A taste of home.

I live in the UK but I originally come from South Africa. Every now and again I dig out the recipe book and indulge myself in a few recipes from home. So last week after a " when will you make some more rusks again? " plea from my family I got baking.

Buttermilk Rusks ( South-African recipe )

Rusks are a national institution in South Africa, especially Ouma’s rusks. Dry and dense, they were designed to last a long time for pioneers travelling in the wilderness. They can be eaten as they are or dunked in tea or coffee for that early morning snack or mid-morning break.

Ingredients: ( Makes about 15-18 rusks )

500g self raising flour
1 egg
100ml sugar
95g butter, melted
250ml buttermilk
½ tsp ( 2.5ml) baking powder
1 tsp (5ml) salt

1. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl.
2. Beat the egg, sugar and buttermilk together.
3. Cut the wet mixture into the dry ingredients with a knife.
4. Knead the dough lightly, gradually adding the melted butter while kneading. This will take about 7 minutes.
5. Roll dough into balls about the size of a golf ball and pack the balls next to eachother into a loaf tin. The balls should reach about ⅔ of the height of the tin.
6. Bake at 180 degrees C ( 350 degrees F) for about 45 minutes.
7. Turn out onto a cooling rack and when cool enough to handle break into individual rusks.
8. Lower the heat of the oven to 100 degrees C ( 200 degrees F ) or less and dry the rusks in the oven. Turning them every 30 minutes.

(Recipe can be doubled etc. )

 Just out the oven see how they are packed in.

 The finished product. They keep for a few weeks in an air-tight container (if the family doesn't eat them all first).

Welcome to 2012...

Hello, welcome back and happy new year. Its been a very busy last few weeks but I have managed to find a few moments to put a few words down. I had a visit this morning to our wet soggy garden and my visitor a wonderful green woodpecker also known as the Green Yaffle Bird.

Yaffle is the 'Olde English' word for the Green Woodpecker or Picus Viridus. The Green Yaffle is an ancient symbol of prosperity and knowledge. Stretching back to the first cities of ancient Babylon, the bird has appeared as a Divine messenger, giving knowledge to humans, often of the future, and being associated with the blessings of good fortune from the heavens. From the oldest of Greek myths to the widespread folk tales from across Europe, these same themes appear again and again. The bird is also associated with being able to unlock all locks and open all doors. Further investigations into the symbolic meanings of a woodpecker also suggest it may be a sign to :

Fly back to our roots.
Nurture our ideas in the womb of our core passions.
Use our heads (intellect) to think up innovative solutions to overcome barriers.
Communicate our ideas in more creative or non-traditional ways.
Stop and consider the opportunities available to us at this time.
Look at projects in unique creative ways to bring new life to a project.
Listen more clearly to subtle energies, there is a message that only our intuition can interpret.

So I'm taking this little visit from my feathered friend as an omen or a good prosperous year, full of creativity, prosperity and blessings.

Wishing you all a very happy, healthy and prosperous 2012....let the fun begin.

Merry Christmas

Its been a while since I last wrote but things have become quite chaotic here. Its 2 days till the family arrives from South Africa and the todo list seems never ending. Just to let you all know I havent forgotten about you here are some festive photos ....

Wishing you all a very merry christmas and a fantastic new year.

3, 2, 1... Blast Off

Its been a very busy few weeks, my little boy has turned 7 and its been birthday mayhem for a week.
To add to the chaos the oven temperature dial decided to break just in time for my attempts at making a space rocket birthday cake for his party, nevertheless with stress levels rising and much checking on the cake we managed to pull it off and were quite proud of our end result. ( Thanks to my wonderful husband for doing the icing ).

Now its all over I have some time to gather myself together and start preparing for the next celebration... Christmas and our long anticipated visit from my sister and her family whom I haven't seen in a year and the children haven't seen in over 2 years  - the excitement is building. This is where I am in my element planning and organising and then finally putting it all together.

So we started on our Biberlie - a Swiss Christmas cookie, which you bake at least 4 weeks ahead to give the flavours time to mingle and mellow and also for the cookie to soften. Its has a filling of ground almonds, apricot jam and honey and the dough has Christmas spices in it so my house smells like Christmas.
Here's what they look like at the moment -

Recipe : Swiss Biberlie ( Christmas Cookies )

Dough:
340g honey
134g cup sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
2 tablespoons brandy, rum, or kirsch
512g unsifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground anise
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

Filling:

 300g blanched almonds

200g sugar

 1/2 cup apricot jam

 1/3 cup honey

 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel

 3 tablespoons lemon juice

 1-1/2 teaspoons almond extract

How to make Swiss Biberli

Make the Dough: 

In small saucepan , combine the honey, sugar, and 2 tablespoons water.
Heat, stirring, just until sugar dissolves—do not boil.
Let cool until lukewarm—about 20 minutes.
Stir in lemon peel and the brandy.
Into large bowl, sift flour with baking soda, anise, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and coriander.
Add honey mixture; mix with wooden spoon to a stiff dough; then knead until smooth.
Shape into a ball.
Refrigerate, covered, 2 days.
Make Filling: Grind almonds, using fine blade of grinder, or use electric blender.
In medium bowl, combine almonds, sugar, the jam, honey, lemon peel, juice, extract; mix until blended.
Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350F.
Lightly grease cookie sheets.
Divide dough in half; return half to refrigerator.
On lightly floured surface, roll out dough, 1/4 inch thick, into a 10-inch square.
Cut crosswise, to make 4 strips.
Place 5 to 6 tablespoons filling in a 1/2-inch-wide mound down center of each strip of dough.
Bring edges of dough over filling, to overlap; press gently, to seal.
Place rolls seam side down.
Repeat with remaining dough and filling.
Cut filled rolls into 1-inch pieces, using sharp floured or moistened knife.
Place seam side down on prepared cookie sheets.
Bake 20 minutes, or until light brown.
Cool completely.
Pack in airtight containers, to mellow for several weeks.

Enjoy !!

       *****************

I am also busy working on my christmas menu and this is what I have so far:-

Christmas Eve -
Buffet of cold meats and cheeses with pickles and chutneys ( homemade of course ) .
Homemade bread
Chocolate dipped strawberries and figs
And the childrens contribution - a decorated gingerbread house.

Christmas Morning -
Cinnamon pancakes

Christmas Lunch - 
Starters:
Spinach, strawberry and mango salad
Smoked salmon toasts

Mains:
Roast Chicken
Roast Pheasant - stuffed
Roast Guineafowl
Potatoes
Vegetables
Cranberry sauce
gravy

Dessert:
Ice-cream santas grotto cake ( shop bought I confess )
A french fruit tart ( hoping it will look something like this -  it will depend on what fruit I get.)

Mince pies and Brandy cream. ( of course )


So far its all falling into place , but no doubt there will be some variations and changes as the big day draws nearer. I'll post some pictures of all the exciting things we've made.

Hello Kitty, Halloween and Half-term.

Yes its been a rather busy week in our household. The children are at home on half-term so chaos has returned. We've had builders in and out of the house all week fixing up our cloakroom and now I have a few moments peace to catch up with my latest news and also catch my breath.

Only a few bits and bobs this time. The first been a rather failed attempt at some Springerle biscuits ( German biscuits with an embossed design ). I say failed but I think its more a case of "not quite tehe end product I was intending" - they still tasted ok , a little on the hard side but nothing a  cup of tea couldnt sort out and besides the children actually liked them.

We did do some other baking to keep the children amused - Autumn Owls we called them.

I did also manage to complete a knitting project I was busy with - a Hello Kitty doll. I do declare my needlework skills need a bit of work still but practice makes perfect. Guess I still have a lot of practicing to do. ( Aimee loves it though ).

Finally a Happy Halloween to you all. - We have got our pumpkin ready for carving so more pictures to follow soon. But here's a real Bonfire Night treat - Toffee/Candy apples.

Simple Pleasures.

Take time to enjoy the simple pleasures that surround you. It will make a big difference to your day. I decided to make some butternut soup today. The weather is getting colder and there is nothing nicer than a big bowl of smooth velvety warm soup to really give you a great big hug.

Homemade Butternut Soup. ( my recipe )

1 butternut peeled and cut into chunks.

1 onion peeled and sliced

1 potato, peeled and cubed

1 clove of garlic crushed

About a litre of chicken stock.

A pinch of chilli powder

Salt and Pepper to taste.

Lightly fry the onion and garlic in a little oil until soft. 

Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 30 - 45 minutes until the butternut is soft. 

Blend until smooth . 

Season to taste and enjoy. 

You can add some double cream or creme fraiche if you wish.

This is one of my simple pleasures I enjoy. A few other which might inspire you are :-

• Putting one clothes straight from the dryer  - warm and snuggly.
• Slipping into bed and enjoying the feel and smell of fresh, crisp bed sheets.
• Making someone smile.
• Lying snuggled in bed listening to the rain on the window.
• The smell of freshly brewed coffee.
• Chocolate cake.
• A Family Cuddle.

Having a busy time at the moment - christmas gift plans are in full swing. Will put some more details up when I have goods to show. There is also Halloween around the corner too - so I might try ghoulish treats or two. Bonfire night and birthdays and I was worried I wouldn't have anything to do when the children were at school.

Autumn is in the air

Autumn is here or so the garden tells me. Our pumpkins have been harvested and are proving in the sun. I feel rather proud of our artistic display of pumpkins and squashes this year. Its amazing what our lovely garden can produce.

Whilst on the topic of garden produce. We made a delicious Pear, Hazelnut and Chocolate cake with the last few pears. It was rather moreish. and very easy to make. We had it warm with ice-cream and custard and also cold too.

Pear, hazelnut and chocolate cake
(www.bbcgoodfood.com)

Ingredients
100g blanched hazelnuts
140g self-raising flour
175g butter , cut into small pieces
140g golden caster sugar
2 large eggs , beaten
5 small, ripe pears
50g dark chocolate , chopped into small chunks
2 tbsp apricot jam

Preheat the oven to fan 140C/ conventional 160C/gas 3. 

Butter and line the base of a 20cm round cake tin. 

Grind the hazelnuts in a food processor until fairly fine. 

Add the flour and mix briefly. Add the butter and pulse until it forms crumbs. Add the sugar and eggs and mix briefly. 

Peel, core and chop two of the pears. Stir the pears and chocolate lightly into the cake mixture.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the top. Peel, core and slice the remaining pears and scatter over the top of the cake. Press down lightly and bake for 50-60 minutes, until firm to the touch. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out and cool on wire rack. Warm the jam and brush over the top. Serve warm or cold.

The weather then decided to confuse us all with a heatwave in October. The temperatures reached 29.9 degrees celsius and broke the records for the highest temperature recorded. Normally here in the UK we would be digging out the winter coats etc but no we had a last chance to get in a barbeque and don our shorts and t-shirts. As it was so hot I got a chance to test out a recipe I've been dying to try.

Lychee ice-cream:

Ingredients:

500ml natural yogurt

150ml single cream

75g caster sugar

425g can lychees 

Blend all together with 200ml of juice from lychee can.

Freeze for 1 hour

Whizz in a food processor til smooth

Freeze for 2 hours

Process again in food processor

Freeze until firm.

And finally for this weeks news I made a start on the childrens Christmas Elf hats. Here is a picture of what they look like - just need to add some bells ! ( only 2 more to go ).

Finding my feet

Its been a very busy and strange past two weeks. My youngest child started school. At first I was wondering what I would do with myself for those long lonely hours while the kids are at school, but actually I've been rather busy and I'm enjoying a bit of 'me' time which has been a luxury I haven't enjoyed in quite a while. I've still been busy cooking and creating but my new projects are taking some time.

I have managed to complete a knitting project. I knitted a shrug for Aimee which she thinks is so soft and cuddly and I was glad to see the end of as the wool was rather bobbly and well I am a beginner when it comes to crafts.
Here's a picture of the finished article:-

 

I also tried out a new chutney which is rather delicious even if I say so myself;-

Pear, Apricot and Ginger Chutney ( really easy to make too although I did use half the amounts ).

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients
425g ripe tomatoes , peeled, deseeded and chopped
425g caster sugar
140g cooking apples , peeled, cored and chopped
140g onions , finely chopped
140g dried apricots , chopped
3 tbsp chopped fresh root ginger
2 tsp salt
450ml white wine vinegar
1¼ kg pears , peeled, cored and cut into bite-size pieces

Combine all the ingredients, except the pears, in a large, thick-bottomed saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer uncovered over a very low heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Continue to cook for about 1 hr, giving it a stir every 10 mins, until the mixture is syrupy. Add the chopped pears and cook for another 30 mins, stirring occasionally. Leave to cool completely, then store in sterilised, clean jars.  ( courtesy of www.bbcgoodfood.com )

Well its about 3 months to christmas now and we're very excited that my family from South Africa are coming to visit so I've got lots of planning and loads of recipes to try out before they get here. Will keep you posted as to how I'm getting on.

A Bowl of Sunshine

With Autumn fast approaching it gives me such pleasure to receive little gifts of summer from my garden. My cucumbers are finally fruiting and the tomatoes are a mass of red juicy gems. So far I have managed to pick about 2 and a half kilograms of tomatoes and they keep on coming.

I used some of them to make some wonderful tomato soup and a tomato and chorizo salsa to have with mackerel fishcakes ( see picture below), but I'm a purist at heart and nothing beats eating them just as they are.

I've also been blessed with some beautiful roses, which seem to be flowering for the first time in years. The scent reminds me of my grandmother's garden. As a child it was a wonderful world to escape in full of colours and scents. I miss her so, she was such an inspiration to me and taught me a lot of what I know today. 

Finally all my make and create has not been forgotten, this time I decided the dining chairs needed new covers, not my neatest work but for a first attempt it wasnt too bad.

before:

after:

Its the last day of the summer holidays and the weather is telling us summer is over. The rain and winds have arrived. So admist all the school checklists and name labelling, I'm taking a 5 minute break to update this blog with few of our latest achievements and have a quick cup of tea.

Shooting stars:-
To celebrate the goals the children have achieved over the holidays ( which involved Corbin age 6 reading the first 3 Harry Potter books all on his own and fussy eater Aimee age 4 finally discovering that food is actually quite exciting and trying numerous new things ) and use up the remains of the felt and ribbons in my sewing kit, we made shooting stars. Here's what they look like:-

'Zebra' shortbread biscuits :-

Thought I'd get adventurous and challenge myself with trying to make some shortbread. But not just any shortbread I mixed chocolate shortbread with vanilla shortbread and created some rather stripey biscuits hence the 'zebra' name. They taste delicious and I'm quite proud of my efforts as baking is not one of my stronger talents.

Back to the school routine tomorrow but I will try to keep the blog going.