Boozy Fruit

Rudolph's nose so bright.

It's that time of year where one goes from merely eating too much food to indulging in so much rich food that one spends the first half of the following year attempting to lose it again.

Having made a few batches of mince pies, last night I finally got around to soaking the fruit in my home made sloe brandy.  I then took a few shots of the deliciously boozy fruit before baking the Christmas cakes.

Fruit travelling at warp speed.

Petal Power

Yesterday I received a very large box, and inside it these beautiful flowers.  I took some photos last night but the lighting was so poor that this first photo was the result!

I had a play with the colouring and am rather fond of the grainy seventies look.

However this morning I put them on the windowsill and ended up with these lovely vibrant images.

I think it's the texture of flowers, particularly the petals and leaves that really make them so appealing.  Fabulous desk top material!

The Boy's eye view.

Bright Buns

As you may have noticed I enjoy cooking, baking and eating.  This month I treated myself to some decent gel food colouring.  I've only ever used the cheap stuff before and it was getting frustrating as the result's aren't terribly good.  As soon as the gels arrived I baked some cup cakes, and this was the result!

It's all ever so exciting.  My eldest daughter and I are already planning out the months baking projects just so we can play with the colours!

Hot cross buns.

My first ever attempt at baking hot cross buns was reasonably successful.   They look okay, decent shape and consistency, but for some reason only a few of them have recognisable crosses.  That's all unimportant because they smell and taste great!  

I used Paul Hollywood's recipe which was easy to follow and because I'd watched him do it on TV I had an idea of what to expect.  I've not baked bread for years and had forgotten how much fun and confusion is involved.

I love food.

Happy Easter to all those who celebrate it.

Ouch!

We seem to be the house of illness and injury at the moment.  Over the past month or two we've had chest infections, tonsillitis, flu, the nasty noro virus, sprained ankle and now I've cut my finger!










It was my own silly fault really.  I was sewing late last night, wasn't concentrating and tried to use my material scissors for something they're not really designed for in a rather careless manner.

Pancakes!

Pancakes are a fairly regular occurrence in our house, but that doesn't stop us from making the most of Shrove Tuesday!

Savoury pancakes to start.  Thin flat pancakes filled with salami, cheese and a little onion are my favourite.

Then American style blueberry pancakes smothered with maple syrup and topped with strawberries and ice cream.  Delicious!