Sherbet dip dabs

I'm off school poorly  today with a throat that feels like I'm swallowing glass. I am in desperate need of the summer holidays as these last few weeks have been a real struggle. If truth be told full time is just a little too much with everything else that goes on in this mad house, but as I am so happy to have a job that I love that I will just have to get used to it.
I have indulged in a little morning tv. I do miss Holly and Phil in the mornings so it was nice to catch up albeit fitfully between dozing. I managed to see the cooking spot where sweets were being made. A recipe for sherbet dip-dabs. I loved these as a child. The recipe is here if you are interested.

 

I thought that I might make them to go on the confectionery table at no1's party.

I'm off to rest again now, if it wasn't for the dog sleeping on the settee I'd be on there, but she looks so peaceful and content.

Valentine's Biscuits

Valentine's Biscuits

250 plain flour

125g margarine or butter

75g caster sugar

1 tsp Baking powder

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla essence

 milk chocolate bar 

Mix the flour, marg, vanilla essence, sugar and baking powder until it looks like breadcrumbs. Add the egg and mix to a dough. Sprinkle a little flour onto the work surface and roll out the dough with a rolling pin. Using a cutter cut heart shapes from the dough. Place dough shapes onto a greased baking tray and bake for 15mins at 170°C in a fan oven. When cooked allow to cool on a wire rack. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of boiling water. Dip the hearts into the chocolate and set aside on greaseproof paper to set.

Book giveaway!

A friend at work gave me a lovely book this week...
I have read it and thoroughly enjoyed it. I have done lots of studying in recent years, so it's great to be able to just read a book where I don't need to think (or make notes!). A book that isn't too far away from real life, and one that I don't want to put down until it has been read from cover to cover. Well, I have read it now and I would now like to pass it on. If you are interested in reading this book then please leave a message. All I ask is that when you are done, please pass it on so that someone else may enjoy it too! Maybe even bake the cookies from the recipes! In the event of there being more than one person interested, then I will draw the names from a mixing bowl (just to continue with the baking theme!) on the 1st February.

With bobbing backwards and forwards to Wales I realised this morning that I have missed to post my 52 Marvellous Makes. I have missed three weeks! So here goes... Week 3 saw me make gooseberry and elderflower jam. I hadn't made this one before but it is especially scrummy on toast!

I made some button necklaces in Week 4. I am about to do a craft fair in September so needed to get a wiggle on!

For Week 5 I made lavender cupcakes. These were heavenly and the boiler man thought so too! It is a Humingbird recipe:

120ml whole milk
3 tablespoons dried lavender flowers
120g plain flour
140g caster sugar
1.5 teaspoons baking powder
40g unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 egg
12 small sprigs of lavender (optional)


lavender frosting:
25ml whole milk
1 tablespoon dried lavender flowers
250g icing sugar, sifted
80g unsalted butter, at room temperature
a couple of drops of purple food colouring (optional)

a 12-hole cupcake tray, lined with paper cases


Put the milk and dried lavender flowers in a jug, cover and refrigerate for a few hours, or overnight if possible. Do the same with the milk and lavender flowers for the frosting, in a separate jug.

Preheat the oven to 170℃ (325℉) Gas 3.

Put the flour, sugar, baking powder and butter in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) and beat on a slow speed until you get a sandy consistency and everything is combined.

Strain the lavender-infused milk (for the cupcake) and slowly pour into the flour mixture, beating well until all the ingredients are well mixed. Add the egg and beat well (scrape any unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula).

Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until two-thirds full and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minuted, or until the sponge bounces back when touched. A skewer inserted in the centre should come out clean. Leave the cupcakes to cool slightly in the tray before turning out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

For the lavender frosting: Beat together the icing sugar, butter and food colouring, if using, in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) on medium slow speed until the mixture comes together and is well mixed. Turn the mixer down to slow speed. Strain the lavender-infused milk and slowly pour into the butter mixture. Once all the milk is incorporated, tun the mixer up to high speed. Continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy, at least 5 minutes. The longer the frosting is beaten, the fluffier and lighter it becomes.

When the cupcakes are cool spoon the lavender frosting on top and decorate with a sprig of lavender, if using.

I am sure that I must be due some sewing makes, I haven't had my machine out for a good few weeks and it's not good to neglect your machine!

Let's bake! Yesterday I did some baking. I originally baked these biscuits with my class at school and they tasted really good, so we have made some at home too! Here is the recipe:

8oz of plain flour

4oz of corn flour

4oz of caster sugar

8oz of unsalted butter

3 drops of vanilla essence

To decorate:

icing sugar

sprinkles

With a fork mash the sugar and the butter together until soft and creamy. Add the vanilla essence. Add the sieved flour to the mixture and knead well for a few minutes to form a ball of dough. Wrap the dough in cling film and place in a fridge for about half an hour. Dust the surface with flour and roll out dough to about 1/4in. I used round cutters and made about 30 biscuits.

Bake in a pre-heated 180 degrees C/ 350 degrees F / gas mark 4 for about 15 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and leave to cool on a rack. Decorate.

These biscuits are so easy to make and even easier to eat! Enjoy!

I served the biscuits with homemade elderflower cordial. Here is the recipe:

20 elderflower heads

1.8kg granulated sugar

1.2l water

2 unwaxed lemons

75g citric acid

Shake elderflowers and place in a large bowl. Put sugar into a pan with the water and bring to the boil. Zest the lemon and place zest into the bowl with the elderflowers. slice the lemons and place into the bowl also. Add the sugar syrup and the citric acid to the bowl. Give it a good stir. Cover and leave for 24hrs, stirring every time that you remember. Strain the liquid and decant into sterilised bottles. Dilute to taste. If I want to keep my cordial for all year round usage I use one camden tablet per one gallon of liquid, otherwise keep in the fridge and use within a couple of months.

It tastes lovely on a hot day! Please note if you take a small undiluted bottle of it to work to enjoy, it does look like a specimen!

As we are nearing St David's Day I thought I would share a little taste of Wales - the recipe for Bara Brith that I use. Actually the recipe came from Aunty Jo, she shared it with me when I first got married and was homesick for Wales. It is very simple and never lets me down.



Ingredients
8oz self raising flour
1 tsp mixed spice
6oz brown sugar
1 egg
12oz dried mixed fruit
1/2 pt strong cold tea

Soak the dried fruit in the tea overnight. Mix the ingredients together then put the fruit in last. Cook for about an hour on 180 c. (My excitement at getting a link to work yesterday is short lived as I can't get a degrees symbol for the temperature. :( Oh dear! )

Then sit back with a slice (Buttered is optional) and a cup of tea. Dydd da! (have a good day)