlandish things sometimes, but it’s not about that. They care about the economy. Inflation. Immigration. They like that he “tells it like it is.” But to vote for him means certain things are not dealbreakers to you. He is the person who represents our country. The highest figurehead and role model for kids and adults. Someone who should not be relatable – they should be exceptional.

If you voted for him, rape and sexual harassment is not a dealbreaker to you. Bullying is not a dealbreaker to you. Lying and manipulation is not a dealbreaker to you. Racism isn’t a dealbreaker to you. Hiring someone to do a very important job who has no relevant experience isn’t a dealbreaker to you. Homophobia and transphobia are not dealbreakers to you. Misogyny is not a problem for you. Xenophobia is excusable. Violence and corruption and starting an uprising against the American government isn’t a dealbreaker to you.

Crumbling Democracy

Giving up control of your body is fine with you. You don’t care about the future of your kids, or their safety, or the planet. Your healthcare. You are fine with war. A president with an ankle monitor. Deporting 6 year old orphans to countries they have no recollection of. They don’t speak the language and have to live with extended family who are in poverty and who don’t want them. They will never go to college or have access to the same opportunities we have. Would you let a convicted felon babysit your child?

Needless to say, I’m devastated. But I’m also hopeful by nature. Trump now has a chance to show his supporters and the majority of our voters who he really is. He has an opportunity to remind people how unqualified and unprepared he is. He has an opportunity to crash our country into a ditch. To destroy the environment beyond repair. To kill thousands of people who need life-saving healthcare. Having a bully who openly hates people in the highest position in the country will enable and empower millions of people to bully, harm, harass, hate, and exclude. To not tolerate, or try to understand. Black citizens are already receiving threats over text from people who want slavery back.

Overcooked Apple Crumble Scones

If you voted for Trump, none of this is a dealbreaker to you. Because anything that doesn’t affect you doesn’t matter to you. You chose to save your toys over the lives of thousands of children and teenagers killed by gun violence. The children slaughtered at Sandy Hook who were too young to understand death don’t matter to you. The thousands of innocent people murdered by mass shooters each year don’t matter to you. Even if you knew them you would probably argue that it’s a mental health issue, not a gun issue. But you are the very people who want to own guns, and if you voted for Trump you have mental health issues. Maybe if we didn’t live in a country that empowered bullying, harassment, fear, and hatred, people wouldn’t want to kill others.

You don’t want to defund the police, but you don’t want to fund the communities that require police to maintain “law and order”. Maybe if we helped them, we wouldn’t need to police them. You hate trans people and queer people, who, if sexuality and gender was a choice, would never choose to endure your hatred. Maybe Americans shouldn’t fear calling an ambulance after they are shot or stabbed because they can’t afford to have their life saved. Maybe we shouldn’t generalize that all people born outside of the U.S. are criminals or drug smugglers. Perhaps the criminal we need to deport from our country that’s doing the most harm is the one who has the nuclear codes.

Baking Another Batch

I could go on and on, but I won’t. I overcooked my apple crumble scones. They still tasted good and had a strong apple flavor, but I should have made another batch. But honestly, I was preparing to go to Portugal. I’m tired of trying to be perfect. Our country, the apple crumble of the world, is not perfect. Far from it. It’s damaged, and overcooked. But, we will be able to make a new batch in 2 years. 4 years. Our democracy is not destroyed, or beyond repair. There is hope. But boy is this scary. We are on the precipice of massive debt, god forbid another pandemic that kills millions of people. Multiple wars are waging. Our president is friends with one of the worst dictators in the world. What are we doing?

Learning from Mistakes

American reminds me of overcooked apple crumble scones now. It feels like democracy is crumbling. So I’m terrified. Most of the voters in our country are okay with what he stands for. It’s time to own the fact that we chose a convicted felon to lead us. Who is deeply ugly inside. It’s time to reckon with the idea that our country is damaged and has so much work to do. It’s time to see what happens when we empower evil. And it’s time for us to face the consequences. All of us.

It feels silly to explain now, but these apple crumble scones are like a sweet version of my loaded baked potato scones. Plenty of butter. I used fresh apples. Fall spices. A streusel topping. So they would be perfect for Thanksgiving, and would be great with a maple glaze. They were easy to make. I overcooked them. But next time they will be better. I’ve learned from my mistakes. I hope we all do.

If you enjoy my recipes and paintings, be sure to check out Etsy for 25% art prints and recipe cards. Use code THEFORKEDRING. If all of these evil things are a dealbreaker to you, and you are devastated like me, keep your head up. Nothing is forever.

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Apple Crumble Scones

The magic of an apple crumble wrapped up in a flaky scone

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Keyword apple crumble, apple scones, scones

Prep Time 40 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author theforkedring

Ingredients

• 3 cups AP flour
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/4 sticks butter cold
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 apples peeled + chopped
• 2 tbsp sanding sugar
• 2 tbsp Demerara sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp butter soft
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

Instructions

• In a large bowl, combine AP flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon.
• Grate your cold, nearly frozen butter into your bowl of flour and gently start to work it in with a fork. Do not use your hands, as they will melt the butter.
• In a pyrex measuring cup, combine heavy cream, sour cream, egg, applesauce, and maple syrup until homogenous.
• Add your liquid ingredients and your chopped diced apples to your butter and flour mix and gently work together with a fork or chopstick. Do not over-mix. Just work the dough together until it clumps and flakes together.
• Gather your dough into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Place in the fridge to chill for 20 – 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Remove your scone dough from the plastic wrap and let stand on a lightly floured counter for 5 minutes. Then, lightly pat or roll into a thick disk, about 10″ in diameter.
• Cut out 6 triangular scones and transfer them to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Place in the fridge to chill while you prepare your streusel topping.
• In a medium-sized bowl, combine sanding sugar, Demerara sugar, cinnamon, salt, and softened butter until it’s cohesive and clumpy.
• Remove your scones from the fridge and brush the tops of each with an egg wash (1 egg + 1/4 cup heavy cream). Then, sprinkle the top of each scone generously with your streusel.
• Bake for 30 – 45 minutes until the scones are golden brown and lightly caramelized. Serve warm or top with an apple cider and powdered sugar glaze.

Notes

• If you make an apple cider glaze, cook apple cider down until reduced by 50-75% to concentrate the flavor. Then cool and mix 1/4 cup with 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar. 
• Feel free to add apple pie spice, nutmeg, ginger, or clove to your dry ingredients for more intense spice. 
• You can use any variety of apple – I love honey crisp, but Granny Smith would provide a great tart flavor.