balancing out the exercise

just in case you thought that we maybe walked too far around Barcelona, and like my husband wondered how I managed to turn a weekend away for our wedding anniversary into a walking holiday I should like to offer in my defence evidence of copious eating.

any preferences for what you'd like for breakfast? you could start with a boiled egg that you can cook for as long as you want in a little hot water bath, or some cake, bread, croissants, cereal, cookies, jam or honey.

perhaps you'd like some fruit, salami, chorizo, ham, cheese, yoghurt, 

gluten free bread, madelines, or Madeira cake?

and to drink? tea, coffee, cappuccino, juice, hot chocolate, cava?

yes cava. for breakfast. well it seemed rude not to. 

at dinner we applied the rule of "try something you've never had before"

smoked salmon, with horseradish and vodka.

salt cod and fava beans

spinach and chicken with roast squash and mango

tuna burgers

playing with your food

 

Playing with your food is usually considered bad manners......

but when you've picked blackberries, stewed them gently with a little sugar, pushed them through a sieve to remove the seeds and created the most wonderful dark purple coulis then playing with your food is the only available option.

 

first drip tiny droplets onto a mound of thick greek yoghurt,

 

and drag a tooth pick through the dots to create hearts.

 

Now take a teaspoon and swirl it around in a ripple of delight.

 

Continue stirring until you can't resist any longer, and then gobble it up.

 

 

dinner's ready

sometimes when you say "dinner's ready" you don't get quite who you expect at the dinner table......

rhubarb muffins

today I am introducing rhubarb muffins.

take the recipe for rhubarb and orange cake, realise you don't have ground almonds, and use some more flour instead.

I cooked the rhubarb a bit first as I didn't think the shorter cooking time for buns would cook the rhubarb properly, dollop the cake mix into bun cases, add a blob of rhubarb, cook for 15 mins, and then add the almond sugary topping, and cooked for a further ten minutes at the lower temperature.



they are Very good.

unfortunately the ones that looked the best got eaten first, without having a photo shoot, so only the sad slightly squished ones (they are very gooey!) were left.

but don't despair, pop on over to Flossie Teacakes, where there is a delightful pattern for a pinflower cake topper, make yourself one or two, and stick them in your cakes.

even squashed cakes look delightful with a pinflower in them!

gingerbread pinecones

This post is inspired by Emma's making winter and her making winter pinecone tutorial
which looks fantastic, and I wanted to make some straight away but I didn't have the clay and was too impatient to wait......

but it's ok, I have an alternative, and it allowed me to indulge in one of my Christmas passions, and make pinecones too.

Gingerbread dough!

I couldn't get the cookies to shape very well, even when warm they cracked, but I stuck them together with icing, and I have a secret weapon when it comes to decorating.

everything Always looks better when covered with the icing sugar snow!

go here to see more making winter festivities

raspberry lemon drizzle cake with elderflower

when you've got raspberrys (from the garden! loving these autumn treats!)

eggs, and lemons,

and what you need is cake, 

then take lessons from Nancy, who makes a delicous fruit studded cake, and from Nina who makes lemon drizzle with a twist,

and you get raspberry studded elderflower and lemon drizzle cake, which lasts approximately 17 minutes when taken to a craft evening.  Thankyou for the inspiration.

bread making

inspired by Sue of the Quince Tree there has been some occasional bread making going on. (I adapted Sue's recipe, she uses 4 tins and I only have 3, and there was no wholemeal flour in the house...)
As I am not a regular bread maker I tend to forget about the various stages and timings, and only remember when a small person wanders by and says "I'm hungry, is it ready yet?" or as in the case of the bread above "look mummy, it's HUGE". ooops.

pretty it isn't, I haven't mastered how to make a tidy looking loaf, but it doesn't last long so I guess that means it tastes ok. now if I could just find a decent gluten free recipe.........

last days of summer

last week we were gifted with some gorgeous weather, and it was a joy to be able to make the most of it, and pack up a dinnertime picnic, and even when your dinner takes far too long to cook (because you forgot one of the essential ingredients.....)



it is ok, because then you have longer to sit and enjoy the gorgeous sunset.

great british bake off

my children have a new favourite tv program. and it's not a children's show. and whilst normally I would be worrying about adult content, or language, or educational value, or violence or all the other things there are to think about in a tv show, this time I am mostly concerned about my waistline....



the Great British Bake Off, it is a bad influence in this house.............

holiday highlights

whilst the rest of the family hunted fossils, I hunted anemones.



we walked the beach route to Port Mulgrave



and marvelled at the blue skies



and climbed the cliff path and marvelled that we were right down there

and whilst this is what some people wanted to do on the beach

this was much more my style.....

important packing

we're going on a trip tomorrow, and I need to pack.
train tickets.
theatre tickets
stadium tickets
a picnic
extra snacks....... (can't risk running out of cake!)
and other very useful things.



but most important of all I need to pack my new socks
well I need something to do on the train.
as well as listening to the inevitable "are we there yet?"

back soon, have fun while I'm away.

what do you pack when you go away?

life is sweet

sometimes when you are baking for a charity fundraiser



and you try out new recipes



and have fun with a friend trying new techniques (sugared rose petals)



and experimenting with colour

and frosting flavours (these are cream cheese and white chocolate)

you wonder if perhaps you got a bit carried away..................

but it is worth it for a good cause. x

Teardrop support group

James Cook Neo-natal Unit, Middlesbrough

an excess of cakes and even some prizes!

ok here goes, are you ready for an excess of cake and sugar and more sugar, and maybe just a sprinkle more.
ash fallout from the Icelandic volcano isn't what's grounded the UK air industry, it's the clouds of icing sugar from my kitchen..........



we've been busy bee's here in the driftwood house!

some leftover roses from a wedding cake have been put to use

some family members favour the everything in excess style of decorating....

another little bee looking for a flower to rest on.

this cake looks like it might be feeling a little blue? perhaps it's as tired as I was by 10pm after delivering all the cakes and flowers.......

the making of the buttercream icing meant the lemon drizzle cake might have had a few minutes longer than it needed in the oven, and oops look wrinkles from the greaseproof paper - definitely not show standard, but Miss K says it tastes good!

and a satisfying rack of child made scones filled the house with a most delicious smell.

and look - they are prize winning scones no less! E was enormously proud and even more impressed with his £3 prize money, which had to be spent immediately on match attax world cup cards..............

Miss K was more than happy with her millionaires shortbread 2nd prize! and £2 to put towards a mood measuring necklace no less........ but I must just say that whoever thought this is a suitable challenge for a child's class needs their IQ testing. I mean come on, bubbling hot caramel and small children. really......... why?

and me you ask, well my daffs with the orange centres came 2nd! my cupcakes came joint 3rd!

clearly all your well wishes did the trick, so thank you, thank you, thank you.

you may be called upon again.

Both E and Miss K are hugely keen to do this again, at every village show in the county if they get their way I fear. Me. not so keen........... we'll see.............

and just so you don't think we're ALL about cakes here, here's proof that we do indeed do have vegetables too.

and my prize money you might wonder. well I spent my £3 on the these. I love them. they smell amazing. and unlike everything else round here they're sugar free........