Easter in the Kitchen. Many Photos!

Hey folks!

How are you all? Having a lovely long weekend I hope. I ADORE long weekends. Especially those where I don't have to go to work straight after them! Now you know I love my job. I doooo. But I love the holidays more!

So Friday we went out for the day. Saturday too. It was nice on Sunday to have a day of pottering. The HG took the offspring off out into the weak Spring Sunshine and they blitzed the garden. I can now go peg out without having to run a Krypton Factoresque gauntlet, with washing over one shoulder and a handful of pegs in the other! Anyway

I spent most of my day in my kitchen. I baked and made stuff. I'm going to tell you and show you here!
Firstly. Crumpets. I have no idea why I wanted to make them. Having now made them, I'm not sure if I 'll want to for a long time. Maybe if ALL I'm making is crumpets I'll consider it.

This recipe is from my trusty Mary Berry Cookery bible that I've had for YEARS. I just made one quantity.

So here are the photos a step at a time!

12 oz  of strong bread flour?
Don't mind if I do!

Put in bowl. Check. Cover. Check. Wait!

OOOH! It's all got big and frothy!

I had washed my hands!

Here goes!

Oh dear I think I added too much batter to the ring.

Wait - somethings happening!

It's beginning to look a lot like a crumpet!

Ta DAAAH! First one done.



Getting cocky now - two at a time!

It took a few attempts to work out times/heats/amounts to pour in. I made a slightly thinner lot and some hefty cousins!

The boy had one with butter and one with butter and jam

Six had gone already - had to quickly take a photo before the rest went!

One of these is mine, one of them is a shop bought Warburtons. Neither have been toasted yet. Which one would you choose?

 So the downfall I discovered is that they take a good 7 - 10 minutes each in the rings to cook. Which is fine if you've not been on your feet all day making other stuff. Also I am a brat when it comes to making pancakes. I HATE being told what to do by eggs, flour and milk! You have to be patient with them yet speedy! I am sure the last one I made did not rise or was as holey as the first one I made. Tasted fine! So I reckon I made a batch of 20 crumpets for about 50p all in. Not bad.

BUT I also made some Easter Nest cakes. Chocolate - melted. Shredded Wheat - crumbled. Mixture - stirred. Mini Eggs - adorned.
Beef in Ale for pie - Cubes of beef skirt - coated in seasoned flour and flash fried. A red onion, three banana shallots and two carrots - sauteed. Put the lot in a casserole with half a bottle of Ale and some good stock plus a tspn of Marmite. Cook for aaaaages.  The puff pastry took me ages. Those packets are really tricky to get open!
Sand Cake - absolutely NO calories in this whatsoever - from my new book that I got from the bookman at school - billy bargain five quid! Me and Beryl worked hard to combine all the  diet ingredients together! I used a diet frosting recipe, Double cream, white chocolate, butter and icing sugar topped off with a diet jelly thingy from the doctors. Dr Oetkers.
I also worried I'd not spent enough time in the kitchen so soft floury baps were born.

Less than 24 hours later and a lot of it has gone. I could weep! Not to mind! I might make some fairy cakes later. We make fairy cakes in this house - not cupcakes!

I'll post some more pics here just to make your computer lag a bit more.I am making them small as possible.  I'm not in the least bit sorry! I am also off to read some other blogs too. Now that I have the freedom and the time! I'll be back tomorrow with a story all about The Lord Of The Rings.
 Photos .....

 



Healthy wholewheat goodness!

Zero Calories here - look away - nothing to see!

Rolled out by my own fair hands! Again thoroughly washed clean hands.

Best beef in ale I have ever made!

Last but not least. HOW THE BLOODY HELL DO I GET PAST LEVEL 65???????
THREE WEEKS I'VE BEEN AT IT!!!