Bearing Gifts

I have a very unfortunate tendency to let my mouth run faster than my brain. In university my friends used to call this a 'Tararism'. When I first met my husband he was very quick to recognise this as a somewhat endearing and amusing trait - if a bit embarrassing at times.

When planning for our wedding I made quite a few Tararisms including telling the florist that no one ever notices the flowers at a wedding anyway so we didn't need incredibly elaborate flowers as long as they were nice enough, and telling the cake maker that it would be easy to make the cake of which I had brought a picture. Looking back they sound so rude but I genuinely don't mean them in that light and turn bright red with embarrasment every time I remember the incidences - especially since my husband and all my good friends delight in reminding me and laughing at my embarrasment.

I made another Tararism last night to the husband of a good friend of mine. These blueberry muffins were made as a peace offering... Hopefully I have remembered correctly that blueberry muffins are his favourite baked good and all will be made right. Watch this space!

Blueberry Muffins

2 cups flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1 heaping tablespoon baking powder
Pinch salt
1 1/2 cups blueberries

2 eggs
1 cup vanilla or blueberry yogurht
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp lemon rind

Topping:
1/4 cup demerara sugar

• Mix together all the dry ingredients and blueberries.
• In a separate bowl combine all the wet ingredients and lemon rind.
• Combine stirring as little as possible.
• Spoon into muffin tins lined with muffin cups.
• Bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees C for 20 - 25 min or until tester comes out clean.

Enjoy!

A Sunday Treat

I love this recipe as it is so very easy and so very yummy. It has been adapted from a little baking book that I received this year for my birthday from my good friend Charlotte. It doesn't take long to make and will have your kitchen smelling fabulous in no time. I like to bake these on a weekend to give us just a little treat before the week begins, and as it is quite a small recipe, it is perfect for when there is not much time and you don't want too much to tempt you as the week goes on.

Happy baking!

Chocolate Chip Shortbread Squares

1 1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup corn starch (or corn flour depending on where you are from!)
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup chopped chocolate (I just use the whole of a 100g chocolate bar)

1tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp white sugar

• Cut together the flours, sugar and butter until it is soft and crumbly.
• Mix in the chocolate.
• Press into a 7 inch square cake pan and prick all over with a fork.
• Mix together the cinnamon and sugar then sprinkle half over the shortbread.
• Bake in a 160 degree (C) oven for 20 - 25 min or until golden brown.
• While still hot, cut into squares in the pan. (I like to line my pan with baking paper so I can lift the whole thing out and not have to ruin my pan with cutting.)
• Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon-sugar over the shortbread and serve when cool.

Mmm Cookies!

My 2 year old seems to have caught the baking bug as when asked today what she wanted to do she chose to bake cookies over going out to the park! I can't blame her too much as it is a bit wet today but luckily we got to do both.

The following recipe always reminds me of my Nanny and the last few days she spent with us as my aunt Cindy brought these to the hospital for the family and nurses by the truckload. It is amazing how what is really a terribly sad time can live almost fondly in memory. There is just something so special about family pulling together that allows the joy of togetherness and shared memories triumph over loss.

Cinnamon is what makes these oatmeal - chocolate chip cookies different from the average and is what I really love about them. I ran out of oats and had to substitute Ready Break in their place, this means that the ones I have pictured aren't quite as plump and squishy as the norm.

Happy baking!


Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (f) or gas mark 5.

3/4 cup margarine or butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
2 tbsp. water
2 tsp. vanilla essence

3/4 cup plain flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon

3 cups porridge oats
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

• Cream together butter, sugars, egg, water and vanilla.
• Sift flour, baking soda and cinnamon.
• Add dry ingredients to wet stirring thoroughly.
• Stir in oats and chocolate chips.
• Drop heaping tablespoons onto greased (or papered) baking sheets.
• Bake for 12 - 15 min.

Pumpkin Puree

Being a Canadian, October is the time of year for family, friends, turkey, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. Living abroad for so many years I have had to do my very best to carry on the tradition of Thanksgiving with my immediate family and friends.

The first Thanksgiving I spent here in England, my husband and I lived in such a small house we had to borrow another friend's house to host a Thanksgiving meal for all our friends. It was such a success and so much fun that I don't think I have missed a Thanksgiving since.

There are difficulties, however, in providing the traditional Thanksgiving fodder when supermarkets don't supply some key ingredients. There have been a couple years when a large chicken or two have had to substitute the traditional turkey, and trying to find the elusive can of pureed pumpkin or pumpkin pie filling can be a futile endeavour. As a result, I have become quite adept at creating a pumpkin pie much more authentically than many Canadians in Canada as I have to use a real pumpkin. The only problem with this is that you end up with far more pumpkin puree than you could possibly ever use for one pumpkin pie!

My mother's favourite cake recipe takes advantage of this and is a fantastic way to use up some of that extra pumpkin puree. It calls for a can of pumpkin pie filling but I have adapted it so that I can make it using fresh pumpkin puree.

Being the mother of a 2 year old, I experimented quite a bit with purees when my daughter was making her first forays into solid food. Many cookbooks advocate roasting the pumpkin to make the puree, but I have found that boiling it creates a much smoother consistency while keeping all its colour and flavour.

All that being said, the recipe for pumpkin spice cake is as follows:

3/4 cup butter or margerine
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
4 eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup evapourated milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

3 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp each: cinnamon, nutmeg
1 tsp each: ground ginger, allspice

3/4 cup milk

• Mix flour, rising agents, salt and spices in one bowl and set aside.
• In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Beat in eggs then add pumpkin puree, evapourated milk and vanilla.
• Add 1/4 of dry ingredients to wet, beat with electric beaters, add 1/4 cup milk, then alternate until all ingredients are mixed together. Continue to beat for one minute.
• Pour into a prepared bundt cake tin and bake at 360 degrees (f) for 50 min or until testing stick comes out clean.

Happy baking and happy Thanksgiving!