11.11.11

So.... I had planned on posting something witty and intellectual on the numerical significance of today.

It's not going to happen.

The only numbers I'm thinking of right now are how many years I'm likely to get if I were to hop on a plane, zip across the Atlantic, barge into the office of Most-Annoying-And-Demanding Client.... and throttle the life out of her.



Happy weekend everyone and catch up with you next week....

Lest We Forget....

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

~

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

~

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

Major John McCrae, 1915



Picnic Days Are Over....

It's the time of the year for comfort food - stews, casseroles, soups and roast chicken... and nothing goes better with roast chicken than roast potatoes! After years of experimenting with soggy, sodden potatoes, I think I may just have cracked the secret of making the perfect roast potato....

It helps to now have a working oven, as that is really the crux of the matter... a really, really hot oven.

So preheat your oven to 230C/220C with fan (450F, Gas Mark 8).

Select your potatoes... I recommend Maris Pipers or King Edwards.... peel them and chop into pieces.

Place the chopped potatoes into a pot, cover with salted water and just bring to the boil. We're told to par boil potatoes before roasting but I think I used to completely overdo this stage.

Drain immediately and allow to cool...

Place the potatoes in a roasting tray and coat with oil...  I recommend vegetable oil, such as sunflower oil rather than olive oil (I tend to cook everything in olive oil but here I make the exception).

Place in the hot oven and roast for approximately 45 minutes or until golden brown, tossing the potatoes in the oil every 15 minutes.

Drain with a slotted spoon and serve.

The 'Tache Chronicles...

It's Day 7 of the Movember Challenge.... and hubby is well on his way to achieving a White Goodman (Ben Stiller) of 'Dodgeball' fame.....

"Yeh, that's me taking the bull by the horns, it's how I like to run my business. It's a metaphor. But that actually happened though."

Day 7

.....

In other news, is it just me... or is it somewhat ironic that Johnny Depp aka Captain Jack Sparrow ("Why is the rum always gone?") is currently starring in a film called "The Rum Diary"? 

By the way, for anyone interested, the Christmas cake got its first top-up of rum this past weekend.... no one strike a match!

Electric Dreams

Last night was Bonfire Night (Guy Fawkes') in the UK.

Have you ever tried to photograph fireworks? Not the easiest task in the world, and one that needs a slow shutter and steady hand, preferably a tripod!

This is what happens when you add camera shake into the mix.... weird electric worms and ribbons of light...

The A To Z Of Nat

A – Arachnophobic... oh yes, the incy wincy spiders do scare me just a teeny weenie bit!

B - Baking... At the moment I am a tad obsessed (just in case you hadn’t noticed).

C - Camera. One of my prized possessions, I love photography... wish I could make a living out of it someday.

D – Daydreaming.... some days I do far too much of it, when I should be doing serious stuff like work.

E – Ego... big ones just don’t cut it with me.

F – Feet. I have two left ones, meaning I’m hopeless at dancing (and stumble through Aikido).

G – Guava... one of my favourite tropical fruits and apparently very good for you, packed with vitamin C and lycopene. I drink a glass every morning.

Guavas juiced here

H – Height: 5'6"

I – ipod. My necessary accessory on my daily walks.

J – January.... month I was born and possibly the crappiest time of the year in the Northern hemisphere

K – Kyu, as in Aikido grading... last weekend I passed my 5th kyu (second grading) yay!

L – Live in the present. I’m trying to make this my mantra this year, for the past is gone and the future is uncertain....

M – Medium... the only way I like my steak.

N – Nat – that’s me... named after a famous Hollywood actress.

Natalie Wood (1938-1981)



O - Oats. My staple breakfast... hopefully keeping my cholesterol in check.

P – Pharmacologist... that’s what I am! It’s all about the drugs...

Q – Queues... I hate them! What a waste of time, waiting in line for things. Traffic queues are my worst nightmare.

R – Right-handed, except I pour with my left and hold the phone to my left ear.

S – Spring.... my favourite season since I moved to the UK.... crisp sunshine and blue skies, tulips, daffodils, cherry blossoms, newborn lambs....

T - Tea. My beverage of choice... strongly brewed and milky but no sugar.

Cuppa tea from here

U – Unassuming... how I was described by my teachers at school. Boy, have I changed!

V – Vegetables I hate.... Brussels sprouts, peas and cabbage...yeeuuuckkk!

W – Wisdom teeth... I have a lot more than I should. Perhaps that’s why I am so wise....

X – X-rays... I’ve had a lot taken of my mouth as dentists are fascinated by my excessive teeth.

Y – Yoghurt... love the stuff, especially creamy, Greek yoghurt with honey.

Z – Zimbabwe.... country of my birth, and sadly somewhere I won’t be visiting while there’s a despot in charge.

Zimbabwean sunset photo from here

So, what's your A-Z?

Boozy 'n Easy Christmas Cake Recipe

Especially for FarmGirl, here is the recipe for my now infamous Christmas cake....

It really is easy, even for a novice like me!

Nigella would approve.....

Time
45 minutes preparation time
3 to 3½ hours cooking time

Ingredients	Imperial	Metric
Butter or margarine at room temperature (1 hour or so out of the fridge)	8 oz	230 g
5 medium eggs	-	-
Mixed Fruit (e.g. currants, raisins, sultanas, peel)	1½ lb	680 g
Glace cherries - roughly chopped	2 oz	60 g
Mixed spice	½ teaspoon	½ teaspoon
Ground almonds	2 oz	60 g
Demerara sugar	8 oz	230 g
Almonds - roughly chopped	2 oz	60 g
Self-raising flour	12 oz	340 g
Brandy or rum	4 fl oz	110 ml
Milk - if needed to adjust consistency of mixture	2 fl oz	55 ml

Note! You will need more brandy to add to the cake as it matures. 

Allow for another 4 fl oz / 110 ml.

Cooking utensils

1 cake tin - 20 to 25 cm (8 to 10 inch) diameter
A large mixing bowl

Greaseproof paper

Oven temperature
170°C, 325°F, Gas Mark 3 (reduce temperature for fan-assisted oven)


Method
Ideally, first soak the dried fruit in the brandy/rum overnight....

Grease the inside of the cake tin with butter, margarine or oil. Cover the inside of the cake tin with greaseproof paper....

Cream the sugar and butter, then slowly add the eggs.....

Turn the oven on now so that it is pre-heated to the right temperature.

Add the flour, ground almonds and mixed spice and gently mix them in. The object here is to mix all the ingredients well but not to 'knock' the air out of the mixture. Do this by using a spatula and gently stir in a figure of 8. It will take about 30 seconds to mix up all the ingredients....

Add the soaked mixed fruit, glace cherries and chopped almonds. 

Gently mix the ingredients together using a spatula as described previously. The consistency of the mix should be such that the mixture will drop off a spoon with some reluctance. If the mixture is too thick, add some of the milk and mix gently again.

Gently spoon the mixture into the cake tin lined with greaseproof paper. Level out the mixture using the spatula.

Make a small well in the centre of the mixture. This will prevent the cake from rising too excessively in the centre when it is baking.

My mom's tip: Stand the cake tin on a layer of salt on a baking tray to prevent burning!

Bake for 3 to 3½ hours (pre-heated oven 170°C, 325°F, Gas Mark 3), 20 minutes less for fan assisted ovens. Turn the cake round in the oven once or twice during baking to ensure that it evenly cooks. When the cake is cooked, the top will probably be slightly cracked. Check if the Christmas Cake is cooked properly by inserting a skewer or thin knife into the cake. If it's reasonably clean when you take it out, the cake is cooked. If there are bits stuck to the skewer / knife it needs cooking a bit more. Note! Ovens differ in how fast they cook so check your cake after 2½ hours and then every 20 minutes to see if it is cooked. Let the cake cool for a couple of hours then prepare it for storage. Cover with greaseproof paper then either wrap it in foil or store it in an airtight container. Ideally, the cake should be matured for a month or more before icing it. If storing the cake for more than two weeks, add a small amount of brandy to the cake every two weeks. The best way to add brandy is to turn the cake upside down, prick it with a fork in several places then sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of brandy over the base of the cake. Rewrap the cake as before, base downwards. Recipe was given to me by my good friend who is an expert cook....  Original can be found here