The Autumn Leaves Of Red And Gold

Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all. 

~ Stanley Horowitz

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Yo-Ho-Ho... And A Bottle Of Rum

I think I've been watching way too many cookery programmes lately... first I was obsessed with Master Chef, then The Great British Bake-Off, and now I'm hooked on the Australian version of Master Chef. 

Or perhaps my still-almost-newly-fitted kitchen that comes complete with fully functioning split level ovens... as opposed to my old oven that had a broken door and three temperature settings - scorch, blacken and incinerate... has lulled me into a delusional state of thinking that I can actually cook, provided the recipe is not too taxing.

Either way, I have suddenly become rather interested in cooking and even more interested in baking... as you may have noticed from the content of my recent posts.

Do not be surprised to see strict-diet-weight-loss related posts shortly....

Just what every woman needs in the kitchen... a man who can cook!

So.... I decided last weekend I'd have a go at making our Christmas cake.

"What? In October?!!" I hear you cry....

Apparently, this is the perfect time to make that festive fare, leaving two months to "feed" the cake with the acoholic beverage of your choice....

And if there's one thing we have in abundance in this house, it's hard liquor.... not because we're alcoholics or anything like that (yeah!yeah! denial is the first sign!) but because we are always getting booze as gifts (our friends obviously do think we're partial to the odd tipple!). We're also rather fond of buying bottles of obscure liqueurs as "souvenirs" when we travel... bottles that get put in a cupboard and forgotten about long before the holiday laundry pile is depleted.

We could open a cocktail bar tomorrow, and have some very merry customers for a very long time.

The Christmas cake recipe I'd chosen suggests rum or brandy... and I knew I had a bottle of rum lurking in the back of the drinks cabinet, a bottle acquired in the Dominican Republic back in 2005. I think it was actually a freebie from the hotel room that we packed in our hand luggage at the last minute... you know, back in the olden days when it was still legal to fly with more than a fairy's thimble of liquids about your person?

Why is the rum always gone?

Whatever... the point is, we had a bottle of rum going spare and I was delighted to finally find a use for it, and free up some space in that groaning drinks cabinet. Approximately 5 hours later, with the Christmas cake successfully made (yes it does take a rather long time to bake!) I was feeling rather pleased with myself and decided to post something about it on the social network.... and it's not often that I do post anything because frankly, my life is just not that interesting (and yet I somehow manage to keep a blog running with the drivel of my daily life!) and more importantly, I don't feel the need to inform the wider world that I'm waiting for a bus... or describe in detail how my baby has been projectile vomiting over everyone. Mainly because I don't often take the bus... and I don't have babies.

Anyway, perhaps it was the shock of me actually posting something for a change that caused such a huge response... or maybe an otherwise slow day on FacePlantBook, but I sparked a massive debate about the fate of that bottle of rum. General consensus... there are better things to do with a bottle of rum than "waste it pouring it over a cake"!

Do you agree?

The Christmas Cake... and the bottle of rum that caused so much consternation

Anyone interested in the recipe for Christmas Cake? I'd be happy to post it....

Strawberries And Cream...

Nothing beats freshly baked scones, served with lashings of strawberry jam and decadent cream.

They are surprising easy to make, as I discovered this weekend....


Here's what you need for fruit scones:

225g/2 cups self raising flour

1/4 cup/50g dried fruit

55g/½ stick cold butter

1 level tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

150 ml/¼ pint milk

1 egg beaten with a little milk

Here's what you do....

Heat the oven to 400°F/205°C/Gas 6

Grease and flour a baking sheet.

Sieve the flour into a roomy baking bowl then add the butter, baking powder and salt. Quickly rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Make a well in the center and using a dinner knife, stir in enough milk to make a soft, pliable dough.

Turn the mixture on to a floured board and knead very lightly until just smooth then lightly roll out to 2cm / 3/4" thick.

Cut rounds with a 7.5cm/3" cutter or cut into triangles with a sharp knife.

Place on the baking tray and brush with the beaten egg and milk mixture. Bake near the top of the hot oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown and well risen.

Cool on a wire rack before eating.

Serve with butter, or lashings of jam and cream.

In Devon, scones are eaten with the jam on top of the cream, 

in Cornwall the cream goes on top of the jam

Cheese Scones

Add 1/2 cup /50g grated cheese and 1/2 tsp dry mustard powder to the mixture after rubbing in the fat and flour and continue with the basic recipe. Sprinkle the scones with 1/2 cup/50g more grated cheese before baking the scones in the oven.

A Picture Says 1000 Words...

.... but sometimes, just three are enough.


Photograph: Sanfrancisco Sentinel

Paris: Je Reviens

Paris is a city filled with statues and sculptures....

No... unfortunately, I haven't been back to Paris - just sorting through a few more of my photos from last month's trip!

Easy As Pie....

I have a very sweet tooth... and having equally sweet-toothed friends over for lunch is a great excuse to make that great British classic for dessert, banoffee pie!

Here's what you need...

300 g oaty biscuits*
60 g butter, melted
397 g tin Nestle Carnation Caramel**
3 large bananas
350 ml double thick cream
1 tbsp icing sugar
chocolate (to decorate)

* Suggest McVities Hob Nobs in the UK (USA/Canadian equivalent would be graham crackers, I believe McVities biscuits are available in Australia, and in South Africa, "Tennis" biscuits would be good)
** Dulce de Leche



Here's what you do....

Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4.

Crush the biscuits, then add the melted butter and combine. 

Press the mixture into a 24 cm tart tin, with a removable base, in an even layer. Transfer the tin to a baking sheet and cook for 10-12 minutes, until lightly toasted and set. 

Leave to cool then gently release from the tin and put on a serving plate.

Spread the caramel over the biscuit base and chill in the fridge for 1 hour. 

Arrange the banana slices over the toffee. 

Whip the cream and sugar together to form soft peaks and spread over the bananas.

Decorate with grated chocolate.

And enjoy......

Nothing Beats An Old Classic...

One of my favourite photographs of all time is Charles C Ebbets' "Lunch atop a Skyscraper"... taken in New York, on the 69th floor of the RCA Building as it neared completion in 1932. The famous photo shows 11 construction workers precariously perched on a steel beam 800 ft (240 m) above the ground.

Some people reckon the photograph is a fake....but I'd like to think not. I admire the photo so much, that I have a large canvas print version of it hanging up in my beautiful new kitchen.

Recently, Ebbets' iconic photo was recreated by Michael Crompton....but in 2011, the 11 construction engineers in central London swapped vests for high-visibility jackets and safety harnesses as they ate out on a girder over the construction site of the 46-floor Heron Tower (230 m) in temperatures of almost minus 9 degrees C.

Interesting.... but nothing beats Ebbets' original!

........

In other photographic news, I could not resist sharing this shot of a rather well-endowed...er....squirrel!

Warning!!! This photograph contains full-frontal squirrel nudity which some viewers may find alarming!

Squirrel exposed!

All eyes should have been on the delicious array of cakes and pastries prepared by the finalists of the Great British Bake Off. But the baked goods had to play second fiddle to a squirrel.....the subject of a lingering camera shot in the grounds of the mansion where the BBC2 show was filmed.

And viewers could not help noticing its unmistakably masculine appearance. Clips were posted on YouTube, while hundreds took to social networks and TV forums to discuss it.... everyone was going nuts for the risqué rodent!

Happy weekend everyone!

One For All The Blackberry Sufferers Out There...

Lucky for me, I'm not a Blackberry fan... but is seems some people have been having more than their share of angst with their phones this week.

This sketch first appeared on a Christmas TV special on British screens last year, but it is rather apt for the current situation....

Additional useless information:
Ronnie Corbett is the surviving member of the comedy duo The Two Ronnies.
Harry Enfield is famous for his sketch shows, like Saturday Live.

I'm the Party Pooper...Again

Darn!


Despite all my OCD attempts to stave off the disease-spreading microbes that go rampaging this time of the year...like washing my hands 200 times a day, overdosing on Vitamin C and avoiding anyone who has even the faintest hint of a sniffle...it appears some ballsy little bugs have made it through the antiseptic barrier, and taken up residence in the back of my throat.

They’re currently throwing a Block Party in my sinuses (as in “block-them-up”) and have tapped into my cranial nerves to power their stereo beat box, which is cranked at full volume inside my head....or at least that’s what it feels like!

In retaliation, I’m going for the Vaporise Plan of Action: exterminate the little pests with a constant onslaught of hot lemon and honey infusions, coupled with regular bouts of steam inhalation.

The Terminator found here

 
With a bit of luck, they won’t be back....
 
 
This is a re-post of a sad tale that first appeared way back in November 2009 - I'm reposting it as (a) I'm a big fan of recycling (b) hardly anyone read my blog in those days and (c) I'm too busy feeling sorry for myself to come up with anything new and original today!

This Weekend, I...

...reaffirmed my complete and utter hatred of crowded shopping malls! I've made a good start on my Christmas shopping, but the rest will have to be done online as I'm not going anywhere near the big shops until February 2012 at the earliest.

...indulged in a gorgeous strawberry gateau - shopping malls do have some compensations!

...was disappointed to watch both my teams (England and South Africa) crash out of the Rugby Union World Cup.

...disposed of some unwanted items at our local bulk recycling centre, and was reminded just how much we throw away as a society.

....discovered that my hubby has been popping my rather feminine 'evening primrose oil' capsules, mistaking them for his sports joint care ones!

....realised that autumn is very much upon us.

Photos taken with my phone camera 

So, what did you do this weekend?