Bread...

Nothing much is happening and I haven't got around to trying to bake anything so I thought I'd link to a few recipes in case you'd like to try baking some bread yourself...

I could put the recipes here but it seems easier to give credit where it's due and direct you direct to the source...

The three recipes here are really easy...

One is actually from WWII The Doris Grant Loaf I really should look up the history about this loaf. If you google this there are many recipes you can try as an alternative.

The Lazy Loaf(the one I mentioned in the previous post)

And finally one that is a little more complicated A Crusty Loaf.

Most loaves follow a basic recipe and once you have baked one you can more or less bake any of them probably without sticking rigidly to the instructions. That rule applies to cooking in general.

The King's Breakfast...

I read or heard over the past day or so that Marmalade is not as popular as it once was and that sales are down.

That people are preferring to have peanut butter, chocolate spread and other such items for breakfast.

It would be a pity to see Marmalade go totally out of fashion but then again is it more that people are rushing around everywhere especially if they have to go to work and so many are skipping breakfast altogether.

How often are we told that the traditional cooked breakfast is a rarity? Is that again because of time or because of all the recent health warnings?

In my own case I'd love a cooked Breakfast but as I can eat at any time I wish what would be a cooked breakfast might actually become a meal at lunchtime or in the evening at a time once when were were children known as teatime.

If you are brought up in a household where jam is your first choice of spread on toast that will be your preference.

As you'll know from an earlier post I have discovered Marmite and that has become a little more popular with me I'll admit.

If nothing else this story reminds me of a poem I was taught when a child which is a lot of fun. Though it is really about butter and not marmalade...

The Kings Breakfast

And speaking of food and my last post and my attempts at baking bread...there are so many recipes coming to light I think just about anyone could have a go and be surprised at how easy it is and the variety available...I have found a wholemeal soda bread that can be baked in...a casserole dish. How easy is that?

If I get around to trying it I'll let you know how I got on and link to the recipe.

Using My Loaf!

Mainly due medical reasons I have avoided going out much and if I do it is very quick trip...so today I found I have enough food to last a few days but I need to collect a prescription so I will have to go out tomorrow for that but I have no bread in the house so I had some bread mix to hand and so with little or no effort(and having a nice new cooker to use)I managed to make a loaf again.

You may remember perhaps a year or so ago I shared my attempts at baking a loaf which surprised even me.

I am hoping this is an improvement on that...I think it will be ok as I stuck a skewer into the loaf and it came out clean and when I thumped the bottom of the loaf, it sounded hollow and they say that means it is cooked. So when it has cooled down...we shall see.

Update:We have starting eating it and I think it is the best loaf I have ever made!

And having had success today I went on and made my own kind of casserole or pie depending on what you wish to call it for our evening meal containing vegetables, chicken and gravy topped with mash potato(OK I cheated...)I used instant mash potato and I had a can of Chicken stew. Prepared in seconds and within 25 minutes in the oven a tasty meal. Comfort food.



I had apple crumble ready to go but we found that we were well filled so we'll have that tomorrow.

Oh how I love having a cooker again...

Happy New Year

As we enter 2011 with an uncertain future ahead of us in the UK and many will suffer in a number of ways , it will be interesting if worrying times ahead.

But I wish you all a Happy and peaceful new year and hope that is so.

A very quiet time around here as New Year started. Most people seemed to have already gone to bed and this year fireworks seemed to have been forgotten about.

But I looked out of the window and thought that I was watching unusual fireworks floating in the wind and covering a lot of distance...I realise that I was watching my first Chinese Lanterns that I have heard so much about. Quite a few people seemed to have gone for them. I can also understand how some people have thought that they are looking at UFO's. They are like miniature hot air balloons.

I had a little drink with Mum to celebrate the New Year as it came in but as you can see whilst I am here posting this...Mum was in bed soon after Midnight...I won't be far behind.

We just had a late light evening meal and I christened some new saucepans that I purchased for the new cooker. What did we have? Salmon fishcakes, butternut squash and sweet potato mashed, broccoli and cauliflower followed by coffee and a slice of Christmas cake.

We're just fortunate that we are still here for another year and were in each other's company.