BAKING FOR BIRTHDAYS

Its my partners birthday next week so he needs cakes for work this coming Friday. 

Because I love baking I have been looking forward to choosing the selection of goodies with him.

I am, however, a little worried as after his birthday last year I had a severe attack of needing to bake.  I wanted bake cakes all the time - not  the odd cake now and then I wanted to bake large numbers of different types of cake.  As there are only the two of us this quantity of cooking would have been impractical to say the least.

In the end we had to have lots of people to a brunch to get the urge out of my system.  And now it is birthday time again.

I have made the sausage rolls up tonight and tested a couple to make sure they are ok.  Luckily there are some bacon puffs in the freezer ready to bake so they will not take to long tomorrow.  Just tried the sausage rolls (quality control) very scrummy!

I have also baked the mincemeat squares tonight.  This is such a quick and easy  cut and come again cake.

MINCEMEAT SQUARES
125grams butter (softened)
125grams soft brown sugar
250grams self raising flower
1 level teaspoon of baking powder
3 eggs
400grams mincemeat

Put all the ingredients into a bowl and mix well
Put the mixture into a prepared 28x18cm shallow tin
Bake at gas reg 3/160 degrees Centigrade for one hour or until firm
Cool slightly and turn out and cut into fifteen squares


I am also baking chocolate brownies and maybe a lemon drizzle cake. But that can be done tomorrow.


  

Christmas cards, gingerbread, and christmas crafting

Still in major Christmas preparation mode, nearly all the cards are made now. Just in time to meet the postal deadlines for New Zealand.  It is so important for me to get non-perisables out of the way early to leave time for sweets and other goodies. http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_make_a_gingerbread_house/
To start with I wanted to make a carousel but I feel for a first try a sleigh might be wiser, I have also seen a gingerbread AT AT.  There are some very talented people in this world.

Made some delicious mincemeat squares durring the
week and even managed to get some photos before we ate it all.  Something I haven't managed with the scone, apple snickerdoodles or banana bread.  Still there is always next time.

The recipe for mincemeat squares is so easy as its an "all in one".









125grams butter softened

125grams soft brown sugar                              250grams self raising flour
1 level teaspoon baking powder
3 eggs
400grams mincemeat

Put all the ingredients into a bowl and mix well
Put into a prepared 28" x 18" shallow cake tin
Bake at reg 3/ 160degrees for one hour or until firm.
Cool slightly, turn out and cut into fifteen squares.

I now have a two thirds done Union Jack cigar box for Etsy.  A set of  Manchester United coasters for my nephew and the mirror I was making for my niece has the modge podge drying.  The worries I had about the mirror have sorted themselves and I am pleased with how it has turned out.

Have justed listed the bronze ribbon bracelet on etsy                                                         http://www.etsy.com/listing/87785083/chunky-bronze-bracelet-upcycled

Christmas cake recipe

This is my first upcycled bangle.  Chunky bangles  are so popular at the moment I thought I would have a go at doing some.  It was great fun to make.  This is a soft drink bottle with wadding wrapped around it.  Then I chose a selection of ribbons and wound them round the padded ring.  Three flowers grouped together finish it.

It took a while to get the photos for my latest bag for my Etsy shop because of the drizzle that kept coming and going throughout the day.  In the end I was getting quite worried because the light was going.  Managed to get some in the end and here is a sample.                                   
                                                                http://www.etsy.com/people/dreamtimemakes







CLASSIC BEAUTY - a 1967 Mercury Cougar.  Car of the year 1969, it is a thing of beauty.  I have kept this bag fairly simple because the car speaks for itself.

This was another busy busy day.  I put my labeled the  mincemeat that I bottled yesterday and put it away.

I made a batch of mixed fruit jam - some for us and some for Christmas presents.  Picked some more of my 'Blenheim Orange' apples, these are quite late maturing so now they are about perfect.  I ment to pick them all but after picking roughly ten pounds I decided to leave the rest till next weekend while I work out what to do with them all.

They are already in the mincemeat and the mixed fruit jam.  Maybe some mint jelly and some more apple cheese.

Naked Christmas Cakes

The Christmas cakes just before the sherry is added and they are wrapped up for a few weeks.  I love using my Grandmothers recipe for the Christmas cake, it feels right to use one that has been past down through the family.

GRAN WESTONS RICH FRUIT CAKE
1 kilo of mixed dried fruit
250g  dark brown sugar
250g butter
4 eggs
250g plain (all purpose) flour
pinch of salt
teaspoon mixed spice

Beat butter and sugar together until soft and fluffy
Add 2 eggs and beat in well, then add the other 2 eggs and beat well
Seive flour, spice and salt together
Add flour and fruit to mix alternatly
Turn into a prepared 9" round tin
Bake for 3 hours at gas reg 1 - 140degrees celcius   - 280 degrees farenheit

New design.

Bruce doing one of the things he does best.  I think you have to be a cat to be totally relaxed.

A new idea for a bag design kinda threw itself at me on Sunday while I was stuck underneath the cat ( he refused to get off because he didnt like the strangers who were fitting a new front door). So with laptop by my side I layered seven different photos using SERIF DAISY TRAIL scrapbooking program.  I altered the transparency to give a misty other worldy look to it and so all the layers could be seen.  It took most of the morning but I am quite pleased with the end result.  I have tweeked the pictures with a bit of flower soft, stamping, paint, metallic rub and a few cogs and watch parts.  Just waiting for the glue to dry now so I can laminate it. I am going edge this one with some black lace round the top and braid ribbons into the handles.  I think it has a twilighty feel to it so thats its title.

I got the mincemeat made today.  It needs a bit of time to mature so has really to be done at the begining of november.  

Not all of it gets used in mince pies I have a lovely recipe for a traybake called MINCEMEAT SQUARES. 

The recipe I use is from THE GOOD HOUSEKEEPING COMPLETE BOOK OF HOME PRESERVING. It was published in 1981 but I noticed the other day my most used cookery books are the oldest.



RECIPE FOR RICH MINCEMEAT

500g Currants
500g  Sultanas
500g Raisins
250g Mixed peel
250g cooking apples - peeled, cored, and grated
100g Blanched almonds - chopped
500g Soft dark brown sugar
175g Shredded suet
1 level teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 level teaspoon ground cinnamon
grated rind of 1 lemon
grated rind of 1 orange
300ml Brandy

PLACE the dried fruit, peel, apples and almonds in a large bowl. Add the sugar, suet, spices, lemon and orange rind and juice and the brandy - mix all the ingredients together thoroughly.  Cover the mincemeat and leave to stand for two days.  Stir well and put into sterile jars, cover as for jam. 


ALLOW at least two weeks to mature before using.


makes about 2.75kg


This time I changed things slightly - I always use vegtable suet because so many of my friends are Vegetarian and its easier that way, I used flaked almonds and only about 80g of peel, I used 170g of glace cherries to make the weight up.

I think it tastes nice now but it gets better and better the longer it is left.

cookery book covers before being laminated

  The other thing I did today was to print the covers for the cookery books I am making for Christmas.