love those cupcakes

Just like waiting for the proverbial bus

My social life is either all or nothing, weeks when nothing much happens at all and then a flurry of activity.  Like this week.  Yesterday included a halfway point meet-up with the Girlie in Harrogate (actually much nearer to us) where we strolled the streets, shunned Betty's for a healthier and queue free lunch of the Japanese variety, bought cupcakes (for a Boy who was in Newcastle doing pre submission tittivating to his master's dissertation), fancy beer (for the mister) and a couple of items of cooler weather clothing (for yours truly).  Later, there was a belated birthday dinner and catch up with a big bunch of sunflowers presenting friend at a favourite restaurant.  Tomorrow there's a visit to the local gallery and lunch with another friend, Saturday includes a meet up with a group of newish friends in a cafe which popped up recently in the row of shops down the road from us and on Sunday there's the  RSPCA summer gala and dog show.  I'm not in agreement with all of the latter's policies but the mister volunteers 3 days a week at one of their rescue centres, they're desperate for funds (and cupcakes) and I'm a sucker for a dog related sob story (of which there are far too many).  Boo is still deciding which events to enter. Little does he know that a pre show date with a tub of warm water and a bottle of coat enhancing shampoo is pencilled in his diary.

Not so quick but easy

You really can't beat freshly baked homemade bread and I've been meaning to give this 'NY Times no knead' tweaked recipe a try for quite a while.  So, with a new series of Bake Off about to start and after reading about a neighbourly loaf on Colleen's blog, I was really in the mood for a spot of breadmaking last Sunday.

I've made other no knead loaves over the years (I do enjoy traditional up-to-the-elbows-in-flour-and-yeast kneading but sometimes a shortcut makes a nice change); however, this recipe differs in that it uses just _1/4 tsp of dried yeast and it's baked in a covered pot.  It also requires a much longer proving period - at least 12 and preferably 18 - 24 hours.  So this isn't a quick bake and needs a bit of planning.

It's an uncomplicated method, though. Gather together the 4 ingredients, chuck them in a mixing bowl, stir and then put the dough to bed for a long sleep. 

I baked the loaf in my 'not a Le Creuset' casserole and it turned out rather well - crusty, with a sourdough texture. And it rapidly disappeared. 

 

A new word and other stuff

I recently added a new word to my vocabulary.

Tsundoku. 

(n.) The act of buying books and not reading them and/or letting books pile up unread on shelves or floors or nightstands.

There's a lovely new and as yet unread pile on my desk.

All birthday gifts, received this weekend along with these other lovelies (another book to add to the pile, cute socks, fancy chocs, notebooks and flowers, plus a generous gift of money from Aunty M).

Of course, there was cake.

And a celebratory family meal at a classy (things are looking up here!) new local restaurant overlooking the Tees and Transporter Bridge.  (This was a very delicious vegetarian sharing platter starter and those luridly green olives were so buttery.)

As for that 'I can't sleep' journal, it may just contain the solution to a longstanding problem.

I love birthdays, me.

The butterfly effect

After a disturbed night for us all, caused by a far from sleepy black and white cat (who seems to have lost control of his patch, is consequently staying indoors sleeping all day* and full of beans when we're all trying to catch some ZZZs), I've spent most of the morning quietly on butterfly watch in the garden (and, yes, I know I should have been cleaning the house).

We have two buddleias, both white (a mistake, one was supposed to be purple), which I must admit I don't find particularly attractive.  Unless, that is, they're covered in butterflies.

 

There was another watcher.

Hopeful, I suspect, of a velvety winged playmate or two.

 

* Busy, Busy

It's 8 a.m. and time to rest

It's 10 a.m. and time to relax

It's noon and time for repose

It's 3 p.m. and time for shut-eye

It's 6 p.m. and time for siesta

It's 9 p.m. and time to slumber

It's midnight and time to snooze

It's 4 a.m. and time to hang upside down

from your bedroom ceiling, screaming

 

From 'I Could Pee on This and Other Poems by Cats', Francesco Marciuliano

Enjoying the downtime

The consultancy project I agreed to take on a while ago is still not finished but progress is being made and, if all goes to plan, I'll be pressing 'send' (and forwarding the all important invoice) in a couple of days. 

Hours spent at the laptop are invariably followed by a little relaxation in the kitchen and this week has been no exception .

The raspberry jam was so quick (about 15 mins start to finish) and so easy (just two ingredients).  The brownies took a little longer but, using this recipe (I upped the vanilla extract to 1 tsp and substituted SR flour), they were in and out of the oven in no time.  Perfect for pudding tonight (we wouldn't usually bother but there's a Boy here with hollow legs) with scoops of vanilla ice cream.

Despite the absence of chocolate, they're pleasingly squidgy. (If you give the recipe a try, I'd advise taking care not to overcook the mixture.  You'll end up with cake rather than brownies otherwise.)

There's even a healthy version.

Right, it's back to doing some work on the laptop for me.   There's no rest for the wicked, as they say.

Feeling fruity

This summer is all about the berries.  Eaten straight from the punnet. Mixed in a bowl and topped with yoghurt and chopped walnuts.  Boiled up in jam.  Baked in cakes.  Added to jugs of Pimms. Topped with crunchy crumble.  Covered in buttery shortcrust pastry.

This was pudding from last night.  Raspberry, blueberry, strawberry and apple pie.


With a generous pouring of cream, it was also breakfast this morning.

I don't feel at all guilty.

Just a tad full.