cappucino, anyone? M tries out her new pressies 

black forest gateau- I used chocolate sandwich cakes, sliced in half, and filled with cherry jam and cream laced with cherry liquor. it is topped with cherry jam in the middle, surrounded by more of the cream, decorated with squirty cream and a crumbled flake. 

Summer solstice feast

Summer solstice feast: sweetcorn fritters, sosmix sun shapes with potato wedges; sun cake. Ok, we should have had a barbeque, or cooked on an open fire, but I lent my barbie to Jill for her solstice eve, plus I had clingy baby to contend with.

sun cake: an orange sandwich cake with lemon icing. 

making sweetcorn fritters 

sweetcorn fritters

sunny yellow sweetcorn fritters for solstice
Mix about 2 cups of gram flour with 1 tsp baking powder and 1tsp mustard powder. Add enough water to make a thick batter. Add a tin or 2 of sweetcorn. Fry spoonfuls in plenty of hot oil and turn once. (Do not disturb until set). Should go a goldeny brown colour. Yummy.

strawberry and banana smoothie

strawberry and banana smoothie-
blend 1 1/2- 2 punnets of strawberries + 1 banana + a bit of milk (optional, but a bit of liquid makes it more drinkable).
Enough or 3 drinks.

making a smoothie

using the blender
I'm so glad Mave persuaded me to start using this as I was a bit worried it was going to become one of those kitchen gadgets that just sit there, taking up space (like the waffle maker- must try that some time). Well, at least it looks nice! She had the right attitude, anyway: have a go with it, read instructions later, (or never, in her case). I tend to be a bit of a technophobe, when it comes to gadgets, but you won't beleive that, looking at this photo- yes, my entire kitchen work surface is covered in electrical appliances!

banana cake 

Yar-yar; spelt

They asked for "yar-yar mixture" for lunch: cubed feta cheese, red grapes and avocado chunks. So called because Allie shouts "ya...ya", when he sees some yummy food coming. O, yes, forgot to mention, this is toddler food, I'm talking about, but they're happy: I'm happy. I invented it on one of those late at night hungry sessions, when he has fallen asleep before suppertime.
They also seem to have to developed a penchant for LIDL spelt biscuits, which have linseeds and barley and oats in; I like them, but I didnt really expect them to be a children's favourite. Allie was just now dipping them in Marmite ;-/ I am quite into spelt, being an older form of wheat. Steiner would definately approve of this-(the spelt, I mean). He had some really interesting stuff to say about food, being an early biodynamic gardening person (did he invent it?) and encouraged people to look at what and how they were eating, eg, grains are a simple food because they are basically just a stalk with seeds on, with no complicated other bits that other plants have, so they are early foods in terms of the history of man and also in the life of a person, ie baby's first foods. (He was vegetarian, of course).

Blender

Lidl Online
I bought this object of desire today. and also some handy plastic measuring jugs. Metric only, though, so I'll have to get with the 21st century!

I bake, therefore I am. The longer I exist the more I reallise that I need an AGA. Maybe if I did I wouldn't have toddlers messing with the controls. And I would bake more.
Today I made two of my favorites, choc cake and banana and date cake. I had some help from Jem, who's idea it was. More than half of the choccie cake is now eaten- I hope they are not sick.

cucumber sandwiches

My idea of paradise is sitting on a chamomile lawn in a comfy chair eating cucumber sandwiches and drinking tea out of real china cups, in the gentle sunshine. So when the sun shines I like to indulge in the cool pleasures of the humble cucumber sandwich. Sometimes I like mine with peanut butter. Come to think of it, I think I will have to be an old lady to truly appreciate the above fantasy.

soda bread 

Soda Bread

1 lb malthouse flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp Bicarbonate of soda
11 fl oz milk

• Mix dry ingredients
• add milk and mix into soft dough
• make into a ball and put on olied tray
• cut a cross in the top 1" deep
• bake at 220C for 35 mins

Chocolate Cake

...the loveliest fail-safe choccie cake ever- a birthaday favourite.
7 oz/200g plain Flour
2 tbsp/30ml cocoa
1 tsp Bicarb
1 tsp baking powder
5 oz/125g sugar
2 tbsp/30ml golden syrup
2 eggs
1/4 pt/150ml oil
1/4 pt/150ml milk
Mix everyting together and pour into 2 lined sandwich tins
Bake at 160C/gas 3
After cooling sandwich with chocolate spread or cream

Bread

Bread - this makes a sticky dough, but nice and light bread.
mix:
1 lb flour (1/2 wholemeal, 1/2 white)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp quick yeast

1/2 pint warm water
3 tbs oil
2 tbs honey
knead every now and then and leave in warm place, covered till twice the size
divide into small amounts and shape into roll shapes-(this is the fun part)
put on oiled trays and leave to rise
bake at 220 for 10-15 mins