love those cupcakes

Holiday reads

I've mentioned several times previously that my reading ouput is much diminished these days.  Holidays, however, can provide those lusciously long stretches of uninterrupted time to get lost in the pages of a good book (preferably with a glass of the red stuff within easy reach).  I managed to do just that in Italy recently, finally finishing Larkrise to Candleford (which I seemed to have been reading forever) and two other books from the ever increasing pile. 

I whipped through this one in a day.  The setting is 1917 in the challenging South Dakota Badlands (which, incidentally, I visited some years ago).  Rachel and her ex soldier husband Isaac are black American ranchers who are struggling to hang onto the land they've staked a claim to and who have to do what they each see as best for their children in the face of drought, dust and dwindling supplies.  This isn't a book I'm likely to re-read but it's one I'd recommend.

I really didn't want this book to end though I have to admit that I was initially drawn to it by the cover.  The story starts in Ireland and moves unsurprisingly to Brooklyn when the main character, Eilis Lacey, is helped to find a job in a department store by one Father  Flood.   The period in which the novel is set wasn't immediately clear but it's the early 1950's.  At first, day to day life isn't so very different from what it was but change creeps in and Eilis starts to live a little, even taking the odd risk.  I haven't read any other books by this author but this one did hit the spot.

Back to reality

Well that went quick, as they say.  Ready for a tour and picture overload?  Off we go.

 

(Capri skyline)

 

  (Local produce and whopping great lemons)

 

(Pompei ruins)

 

 (Glimpse of Vesuvius)

 

(Pompei)

 

 

(Pompei water feature)

 

 (Refreshments Amalfi style)

 

(Amalfi)

 

 (Pan)

 

 

 (Amalfi)

 

(Positano)

 

  

 (Amalfi)

 

 (Herculaneum casa)
 

  (Sorrento resident)

 

The suitcases have been put away, our own cats are home after their holiday and I'm back at work.   Yes, definitely back to reality.

 

Interruption

                                                                                                              (photo from italianfoodnet.com)

Time for another little jaunt so we're off to the Land of Pasta and the Amalfi coast.

Back soon.

Ciao.

"Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore"

 

Last night we went here to see a production of The Wizard of Oz that my cousin was directing and which turned out to be rather good.  The star of the show was undoubtedly Milly, the little terrier who played the part of Toto with great applomb and true professionalism*.  She is surely destined for canine stardom. 

(*Edited to add:  As she was a little Yorkie there wasn't a hint of typecasting!)

I'd considered making these again

 

but then remembered how fiddly those ruby slippers were.

Monday again

Well, that went quick.  The weekend, that is.   We had no plans but seem to have fitted in........

- a bit of shopping, resulting in the purchase of a couple more books from a charity shop, a pie dish and Jane Asher biscuit cutters in a tin from Matalan (worth looking in if you're after cheap kitchen stuff).  The soaps, with irresistible names like Turkish Delight, Swinging Sixties, Bed of Roses, Summer Solstice, were from a nearby farmer's market.  I didn't know farmers made soap.

 

- some (uncomfortable) telly watching

 

- Sunday lunch in a North Yorkshire village

- a spot of wildlife gazing (whilst the giant Yorkshire puds and apple crumble settled)

- a glimpse of history

-  some refereeing

Please don't be alarmed at the baring of teeth.  This was not a re-run of the Holyfield/Tyson match and all ears remained intact. 

Heeere's Johnny (well, it's Bea actually)

When you sit down in this house, there's no telling what might suddenly burst through the cushions.

Sweet and innocent...............not!

Making and baking

Menus at Cupcake Towers have been getting a bit samey of late so I made these enchiladas (served  with homemade spicy potato wedges and salad) for dinner the other night and they were delicious.  Not being overly fond of red kidney beans, I substituted smaller black beans (or you could use aduki beans) and used a can of chopped tomatoes instead of the passata to give a bit more texture.  Dried cayenne pepper seemed to work well, too.  They're quite filling so I made enough for one enchilada each but they went down a treat, hence no photograph.

As chocolate is currently verboten here (well it is for me so roll on Easter I say), and the last HobNob had mysteriously disappeared from the biscuit barrel (isn't it maddening when that happens?), I've also made oat cookies this week for a much needed sugar fix.

Satisfyingly crunchy on the outside but still slightly chewy on the inside, they're easy to make using this recipe I'd jotted down (no idea where it came from so let me know if it's yours) in one of my notebooks.  The cookies can be left plain but I chucked in some dessicated coconut to the basic mix.  You could also add chopped nuts, crystallised ginger, chocolate or dried apricots, whatever you have in the cupboard that takes your fancy.

Oaty cookies

4 ozs butter or margarine

2 ozs soft dark brown sugar

1 oz caster sugar

4 ozs SR flour

4 ozs porridge oats

2 tblsp golden syrup

Half a tsp vanilla extract

Heat oven to 180C/gas 4.

Line 2 baking trays with baking parchment or greaseproof paper.

Mix together the flour, sugars and oats in a bowl (along with any additional ingredients as suggested above)

Melt the butter or margarine with the golden syrup over a low heat in a small pan or in the microwave.

Add the melted butter and syrup with the vanilla extract to the dry ingredients in the bowl and mix well.

Roll spoonfuls of the mixture into balls (about the size of a golf ball) with your hands and place on the trays, leaving room for the cookies to spread whilst cooking.

Flatten each of the balls with the back of a fork.

Bake for 12-15 mins or until lightly golden. 

Transfer the cookies carefully onto a cooling tray.

Enjoy with a cup of tea or coffee and a good book.

Up close and personal

Note to self: 

Don't put all your kitties in one basket.

One might get squashed.

Growing pains

There's no getting away from the fact that our garden is a neglected little plot which is going to need some serious attention to ensure an outside space that's easier on the eye.  It was bare when we moved here almost 19 years ago, significantly smaller and more awkwardly shaped (much wider than it is long) than the garden we'd just left.  But with much enthusiasm and energy, the foundations were laid - fencing, paving, steps, a pond, a path, lawn - and shrubs and trees were planted in the borders.  Then we acquired what grew into a large and very energetic dog who, during the 14 years he was with us, wore away/dug out the grass and chewed his favourite shrubs. 

More recently, the field adjoining the garden was sold and a new housing estate built, casting not only a blot on our personal horizon but causing considerable damage to several of our trees.  (A more experienced gardener was of the opinion that this might have been due to the change in water level as the new houses are in an elevated position).   Of course, even though it's lacked attention, over the years the garden has matured but what we're now left with needs re-thinking and revamping.  Some of the planting is over grown and out of shape whilst other bits just need digging out.  Then there are the gaps which need filling, not to mention a new fence and re-turfing the grassed area. 

Thanks to an early morning visit from a heron, the pond is providing a watery home to just 5 fish and I'm sure they have difficulty seeing each other as, at times, the resemblance to a black lagoon is uncanny.  So before any new fish are bought we need to address the soup-like state of the water and remove all the nastiness that's lurking at the bottom.

In an attempt to turn over a new leaf and generate some enthusiasm for the work ahead,  this weekend I dug out some long forgotten books from the bookshelf , hopeful of inspiration

 

and some much needed advice in deciding what can be done to bring the garden back to life.

Then, I found myself drifting into the realms of horticultural  fantasy by imagining an outside space which could be much more usefully productive than it currently is.  So I bought this.

And these.

Oh yes, and these because there's no space for a vegetable plot. 

But now I need seed potatoes which apparently will require chitting.  I'm now thinking that maybe this is the start of the gardening equivalent of all of those unfinished knitting and sewing projects that are dotted about the house.  I never learn.

But at least there's one purchase (from Lidl, of all places) which is already providing some welcome colour.

Yes, that's me.  The lady with the camellia.