6 December 2009

Song and dance about it

When I bring out a novelty single, the chorus will be ‘Flour, egg, breadcrumb, repeat.’ And of course, in the video I shall do my special dance moves.

15 November 2009

Pumpkin Blondies

These are very soft and taste like caramel (as well as pumpkin and spice!)

110g butter
100g soft dark brown sugar
1 egg
½ tsp vanilla
25g self raising  flour
½ tsp baking powder
75g pumpkin puree
Nutmeg, cinnamon, ground cloves, ground ginger – to taste
25g Chopped chocolate or nuts – optional but advisable!

  1. Preheat oven to GM5
  2. Grease and flour 6 inch square tin (or other of equivalent surface!)
  3. Melt butter and sugar, and stir until sugar is dissolved.
  4. Add pumpkin, vanilla  and nuts (if using) and stir thoroughly
  5. Cool slightly.
  6. Whisk egg til slightly frothy and add to batter
  7. Sift flour, baking powder and spices into the batter
  8. Stir to combine.
  9. Pour and spread into prepared tin.
  10. Sprinkle with chocolate (if using.)
  11. Bake for about 30 minutes.
  12. Cool  (overnight is best), cut into small squares. They will keep for about a week, in a cool place.

pumpkin blondies

 

8 November 2009

Pumpkin Cupcakes

pumpkin cupcakes

 

From this recipe, with chopped pecan nuts (1/2 cup) plus dark chocolate, rum and orange zest icing.

31 October 2009

Happy Hallowe’en!

pumpkin

10 October 2009

Financial Capability

Saw a girl aged about 10, in the hardware/homeware shop today with two younger, similar-looking girls. They were choosing all-purpose cleaner. The older girl  looked at two bottles and checked the volume and price on both (the smaller bottle was more expensive – probably a brand) and then asked the younger two girls, which they thought she should buy. They couldn’t work it out and she explained, ending her explanation with the words ‘Credit crunch!’

Unfortunately I was so overwhelmed by this, I could only give her a big stupid smile, instead of that ‘Srs bizness  – ur gettin it rite’ nod that that those over 8 prefer.

9 October 2009

The Bakewell Tart Cocktail

bakewell tart cocktail

1 shot Amaretto
1 shot cherry liqueur
Splash of soda water
Juice of 1/4 orange

4 October 2009

Beer and Cheese Bread

Ingredients:
500g self-raising flour
1/2 tsp salt
125g cheddar, cut into small cubes
330ml beer
50-75ml water (approx)

Optional:
1 tsp fresh rosemary
50g chopped nuts
Olive oil and salt to sprinkle on top

  • Pre-heat the oven to Gas mark 4 (180). Grease and flour the tin (if metal) or just flour lightly (silicon).
  • Sieve flour and salt together in a mixing bowl.
  • Stir in the beer, cheese, nuts and rosemary.
  • Mix until all the flour has been moistened and the dough comes together into a ball, away from the sides of the bowl. (A palette/other blunt knife is the cleanest way to do this).
  • Add a little water if the dough is too dry (i.e. not all the flour will mix in).
  • Place the dough to the loaf tin, (brush with oil and sprinkle with salt) and place in oven.
  • Test with a skewer after about one hour – it’s cooked when the skewer comes out clean.
  • Loaf must be left to cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting

beer and cheese bread

This is a slight variation on this  http://www.cooksister.com/2007/04/beer_and_cheese.html

http://www.cooksister.com/2007/04/beer_and_cheese.html

24 September 2009

Remains of tonight’s dinner party

chocolate pudding

6 September 2009

City Fox

Fox

20.12

6 September 2009

Regardless of platform, advertising persistently sexist.

Recently filtered out by Akismet was this gem. (The text was originally interspersed by frequently searched  phrases hyperlinked to whatever the fuck the bot was selling):

“best quality of a Boomer woman is that she is a woman of experience and capable of doing many things. The boomer woman is not fretful or jealous or impatient like their younger counterparts. Younger men even prefer to date older women because of these qualities. There is less emotional burden and issues unlike girls in their 20’s whose main concerns are shoes and nail colors. Mature women are intelligent and can talk widely of many topics.”