Afternoon Tea and Friands

Blueberry and Lemon Friands and Moroccan Mint Tea

Still on the topic of tea, my favourite time of the day (apart from first thing in the morning before anyone else is awake) is in the afternoon when both children are asleep - if only for 15 minutes - at the same time. It doesn't happen everyday but it is blissful when it does.

I like to sit in the sun on our deck and have a cup of tea and look through a book, perhaps write a little bit.

My book of the moment is this beautiful coffee table book:

If you like Vege gardening then this is a gorgeous and inspirational book.

The friands were a result of my spontaneous purchase of the day - a Friand tin. I really like friands as an alternative to muffins - they are something different and a bit lighter. I know that you can cook them in a  muffin tin as well but I wanted the real cafe-like experience. Blueberry and Lemon is my favourite combination.

On that note... the big boy is awake. That was my 15 mins!

baby B at 4and a half months

Jam making adventures

I have never made jam before - but we do have a very productive Plum tree which is just heaving with rapidly ripening fruit right now. Last year was the first year we had lived here that I thought I would have a go at jam making - but then we had very little fruit on the tree.

So when my friend offered to give me a jam making lesson I jumped at the chance.

I spent yesterday morning in intensive lesson mode and then went home and chopped fruit.

and this morning in Jam making mode. It was surprisingly easy - except I am especially  grateful for the lesson. It was good to have visual clues as to what I should be looking for.

Cooking...

  still cooking...

and then there was Jam!

Very rewarding!

patta-a-cake patta-a-cake

bakers man,
Bake me a cake a fast as you can!

Since getting my new toy for christmas I have been making mental notes of things to cook that I haven't been able to due to substandard equipment.

A sponge cake was on that list of things. So this afternoon I whipped one up to see how it would go.

The mixing part was easy enough, however the recipie said to cook it for 15 minutes - after 15 minutes I still had a rather soft looking cake so back into the furnace it went. Another 10 minutes went by.......

I got it out to be on the safe side and it promptly sunk in the middle on the top.

It is a little dense but quite tasty with Raspberry jam and whipped cream in the middle for after dinner.

In the recipie book I used there are another two spone recipies - I am going to try all of them.

I just wish I had caught a picture of my two boys with their piggly fingers in the whipped cream middle when I wasn't looking....

What's Cooking?

I know that it is still a bit early in the year for soups BUT I do so love having a tasty meal tucked away in the freezer.....mmmnnn Potato and Leek Soup