Friday's Smiles on Saturday

Morning Everyone,

I know, I'm a day late, but yesterday was super busy for me and in the end I simply ran out of time. Oh, and today is going to be equally busy as I'm off to Dunelm Mill - Elizabeth is desperately seeking fabric ... more of later :)

First, I've been well entertained this week with these little fellows.

Baby starlings lining up by the feeder waiting for mum to spoon beak feed them.

It's been fascinating watching them start to learn to fly and now search out food for themselves - albeit at the best stocked open air cafe in the neighbourhood.

Next, the EM's latest baked masterpiece.

A chocolate cake ...the man is turning into a domestic god! The multi-coloured embellishments were his own individual touch and not in the recipe. Oh, and it is made with half-spoon sugar, so half the calories in each slice, what more could a woman want :))

And finally, this vision of beauty.

My new sewing machine :)) I got so fed up with the machine from hell - mentioned with loathing elsewhere on this blog and now consigned to a dark cupboard never to be seen again! I so missed my old, and much lamented, Jones machine that I went looking for one that had all the same functions and features with a few more up-to-date ones thrown in for good measure and this Husqvarna Viking E20 fitted the remit perfectly. Now, I can't wait to test it, but it will be baby steps at first.  After trying out all the stitches, learning how to use the automatic threader - a function that is totally new to me but hopefully will save my poor eyes - and all the interesting feet that are tucked away in it's tool box - methinks a pretty cushion cover might be a good place to start. And that's the reason I'm off to Dunelm Mill. I am reliably informed by Lunch Lady Jan that they have fabric at a good price.

So there you are, the things that made me smile in a week that you might think there wasn't much to smile about.

I hope you have all had something that made you smile too and that the weekend will be a happy one for you too.

Take care and happy crafting,

Another Recipe from Mother's Cook Book - Bran Fruit Tea Loaf

Afternoon All,

I meant to post this recipe some time ago, when I made it for my friend as a thank you for looking after The Boss while we were on holiday ...  but kept forgetting, so here it is today.

A recipe for the busy/crafty person who hasn't got time to be messing about in the kitchen ... well there's crafting to be done ... but would like everyone to think they are a domestic goddess, or god, whatever the case may be : )

This delicious fruit loaf is so easy to make because all you have to do is chuck most of the ingredients in a bowl, leave overnight, giving the fruit time to plump up and the other ingredients time to mingle and meld and do their magic. The real problem is remembering to throw everything into the bowl the night before you want to bake the cake. Here's the recipe:

Bran & Fruit Tea Loaf

Ingredients:      
·         2 mugs of bran breakfast cereal – I used All-Bran but you can substitute with any make, even supermarkets own brand does nicely.
·         2 mugs of dried fruit – either the ready mixed fruit containing candied peel or, if like me you have friend who can’t stand the candied stuff, substitute with your own mix. I used sultanas and chopped dried apricots for the one in the photo.
·         1 ½ mugs of soft brown sugar – gives a nice caramel flavour. Once again, I substituted three-quarters of the sugar for low-sugar granules and it worked perfectly.
·         2 mugs of milk
·         1 large tbsp malt extract – this is not essential but gives a nice flavour. You could use Ovaltine granules instead and it tastes just as good.

The night before: put all the above ingredients into a bowl to soak overnight.

 Next day:

·         Set oven to moderate temperature at Mark 3/4 on my mother’s old oven – that is 160̇̇°C /170°C on my more up-to-date, but temperamental, fan-assisted oven.

·         Grease and line either 2 small loaf tins (about 1lb size) or 1 large tin (about 2lb size)
·         Then add 2 mugs self-raising flour to the mix and stir well, really well - I speak from experience! - and pour into tin(s)
·         Bake for about  1 ½ - 1 ¾   hours, depending on size of tin - this could be less in one of the newer ovens ... I’m still getting to grips with how much having a wee fan in an oven can speed up the whole process.  

When done, cool and served sliced with, I quote, a scraping of butter – clearly, my mother lived through frugal times!

Enjoy!

WOYWW 109 + Banana and Coconut Tea Loaf Recipe for Jules

Good morning all,

Just a wee bit drizzly here in Ayr today - I hope the sun is shining wherever you are. Before I reveal this week's 'mess on the desk', here's a grovelling apology to all you lovely people. I started out well enough last Wednesday, got down the first row of links -  see Julia, Head Desk Monitor, at Stamping Ground for this week's trip round the work desks of the world -  and then life got in the way - you know, major toothache, visit to dentist, trip to garden centre, trip to Glasgow, etc., etc. -  and the craft room has been seriously neglected too. However, this week should be better, though there is another trip to the dentist scheduled for tomorrow :(

Grovelling over, back to the desk - here it is in all it's glory.

Actually, it doesn't look so bad in the photograph. Two attempts at Barbara Grey's 'Out of Africa' scene, finished late last night, together with the stamps, gilding flakes, mica powders, ink pad that go into the making of them - they need to be put away. To the right is the Penny Black stamp I would take to a desert island - Aspire, just love it - and a wee pile of stampboard. Not sure what I'm going to do with it, but I've had it ages so time to give it a try out. Centre stage is the makings of a scrap page I've started putting together - from this photo I see I still need letters for the title, a journalling something and maybe a stamp and some ink pads.

Last week banana cake got mentioned and I remembered that I had this recipe for Banana and Coconut Tea Loaf tucked away in an old notebook. My late mother, who was an incredibly good baker, had a home bakery shop in Edinburgh when I was a child. I inherited many of her recipes and this old jotter is full of them. Unfortunately, amongst my many ailments, I have impaired glucose tolerance, a pre-diabetic condition, and have to keep to a low sugar/low carbohydrate eating regime which means I don't bake cakes, biscuits, etc., anymore :( Since diagnosis I have lost 2 stone so the diet is paying off :) However, it does seem a shame to keep Mum's recipes hidden and forgotten so here for Jules, who thought it sounded tasty, and anyone else who's interested here is the recipe.

Banana & Coconut Tea Bread
Ingredients: 
(sorry, all Mum's  measurements are in the old imperial)
6 oz soft margarine
6 oz caster sugar
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 tsp lemon juice
2 eggs, size 3, beaten
6 oz self-raising brown farmhouse flour
2 oz dessicated coconut

2 lb loaf tin, base lined and greased, or 7” square cake tin

Method:
Set the oven to moderate, Gas Mark 4, or 350°F/180°C

Beat the margarine, sugar, bananas and lemon juice together then add the eggs and continue beating to form a batter. Then fold in the flour and coconut until the mix is smooth. Pour the mixture into the tin. The mixture will not be wet.

Bake towards the top of the oven for 1 hour 10 mins (this rather depends on your oven, for example, baking will be faster in a fan-assisted oven). 

If you use a loaf tin, the cake will usually crack down the centre.

Leave to cool in the tin, then serve sliced and buttered – will keep 3-4 days. It is also nice sliced and served as a dessert with custard, cream or ice cream.

If you want a lower sugar version, substitute 25 percent of the sugar with a powdered sweetener  - as you can see this worked perfectly well yesterday when I baked the loaf.

I'd be happy to post more of my Mum's recipes over time if  you would like them - just let me know.

Now, I must get on and clear stuff of my desk before I can make any headway of my scrap layout. I'll be back later to nosy around your desks but in the meantime have a wonderful week everyone and happy crafting.

A Batch of Homemade Scones

Afternoon All,

I just had to show you these - made by none other than the EM! Alan took it into his head that he would like to try his hand at making scones this morning. He figured that as a chemist (albeit industrial and retired a good many years now) that it can't be too difficult to mix a few ingredients together - easy, peasy. So after tootling down to Wilkinsons to purchase a spanking new set of cutters he set to work and this batch of lovely scones are the result. And here's the man himself, who can now add Head Baker to his growing list of titles.

Looking fair chuffed with himself, as well he should : )

Hope you are all having a great day and as much fun as we are having here in Casa Worthington.