Cooking and Blogging
Have really had no time for proper cooking - we are living on M&S this weekend. I am having a craft related weekend (read about it on my other blog). I did manage to make another clever quickie pudding though. I used the rest of the pastry shells I bought in Marks a couple of weeks ago, filled them with mincemeat and put some crumble mix on the top, in the oven for 10 minutes and they were lovely with custard.
Think it's going to be manic till Christmas, but I have a big dinner to do for DH's cousins on 16th, so my blog some of that.
Labels: Christmas, crafts, Marks and Spencers, mincemeat
Sourdough Bread in the Breadmaker
Here is the Sourdough recipe I got from Clare on
The Cooks Journal it made a lovely crusty loaf, but not really the sourdough taste I was looking for. I think I'll have to try the longer method of feeding the starter to get that authentic taste. Anyway it was a lovely loaf and no trouble to make. I did the whole of the second part in the breadmaker rather than make a dough and cook it in the oven.
Pain de Campagne200ml water
175g white flour
50g wholemeal flour
1/4 tsp yeast (fast action)
Put this in the machine in the usual way, put on normal dough program. Leave in unopened machine for 2-8 hours after end of cycle. The longer you leave it the stronger the flavour.
Add the following ingredients -
120ml water
225g white
50g wholemeal
25g rye
7.5ml salt
2.5ml sugar
2.5ml yeast
Put on dough program. Remove dough and knock back, make into a round and prove. Slash the top several times and bake 220C for about 40 mins.
The timings work quite well if you start this at bedtime, run the second program in the morning and you have a nice loaf in time for lunch!
Labels: Bread, Cooks Journal, Sourdough
Anzac Biscuits
Here are my Anzac Biscuits for the A-Z Challenge on
The Cooks Journal . A is for Australia and lots of us have made Anzac Biscuits. I used the recipe from
BBC Good Food and it was sooo easy. I am not a huge fan of coconut, but these are really very good, I will definitely make them again.
Big Baking Day
Yesterday, I spent the afternoon baking. It started off with my Christmas Cake, which is an old favourite recipe from BBC Good Food Magazine, I have the cutting from the magazine from 1998 and again in 2002 - it's the same recipe and thankfully is also still on the website, so I don't have to type it all out for you! It's the
Simmer and Stir Christmas Cake and it is just so easy. Last year I made the Nigella chocolate Christmas Cake, which was really lovely but decided to go back to my old favourite this year.
Then I decided to make the
Banana Butterscotch Loaf from Maria's blog:
The Goddess's Kitchen. I had taken the ingredient list with me when shopping last week, but there was no Green and Black's Butterscotch Chocolate, so I got the Ginger one instead. It was an easy recipe to make although using so much Green and Blacks Chocolate, would be one that I would keep for a special occasion. It is very sticky but very rich with an exceptional sugar hit. I forgot to put the pecans and demerara sugar on the top, which would have made it look prettier, but it didn't affect the taste. Also I didn't have a3lb loaf tin, so I used the one I have and made the rest of the mixture into muffins which cooked in about 15 minutes
Finally, I had to do something with the apples that had been lurking about in a basket for a couple of weeks. My MIL had got them from her friend and some were beginning to get past their best. I made some apple pickle, which I will blog later when I have put it in jars, and then made the rest of the apples into a crumble (cheating with a ready made crumble mix) which I have put in the freezer. I also froze the Banana Loaf, cut into slices, as we would never get through all that.
Labels: apples, banana, chocolate, Christmas, Green and Blacks
Foodie Blogroll
You may have noticed a little yellow box at the side of my blog, called the Foodie Blogroll. Well I am now officially a member of the blogroll - yipee!! I have already visited lots of the blogs on the blogroll and there are some fantastic blogs out there, so if you are visiting my blog why not go and have a look. Many blogs have recipes and bloggers are happy to share their knowledge and tips. If you have a foodie blog, you can join too. Click on the box to find out more.
Rosie's Toffee Apple Delight Bonfire Night Cake
This is my version of Rosie's Cake, you can see the recipe on her blog
Rosie Bakes a Peace of Cake . I didn't have any Calvados, Pecan Nuts or Demerara Sugar as required by the recipe, so I used dark rum, walnuts and those big crystals of brown sugar you use for coffee or on top of muffins - they tend to break your teeth, so I don't use them much - I crushed them with my rolling pin so the bits were less lethal! It took an extra 10 minutes in my oven and I should have covered the top with some baking parchment at that point because the walnuts are rather 'well-fired' (I never burn things- ha, ha, ha). Anyway, we had it warm for pudding with lovely vanilla icecream and some of the leftover stewed apples from yesterday, it was fab.
Labels: apples, cake, Rosie
Instant Pudding
I took this pic last night when preparing the tea. I meant to take a picture of the completed pudding which consisted of the M&S tartlets filled with cold stewed apples, greek yogurt and sprinkled with the M&S posh pomegranate infused granola. I was half way through eating said delight when I remembered I hadn't taken the picture! You will have to believe me when I say, it was very yummy and just soooo quick and easy.
Labels: apples, Granola, Marks and Spencers, tartlets
