Christmas cake

Yeahh – I set myself a target to get my Christmas cake made this week – well I sort of archived it. The fruit has been soaking for a few weeks

One huge 12” square cake which will be cut into four smaller cakes - I had to split the mixture into two bowls as my mixer couldn't cope the amount of mixture

One 8” round; I thought I had two 8” round deep tins umm I'm sure did but I didn't so couldn't make the two at the same time as I had planned. 

We are out all day Sunday so the second it will have to wait until Monday.

Looking back I seem to be behind this year – my cakes were all made by this time last year.

MummyHen X

Hello – it’s me

I am here.  After a short sabbatical from blogging I am back – perhaps not as refreshed as I’d like but back none the less am back.

Work is still ‘the tiger in the room’ and I am trying to tame it – but it’s difficult. Part of my strategy to reduce the number of hours I work [my contract says 35 but reality is near 60] is to set goals each week for none work activities and stick to them.  We went to see Captain Philips a couple of weeks ago on a Friday afternoon – I had said I would finish work at noon and NOT check email or log back on to work until 8am on Monday – it was VERY difficult but I did manage to stick to it.  I am still waking in the early hours with work on my mind and finding it increasingly difficult not to go into my home office and login.

Money saving is going well – a few wobbles in the last few months but nothing that a months or so of being extra thrifty won’t solve. We have finished paying the community charge so that’s an extra £175 for the next 5 months that can towards credit cards; the final payment on the car loan will be made in a few week then we will be loan free – wooohooo – another £430 for snowballing.

My tin for the Sealed Pot Challenge is still sealed and weighing over 8.5kgs I am really hoping that there will be more than £1,000 in it when its opened on 1^st December – getting excited about it. 

 

Fruit for the Christmas cake has been soaking for a few weeks and I am hoping to that I will be able to make the cake this week.

My mum had her 82nd birthday at the beginning of last month and we spent a lovely day with her and Betty - I made a lovely PoppySeed and Lemon cake; it was really yummy.

 

SonnyHen has started to play rugby again after not playing for a season.  This means that Saturdays revolve around where he’s playing; we all travel together so arrive a good few hours before kick-off which gives DaddyHen and I time to go for a long walk.  Last week we gathered sweet chestnuts (note to self don't gather them without gloves - I still have tiny tiny splinters from the spines in my fingers).  This week there were hips and these purple berries

 

I think they are sloes but not sure - if you know then let me know. 

MummyHen X

Cookie Central

I am still here!!

These are my iced cookies – am actually really pleased with them; given I’ve not attempted anything like this before.  Lets hope everyone enjoys them

 

 Daisy - she enjoys her garden

 Cross - represents her faith (not sure what happened the icing its a little blotchy)

 

Artist palette - her love of painting

 

Elephants - many years of living in India

 

Sorry for the poor photos but I did take these very late last night as I boxed everything up to go to the party.

MummyHen X

Cookies

I mentioned in my last post that it was Aunties birthday in a few weeks and I would be making cookies – not something I have done before but after researching the web I found some inspiration – boy are there some very talented cookie makers out there.  I decided I would give it a go – I can bake and have iced cakes before so why not cookies.

I made a test batch yesterday and my chief tasters – DaddyHen and SonnyHen both asked if there were any more; NO.

During the week I had decided on the shapes – each having a special meaning to my aunt;

So today I made over 100 cookies, recipe from here the only thing I did different was to put the dough in the fridge as when I first tried it was far too sticky and the cookies became misshaped moving from the work top to the baking sheet.  For some reason on one batch I got the timings in the oven wrong it should have been 7 mins but for some reason the flowers and some of the crosses got a little too brown; if I get time I will remake these but once they are iced it won’t show and they aren’t burnt just brown. These are now in the freezer awaiting icing – now that’s going to be the tricky bit.

I have approx. another 40 cookies to make – they can wait until next weekend.

I’m really happy with the elephants (Auntie lived in India for over 30 years) as I searched for a suitable cutter – nothing really jumped out but then I stumbled on this delightful elephant herd – I really liked the shape and the design but I couldn’t find the cutter in the UK and was not going to pay for it to be shipped from the states and I really don’t have the time to wait.  So I made the cutter – I printed out the shape and made a cardboard template and then used a strip of aluminium and bent it around the cardboard template into shape;

I used flat screw driver to bend against for the right angle corners, an old battery to get the bend in the trunk; it took a good few hours to make but I really enjoyed it.

 

MummyHen X

A weigh day – Day 8 - 12

I have not had the time to give you an update

I lost 9lbs in the first week – am really pleased

Monday I decided that I would try a green vegetable only juice; water, chard, cucumber, pear. 

Umm – it isn’t my favourite – it was very pulpy; I don’t have a juicer and I think with the blender the pulp doesn’t blend.  So for Tuesday I strained the juice though a clean J-Cloth it was much better, it’s still isn’t my favourite drink.  Tuesday lunch I was back to my old strawberry with coconut - yummy

Dinner: DaddyHen has made some lovely dinners – sole stacks (layers of sole fillets) with crushed Jersey Royals, capers and caper berries

 

Duck with fondant potatoes with cherries

 

Exercise: Managed a couple of time –but really to need to focus on the exercise 

Work has been very busy; was informed Monday that with immediate effect all budgets would be hit with a 10% reduction, the impact has been that some contractors have been given notice (which I just hate doing), some investment will now been postponed or scaled back.  Hopefully, 2014 budgets won’t be too hard hit as we have some exciting innovative IT projects planned. 

My Mums sister is going to have a landmark birthday in three weeks; I will be making a cake and some cookies.  I have been doing some research into cake and cookie design icing options etc.  I’m no expert but will give it ago – the designs will have meaning to auntie.  I soaked the fruit for the cake this week and made the cake this afternoon – its smells lovely, the holes on the top will be filled with cake that I'll cut off the bottom to make if sit flat. Will be experimenting with cookies tomorrow.

 

MummyHen X

Been on the go all day

Like most of you I’ve just sat down for the first time today.  Worked this morning, collected the final shopping, then started the baking and cooking.

I finished the gingerbread house – not great photos but want to make sure I got some pictures before it collapsed; it’s still standing!!!!

 

Boiled the ham, cooked the turkey crown, made mince pies, sausage rolls and then cooked tea.

The only thing I’ve not done is vegetable prep but that won’t take long in the morning.

I am now going to put my feet up and have a lovely glass of wine.

MummyHen X

Christmas preparation

[thought I'd published this yesterday - grrrrr]

Although I’m working next week – it’ll be much less busy and stressful as most of my colleagues are on holiday, so finishing work yesterday was a relief. 

Went to Mr S’burys today and to spend my nectar points and do a final shop before Christmas – it wasn’t as bad as previous years.  Speaking of previous years – I looked back at how much we spent last year on Christmas; everything gifts and food; it was a real shock, north of £3,000.  No, I can’t believe it – this year I have spent under a third of last year – just the butcher to visit on Monday and then we are done.

I received a lovely cook book for my birthday from SonnyHen along with a request for a gingerbread house

 – never made one of those before; ok I’ll give it ago; had everything in the cupboard except the decoration; so have started

  

What are you going to prepare over the next few days?

Tomorrow preparation
Bread sauce
Cranberry sauce
Mince pies
Sausage rolls

Monday preparationButcher – turkey and beef
prepare vegetables

Feet up, relax with a glass of ...

MummyHen X

Cakes wonderful cakes

Yeah I have finished my cakes – all done n’ dusted.

Cake Parcel – inspiration from Jane Asher Christmas Holly Parcel. Oh my I didn't notice the price wow.

 

White Star Tree – inspiration from The Pink Whisk – if you not visited Ruths blog then you are missing a treat. 

Holly Cake – inspiration Pink Whisk Holly & Berries Cake.

 

I have a stressful job and making these cakes has been relaxing and I really enjoyed it.  I hope all the recipients will love then too.

 

MummyHen X

 

It’s cold

Actually it’s freezing – the cobwebs in the garden – no I don’t have any in the house!?!? – are very frosty this morning.

Cakes are coming on but not finished – only the two large round ones to complete, large square is complete but can't post a picture as the recipient reads my blog.

Here are some better pictures - actually not that pleased with the photos.

 

 

MummyHen X

 

Icing afternoon

I need to buy some more icing as I ran out, four small cakes (5” square) all done well almost need some sliver ribbon to put around the base of each cake.

Large 8” round has had its base white icing - still deciding on the design; spent far too much time yesterday evening looking at some wonderful designs. I have some ideas so watch this space.

Large 10” square didn’t get to this one today – need to buy some more icing

And I did make another Christmas cake – which will be gifted; had all the ingredients in the cupboard so it was ‘free’

 

The artificial light is dreadful so apologies for the poor quality of the photos

 MummyHen X

Marzipan afternoon

All done and ready for the icing tomorrow

 

MummyHen X

Baking and making

After seeing Froogs post about making a pie put-lid-on-it-frugal-pies I promised SonnyHen that I would make a meat pie with a bottom.  We have had many a discussion about pies with bottoms or without bottoms; I normally make pies without bottoms.  That is without a pastry bottom.  He asked for a meat pie, dauphinoise potatoes and mushy peas, DaddyHen ask for blackberry and apple cake.  Not thinking that it would be one of the hottest days of the year I duly set about cooking.

For the pie filling I used shin of beef – which I cooked for 4 hours, adding kidneys for the last hour before assembling the pie.  Plenty left over for the freezer.

 

 

Made the pastry as per Froogs recipe. 

 

I added shallots to the layers of potatoes in the dauphinoise and a grating of parmesan to the top. 

 

The blackberry and apple cake was a bit of throw it in and see what happens – I didn’t weigh anything out but know roughly what 250g of caster sugar looks like.

Pack of butter 250g, same of caster sugar, 4 medium/3 large eggs, 225g SR flour & 25g ground almonds, 400g bramley apples (peeled, cored & cut into large chunks), 250g blackberries. Mix butter & sugar, add eggs then fold in flour and almonds and finally the chunks of apple.   Deep round cake tin, lined, and the blackberries at the bottom neatly, then add the cake mixture and bake in the oven 160 for about 45mins. 

It was delicious and so moist the blackberries had turned to a red mush on the top, the apples were still crunchy and added to the moistness – only downside I couldn’t really taste the almonds maybe 110gs next time and/or some almond extract.

This is what was left this morning - I think they liked it!?!!!!!

 

 

 

MummyHen X

 

Hot Thursday

The sun is shining and its hot the outdoor thermometer is showing 32.6 and its only 10am.

Bread turn out OK but not that cheesy even with a load of strong cheddar; it loaf didn’t last long so it must have been yummy. I don’t really do bread, well I eat it every now and then but I then suffer from the most awful stomach pains – will I ever learn!?!?

The hens are all back to normal now which is great but still a few days more to get the egg production back on track.

The weekend didn’t have any plans but we had a lovely day on Saturday – we went to Battle (no we didn’t fight) 1066 Alfred arrow in the eye.. It was lovely – really pretty high street bunting over the road, pretty shop window displays, flowers (forgot the camera so no pictures). I did have an ulterior motive – DaddyHen was going to treat me to an ice cream maker attachment for my KA and it was the only place that had one that we would collect and it would be a nice day out.

Onward then to Maynards Farm – to PYO; time was short so we cheated and purchased raspberries, loganberries, plums, blackberries and cherries from the shop– all so much cheaper than the supermarket and I do like to support the local economy/smaller businesses and not the big corporate enterprises.

Had lunch in a lovely pub The Oak & Ivy in Hawkhurst - They do excellent food and great beer which Daddyhen loves. Whenever we’re in the area we always pop in for a drink. It has a great history of smugglers and gangs from bygone times.

Sunday was spent in the kitchen making ice cream vanilla, cherry & chocolate; I looked at a heap of recipes and decided to use my own; a basic custard recipe and then added the fruit or chocolate. Lovely ice cream really smooth but the cherry didn't taste much of cherries - umm don't want to go down the route of artificial flavours so Hen family will just have to put up with the natural flavours. The chocolate was seriously chocolaty; only a very small portion could be managed. We had the vanilla with plum tarte tatin I used this recipe and it was delicious, for lunch on Sunday. I froze the rest of the fruit - lined baking tray and placed each berry individually on the sheet so that they don’t touch, freeze for 24hrs and then put in bags or plastic boxes.

I have crochet squares to send to FosterMummy for the Bloggers Blanket – Can you send me your address so I can send them off.

Off on a tall ship tomorrow – the weather is going to hot

Well it was 10am when I started to write this but a few interruptions later is now after 1.30.

DaddyHen just brought me fish finger salad for lunch - yum 

MummyHen X

Daily bread

I made bread yesterday for the first time - I was so happy with the result.  Thanks to the wonderful tutorial from Rhonda at Down to Earth

My loaf turn out really well - I had to stop Sonnyhen from devouring it straight away.

I sent Daddyhen to the local shop to find the price of strong flour £1.99 for 1.5kgs - no way was I going to pay that; I was actually very surprised at the cost.

I happened to be going past (I wasn't going to make a special journey - I can hear Daddyhen singing frugal frugal) a large supermarket where they had strong flour on offer 3kgs for £2.  I used my lovely KA blue mixer to knead the dough and I discovered my oven and both a proving function and a bread function - Never noticed that before.  Years ago I did have a bread maker but I didn't like the shape of the bread, silly really; but needless to say I got rid.

Forgot to take photo of the start of the process - just getting used to this blogging lark, and don't always have camera by my side.

After proving

I knocked the dough back, put it in the tin, sprinkled with sesame seeds, slashed the top and put into a very hot oven.

I read somewhere about adding a tray of water in the bottom to give some steam - so I gave this ago. 10mins on 220 and then 20mins on 200 produced this...

And half an hour later after much smelling and asking certain people not to touch. 

MummyHen X

Lemon Coconut Cake

Add some lovely warm thick custard for a quick pudding for dinner - yum.  Recipe from here.

MummyHen X