Baby Pigeons… Brood No. 3

Our resident Wood Pigeon has produced another brood… 2 wee babies this time, gosh they dont stay small for long!

 This one likes to sit at the front of the conifer trees, whilst its lovely to have it around, boy does it make some mess! Lets just say this one is well fed!

Carrot Cake

Carrot Cake.

Makes a 900g / 2lb Loaf

Ingredients :

285g / 10oz Plain Flour

2 teaspoons Bicarbonate of Soda

a pinch of salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

225g / 8oz caster sugar

3 room temperature eggs

225g / 8oz butter, melted and cooled

2 teaspoons vanilla essence

225g / 8oz Carrots, grated.

1. Heat the oven to 170 degrees C / 325 degrees F / Gas mark 3.   Grease a 900g/2lb loaf tin and line the base with a piece of baking parchment.

2. Sift the flour, bicarboante of soda, salt and cinnamon together into a large mixing bowl, Add the sugar.

3. Whisk the eggs lightly with the butter and vanilla essence.

4. Make a well in the dry ingredients, add the egg and butter mixture and mix in carefully.   Beat well and add the carrots.   Mix thoroughly.   Turn into the prepared tin.

5. Bake in the top of the oven for 1 and a half – 2 hours or until the top springs back when pressed lightly with a fingertip.

6. Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool in the tim for 5 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.

Variation : Carrot and Parsnip Loaf : Use 115g / 4oz grated parsnip in place of half the grated carrot.

Fabulous Friday

Well what a fabulous day it has been today…

My Landrover Series iii passed its MOT, this is just the best news ever as I had fully expected it to fail.

I’ve danced and celebrated round the livingroom, round the kitchen and even round the back garden.    I even sent a text message to all my friends… they’ll probably think i’m nuts!

What a wonderful end to the week

Honey Flapjacks

Honey Flapjacks

Preparation time less than 30 mins
 
Cooking time 10 to 30 mins  
 
Ingredients

200g/7¼oz unsalted butter
200g/7¼oz demerara sugar
200g/7¼oz honey
400g/14¼oz porridge oats
50g/1¾oz nuts, dried fruits or glacé ginger, chopped or desiccated coconut (optional)

You will also need a 20cm x 30cm (8in x 12in) cake tin, greased

Method

1. Put the butter, sugar and honey in a saucepan and heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Add the oats and nuts, fruit, ginger or coconut, if using, and mix well.
2. Transfer the oat mixture to the prepared cake tin and spread to about 2cm (¾in) thick. Smooth the surface with the back of a spoon. Bake in a preheated oven at 180C/350F/Gas 4 for 15-20 minutes, until lightly golden around the edges, but still slightly soft in the middle. Let cool in the tin, then turn out and cut into squares.

More Babies!

I was hanging out the washing early this morning and guess what?

 Our resident wood pigeons have had babies again, this time I think they have 2!   I was standing beside the lleylandi hanging up the washing and heard all the tiny cheeps coming from the trees… I’snt nature wonderful… this is her 3rd clutch she has raised this year, is this normal I wonder?