Home for Christmas 2013

In the first 24 hours I was home, I was kidnapped by my sister. She is in Edinburgh/Lincolnshire for Christmas with her boyfriends family.

SOOOOOOOOOO excited to watch Frozen with a gingerbread latte and brownie

She planned an early Christmas meal on the Sunday so we did it together...

This chappy had a nice brisk walk in the cold... We tired him oot wi all the hoose work

Nigel Slater's Christmas Trifle made by moi

One of my tasks was to draw up some novelty table decorations, was fun drawing again and considering it's from scratch it's no too bad if I do say so myself

She flew away on Monday so I was released back into the care of my parents where we cleaned the hoose, did a booze run to Mainland Stores, iced my Christmas cake, wrapped gifts etc.

My first ever Christmas cake, made by me (subtle ombré effect)

Once we wir finished we lit the fire and curled up in front of Scrooged with a dram. It's meant to be a rubbish day today (Christmas Eve) brally windy and rainy so I am hoping to get some serious knitting done even if I have to do it by candle light.

Molly trying very hard to get up on the new couch

What are you doing to keep warm this festive season?

51 Days of Summer: Week 6

I have set myself a challenge to take a picture each day of my holiday - to encourage me to do something exciting and help me remember what I've been up to.

Day 36

Pretending this isn't alcohol free

Day 37

Cider is ready to be bottled

Day 38

Me and Dad are making Cherry Whisky

Day 39

Me and Mam made Caramel Nut Slices

Day 40

Working away on our Hovis jigsaw

Day 41

Dis peerie guy was very badly behaved today

 

Day 42

Finishing off Emma and Dave's house warming gift

51 Days of Summer: Week 2

I have set myself a challenge to take a picture each day of my holiday - to encourage me to do something exciting and help me remember what I've been up to.

Day 8

 Trip doon memories lane ... Making one of my favourites that my Gran use to make

 

Day 9

 

Watched Andy Murray win Wimbledon with a Pimms

and my take on Strawberries & Cream

 

Day 10

 

Having a cosy evening with Em and Bruiser reading ii magazine

 

 

Day 11

Our daily adventures at the back of the dam

 

Day 12

Only sunshine I saw this day, but is rather bonnie

 

 

Day 13

 

Half way with my Aztec quilt, really wanna finish it before the end of July

 

Day 14

 

Baking Dad's birthday cake it is a Rum and Fresh Cherry cake

...using Old Navy's proof rum



Auld School Granny Baking ... Take 2

On Saturday I decided that I needed a peerie nostalgic treat so I made my Granny's Beremeal Bannocks for the first time.

The only recipe that we have is a list of the ingredients with some measurements

so I used my memories

 

Beremeal Bannocks Recipe

 

Ingredients:

         4 oz       beremeal

         8 oz       self-raising flour

         1 tsp      bicarbonate of soda

         1 tsp      cream of tartar

         1 tbsp    treacle

         200 ml  buttermilk (roughly)

 

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl and add the treacle. Once combined stir in the buttermilk until it just comes together then turn out on to a well floured surface and roll out. Try not to over work it.

 

Cut the dough into your desired shape then place on a hot griddle (dry frying pan) on a medium heat. Once they puff up and colour turn them over, the timings of this will depend on the heat of your hob.

 

Like my Gran I shaped the dough using my hands

(they look more authentic like this)

 

The wee corners are always a treat for the baker

Eat these with what ever topping you prefer, my two favourites are salt beef &English mustard or rhubarb jam & butter ... splendid!!

If you try these please let me know

what you think

xxx

51 Days of Summer: WEEK 1

I have set myself a challenge to take a picture each day of my holiday - to encourage me to do something exciting and help me remember what I've been up to.

Day 1

Listening to the Rolling Stones at Glastonbury while waiting for the boat North

Day 2

 

Making baileys panna cottas with strawberries

Day 3

 

First walk of the summer with the pack... This is Meg in motion

Day 4

 

Working on the Aztec quilt and its starting to take shape

Day 5

 

Molly decided she was more important and escaped from the boot

Day 6

 

Working my way through my Summer reading here is book #1

Day 7

 

Pimms, Wimbledon and the new Simple Things magazine ... Enough said :0)

May Weekend Shenanigans

After two back-to-back weekends of travelling I was so excited to stay in my Kirkwall and chill. So I invited some of the girls over for high tea and a catch-up.

This was a nice way to spend my Saturday, I may post a recipe for the vol-au-vents

in the future but I have plans to make them even tastier

I started my plan with vol-au-vents and mini eclairs but the more I thought about the eclairs the more I wanted to put my own spin on them. I love peanut butter and had a very tasty peanut butter moose at the Kirkwall Hotel the other week and I thought maybe I could use that idea but lighten it up with some fruit, well then I happened to catch the end of a Hairy Bikers programme where they made creme patisserie so I thought that would be the base to add my peanut butter to. Then when I was buying my ingredients I noticed some very nice strawberries and voila...

Peanut-Butter & Jelly Eclairs

Ingredients

Choux Pastry:
60g butter
130ml water
80g plain flour
3 large eggs

Creme Patisserie:
180 ml whole milk
35 g granulated sugar
35 g self raising flour
1/2 tsp salt
4 large egg yolks
2.5 tbsp peanut butter
40 ml double cream

Chocolate Topping:
80 g milk chocolate
80 g dark chocolate (70%)

Method

 

For the pastry melt the butter in the water until all of the butter has melted and the water is simmering. Add the flour to the wet mix and stir over the heat for approximately 1 minute.

Remove from the heat and beat in the eggs one at a time, this will go a little runny at first but keep stirring, it will come together.

Pipe onto a non-stick tray and place in the oven, turning it down to 195 degrees celsius for 25 minutes. Place on a cooling rack.

To make the creme patisserie mix the flour, sugar and salt then add the egg yolks and whisk till it is combined and pale in colour.

Then heat the milk until it starts to simmer, carefully/gradually pour the milk into the egg mixture, whisking the whole time. Return the mixture to the sauce pan and stir continuously.

Once it starts to thicken add the peanut butter and whisk until its the required thickness. Pour into a heat proof bowl and cover with cling film (make sure it touches the top) and allow to cool.

Once cool, whip the cream until soft peaks then fold in the creme patisserie.

Simple to make just strawberries & jam sugar but super tasty

When you are ready to make the eclairs melt the chocolate in a heat proof bowl over a pan of boiling water. Cut the eclairs and spread a layer of strawberry jam (I used homemade but you could use shop bought). Then a layer of the creme patisserie, closing the eclair and drizzling with the chocolate, place on a cooling rack. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge until required.

After words I went a walk with my friend heather and her loopy labradoodle Lucy,

yes she is clean off the ground

 

I didn't get much time between finishing the eclairs and the lasses coming over so only got one photo... I will bulk this up with more photos next time I make them.

Let me know if you try them xxx

Fairtrade Bake Off

The kids are raising awareness by baking with Fairtrade ingredients ... Here is my contribution!!

S'more Cookie Bars: Recipe by Chocolate Moosey

Made with Fairtrade chocolate, sugar and brown sugar xxx

Sugar Free Bread & Butter Pudding

 

As I previously mentioned, I'm trying to icut down on processed sugar but had some buns that needed using up and have been thinking about bread and butter pudding since I realised I'd have left overs so I decided to use argave syrup to sweeten it. In the future I may put sultanas or autumnal fruit in it but my flatmate isn't a fan.

 

Recipe:

Ingredients:
5 small buns
20 g butter
300 ml soya milk
50 g argave syrup
1 egg
1/2 tsp cinnamon (more to sprinkle on top)

Method: Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius

1. Cut the bread and spread with a light layer of butter and place in the tray, overlapping the slices.

2. Warm the milk with the syrup and cinnamon over a low-medium heat until they are combined. Pour this over the egg and whisk until mixed.

3. Pour over the bread and leave for 10 minutes to soak up the custard. Transfer to the oven and bake for 40 minutes until it is golden on top and your kitchen smells amazing.

...hope you enjoy it!

Wholemeal Bread Rolls

I am currently trying to do two things at the moment 1) use up more of the stuff in my pantry and 2) eat less processed sweet food.

So when I came home last night I wasn't wanting to go to the shop and wanted to be relatively healthy so I made these to have with scrambled eggs... Once they were ready I was really chuffed considering how I had thrown them together so I thought I might share it.

Recipe...

Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees Celsius

Ingredients:
475g wholemeal flour
2.25 tsp yeast
320ml warm water
1 vitamin C tablet, crushed into a powder
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil

Mix the flour, vitamin C tablet, salt and oil together in a bowl.

Measure out the warm water and add the yeast, leaving it in a warm place to froth up.

Once you are happy with the wet mixture stir it into the flour mixture until it all comes together, then knead for 5 minutes. Place in a warm place for 1 hour 30 minutes until it has doubled in size.

Then knock back the dough and divide into 8 rolls shaping them into round balls. Place on your baking tin and allow to rise for another hour and a half.

Once risen brush with a little milk and scatter on seeds of your choice and put in a preheated oven for 20 minutes until thou can smell them in the kitchen and they sound hollow when you knock their bottoms.

..If you try this please let me know how you get on!

Monthly Macarons (January)

Heya, long time no blog. Sorry guys it feels like ages since I last blogged, no excuse just a busy time at work.

Macarons No. 1

So my new project for 2013 is my mission to master the Macaron. I have tried it twice before with varied success. The first ones I made were plain with a chocolate ganache, they looked and tasted good the only problem was that I did not make the almond meal fine enough (see above).

Then me an my sister tried wir hands at chocolate macarons, these also had a good consistency but when we put them in the oven they developed a load of air bubbles.

Macarons No. 2

 

If you haven't realised yet I am a bit of a perfectionist so I am really annoyed by my recent attempt, they tasted fab but they looked like I'd thrown them out wir second floor window. So I am now on a mission to perfect the macaron, I will try making them each month until I make the most 'awesomest' macarons ever. As I have tried these in Paris and LOVED them and want to take a little of that Parisian luxury to my flat in Orkney.

Macarons No. 3

Any advice would be greatly received xxx

Final Pottering of 2012

Well tomorrow is 2013 and I have high hopes for next year, I plan to blog regularly and to keep trying out new ideas and sharing more of my own recipes and crafts. I also hope that all my friends and love ones will be healthy and happy this year, as well as those of you who kindly read my blog.

Sweetcorn Chowder, made with the stock left over from 'Cherry Cola Ham' - wish der wis a little ham to put in it

 

In the Blain house hold we are having a different New Year celebration from usual as my sister, her boyfriend, my aunt and cousins won't be around for the usual shenanigans but I think those that are left can hold their own.

We are having a tasty but easy dinner which is mostly originated from the BBC Good Food website.

Slow-Braised Soy & Five Spice Beef (BBC Good Food)
I had this a few months ago and was surprised by how easy it was but most of all how tasty it was for the minimum amount of effort I put into it.

Lemon Self-Saucing Pudding (BBC Good Food)
This is a pudding I have always wanted to try after I had it The MET in New York last year, mine may not be as theirs though (see above).

 

Light Brioche Bread
I got this recipe from Pinterest, for us to eat on New Years Day morning, it is slightly healthier than your usual brioche and I thought it may be a better way to start 2013 than the calorie filled usual loaf (this one is just as tasty).

Breakfast & English Muffins

These muffins almost became an in progress moment when I sat down and forgot

what I was doing thankfully the 'caramalised' muffin smell got my attention

 

When I woke up on Saturday I knew I wanted something nice for breakfast and decided that I'd either make muffins for breakfast or eggs Benedict, thought both may be too much so early.

I made half the recipe as I realised 20 muffins

might be too much for the two of us

 

I founds this recipe from AllRecipes for English muffins and decided these would be lovely with butter, fruit and a coffee... And they were!

When I was doing my shopping list I thought I should get something nice to go with them this morning (Sunday) I thought eggs Benedict but after Duff telling me on 'Best Thing I Ever Made' told me the first time I made hollandaise it would be crap, I thought I'd wait for a weekend when I had plenty time and eggs.



So then I thought Rachel Khoo's Croque Madame Muffins but because I had already made the English Muffins I looked at baked egg recipes on Pinterest and I found this recipe.

The baked eggs were SO easy and tasty I may leave out the Parmesan next time

as I used prosciutto and it is salty enough

 

I think these would be perfect for Christmas morning.. What do you normally have for breakfast on Christmas Day?