Home-made Baileys

Tree made with catseatdogs jewels

Home-made Baileys

We always made this Baileys recipe when I lived in England.  I have 2 recipes, one uses eggs and honey and the other calls for canned milks.  I am uneasy with the eggs, not because I think they are unsafe, just ikky, but I like the idea of the honey.  Wonder if I can combine...

This is what I intend to try.

1 1/2 cups whiskey

3 tsp coffee

1 tsp drinking chocolate

1 tbsp honey

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Can of Condensed milk

Can of Evaporated milk

Mix mix mix

Makes about 1 litre

I have combined the 2 recipes I have used before, let's see if they work.

I promise to report back with my findings!

Meringue Merengue, it's all in the vowels

I like that a wiggly dance and a crunchy sweet stuff are nearly the same thing as far as the spelling goes.  

I manage a spot of merengue in my lovely Zumba class, however change that 'e' to an 'i' and we have ourselves a challenge.  Meringues have always alluded me, they are allegedly so darn easy to make, and yet, I have never managed it.  Mine are usually flat or burnt to an unpleasant crisp.

So, today after a meringue -'hey, how hard can it be' discussion with my hairdresser/eyebrow waxer (owch), I decided to take on the challenge of the egg whites.

Here is the recipe in case the little buggers actually work...

Chocolate chip Meringues

3/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

3 large egg whites - room temp

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1. Pre-heat the oven to 300°.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.  In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and sugar.

2.  In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites and salt until frothy.  Beating constantly, add the sugar mix a tablespoon at a time, until stiff glossy peaks are formed (lift up the mixer and peaks should follow and hold).  This takes a while, 6-8 minutes.  Add the cocoa powder and mix well.

With a rubber spatula, fold in the chocolate.

3.  Drop the batter onto the baking sheets in heaping teaspoonfuls about 1" apart.  They should be holding their random blob shape here.  Bake until crisp, about 30-40 minutes, rotate the sheets halfway through.  Cool on sheets for about 20 minutes.

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Drum roll please............yay! They worked. I cracked and whisked and whisked and whisked and whisked and baked and here they are.  And there they went, I have 6 left.  Eaten too quickly to even get a head count.  I think I made around 24.

I had mine with vanilla ice cream sandwiched in the middle, crunchy and crumbly and impossible to eat politely, just how I like 'em.

My Mum makes immaculate meringues at the drop of a hat, Pavlovas, little tiny meringues with cream in to die for....so there was no pressure then...  

Maybe I have the meringue gene?  Or the merengue gene?  Wonder if my Mum can merengue..

Wishing on a Christmas Cake

A lovely warm, breezy November day.  

My Robin Hood family takes me to Forest Park archery range so that they can fire arrows into hay circles.  I am there to tackle any small people to the ground before they are wearing an arrow should they wander into harms way.


Firstly I get distracted by the horses at the Mounted Police stables. So, Bodhi and I go to chat to them and ignore the stern red signs warning us that the 'horses may bite'!  I love horses, feeding and petting only though, I have no desire to jump up there and canter off into the sunset.  I do remember sitting on a horse when I was little and thinking only 'this is very high up and I don't like it'.


I sat and watched the archery action, no tackling was required as my budding Merry Men twanged arrows at small paper targets.

 Robin Bodhi

Max Hood

Hark, do I smell a variety of raisins soaking in cheap (hey, it's going in a cake!) Brandy?  Why yes I do and that cake needs a'making.

The booze soaked fruit is revealed and the 2011 Christmas cake is mixed up.  By this time the boys have gone across to our neighbours to play soccer.  

I still follow the tradition of stirring the cake batter and making a wish (I think this is supposed to be a Christmas Pudding tradition, but we always use the cake for wishes and buy a pudding in a microwave ready pack!).  

Make a wish!

So at around 3.30 this afternoon I could be seen gracefully trotting across the road with a giant mixing bowl full of cake batter so that Max and Bodhi could stir and wish before the cake goes in the oven for many hours.  

Now I am making a wish that the darn cake turns out ok and not a fruity brick!  I always use my Mum's fruit cake recipe and it hasn't failed me yet.  At least my house will smell cakey and Christmassy all afternoon now.  Maybe I should run about with an empty bottle and catch me some lovely smell to save for future use....

Rain and a ton of honey

Didn't expect it to rain this morning, neither did my washing hanging on my line.  I know, hanging washing outside to dry how terribly un-midwest!  Well, I am not from these parts, so hang I shall.


I did make these Honey Fig Newtons recently and they use a satisfyingly large amount of honey in the pastry.  Easy and peasy to make.

Honey Fig Bars
National Honey Board

Makes 16 bars (I cut them smaller and it makes more like 24)

1 1/4 cups honey, divided
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 pound dried figs (about 2 1/4 cups, chopped)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

1. In a medium bowl, cream 3/4 cup of the honey with the butter until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg.
2. Add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda and combine. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for about 2hours, until firm (or overnight).
3. Meanwhile, in the bowl of a food processor with a metal blade, combine the remaining 1/2 cup of honey, the figs, lemon juice, lemon zest, and chopped nuts (if using). Process until the figs are finely chopped. Set aside.
4. When the dough is well chilled, dust a work surface and the dough with some flour. Working quickly, roll the dough to 1/4 inch thick. With a sharp knife, trim the dough into two 14×6-inch rectangles. Dough trimmings can be used to make cutout cookies.
5. Spread half the fig mixture evenly down the center of one dough rectangle. Gently fold the right side of the rectangle over the filling, then fold the left side over the right so they overlap. Pinch the ends to seal. Repeat with the remaining rectangle and the fig mixture. Carefully place the dough logs seam-side down on a greased baking sheet.
6. Bake at 350F for about 15 minutes, or until the logs are lightly browned. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven, allowing the logs to cool for 5 minutes on the sheet. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Cut into 3-inch bars.

This recipe is from Green Market Baking Book.

Do you print?

Sunflower

Photos, that is.  I have a bazillion photos on my computer and I need to print them and put them in albums.  It is a mammoth job, but one I will be doing and soon, I am about a year behind...  


I do feel a bit retro in my printing  and filling albums, this is backed by the fact that I have trouble even finding decent photo albums now.  

Remember way back (ahem!) when the photo option was a 35mm film and a wait while the film was all taken before you had any idea how successful your photos have been?


Then came that wait, holiday is over and you have been home a week, now to see if the holiday snaps were all in, or out, of focus.  Will you remember anyone or anywhere on the photos?  Did you get everyone in the photo at that party or did you chop half of their heads off?  


The fat cardboard envelope is returned to you with your printed memories inside.  I seem to remember that it was a tense moment when the quality of your photos was revealed.   


Do we all take an awful lot more pictures now?  I know I do.  We can instantly see what we have captured and we can check to see whether  everyone is looking in the right direction and  kind of normal.  No more chances with a group photo and always the one person who has their eyes shut or has just wandered off.


Not to mention the phone photographer, using every app available to capture the best effect and photo.  Are we Hipstamatic, SepiaCamera, Instagram, Polarize and Pocket Booth 'd out?  Who can take all of those pictures, then check to see which is the best one?   Just take the photo would you!  


Admittedly, I am totally the person who uses all of those apps and I love them, a chance to play around and get some cool arty farty shots!  Who wouldn't grab that?!  I feel like the kid in the candy store, getting to try everything and then, I can print them out!


Yes, I will continue to print and album my photos.  I love to grab a random album and look through it with my boys.  They get to hoot at Mummy or Daddy when we were 'young', or they see themselves as babies and I get to see their faces light up!  


I can't imagine I would flip open the computer and start randomly browsing photos.  I am also a little afraid that my computer will blow up or some other drama and all my photos will be gone for ever and ever.   That would make for a very sad moment.  


I don't miss the hit and miss photo taking of a few years ago, but I always liked to rip open the photo envelope to see what I had managed to capture.  I suppose I could challenge myself not to look at any photos I take for a while, then look in a week and see what I have.  


No, I can't see that working, I want to see and I want to see now!

Max and bike wheel.  Taken with Instagram.

'Pickle' the scary cat (he had just seen the dog!). Taken on Hipstamatic

  

I am not scared of Carrot Jam or Zumba

  I have read (I think it was on a Lululemon bag) that you should do 'one thing a day which scares you'.  Personally, I think that if I did follow this, I would be a nervous wreck in anticipation of the next day's terrifying experience.  Consequently I usually go about my daily business in a non scared manner, which is how I like it.


However, I did two (yes two, I hear you gasp!) things yesterday which were a bit scary.  Nothing life threatening, but nonetheless a mite out of my comfort zone.


I bravely decided to make Carrot Jam, yes, I know, sounds absurd.  I mean, veggies and copious amounts of sugar...not sounding good just yet.  The recipe author, Hugh Fearnley- Whittingstall assured me that it is good on toast or crumpets.  Well, why didn't you say so, let's grate carrots!


My fear was mainly that it wouldn't work, and all my self doubt would come to reality when I ended up with very sweet grated carrots, in the fridge, in a bowl, mocking me.


I am pleased to report a happy ending, the jam worked - hurrah - and tastes good, bit like sweet, nutmeg'y, cinnamon'y, citrus'y carrots.  Just need some crumpets.


Just in case you feel the need to make the jam (I recommend you do), I did boil it for blimmin' ages longer than stated here, about an hour total I think.  You have to keep an eye on it and keep doing the 'setting on a saucer' test.


Carrot Jam

Delicious on hot toast or crumpets. Makes about three 450g jars.

1kg carrots, peeled and grated
Finely grated rind and strained juice of 2 lemons
Finely grated rind and strained juice of 1 orange
900g granulated sugar
2-3 cinnamon sticks
6 cloves
1 tsp grated nutmeg

Put the carrots, juices, zest and sugar into a preserving pan, and stir. Tie the cinnamon and cloves into a small circle of muslin, tie with kitchen string and place in the middle of the carrots. Leave overnight to macerate.

Pour over about 900ml water, add the nutmeg, warm and stir until any sugar crystals have dissolved. Bring to the boil. Boil until it reaches its setting point, about 30-40 minutes; test to see if it's ready using a chilled saucer (see above). Carefully fish out the spice bag. Cool for 10 minutes, then pour into warm, sterilised jars and cover with lids or waxed paper discs and cellophane covers while still hot. Store in a cool, dry place and use within one year.

Carrot Jam

What, I hear you cry, can be the other item on the 'makes me a little bit uncomfortable list' from yesterday.  

Zumba.

Zumba has terrified me for years, it always looks amazing and I love the vague concept of me dancing.  So this looked like the activity for me.  There are classes at the Mid County YMCA, it is down the road, it is free.  So why, oh why won't I go?  Because I might look a little bit like a total idiot, that's why.  

Yesterday, I went.

I bloody loved it, every single minute!   I followed along, stomped, stepped, samba'd, salsa'd and wiggled.  Even when I went in the complete wrong direction, still loved it!  

Next Thursday, I will be there, Shakira'ing it up at the YMCA, 10am.  

So, maybe we should all try 'Something that makes us a little uncomfortable once in a while'.  Go print that on a bag somewhere, it is quite the tag line don't you think!

                                                         Katie's Pizzeria, love.

                               Little bit scary dress, but I soon got used to being a girl!

The bananas will explode

If I don't use the bananas soon, they may well explode! It is the summer banana curse, if they are not eaten within about 20 minutes of buying, they soon go spotty and squishy.

At this stage they can be left to explode (I have never actually conducted this experiment though..) or I have to trawl all of my cookbooks and random websites to find banana recipes.

This is a difficult task as I am really not keen on banana muffins or breads, and when I do make them, I have to add chocolate chips every time!

So imagine my joy when I found a recipe in the cookbook - Hungry? The innocent recipe book for filling your family with good stuff by Innocent

A recipe on page 300 for 'Tiny banana and chocolate cookies'. Hurrah, not muffins or bread!

Tiny Banana and Chocolate Cookies

Makes about 25

3 ripe bananas

100g/I stick butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large handfuls of big fat porridge oats

100g/3/4 cup almond flour (I used all purpose flour as I didn't have almond)

100g/1 cup unsweetened desiccated coconut

a handful of raisins

pinch of cinnamon

100g chocolate chips or chopped up chocolate

Preheat the oven to 180 C/350 F/Gas mark 4

Line baking sheets with parchment paper

In a big mixing bowl, mash up the bananas with a fork. Add vanilla and butter. Mix

Add the rest of the ingredients except the chocolate. Fold in the chocolate.

It doesn't look like regular cookie dough, but that's ok!

Spoon about 25 cookie 'piles' on the sheet(s).

Bake for 15-20 mins until golden.

Cool on a rack, they will keep for up to a week in an air tight container.

I have just had a try of a warm cookie, they are pretty good, like a banana macaroon almost. Of course I need to try a cold one too to complete my opinion. Maybe two or three, they are small.....