Planning Ahead

Not sure how things will turn out, but again, whilst I was supposed to have my nose in my books I had my fingers in the dirt... Hopefully, Summer will be fruitful!

Bunny for Samuel

...Exams, then evading more revision and essays by making my friend a little bunny for her new baby boy!

My Pearly Valentine

We don't officially do Valentine's Day. It is usually a meal together at home away from the overcrowded restaurants with their awkward atmosphere. I'm not sure what we're going to do tomorrow, perhaps nothing. Habibi surprised me with tulips yesterday to cheer me up - how lucky am I? I don't think I need a dedicated day to say I love you, but having said that I spent the afternoon evading my essay and making a card.

Marmalade and Guilt

I am guilty of neglect and I've been feeling terrible because of it, hence the absence. However, a new year and perhaps a new resolution? Hmmm, time will tell. But I have decided to wipe the slate clean and feel guilty no more! So here is my New Year's gift to you all... Marmalade!

Yesterday was cold, crisp and sunny, preparing us for the onslaught of snow that has arrived in full force today. It was the perfect day for making marmalade. We had stopped by Chadlington's butchers to stock up for the week and to my delight, the next door grocer had Sevilles outside the shop! I was a marmalade virgin and really hadn't anticipated quite how labour intensive it is, however, don't let this put you off because really it is only the slicing of the peel that takes so long. I used H's mum's recipe and it worked a treat, I just don't recommend trying to do it whist your kind other half is trying to cook you a roast dinner.

Margaret's Seville Orange Marmalade

800g Seville oranges

1 lemon

1 kilo bag + a good teacupful of granulated sugar

1. Wash fruit and cut out a small circle from the stalk end of each fruit. Place in a large pan (I use a largish oval le creuset casserole) with 1 ¾ pints of cold water. Cover with lid.

2. Bring to simmer and cook gently for a good hour until the whole fruits are softened.

3. Drain each fruit. Leave the water in the pan. Quarter fruit and scrape flesh and pips into a separate small pan. Slice peel finely into strips, cut across into short pieces and return to the casserole with the cooking water.

4. Add ½ pint of water to the flesh and pips. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes.

5. Tip contents through a strainer into main casserole, squeezing as much gooey juice through as possible.

6. Add sugar to the peel and juice in the casserole. Heat gently until sugar has completely dissolved.

7. Raise heat to rolling boil and cook for about 20 minutes before testing for a set on chilled saucers. (Test for setting point – using your fingernail. If you can push a very soft crinkling skin across the surface of a blob of marmalade on a chilled saucer, the marmalade is ready).

8. If it hasn’t set, re-boil and recheck every 5 minutes (may take 30 – 40 minutes boiling before setting point but be careful not to boil too long).

9. Have about 5 or 6 clean jars ready in a warm oven.

10. Leave hot marmalade for about 10 minutes to settle. Skim off any scum from the surface, then fill the jars and seal whilst hot.

Spring and Whiff of Elnette

Market day is Wednesdays. Today I was rather late going into town as I had to wait in for a delivery that never arrived. Nevertheless, waiting had its advantages, the morning was full of foreboding clouds and a heavy shower I was glad to miss. Just before the market closed up, the sun came out and so did that feeling of Spring. The sun felt warm and the man at the veggie stall was chatty.

On my way home I popped into the charity shop, as you do, to have a quick nose about, enjoying the freedom from my desk. As luck would have it, I found the perfect thing to fit the day, a silk scarf, all for the bargain price of £1. The brightly coloured flowered print was astonishingly cool for my local charity shop, which never usually has anything other than grey misshapen cardies.

I walked home, waved to my 90 year old neighbour sitting in her sunny window and unpacked my purchases in the kitchen. I got out my new scarf to admire it and got a faint whiff of hairspray, which always reminds me of my Nan. That's the only part I don't like about charity shops, they are tinged with loss.

Courgette Cupcakes

I have a man in the house who loathes courgettes. Zucchinis, whatever you call them, it is all the same to him, (picture a pained, screwed up face) "ewwwww, NO thanks!". I do try and understand this dislike for the vegetable; everyone is different, each has their own favourite foods and I'm not even keen on marrow, the courgette's bigger cousin, so why shouldn't someone be allowed to not like, even loathe something? Well, to me, it is somewhat indulgent - I can't override this feeling that not liking vegetables is something of the preserve of children, am I right? I guess not, so I'm going to have to work on this one.

Anyway, there have been a couple of courgettes languishing in the bottom of the veggie drawer in the fridge, left over from last week's veggie box. There are only so many fritatas you can make with courgettes, especially if you're the only one eating them. So, I've also been inspired by my recent success with bread, and with the idea of finding something else to snack on that isn't an oatcake or a carrot stick (much as I love them!).

So after making the most delish curry (the subject of another post soon), I decided that I should deal with the remaining courgettes. I searched for recipes for courgette bread, but all seemed to need yeast and/or sugar, both of which are no goes for me. Not having found anything satisfactory, or a recipe that I had the right ingredients for, I decided to wing it. I have to say that the result was most pleasing - they even got the approval from Mr. Courgette-hater!

The most amazing thing about the finished result is the flecks of green from the courgette, so vivid! The finished article had a wonderful crumb on the outside but a wonderful cakey texture on the inside. The use of the wholemeal flour really gave it an extra depth to the taste, and I found that I wasn't missing the sugar at all! Perfect!

I imagine that this recipe would also work well if the courgette was substituted for carrot - you then open yourself up to adding cinnamon and marching down the carrot cake route, but that is probably no bad thing!


Courgette Cup Cakes



Preheat the oven to 350°F/ 175°C

400g Wholemeal Flour
2 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
1 handful of chopped nuts (optional)
2 Free range eggs
150 ml Vegetable oil
300 ml Natural live yoghurt
2 tsp Vanilla Essence
1 Courgette, large, grated

Beat together all the wet ingredients, starting with whisking the eggs up and slowly adding the yoghurt, vanilla and finally fold in the courgette. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix until combined, but do not over mix.

Spoon into cupcake cases or this works well in a greased loaf tin and bake for 30 minutes - if you make it as a loaf, you will need to bake it for longer, about 45 minutes to an hour. Allow to cool in the tin for ten mins and then turn out on to a rack to cool further, if you have the will power.

Eating for Three

Woo! I'm over the moon! The news of parasites inhabiting your small intestine and colon are probably never greeted with such joy and jubilation, but it answers so many questions! Such as, 'why would I be loosing weight whilst eating like a pig?' Answer: You've been eating for 3! Yes, greedy things have been eating my food!

So, I'm still on no sugar and no yeast (wouldn't want to encourage them to take up permanent residence now would I? It is not like they can't claim squatters' rights already!), but I should be eating more 'normally' soon. I've decided to take the alternative route to killing off the blighters, after all I've got to walk the walk...

So let the massacre begin!