I had to share

There is a march happening this Saturday. Sadly, I am unable to go and I feel like I'm really letting the team down. The papers have already begun hyping things up. I'm sure there will be ill reported 'scenes of violence', as always pointing the finger at the protesters, rather than the police who will be kettling people and woe betide anyone who questions being locked in a confined area without food or water in the cold for hours.

This video is inspired. If you do anything today, please check it out.

It's COOKIE time!

Oh yes

On my recipe day, I was determined to make a perfect cookie with the Cinnamon chips my friend sent me. I had been eyeballing the crazy mixer on our kitchen side, nervously, since I moved in. It had several attachments and looked like I could lose a finger. I'm accident prone, this is highly likely. I decided today was the day I would take that risk in the interest of my cookie hunt.

In the interest of research (ahem), I broke open the chips and tasted a few to help me decide what they should be. They are, quite frankly, delicious. I was slightly put off by the Hershey's branding and if you grew up eating cadbury's you'd understand why. But no hints of sour chocolate here- all cinnamon goodness.

---- interruption of blog post to inform you I do not like the word cinnamon. It looks wrong. I keep retyping it. From now on I will refer to it as C. Ok?----

I decided they stood alone and wasn't sure if they'd melt so a good basic vanilla-rey dough was in order. Here's the recipe, enjoy!

Makes 12 approx

75g butter, softened (I cheat, I pop mine in the microwave for 15 secs)

50g soft brown sugar

50g caster sugar

1 large egg

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

160g plain flour (I whisked it with the magi mixer thingy, has same effect as sieving FYI)

1/2 tsp baking powder

150g C chips

1. Preheat oven to 190c and line two baking trays with paper

2. Mash together butter and sugars, getting excited that the mixer is doing a wonderful job while you prance around in the background.

3. Thoroughly whisk (MIXER) in the egg and vanilla.

4. Mix in the flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt, dancing still at the joy that is your mixer and count your fingers- all there? Good. 

5. Fold in C chips. Add them all, don't start eating them. Or atleast eat from the bag not the bowl you measured out.

6. Flour your hands and roll into ping pong size balls, placing haphazardly on the tray, allowing space for them to grow. 

7. Cook for 12-15 minutes while you realise you still have to wash up the mixer and feel a bit sad that there isn't a setting for this.

8. Remove when still soft to touch in centre but crisper on the outer side and browned. Allow to cool.

Youth fading

 

This week's You Capture struck an instant chord: Youth. I sighed, I had a milestone birthday, it seemed I was fated to write one of those reflective posts I love from other bloggers about where I am in life right now. 

I have no idea. Really. I hit 21 with optimism and a world full of possibilities: I had time to make mistakes. Now at 30 it seems a little less free. Words like mortgages, career goals, work-life balance have entered my vocabulary. There's also the alarming amount of friends married or having children. I've never had that as a goal so I remain confused but seeing them all doing it sure makes you ponder.

Why is it that we hit birthdays and decide 'I had to be HERE by NOW'? I was never going to be married to Colin Firth, even I knew it was a whimsy but still, there were a few things I'd like to have knocked out the park by now. To be honest, lately, life has kind of kicked my ass and I'm not entirely sure I'm ready for my 30s. Shouldn't I be done with hangups and lack of confidence by now? I look at girls in the bars in their early 20s and think 'Slow down girly, you have so much to enjoy. Lay back, enjoy the ride.' So I know I must have dropped some of that. But still, I'm not exactly reaching for the stars or hitting my stride yet. I kind of hoped I would be.

So do I make resolutions? Goals? Reinvent myself? Nope. I make more tea and watch the pretty cat dancing in the sunshine over there by the stunning cherry blossoms and think about laundry and going to pilates at long last. 

I never did make it to dance this week.....

Recipe Day

It all started with an effort to support my local library. For those of you who don't know, hundreds of libraries across England are under the threat of closure due to cuts. As with many of this current governments cuts, this is an ill thought out, and perhaps illegal move. Those of you following for a while, will know I've highlighted this threat mutliple times, its something I feel particularly strongly about. If you're an English reader, I urge you to support.

I realised that I might not be 'doing my bit' as I wasn't a member of my LOCAL library. I went in often, used libraries to study in but with so much fiction exploding from my own personal library, tended not to take out anything. I realised I was not thinking correctly, there are RECIPE books in there! So I marched in, joined, signed every petition I could (and made everyone else in the queue sign too) and withdrew some recipe books. 

I gleefully read my way through Nigella Lawson's 'Express' and while I found myself rolling my eyes at another book containing 'jar of ready made sauce', I still believe this woman knows good food. Further into food heaven is Nigel Slater, my personal food hero. What I love about these food writers and chefs is their knowledge of food. I have started to really enjoy reading books about the subject of food, eating habits and so on. What Nigel and Nigella both manage is to convince you how fuss free food can be, not by stating 'It's simple' and listing 15 ingredients that the average family doesn't buy (hang your head in shame Mr Oliver) but by concentrating on the depth of flavour an ingredient can bring. 

I felt inspired.

I 'reinvented' a cookie recipe to include some cinnamon chips a friend had sent me, reflecting on the flavours I really wanted. The chips are creamy, strong and moreish so a good vanilla cookie dough was all that was needed. There'll be a recipe later in the week, I promise.

Pausing for more tea in THAT mug, I then turned my attention to the much craved bread. I dabbled with a triple mustard recipe, adding a little extra yeast, checking mustard contents for sugar and salt, to make the perfect loaf.

Oh and for anyone who wants to know how I go about working out 'perfect recipes', my 'recipe goes like this:

1. Get comfort food (I am ashamed to say the fish and chip shop provided this)

2. Get drink (alcoholic or other)

3. Sink into sofa with mountains of recipe books, pen and favourite note pad. 

4. Daydream about a certain flavour. 

5. Research flavour, recipes and jot down a remixed recipe idea

I highly recommend this process. Although perhaps not with the chips if you're watching your weight. Ahem.

Thoughts

Some random thoughts. I'm in that kind of mood.

1. I am overwhelmed by the comment response to the giveaway- how lovely to see you all. I've had fun following some of you back and yes, if you can answer for each one, it'll save me writing things out before hitting the random number generator. But I'll do that anyway in the interest of fairness. I'm like that.

2. I accidentally took one of my favourite photos the other day. It's a close up of an actress at an event we went to recently. She was 'exploring' my iphone and I snapped pics while we played. Her eye make up was fabulous and there's something about this image I just love. 

3. I love row 27 of my Spring Leaves stole. It's even better than row 11, which is also quite fun. It has a pleasing rhythm. As I'm almost finished, I just realised I knit it for the last time. This made me a little sad. 

4. I finish Cedar Leaves. I just need to weave in ends and block but I'm having a real lazy attack with this- very unlike me. I keep stating it's because I need to clean. 

5. I have not cleaned. Again, not like me.

6. There have been lots of bread making entries on blogs recently. I now have bread envy and will need to make some today. 

7. I am GOING to dance tomorrow. I am. Hold me to this.

8. My sister is the most beautiful person I know.

9. My man beast is the kindest

10. I accidentally found my best friend. She lives so far away, in a different time zone and yet we chat everyday. I am very glad for the happy accident that brought her into my life. 

Have another 'favourite' picture xx

Love you little sis xxxx