"Qu'ils mangent de la brioche" - Let Them Eat Cake...

I'm so very sorry that this post has taken me all day! And would you believe, I'm still not finished!


How are you today? I hope that you've had the sun today, as there has been none here. I even had to pop Elena's gloves and hat on today when we walked into town. The weather is as indecisive as me at the moment. Hence why it's taken me all day to make these cakes I promised you. I must have wondered around Sainsburys for at least an hour trying to make a decision on what I was going to share with you. You see I had a wonderful idea yesterday and then completely changed my mind and decided I wanted to do something a bit more seasonal. So, I went and sat in the cafe, had a cuppa and a big slice of chocolate fudge cake and thought about it.. and then it came to me.


I then realised that I wasn't quite sure what ingredients I had at home in the cupboard...


Typical... I'll have to get the lot then...


Pushing the pram with 1 hand and holding a basket with the other is not the easiest of tasks as it is, let alone when the basket is piled full of sugar, flour, royal icing, butter, chocolate and milk! So much to everyone's amazement, I decided it was easier to push the pram with 2 hands and kick the basket along the floor as I went. Not my proudest moment and I was very flustered by the end of the whole experience but needless to say, I got the ingredients I needed to make today's treat.


I also must admit that I have been making two loaves of banana bread as well so the cakes did take a slight bit longer than planned.


I shall be putting the finishing touches to the cakes in the next hour, so until then I thought I'd let you know that I hadn't forgotten about you.


See you in a bit...


****************************


Ok, finally - I've finished...


Easter Cupcakes


For this, I just used a basic vanilla sponge recipe. I found this makes approx. 30 cupcakes.


Ingredients:
200g/7oz - Margarine or softened butter
200g - Caster Sugar
200g - Self-raising flour
4 - Medium free range eggs
3/4 teaspoon - Vanilla extract.


Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 160ºC(315ºF/Gas mark 2-3)
Beat the butter and sugar together until they are light and fluffy then add the eggs one at a time beating well after each addition.
Sift in the flour and mix thoroughly. Add the vanilla extract.
Pop the mixture into the cases and pop in the oven for about 20 mins - keep an eye on them as for some reason mine always differ in time.
Once out of the oven let them cool for 15 minutes.

(Yes, I confess that I cheated - I have a cupcake maker.. The only difference is, it cooks the cakes in about 5-8 minutes, so you can cook a lot more)

You may also notice that my pink cases are now yellow... something to do with too much mixture and too long in the cupcake maker..!

Whilst you're waiting for the cakes to cool you can make the buttercream and the chocolate nests.


Buttercream:
500g - Salted butter
1kg - Icing sugar
2 teaspoons - Vanilla extract
A drop of milk if needed.


Method:
Cream the butter until the colour goes a bit lighter
Sift the icing sugar in and mix thoroughly.
Add the vanilla extract.
If the mixture is a bit too stiff, you can add a drop of milk to make it smoother.


Chocolate nests are pretty straight foward, I just melted a block of chocolate (any chocolate you like, your own preference) and once melted I added some shredded wheat. I then arranged them on a plate and placed them in the fridge to harden.

Once your cakes are completely cooled add the buttercream, plonk a nest on top and place some mini eggs on the nest. I secured my mini eggs with Royal Icing waiting for the icing to go off a bit before I used it.

Et voilà... Easter Cupcakes.

I hope today's post was worth the wait and would love it if you'd make some. I can pop round with mine and we can chat and eat cakes till the sun goes down.

Thank you for stopping by, see you tomorrow!

Love

Bex


x

Let it grow, let it grow, let it grow!

Good morning!

How was your weekend, what did you get up to?

I can't believe that there was a frost this morning! What is all that about? I thought Spring was in full swing, and was all ready to get the Bar-be-que out this week... Maybe I should wait a bit longer.

This weekend, here in Stoke, we were quite lucky to have a reasonably sunny weekend and not only was the sun out, but he was sharing his lovely warmth too. I was out shopping yesterday and as I came out of Sainsburys the warmth hit me and I smiled. The best part was when I got back to the car and I had to leave the doors open for a few minutes to let it cool down before I put Elena in her car seat. The sunglasses were officially out and so were a few nutters in their shorts.

Talking of nutters..!

We spent the majority of the weekend at my parents house, sharing stories of our week and enjoying family meals. My sister and her husband were there too which was lovely. Having had only 3 hours sleep on Friday night, I was in bed by 9pm on Saturday evening as I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. So I left Paul to sit with the family drink his beer and watch the boxing.

Yesterday was a great day for the Potteries as Stoke City beat West Ham in the quarter finals of the FA cup. I must admit that I am not a football fan, nor do I follow the sport in anyway, but my husband is a season ticket holder as is my dad and I knew how much a win meant to them (and the other thousands of supporters) so I was keeping my fingers crossed. We don't live too far from the Britannia so on a good day you can hear the cheers, and the boos, from the crowd if you're outside. Amazingly, yesterday, you could hear the winning cheer from inside the house!  Such wonderful news for the city and pleased to say I had a very happy and cheerful, albeit slightly tipsy, husband for the rest of the evening.

In today's post I wanted to show you how my little gardening projects are coming along.

My potatoes are "chitting" quite well so I think I might plant them next weekend if the weather is nice. My onion seeds are starting to grow, which I wasn't expecting so soon! I was over the moon this morning when I saw them & my Tulip Toronto are growing so quickly I really can't believe it. I'm really looking forward to them flowering. I recommend getting some tulips if you want to grow some gorgeous flowers with minimal effort.

I've also taken a couple of pictures of a few of my house plants as they're coming into bloom and I couldn't resist but share with you a very beautiful little daffodil that has grown outside all on his own.

I love Spring, purely because it brings new life and new hope. When I sit and think about life, I find the whole concept quite daunting, for this reason I try not to question things too much and enjoy every single moment. As the troubles in Japan are continuing to get worse, I say thanks that I can look at a daffodil and see it's beauty for what it is. I say thanks that I am not stuck in the disaster zone, worrying if my family and friends are alive & I keep praying that those who are stuck there stay safe and I keep the hope that they'll see their loved ones again.

Enjoy life. Enjoy each other. Look at the little things and say thank you.

I'll be sharing another little cooking project with you tomorrow as I've not made cupcakes in a while and quite fancy eating a few with a cuppa in the coming week.

I want to thank you so very much for stopping by again today, I'll have cakes for you tomorrow, I promise...

Enjoy the rest of your day.

Love

Bex
x

Are you ready for the weekend?

Welcome to the weekend..!

It's a glorious morning here in Stoke and even though it's still a bit breezy, I'm warmed by the prospect of warmer days. My tulips have started to grow, quite rapidly really considering I only planted them last weekend. To me this is yet another sign that mother nature herself is ready to put Spring in motion.

Have you got any plans for the weekend?

Ours will be spent with family and friends. Elena loves seeing her grandparents, her aunties and uncles. They entertain her in ways that we, as parents, can't. In fact, when we are with relatives, "Mummy" & "Daddy" are quite boring in comparison. The different surroundings, the lack of stair guards, vases, plant pots and picture frames everywhere, she's in her own little utopia... And to be honest having other people chase her around is wonderful as it means Paul and I can sit down for 5 minutes and take a deep breath.

I know I promised a non-food related post but I cooked stew last night and although we are moving out of stew season, it's always nice to be able to shove a load of ingredients in a pan and forget about it for a few hours. I bought a slow cooker for that very reason. The best buy in the world. Having said that, last nights stew was made in a pot.

I used a bag of new potatoes, carrots (chopped into batons), cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and mushrooms. I'm never one to measure out ingredients as I'm too lazy, so I just throw everything in and hope for the best. I used 3 beef casserole steaks and cut them into large chunks, coated them in flour before browning them in a pan with onions, garlic and chilli. Once browned I popped into the pan with the other veggies, added some hot water, gravy, gravy browning, 2 beef stock cubes and a glass of port. I then popped it into the oven on gas mark 4 for about 3 hours. I thickened the sauce after about an hour with some cornflour.

Once Elena was bathed and asleep, we sat down and ate. The remnants of which were mopped up with warmed french bread. Not a bad attempt..! My best stew so far. There is still half the pot left this morning as I always make enough for the entire neighbourhood, so I'll be freezing it and using as and when we fancy it.

I've had a lot of people letting me know that my blog has inspired them to write one too. It's lovely that my babbling has inspired. I look forward to read these blogs, please share them on here.

*I have to ask you to pray for those poor poor souls in Japan who have been the victims of another awful natural disaster. I pray that faith and courage help everyone through this horrendous ordeal. My thoughts to those who have lost loved ones. I can't imagine the pain and pray that there is no more to come.*

Well, as always, it's time for a cuppa, you're more than welcome to stay. Shall we pop on our coats and sit in the garden?

I thank you from the bottom of my heart for spending the week with me. I have enjoyed having you here.

I hope that you have the best weekend you've ever had & I shall see you on Monday.

Love

Bex

x

The Greatest Love Of All...

Welcome to Thursday. I hope the day is treating you well wherever you are. I must admit that my blog will be a bit of a general chat today, so what do you fancy, tea or coffee? I have cookies - fresh out of the oven or some cherry bakewells if you prefer?

Last night as my husband and I sat chatting, Paul kindly pointed out that the majority of my blogs so far have involved food, either eating it or growing it. And he is right. I laughed and insisted it was what you wanted. Who doesn't love hearing about cake and seeing pictures..!

So today will just involve pulling up a chair and having a cuppa. Although I have just realised I offered you cake and biscuits a minute ago...

I find myself quite often thinking about life, in particular mine and my family's. I find myself wondering if I'm on the right track and if I'm being the best person I can be. I think having a child makes you think about these things more. You suddenly have to grow up overnight - in terms of responsibility. Now, I have a little being who is solely reliant upon Paul and I. Little things such as changing her nappy, giving her her food and her bottles and making her laugh herself into hysteria, all this would not be possible without us. The gravity of that is just incredible. I spend a lot of my day just watching her play. She is nearly 11 months old and she is into everything. The look of pure happiness on her face when she comes across a toy she hasn't seen in a few hours or the discovery of something new has me watching in awe. I wish things were still so beautifully innocent that I could look at Paul's work boots and squeal happily.

My family is the single most important thing to me. I love them. They make me who I am and love me in a way that no one else does. Not a day goes by that I don't say a little thank you for them and for being blessed with such a wonderful family. I'm also so grateful for my friends. You know who you are. Those who have known me from my tiny days and those that I have been blessed to meet in recent months and years. I want you to know how special you are to me and how much I love you. To my family and friends, thank you for being you.

Life wouldn't be complete without the daily calls to my mum, the texts off my sisters and the endless "funny" emails off my father. The brief yet thoughtful calls off my husband, checking to make sure Elena and I are ok. I love him for that. The texts, phone calls and random facebook messages off my dear dear friend in Canada and Boyzone concerts with Lauren. All this is what makes my life so happy, so fullfilled.

With the fantastic news that our offer on our new house has been accepted and we are now in midst of the legal process, I can't help but ponder about all the decisions I've made and continue to make. So, I have come to the conclusion that I am happy, so very happy and therefore I must be doing something right.

I'm assuming you would either like another cuppa, or you'd like to leave..!

I'd like you to stay.

I look forward to seeing you tomorrow for a non-food related blog!

Thank you for reading & enjoy your Thursday.

Love

Bex

x

Today I will mostly be scoffing cake...

How are you?

I really hope that I'm not the only one that's been devouring cake today...

Today's post is a bit late for that very reason, I've been too busy eating cake.

Yesterday my cousin suggested I try out the cafe at the Emma Bridgewater Outlet nr Hanley, so never one to pass up on a cuppa I asked my mum and little sister to join me. Obviously they didn't refuse. To be honest, who would?

We had a lovely wander around the factory shop, tutting quietly at the prices and trying to keep Elena from knocking the china over. The craftsmanship is amazing (albeit a bit over priced). The nice thing about driving up to the outlet is that there is still some of the old buildings and remnants of the old pot banks which I find fascinating. The Potteries may not be everyone's cup of tea but my family have lived and worked here for centuries. Having used the ancestry website last year, I found out that one of my great great great grandad's was a very skilled and highly respected pottery sagger maker and as you walk around from the car park to the cafe at Emma Bridgewater, you get an insight into what it might have been like. Obviously a lot has changed since, but as you look through the windows, there are still men and women in their aprons casting and throwing. Such a wonderful skill to be known for all across the world.

Now on to the important part, the cake. My sister and I indulged in a slice of freshly made Victoria Sponge whilst my mum had a scone with clotted cream and jam.

Silence...

Oh I'm sorry Elena, I was a bit preoccupied...

Washed down, with what I must say was the nicest cup of tea I've had in a long while, we felt satisfied. I must add that the cafe is the most gorgeous setting. Old wooden farmhouse tables with a beautifully fitted Aga against one wall surrounded with tiles made on site, it's like being made welcome in someone's divine kitchen. The scent of homemade soup wafting in made it even cosier.

I feel another visit may not be too far away, who's joining me?

I hope you're having a fabulous day and if you're anywhere where cake is accessible then I suggest eating it quick, before I beat you to it!

I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.

Thank you for reading.

Love

Bex
x

Please feel free to leave a comment below, I'd love to know what you think x

Let's make... Pancakes!

Happy Pancake Day!

I think that the timing of Pancake Day is perfect. It follows hard on the heels of Valentines Day and sets in motion another year of celebrations. It comes at a time when all remnants of Christmas are well and truly gone and the air smells and tastes just that bit sweeter. Is Spring on it’s way perhaps?

It's only 8am but the promise of pancakes is overwhelming! Do you think it's too early..?

Ok, ok, I'll try and make it to lunch time...

I've tried lots of pancake recipes over the years but I'm going to share with you the one I like best. Granted, all the recipes have the same ingredients but I think the key to this one is the method. It's a Delia Smith recipe.

The Pancake mixture:

110g/4oz plain flour, sifted

pinch of salt

2 eggs

200ml/7fl oz milk mixed with 75ml/3fl oz water

50g/2oz butter

The Method:

1. Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl with a sieve held high above the bowl so the flour gets an airing. Now make a well in the centre of the flour and break the eggs into it. Then begin whisking the eggs - any sort of whisk or even a fork will do - incorporating any bits of flour from around the edge of the bowl as you do so.
2. Next gradually add small quantities of the milk and water mixture, still whisking (don't worry about any lumps as they will eventually disappear as you whisk). When all the liquid has been added, use a rubber spatula to scrape any elusive bits of flour from around the edge into the centre, then whisk once more until the batter is smooth, with the consistency of thin cream. Now melt the 50g/2oz of butter in a pan. Spoon 2 tbsp of it into the batter and whisk it in, then pour the rest into a bowl and use it to lubricate the pan, using a wodge of kitchen paper to smear it round before you make each pancake.
3. Now get the pan really hot, then turn the heat down to medium and, to start with, do a test pancake to see if you're using the correct amount of batter. I find 2 tbsp is about right for an 18cm/7in pan. It's also helpful if you spoon the batter into a ladle so it can be poured into the hot pan in one go. As soon as the batter hits the hot pan, tip it around from side to side to get the base evenly coated with batter. It should take only half a minute or so to cook; you can lift the edge with a palette knife to see if it's tinged gold as it should be. Flip the pancake over with a pan slice or palette knife - the other side will need a few seconds only - then simply slide it out of the pan onto a plate.
4. Stack the pancakes as you make them between sheets of greaseproof paper on a plate fitted over simmering water, to keep them warm while you make the rest.
5. To serve, sprinkle each pancake with freshly squeezed lemon juice and caster sugar, fold in half, then in half again to form triangles, or else simply roll them up. Serve sprinkled with a little more sugar and lemon juice and extra sections of lemon.

The nice thing about pancakes is that they can be sweet or savoury, depending what mood you're in. The traditional sugar and lemon always goes down a treat and if you're anything like me it isn't long before you can't move from the sofa.

I feel so blessed and so very lucky that I can sit here and share with you the things I love - and babble a bit too of course. I wanted to say a huge thank you for every single one one of you who has been reading, I've had an overwhelming amount of visitors to this blog from all over the world. You're very welcome and I hope that you continue to read.

I wish you all a very lovely Shrove Tuesday may your tummy's be full and contented.

Happy flipping!

Love

Bex

x

The Sun has got his hat on...

It's Monday again... Anyone else's weekend seemingly disappear in the blink of an eye? Well, I hope that you had a lovely couple of days whatever you got up to.

The sun is shining here in Stoke this morning & it's bathing our living room in a wonderful soft glow. Somehow everything looks better in the sunshine and as I look out the window at people going about their daily business, I feel I can see the corners of their mouths lifting just slightly as the prospect of better weather is entertained. The scarves and hats have disappeared and the builders across the road are typically wearing less clothing than is actually required!

My daughter and I are currently watching Peppa Pig and after another sleepless night I have resigned myself to the fact that we shall both be staying in our Pj's and cuddling for the main part of the morning. This afternoon we shall probably take a stroll in the sun and see what is going on in the world.

The weekend was not as hectic as I had expected, which was lovely. On Saturday we viewed a couple of prospective houses one of which, (I'm crossing everything) I hope, shall become our future family home. We then spent a few hours in the afternoon with my parents at Westport Lake. Elena loved the ducks and was even more excited about the playground. It's the most wonderful thing to watch her little face as she's made so happy by the smallest things and as I looked over, my husband, observing from the sidelines, was smiling too. The two of them sharing a moment of pure happiness is the most beautiful thing to see and I'm glad that they're my family.

Saturday night was spent in Manchester watching the most amazing boy band in the world - Boyzone! My oldest and most dearest friend, Lauren, and I have been fans since we were in our wee teens and we've never missed a tour. I won't bore you with the details but needless to say, we had a great time!

Sunday was a lazy day as with another bad night under our belts Paul and I decided we'd potter around the house and make a start on packing a few things ready for the big move. I also took time to exercise my green fingers and plant some of my seeds that had arrived.  I placed my seed potatoes in trays and put them in the kitchen window so they could "Chit" - sunbathe without interuption. I have put a few pictures on my flickr page for you to see. I planted two lots of Tulip Toronto and have placed them in the warmth of our pantry next to my mini propagator in which I planted 4 rows of onion seeds.

As I've mentioned many times we are moving soon and although it's a really exciting time it will also be tinged with a bit of sadness on my part as this was my Grandad's house and it'll almost be like I'm leaving him behind as I've felt he's always been with me since his passing over a year ago. So I thought I'd take him with us in the only way I can and that is by taking cuttings of his favourite plants and planting them in our new garden. Paul took the cuttings yesterday and planted them in trays which are also residing in the pantry until the weather gets a few degrees warmer.

The last of my gardening yesterday involved planting garlic. I've no idea whether or not it'll work but I planted 3 whole garlics (split into cloves) in one of the large potato bags that I bought so we'll see if anything happens... I'll let you know how they get on!

The sky is so beautifully blue here with not a cloud in sight. It almost feels like I'm at the seaside.

I think it's time for a cuppa...

Enjoy your Monday & I'll see you tomorrow.

Thank you for reading.

Bex
x

You can view my photos here http://www.flickr.com/photos/diaryofahousewife/ x