A Funny Coincidence?

What should have been a happy event for me last friday sadly turned into a nightmare.  We took delivery and installation of the new cooker, the engineer made sure all was working before he left but when we went to make our dinner a few hours later the oven made some very weird sounds and the gas flame was flickery and making a dreadful noise. 

I spent the next 2 hours on the phone to the customer service department, being passed from one person to another and waiting for call backs from the store who is never knowingly undersold!  Finally after trying to be ever so diplomatic they will be replacing my oven on monday.

So needing a little cheerying up on Saturday I went out for the afternoon with my dear friend Sarah.  We popped into Windsor to a food and Christmas Fayre which was OK but nothing to really blog about. On the way back home we had a little quick stop off at Moss End Garden centre.

It's a lovely little place with not only the garden centre but a small indoor food market selling local produce and not forgetting the tat shops out the back.  I went into the second hand book shop and found an original copy of Delia's Book of cakes (circa 1977) for a bargain of £3.50 it's made it's way home to my book shelf. 

On Sunday morning whilst surfing the net I happened to link on to Delia's website.  I'm not sure if you have things like this happen to you but I found it a funny coincidence that the very same book is having an overhaul and being republished with the original recipes and more in February 2013. Spooky!

So that's one book I don't need to buy once released as I'm more than happy with my original copy.  All I need now is my new cooker and to get back on track with my challenge so I can give one of her recipes a go. 

Watch this space.

Lynetta Xx

Week 41 - Chocy Rocky Road

Nigella Express

Faff Factor = 9

Bake = 5

Keeping Up Appearances = 9

Total score = 23/30

In the absence of a cooker and wanting to keep myself on track with the challenge I decided to make a fridge cake this week and what a better reason to make some chocy rocky road.  Not just any choccy rocky road, this is Nigella's recipe.  Mmmm mmmm mmm.

I'm sure you all know how easy it is to make this little treat so I'm not going to tell you how to suck eggs however one thing I decided to do was swap rich tea biscuits for hob nobs.  These tasty little morsels are for the boys so I needed to beef them up so to speak.

Ideal lunch box fillers and an ideal sugar rush snack.  As they are easy peasy to make I only marked 5 out of 10 for the bake as I feel I'm cheating this week, come on admit it, you can't go wrong with mixing ingredients together can you?

Only 24 hours to go for my new cooker and I'm keeping my fingers crossed I can get to grips with the oven.  Here's hoping I don't start burning my cakes, yikes......

Toodle Pip

Lynetta Xx

 

Week 40 - Vanilla Cupcakes

Pretty Witty Cupcakes

Faff Factor = 9

Bake = 9

Keeping Up Appearances = 9

Total score = 27/30

If you remember back last year as a birthday treat from Sarah I went along to Pretty Witty Cupcakes on a day's baking course. This week was the first time I've made cupcakes since my visit and as my cooker is broken I've been a little cheeky and used my double bake day  from last weekend as this week's challenge.

I know some of you would say 'well that's not much of a challenge' but I just wanted it to be known these are the best cupcakes and buttercream recipe I've ever made. 

I've nothing more to add other than they are so simple to make (but follow the instructions to the letter) as yet again I've received a near on perfect result.

If you want to give them a try for yourself go here for the recipe.

Enjoy and happy baking.

Lynetta

Rain stopped play!

After 16 years, one house move and alot of meals (not to mention the cakes) my oven has stopped working.  I noticed something was wrong last week when I was baking the birthday cake (I also baked some vanilla cupcakes which I will sneak in as last weeks bake, post to follow).  I was a little pre-occupied in icing the birthday cake and cupcakes that I didn't realise that after 2 hours in the oven the brownies I decided to bake on a whim were still not cooked (good job really as they would of burnt - note to self put a timer on my christmas list) it was then I realised the temperature was low, so low that even though I had the dial set to 7 (200c) it was only cooking on 1 (100c) .  Oh dear my poor poor cooker has given up.  Rain stopped play!

As a short term measure (about 5 years I would say) we decided to go for another free standing cooker until the time comes when we re-design the kitchen.  I dream of having a lovely modern white gloss kitchen with a built in oven and induction hob, but until that day comes I'm happy to just another free standing cooker - I just don't think I could stand the upheaval and mess at the moment too. 

Luckily the stove top still operates so I'm able to be a little constructive with the meals but I'm missing my oven for baking.  It's going to be another week before it's delivered and installed so I better get the books out to see if I can come up with a no bake bake this week. 

Wish me luck.

Lynetta Xx

Week 39 - Vanilla Birthday Cake

  Jo Wheatley, Peggy Porschen and Mary Berry

Faff Factor = 9

Bake = 9

Keeping Up Appearances = 9

Total score = 27/30

You may think I'm doing a little cheat for this week only baking a vanilla cake but I wanted to blow my own trumpet, I hope you don't mind?  This was the first time I've tweaked and played around with a recipe.  I used the vanilla cake recipe from Jo Wheatley's book and I must say that once again the instructions and bake was superb. 

From here I used Peggy Porschen's method of making a sugar syrup and coating whilst cooling in the tins, let cool and wrap in clingfilm overnight.  This helps in keeping the cake moist once buttercreamed and I must admit you would of thought it had just been baked it was scrummylicious. 

From here I used Mary Berry's buttercream recipe, good ol' Mary, comes up trumps yet again, it was a light and fluffy texture, easy to spread and tasted just right not being too sweet. 

Ken certainly went through his paces this weekend as I creamed the butter and icing for the covering for over 10 mintues on a slow speed and obviously patience makes perfect.

My lesson learned this week - You can do it, you can bake a really really good vanilla birthday cake, whoop whoop way to go Lyn. There, that's my trumpet blown! :-)

Have a fab Friday.

Lynetta Xx

Something old!.....................

When Jack was very little and I first started to read to him I always thought of my very first book, you know the one where you can choose and buy with your own hard earned pocket money, well my first book was Little Miss Rivers and Little Miss Bridges by Caroline Symons.  I adored this book and I'm sure it gave me the interest in Victorian/Georgian era's, one which I am very fond of today. This got me thinking that I would love to read it again so with nothing better to do I sourced myself a copy. Oh my, when I received the book memories came flooding back.  The cover was as I remembered and it felt just right to hold and read it again.  I surprised myself that I read this book when I was about 9 and realised I was quite a good reader for my age.

Since then I've been adding my childhood books to my little library.  Some second hand when I see them at fayres or fetes and some that I've purchased new copies of.  One book being Mandy.  This book was written by Julie Andrews under her real name of Edwards.  I have since learnt that my mum still has my original copy in the loft back home so one day I will retrieve it. 

Another book which I totally lost myself in when I was little was any MillyMollyMandy stories.  I loved the first page of the books as they always had a map of the village. I used to very carefully colour it in in pencils (shock horror).  To my surprise when in Lyme Regis the other year my friend Neil spotted one in the flea market and I really had to laugh as the little girl who owned this book also coloured in MillyMollyMandy's dress, so I wasn't the only one then.

I'm sure over the coming years I'll remember even more books that I read in my childhood and add to my little collection which is coming along nicely. 

I'm also  thinking I should look out for Blue Peter Albums as I loved getting one of these for my Christmas present every year, but I'm sure they are more of a collectors item so maybe a little too much for what I am prepared to pay for, but then on the other hand!  I think I better get on ebay and have a look, don't you?

Toodle Pip

Lynetta Xx

Week 38 - Tarte Bourguignonne

This is a take on the classic tart Bourdaloue ( poached pears cooked in almond cream). The combination of the red wine, spices, pears and the rich chocolate almond cream make this very wintery dessert perfect - Eric Lanlard Home Bake.

Faff Factor = 6

Bake = 7

Keeping Up Appearances = 8

Total score = 21/30

Oooh  how posh I hear you say, Tarte Bourguignonne - or in other words Pear Tart for us mere mortals.  I really enjoyed this bake, however it did take a long time and quite a bit of faff.  I only had small dessert pears which I soaked in the syrup of red wine, cinnamon and vanilla.  However I don't think my syrup was thick enough as the pears were a little wet once baked, you only learn by the mistakes so next time round I will make sure I heat until a thicker syrup is achieved and buy the recommended pears (ideally Williams).

The filling was a combination of butter, sugar, almonds and cocoa powder which you whisk up and fill the pastry case before arranging the pears on top.

I was rather pleased with my pastry and fill confident enough to say it tasted pretty darned good but I will admit if I make this again I would use pre-made pastry just to cut down on the faff but I will always keep my hand in and make my own every now and then.

I also enjoyed this tart once straight out of the oven, the filling was a light fluffy mousse texture cream and the pears are to savour warm.

I think I'm safe in saying I won't be giving Valerie Pattiserie a run for their money but I'm glad I gave it a go and will look for another french pattiserie recipe before my challenge is over, or I could give the dreaded profiteroles a go again!

Off to watch The Great British Bake Off final.

Toot toot.

Lynetta Xx

this baking malarky.......

It seems as though my challenge is taking me over. For some reason I'm all enthused again and am constantly looking at my books to find my next bake.  I think I may have procrastinated too long as I've been looking for a nice recipe using bananas and in the time it had taken me to find one they had over rippened, they had gone really black and were so squidgy squashy they could not be used. Oh well, I'll ear mark that page ready for when I have some more in the fruit bowl to be used but I had a good time snuggled on the sofa reading my baking books.  A good time is not a waste of time I say.

As you'll notice from the picture I've tried my hand at a pastry dish again this week.  I felt more confident making it again and the result was fab but I'll tell you all about that soon.

Other news this week...........................I've been asked to make my great nephews birthday cake.  He will be 2 this week and we are visiting at the weekend.  I'm no cake decorator by any means and so I've come up with a cunning plan to make some bunting and flags to go on the top, well no use having the skills in making things with paper and scissors if I'm not going to put them to good use, don't you think?  Keeping fingers crossed it all goes to plan.

OK I'm off now to watch Great British Bake semi final....

Toodle pip

Lynetta Xx

Week 37 - Cinnamon and Sugar Popovers

Children will love these; they are almost like those doughnuts that

you buy at the seafront but without the deep-fat frying.

  - Jo Wheatley A Passion for Baking.

Faff Factor = 8

Bake = 6

Keeping Up Appearances = 8

Total score = 24/30

Oh dear, sorry Jo but I have to disagree with your comments about these tasting like doughnuts as basically they are yorkshire puddings with cinnamon sugar sprinkled over.  I was mildly dissappointed with this bake.  I wanted something quick and easy as I had already baked 2 cakes on Thursday for the Macmillan morning so flitting through my books and finding this recipe I thought I had hit gold.

Don't get me wrong, they tasted ok but they needed to be eaten straight away because once cold they were a little soggy, probably due to the amount of butter you need to brush over the popovers before coating in sugar.

I've not much to write about this bake as it only involved whisking the ingredients together and placing a spoonful in each hole in the tin (which had very hot oil in) and bake, just like a yorkshire pud, however I've learned a valuable lesson this week, the recipe is a keeper (minus the cinnamon sugar bit) as I can now make Yorkshire Puds. Move on over Aunt Bessie, Lyn's in the house :-)

Toodle Pip

Lynetta Xx

The Smurf!

Last week we were unfortunate to have the neighbour back into our little Aygo making a huge dent.  Whilst she went in for repairs we were given a courtesy car.  I really giggled when I came home from work to see this bright blue Fiat 500c on the drive.  Immediatley I called him The Smurf!.  and I must admit Ian did look a bit of a papa smurf when he was driving it.

I'm not that much of a petrol head but I do like to drive different cars just to say that I've driven one.  Ian really didn't like this little car and compared to his Aygo the fuel consumption was to be desired.  For a little 1200cc car it was a bit of a guzzler. 

As for me?  I loved it :-)

Ok perhaps the colour is not one that I would personally choose but after a week I kind of liked it and it certainly was easy to find in a huge shopping centre car park!  The interior is so retro and funky it bought a happy smile to my face, I loved the driving position as it was higher than the Aygo and the boot space was twice as big (I managed to get 6 of my large grocery shopping bags in the boot, something the Aygo cannot claim to do). It also had a great stereo system and all the controls were easy to use.  Not quite sure why it has and engine cutout mode when you are in netural as to me that just puts extra strain on the starting motor, but I digress.......

........so onto the down side, it's a little gut less and the pulling away power does not give you the confidence that I am used to, and the back seat was non-existent (hence the larger boot I suppose) and really that's about it, I couldn't fault it any more.

So would I want to own one?  Yes I think I would but only a more economical model and perhaps a white one!

So there you go ladies and gents, not only do I let you know about the good and bad points of baking I'm now a Top Gear presenter.....eat  your heart out Clarkson!

TTFN

Lynetta Xx