Digging

I just love the way a two-year-old's mind processes what they see. Here's an example. It really made me smile.

I was in town with Arthur the other day and workmen were digging up the pavement to carryout some sort of cable work. Arthur watched them taking it all in. After a minute or so he turned to me with a very serious face:

Arthur: 'Digging mummy, men digging'.

Me:' Yes, that right. The men are fixing the cables under the ground'.

Arthur (very matter-of-factly): ' No mummy. Potatoes. Men digging potatoes'.

Arthur's main experience of digging is watching David or I down the allotment digging up the rows of potatoes we grow every year. If I had known I could have just walked down the road, pulled up a paving slab or two and helped myself to fresh spuds, I wouldn't have bothered planting them.

Live and learn.

It's been a while ... but I've not gone anywhere

 Image: Tim Kent

It's been a while since I last published a blog post; the longest gap yet.  I guess it was going to happen sooner or later. I've been writing this blog for ten months now and had put up a least a couple of posts a week. So why no posts? I blame work. Being back in the office three mornings a week has had a surprising effect on the latter end of my week in as far as there isn't a spare minute in the day Wednesday to Friday; I'm constantly on the back foot. In addition to that I've lost my laptop during the working day to the business. We've got ourselves an intern and with no spare computer in the office for her to work from I've had to surrender the home one. I hate to say it, but I feel rather lost without it. By the time the laptop is home it's so far into the evening I neither have the energy of inclination to write. It's been a busy few weeks with many a missed opportunity blog wise. But such is life. I'm sure I'll pick up speed again soon.

A Morning That Turned Out Better Than Expected

This weekend we popped down to our allotment. It was a cold and windy and my heart wasn't really in it. Enthusiasm can wane as the weather turns colder. But the kids ran around with boundless energy and we dug up the last of the potatoes and planted some onions sets, albeit a few weeks later than planned. 

The best thing about the plot at this time of year is that mother nature gives you a fighting chance; a head start in the race to get the plot 'ready' for spring. The pace slows and the weeds you clear don't grow back before you've reach the allotment gates. We make progress year on year, but our 250 square metre plot still has many neglected areas that we earnestly want claim for our idyllic plot.

It was our first November weekend on the plot and I expected nothing in return for my morning weeding and clearing. But to my amazement we came home with potatoes, beetroot, carrots, rainbow chard, yellow courgettes and some sage. That made, what started out as an unethusiastic venture, a morning well spent. Who'd have thought you could have such a love-hate relationship with a piece of land; this weekend it won me over.

Dainty Little Cakes

 

Last week I made these little Honey and Pistachio cakes. My brother, sister-in-law and niece were coming to spend the day with us and I was running short on time to throw a quick lunch together. We were planning on eating out in the evening, so I needed to prepare a fairly light, but still delicious lunch that wouldn't spoil our evening meal.

I made a quick batch of vegi sausage rolls which I served warm with an onion chutney and a pear and watercress salad. However I can't not offer up a 'pudding' of sorts when people come for lunch or dinner, so these dainty cakes were the perfect sweet treat when served with a dollop of mascarpone. Should you wish to give them a go, here's the recipe ...

Honey and Pistachio Cakes

75g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing

2 medium free-range eggs

40g caster sugar

3 tbsp of clear honey, plus extra to serve

75g plain flour

40g pistachios, chopped, plus extra to serve

Finely grated zest of an orange

Mascarpone to serve

Preheat the oven to 190C / fan 170C / Gas 5. Grease a 12 hole cake tin. Melt the butter and set aside to cool.

Using an electric hand mixer, whisk the eggs, sugar and honey until thick. This will take 6 - 7 minutes. When lifted out, the beater should leave a trail that its on the surface for a few seconds.

In batches, sift the flour into the egg mixture and fold in gently. Carefully fold in the pistachios, orange zest and the cooled melted butter.

Fill the cake tin holes with the mixture and bake for 8 - 10 mins. Turn out onto a cooling rack. Serve with a dollop of mascarpone, a sprinkle of the pistachios and some drizzled honey.

Enjoy.

Meet Jemima

 

We have a new member of our family; Jemima. She's rather cute isn't she? Regular readers may recall a post I wrote a few months back about our children's campaign for a pet. Well after ruling out cats, dogs and rabbits, a hamster seemed the obvious and best option. It was while on holiday in August that we finally relented and promised Lily a hamster come the autumn half term holidays. She has been counting down to 'hamster day' since then.

I can't help but feel rather short changed with the hours that Jemima is, or rather isn't, putting in. Yeah, I know that hamsters are nocturnal, but Jemima is proving to be a rather elusive during the children's waking hours. I've had a few hamsters some years back and although they did a lot of sleeping in the day, they would make some brief appearances to stock up on food or have a quick run in their wheel. Maybe Jemima will alter her sleep pattern a little once she has settled in, or maybe, unbeknown to me at the time, I previously had hamsters that suffered from insomnia.

What a Beautiful Wedding

Any long-term readers of the blog may recall a post I wrote back in March about the engagement of David's niece Lucy to her fiance Dom. Well, this weekend was the wedding. I can't believe how quickly it came around. 

It was a beautiful day in every way; crisp autumn bright blue skies, lovely guests, great food and great fun. My duty was to make the wedding cake. The end result was much admired and enjoyed. After much research, thought and consideration I went for the three-tier red velvet cake by Lorraine Pascale. I cut out the red food dye by quite a bit as I'm a little uneasy with sponges that are too red. The result was more of a devils food cake; a good dense fudgy sponge. I thoroughly recommend the recipe to anyone who has been asked to bake such a celebration cake.

It was a big day for Lily too; she was one of the bridesmaids. She had been building up to her 'big day' for weeks and was so excited. She took her role very seriously, reading her much thumbed 'how to be a bridemaid' book on the car journey that morning. The day lived up to all her expectations and more. She wore the most beautiful dress that made her feel 'just like a princess', enjoyed a 'grown-up' dinner and after such a busy day still had enough energy for some past-bedtime dancing late into the evening.

A Pumpkin & Chocolate Chip Tea Loaf

 

It's been a very busy week and it's not over yet. Not wanting to totally neglect the blog, I'm posting a recipe to tide you over until normality is resumed next week (hopefully). I had bought home a pumpkin from the allotment. It generously gave itself for a few meals, but I needed to find a good use for the remaining wedge that lingered in the fridge. So earlier this week I made a Pumpkin & Chocolate Chip Tea Loaf. It was an all round winner with kids and adults alike. Only one slice now remains tightly wrapped in tin foil on the kitchen worktop. I think it's days are numbered.

Preheat the oven to 170C/ GM 3. Lightly grease a loaf tin about 10 x 20cm, and line with baking paper.

Using an electric whisk, beat 200g of muscovado sugar (I used dark, but light would do) and 4 egg yolks (save the whites) together for 2 - 3 minutes until pale and creamy. Lightly stir in 200g of finely grated pumpkin flesh, the zest and juice of a lemon, 100g of chocolate chips and 100g of ground almonds. Then sift in 200g of self-raising flour, a pinch of salt, 1 tsp of cinnamon and a good grating of nutmeg, folding it into the mixture using a large metal spoon.

In a separate bowl, beat the 4 reserved egg whites until they form soft peaks. Stir in a heaped tablespoon of the egg white into the cake mixture. Once combined, fold in the rest of the egg whites as carefully as you can.

Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin ensuring the surface is level. Bake for about 1 hour, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.

Once done, remove from the oven and leave the cake in the tin for 10mins to cool a little. Then remove the loaf and place it on a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.