Frugal Flowers

I got a bargin yesterday at the supermarket… these gorgeous flowers for a mere £0.23

A lovely splash of colour to brighten up the lounge with all this awful snowy weather we have been having of late.

Banana Loaf

• 150g Dried fruit, I used the Berry, Cherry & Sultana’s mix from Asda
• Rind of 1 Lime
• 100g Soft unsalted butter
• 125g caster sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 3 large ripe bananas
• 200g self raising flour

Method :-

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees C / Gas Mark 3 – bake for 55 mins
2. Grate the zest of the lime
3. Cream the butter and sugar in the mixing bowl,
4. add eggs, and mix well,
5. then add dried fruit and lime zest,
6. add mashed bananas & flour.
7. Place in a 2lb loaf tin and bake for 55 mins

Malted Chocolate Crunch

Malted Chocolate Crunch Recipe.

• 8oz ~ 225g digestive biscuits magimixed or bashed in a plastic bag with a rolling pin
• 4oz ~ 100g Butter
• 3 Large Tablespoons of Golden Syrup
• 2oz ~ 50g Ovaltine
• 6-8oz or 175-225g Cooking chocolate

Method :

1. Line a small swiss roll tin with cling film
2. Melt butter and syrup, then add ovaltine and biscuits
3. Pour into tin and flatten
4. Cool
5. Melt cooking chocolate in bowl over boiling water or microwave
6. Spread chocolate evenly over mixture, I like to sprinkle choc chips and white chocolate mice on the top of mine.
7. Allow to cool
8. Pull out crunch, take off cling film and cut into squares.

A Blue Moon for Hogmanay

Once in a Blue Moon … is a common way of saying not very often, but what exactly is a Blue Moon?

A Blue Moon is the second Full Moon to occur in a single calendar month.

The interval between Full Moons is about 29.5 days, whilst the length of an average month is roughly 30.5 days. This makes it very unlikely that any given month will contain two Full Moons, it does sometimes happen tho.

On average, there will be 41 months that have two Full Moons in every century.    So once in a Blue Moon actually means once every two-and-a-half years

Merry Christmas Everyone

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year xx

Edinburgh.. a day trip to the german market

We took a day trip into Edinburgh to visit the german market and the winter wonderland festival…

Did you know that Edinburgh Castel is built on top of an extinct volcano?

This is the big wheel in the Princes Street gardens and the Scott Monument is directly behind it.

This regal looking lady sits on top of the Gallery at the start of the market/festival

and in the lower section of the princes street gardens there is the winter wonderland ice skating rink

We walked along the path and it took us directly under the Scott Monument, a magnificent piece of architecture

then just to the right of the monument there was a merry go round with loads of chairs attached to it.

We then went on to have some lunch as it was absolutely freezing cold, it must have been about -3 degrees there today and because we were all sooo cold, we headed back to the Waverly Train Station to catch the train back home…

Just before the train arrived the sun was setting and I managed to snap this picture from the platform, the sky was a beautiful colour, this photograph is unedited in any way

Hope you enjoyed a brief trip around Edinburgh…

Honest Mum I’m not Looking at the Brownie!

I bought these Brownies online last week and they are to die for… absolutely the best brownies you will ever taste…and they have won Kate many awards.. they are just that good!

www.gowercottagebrownies.co.uk

My springer boy just couldn’t take his eyes off it, he was sooo funny, every time I took a picture of him staring out the brownie, he would look away “honest mum i’m not looking at the Brownie”

Pink Flowers

I bought myself some flowers at the weekend…  to add a splash of colour in the house now that everything is dying away outside for the onset of winter..

I thought that I would post this picture today,  the weather outside is absolutely dreadful, gale force winds and torrential rain… it’s just sooooo horrid…. stay safe everyone

 

It’s hard work….. being a springer

I’m not allowed up on the chairs, mum said…

But today I just couldn’t resist the big comfy armchair….

It’s just waaay too comfy.. and the cushion is soo soft, just made for a puppy’s head

Although technically I’m not a pup anymore…

Whats’s that!!   Oh…Oh I think i’ve been caught…

But it’s just sooo warm and cozy up here.. even tho i’ve got dirty paws, my eyes are soooo tired

Zzzzzzzzz……………

Nite nite

 

 

Broccoli and Stilton Soup

I was in my local supermarket earlier and I picked up 2 heads of organic broccoli reduced to only £0.03 each!!  …. you know what it’s like, your head starts going through possible yummy recipes… my head was telling me soup!    I nipped round to the cheese counter and picked up a bit of stilton.

|This recipe should serve six.

Ingredients:

• 50g / 2oz butter
• 1 Onion, finely chopped
• 1 Garlic Clove, crushed
• 2 large heads of Broccoli
• 2-3 oz of Stilton Cheese or adjust depending on your preference
• Freshly ground black pepper and sea salt
• 1-1.5 litres boiling water and a stock cube

Method :

• Heat the Butter in a large pan, add the onion and garlic and leave to cook on a low-med heat for 8 mins until they become soft and clear
• Whilst the onion and garlic are softening, chop the broccoli as finely as possible.   Add the chopped broccoli to the onions and pour in 1 litre of boiling water an a stock cube and bring back to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
• When the broccoli is tender, add the stilton cheese.   Whizz the soup well in a liquidiser to give it a really smooth texture.
• Check and adjust the seasoning and reheat if necessary.