tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67115707020095298242011-08-21T14:21:41.261+02:00I've been contemplating setting up a baking blog to display my baked goods and their corresponding recipes, and hopefully inspire other people to get baking. So here it is! As I also spend a lot of my time pondering what to eat, I was going to try keeping track of all my cooking, but I'm often so hungry that I often forget to take photos...back to the baking!Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15975372205276390557noreply@blogger.comBlogger221100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6711570702009529824.post-21610226922667738442009-02-25T01:33:00.009+01:002009-02-25T12:45:32.997+01:00

Well now doesn't that look tasty! And the best thing about it is how satisfyingly easy it is to concoct. Not strictly speaking baking, but it falls in the dessert category for sure.Serves 4 greedy people or 6-7 people that've just had a rather large meal (and aren't greedy).Ingredients:500ml double cream1 lemon1 lime75g icing sugarhandful of gingernut biscuitsMethod1. Pour the cream into a deep

Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15975372205276390557noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6711570702009529824.post-24142619571786857892009-02-03T23:13:00.007+01:002009-02-08T13:50:04.657+01:00

Katie's made stunning Rocky Road (recipe here) - it looks so awesomely yum that I wanted to post the pic here - more encouragement for you! She managed to take pictures before eating it - that in itself guarantees extra brownie points...or extra rocky road points?I'll check on exact nature of rocks and get back to you, but in the meantime let's make your mouth water...Update: rocks were maltesers

Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15975372205276390557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6711570702009529824.post-82587502547654232712009-02-03T02:22:00.011+01:002009-02-08T13:50:20.816+01:00

This one is a quick one, and a bit of a cheat (but not really). My lovely manager at my last job got me a Gingerbread Man making kit for my 'secret' Santa, and making Gingerbread Men suddenly seemed a congruous indoor activity to the outdoor making of snowmen. Does that sentence make any sense?? The snow's gone to my head via my ears.So anyhoo, here are my little lot. I wish I'd had some

Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15975372205276390557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6711570702009529824.post-30353153044549718902009-01-30T01:21:00.009+01:002009-02-08T13:50:43.575+01:00

So I haven't made these for a long while, but I did promise the recipe after showing profiteroles having a love-in in the oven!One reason I haven't made them is that they're very much a birthday or other celebratory item - heaps of cream and piles of chocolate sauce mean it's almost the only time people will throw guilt to the wind and stuff their face with melty, forgiving profiteroles. In fact

Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15975372205276390557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6711570702009529824.post-33560317040255655772009-01-14T23:30:00.010+01:002009-02-08T13:51:07.438+01:00

Well at least, that's how it started out, until it'd been cut into manageable chunks, piled up high, then steadily devoured. Shame to chunk it up, being as it's meant to be a rocky ROAD, but I think about an inch square is enough to enjoy without feeling guilty - so guilt-free that you could have several small chunks.I used Nigella Lawson's basic recipe and my own assorted chunks - say what you

Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15975372205276390557noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6711570702009529824.post-70204461739948739852008-12-22T13:37:00.003+01:002009-02-08T13:51:28.731+01:00

The getting of job is somewhat problematic, because it requires readjusting to what it's like not having acres of time to yourself.So, I need to get back to blogging! I've got two weeks off now for the catch-up period, but I must keep up when I go back to work...maybe I should take my laptop and write on the train to work. Plan!So what you've missed - as well as baking/making of desserts (lemon

Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15975372205276390557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6711570702009529824.post-64628136801439330252008-11-05T00:46:00.004+01:002008-11-06T18:20:25.134+01:00

Another recipe from the River Cottage Family Cookbook but this time, not so foolproof.This seemed so easy, but despite having my sugar thermometer carefully in hand, I made two batches - one that turned out as fudge-ish, one that turned out as toffee, neither of which were the same colour as in the book...In fact, I think I nearly burnt the stufff that turned out fudgy. But I don't understand how

Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15975372205276390557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6711570702009529824.post-62787335379803927142008-11-05T00:33:00.007+01:002009-02-08T13:49:44.896+01:00

Ah cake! This particular one I've made once or twice before, and I recently recreated it as a house-warming gift for two of my lovely friends who have just moved in together for the first time.It's a great house-warming cake - gooey and filling, yet light and lemony. I can't put my finger on what specifically makes it a cake capable of warming houses and cockles, but ah it does. Maybe it's

Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15975372205276390557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6711570702009529824.post-21438392371679595352008-11-05T00:20:00.005+01:002008-11-06T18:19:25.053+01:00

Having a snog in the oven.A deceptively easy-to-make dessert! And universally taste-bud pleasing.Perhaps I will make some more of these soon and take you through in a more step-by-step fashion. My trusty recipe is from the days of Home Ec. lessons at secondary school.

Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15975372205276390557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6711570702009529824.post-59119420715258600032008-11-05T00:13:00.003+01:002008-11-06T18:19:07.970+01:00

I made these for a lovely Christmassy gathering last year - along with the sparkly brownies below.They weren't my best cake ever, but they did look suitably festive!Beer and cake. What more do you need for Christmas?

Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15975372205276390557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6711570702009529824.post-42218375507064441992008-11-04T23:57:00.006+01:002008-11-06T18:18:55.351+01:00

Mmmmmmmmm chocolate brownies. This is one of the best and most fool-proof recipes I've ever used (from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Fizz Carr in their River Cottage Family Cookbook ) and I've seen similar recipes from Nigel Slater and the like, so it must be good!Now, for several delicious brownie pictures. One lot from September and one lot of sparkly brownies from Christmas last year.

Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15975372205276390557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6711570702009529824.post-23707741588391868712008-11-04T23:40:00.005+01:002008-11-06T18:18:40.744+01:00

Yes, not a crumble but crumbles.We seem to have acquired quite a store of ramekin dishes thanks to various M&S and Gu (where do I find an umlaut on this keyboard??) desserts.So, with continuing abundance of apples and pears in hand, I set about making simple crumbles.That means no cinammon and not much lemon juice. Partly, I've never had a pear crumble, so I wanted to see what it tasted like

Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15975372205276390557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6711570702009529824.post-67179782260684006592008-11-04T23:18:00.003+01:002008-11-06T18:18:14.824+01:00

These were gobbled before I remembered to take a pic of them, but I had an abundance of apples and pears and this looked SO easy.For the proper recipe on the Good Food website, follow the link above - essentially you require a sheet of ready rolled puff pastry, peeled and halved pears (or apples) and toffee sauce....resisting urge to say "DONE".Halve and peel your pears (or apples - I used one of

Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15975372205276390557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6711570702009529824.post-5218462613898676202008-11-04T22:42:00.006+01:002008-11-06T18:17:14.188+01:00

Abel and Cole delivered a mini-cauliflower and two mini-broccolis in my latest box and lo - broc-cauli cheese with bacon was born. In fact, the cheese sauce was made with blue cheese...it might've been Roquefort...and some mature cheddar for extra cheesiness.Chopped and washed my veg. Fried the bacon while starting to make the white sauce (which is very easy, by the way), put the veg on to

Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15975372205276390557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6711570702009529824.post-7001489593491691702008-11-04T21:58:00.008+01:002008-11-06T18:16:56.054+01:00

Ms. Hammer and I headed to Cambridge on this evening to see Ben Goldacre, of Bad Science fame, talking on the subject of The Public Understanding of Risk . For free!It was good. But even better was The Vaults - we decided to hang around for dinner, but not knowing Cambridge and having no map, we went for the "wander aimlessly into the dark and peer in windows" approach.So how we ended up choosing

Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15975372205276390557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6711570702009529824.post-64779120191156001212008-11-04T21:35:00.004+01:002008-11-06T18:16:38.787+01:00

This was one of those days where it was approaching winter and it was my last week at work (following Redundancy) and I needed to comfort eat. I normally wouldn't have this sort of lunch unless a) hungover, b) grumpy, c) cold, d) haven't eaten for two days (this last one never happens).It's possible I was slightly hungover. It's also possible that normally Benugo - the provider of this meat and

Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15975372205276390557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6711570702009529824.post-70019151962908870982008-11-04T21:30:00.004+01:002008-11-06T18:16:24.012+01:00

Another one courtesy of my mum - I found this one lurking in the fridge when rummaging for some lunch.It was only when I started to heat it up in the microwave, and remembered that my mum's favourite condiment is Tabasco, that I smelt the chilli.Given the tomato content of said-bake, along with the green bits of basil and possibly marrow (I think...failing of memory, rather than oversight

Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15975372205276390557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6711570702009529824.post-15493725839669434022008-11-04T20:55:00.006+01:002008-11-06T18:16:00.659+01:00

After a particularly horrible journey back to the midlands, comprising a Thames Clipper full of tourists, an inordinately long journey, and an over-melted tuna melt baguette, this is what my mum had made for dinner.By this point I was so cranky from travel blah, lack of sleep and lack of food, I would've been happy eating stones, but this was better than stones.There was naan bread (coriander

Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15975372205276390557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6711570702009529824.post-7591970463186302742008-10-29T14:37:00.009+01:002008-11-06T18:15:41.261+01:00

This was my dinner on this day. I was reallllllly ridiculously hungry. I got some beef mince on the way home with the intention of making bolognese and having it on a baked potato. Perhaps using up some carrots from my box of goodies.But then hunger was getting out of hand, so I got some bolognese sauce too, because I was doubtful I could hold out until I cooked bolognese from scratch.Then, on

Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15975372205276390557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6711570702009529824.post-41072984457843389662008-10-28T21:46:00.012+01:002008-11-06T18:15:22.589+01:00

My latest food adventure has been to sign up to get a small mixed organic box from Abel and Cole - less because they were organic, more because I can get surprise fruit and veg to my door every other Tuesday.This serves several purposes - the box often contains things I wouldn't voluntarily buy. Unless I don't like the taste of anything on the list (a rarity) I won't remove it from that week's

Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15975372205276390557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6711570702009529824.post-9828760722756602652008-10-21T01:20:00.003+02:002008-11-06T18:14:55.568+01:00

Seeing as I spend a LOT of my time secretly busying my mind with questions such as, "what can I do with that cabbage?" and "maybe I could use that dinner up if I bake a potato, and..." - I thought it might be interesting to document all my lunches and dinners. And my baking, of course. A combination of sweet and savoury - though of course there are many bakeable main meals.At the moment, there's

Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15975372205276390557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6711570702009529824.post-78997948841951846942008-10-21T01:06:00.004+02:002008-11-06T16:22:53.075+01:00

Something tells me that a little after midnight on a Monday night (though I keep thinking it's Sunday) is not the best time to finally start writing my blog. But I've had my eyes in my screen so much today that now is by far the best time...well, the best time today, at least.I started baking when I was a young'un - my mum taught me how to bake what you might call a bog-standard cake, which she'd

Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15975372205276390557noreply@blogger.com0