Peach, raspberry and almond muffins

This morning, I have been baking muffins and listening to cheers from the Olympic Stadium

My variation on a BBC Good Food recipe...

3 large eggs
100g caster sugar
Almond essence
25g melted butter
100g self-raising flour
25g ground almonds
1/2 tin of sliced peaches, cut up small
1/2 packet of frozen raspberries, defrosted
Flaked almonds

Put the oven on at 220c.
Whisk eggs, sugar and almond essence.
Add butter and mix well.
Fold in flour and ground almonds.
Line cupcake tin with paper cases.
Half fill the cupcake cases with mix.
Add raspberries and peaches.
Cover with remaining mix, top with flaked almonds.
Bake for 20mins.

Adapted from http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/3094/peach-and-almond-muffins to suit my greediness!

My First Christmas Cake

One fruity and boozy Christmas cake, baked, fed, marzipan-ed, iced and be-ribboned by my own fair hand.

Oh alright, I cheated with a Delia pre-weighed mix... And on the icing... But hey. I made this.

Experiments in weekday baking

Hurrah for the divine Nigel Slater: this soda bread recipe is a beauty, and quick enough for after-work baking. He has you cook it in a casserole dish with a lid, which sounds weird, but makes for a light, crisp crust. 

Mmmm.

[http://thisbutterflymind.blogspot.com]

Must be nearly Christmas ...

 This weekend’s baking, courtesy of the lovely Kirstie and Phil’s Perfect Christmas show…

Gingerbread

6 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup shortening, melted and cooled slightly
1 cup molasses
1/2 cup water
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Sift the dry ingredients together
Mix the wet ingredients, and gradually add dry.
Chill dough for 3 hours.
Roll out and cut with cookie cutters.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes at 350F /175C / gas mark four

Very yummy, although I think I’ll up the ginger content next time to make them super-spicy!

A weekend of making

It's been a hectic old summer, especially workwise, but this weekend I finally made some time for making.

I finished The Boy's bobble hat,

knocked up a very stylish (if I say so myself) knitting bag from an old skirt to prevent the cat from running around the house with my half-finished knitting in her mouth,

and baked this fantastic pistachio cake with cream cheese frosting, mmmmm:

Having swapped a creative marketing job for a responsible middle management job about two years ago, I really find these weekend things very satisfying.  I think it helps me bridge the gap between the "work me" and the "real me", which feel pretty separate these days. Now, to find a way to bring those two closer together ...

Best cookie of 1935-1940

I am baking this morning - one of my favourite activities, with eating the fruits of my labours coming close second - as I have real yen for soft, fluffy oatmeal cookies.

The recipe is an inherited one, of course: taken from a battered paperback cookbook of my mother's, 'Betty Crocker's Best Cookies', or some such. Garish photography and liberal use of synthetic food dye in the 'serving suggestion' sample goodies indicate it was likely an American title imported into Jamaica in the mid-seventies.

The loveliest thing is that the recipies are a whirlwind historical tour of twentieth century Western civilisation. The oatmeal cookie recipe is called "Best cookie of 1935-1940".

This was a childhood staple and the recipe book is heavily annotated by Mum - substituting wholewheat flour for white, brown sugar for white, etc., so probably during the brown rice - carob syrup - soya milk years!

Today, I made a walnut and milk chocolate version following Mum's alterations:
(Warning, all measurements are in US cups.)

• 2/3 cup margarine or softened butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essense
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup self-raising flour
• 1/2 cup wholewheat flour
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

1. Pre-heat oven to gas mark 4 or 180c
2. Cream fat, sugar, egg, vanilla
3. Sift flour, stir dry ingredients together
4. Mix well with batter
5. Shape cookies 2in apart on baking trays
6. Bake for 8-10mins

Enjoy!

Glorious domestic goddessness

Engaging in an enjoyable burst of domestic goddessness this morning, complete with Cath Kidson-lite apron.

A batch of lemon cupcakes nestles in the oven, alluringly filling the house with a homely, wholesome air. Recipe taken from Rachel Allen's beautiful book, "Bake".

For an hour or so there, I was beautifully absorbed in creative flow, caught in the moment and complete outside of my head. Very rare experience for me!

All this prompted by a visualisation exercise suggested by a lifecoach I am currently seeing: take your average week and the activities you do, and represent them proportionally to fill a 24 hour clock.

I spend 17 hours of my "day" at work or asleep and 3 minutes on creative activities that I feel passionate about! Oh dear!

In a similar vein, a common theme has emerged from this year's birthday presents, jotters and notebooks and journals. Clearly, my friends are ushering me back into writing! I plan to take the hint.

Also inspired by ByBlanca's art journalling project, so I think increased creativity is on the cards! Hurrah!