ooh.. blog laziness!

Oh yeah! been ages hasn't it? well, it has, because, because I failed on baking strike (it snowed, it hit -18, I baked) and didnt get to my goal weight before Christmas, because our pipes froze and it's dark and horrid for photos in Scotland in the winter and because I get discouraged very easily!

 But here I am, back at the wheel, helm, keyboard, whatever.  It's 2011 which is way, way better than 2010.  I have resolutions goals for the year, mostly I see to do with fitness and health, as well as a few financial and random others.  My first ones to work on are get to 10 stone something and start some new exercise. 

 I reported in at lighterlife tonight and weigh (fuck, damn, drat and oh no!) 11.10 stone, how on earth did that happen? actually, dont answer, I know how that happened!  Never mind, I can get it back off again.  Exercise, well, I'm thinking of trying a session with these nice folks tommorow, but my general aversion to being cold, wet and uncomfortable makes me question my sanity!

 I am reinstating my reward chart, stickers (shiny stars and rainbows) for everyday rewards and something else (that I totally have my eye on, I know my reward!) for when I hit that magic number.  And this time I will actually get it, I have a horrible track record of promising rewards then not following through.

 What else, I've baked a lot and photographed nothing, sadly... but this is set to change with list item 41 which is participate in project 365.  I love this idea and have my camera on charge tonight. 

 I crashed my car into a lampost and ate chocolate, hmm, still have food issues to tackle.  Not to mention the reasons for crashing! lol, I just thought "when I get to therapy next I'm going to have so much to say"

Dear A, I crashed my car into a lampost, because I was on a giddy high because I passed as a guy in a supermarket, was pondering this thing of oddness and wondering a little why it gave me a happy when I crashed, my immediate reaction was to eat a wispa bar (and would have eaten two if I'd had them) and get the giggles, followed by the blood sugar crash sobs, followed by the giggles (lather, rinse, repeat).

 Yes... well, we all have issues, right? right!

 And so to bed, there are no pretty pictures on this post, but that should improve considerably in the following days. 

Challah back girl

Yeah, I know, just couldn't resist.  I loved making challah, I started out with it (from a totally generic, non artisan inspired, not real sourdough, stoneground  bread making book I bought in a pound shop) as one of the first breads I really made a lot.  Worked every time, looked pretty, tasted great.

 Then I lost my challah mojo, who knows why? maybe it's like the Kirkcubright centipede Check the video out! I over thought the braiding? made the dough too wet, dunno.  Maybe a combination of these factors.  Anyway, does it matter? no! I've joyfully embraced many other breads and techniques, but in my heart I've missed my challah.  Chocolate chip challah, raisin challah, pumpkin challah... *sigh*

 Last night, whilst watching Shrek 2 with one eye and reading The Complete International Jewish Cook Book (1980 edition) by Evelyn Rose I decided to try again, I mean if she cant help me who can?  Her dough was simple and quick to prepare, then required a long, cold rise.  Perfect, I'd been up since four so a bread that didn't mind me going back to bed was ideal.

 I braided the dough using the fabulous video on you tube, see it here.  Absolutely the easiest and clearest instructions to follow.

 The recipe, pictures will be along tomorrow, I mean, it's dark here! really dark.  I love November.

Fresh Yeast Challah

15g fresh yeast (Asda/Sainsburys/Tesco give it away for nearly free, Sainsburys, or free, Tesco, Asda.  Just ask someone on the bakery counter)

200g warm water

2 tsp salt

3 tsp caster sugar  (I used honey)

2 tbsp oil

480g bread flour

1 large egg (plus 1 to glaze)

 poppy seeds or whatever you like to sprinkle on top

Mix the water, yeast, sugar and a third of the flour together on a bowl.  Stir till a smooth, pastey batter forms, then leave it covered for 20 minutes.  It should have frothed up and be bubbly.

 Now add the egg, oil, salt and the rest of the flour.  Knead together until a smooth, springy dough comes together, it should be slightly sticky but not excessively wet.

 Oil a bowl lightly and refrigerate the dough for 12 to 24 hours.

 Remove the dough from the fridge and leave at room temperature for a while, to take off the chill.  Divide the dough into evenly sized pieces and shape as you desire, I did a six strand braid, but you could equally well do two smaller loaves or rolls, whatever!

 Allow to prove for half an hour in the warm kitchen.  Glaze with the beaten egg and top with seeds if you like, then bake at 220 for 15 minutes then reduce the heat to 180 and continue to bake for 35-45 minutes depending on size.

 The book gives many variations on shape and flavour, all using the same basic dough.  Pletzels, bialys, even bagels.

Peter's Yard

Yep, another list item ticked off and done! uh, except that I have to go back sometime for the gorgeous sounding breakfast and a cardamom hot chocolate...

 With my trusty taste testers (see list item 6, I'm still dieting here) in tow I headed to Peter's Yard bakery and cafe yesterday, it's gorgeous! It's light and airy and smells of bread, cake, coffee and cardamom.  I felt a bit geeky but got some pictures of the amazing bread display.  Wish I'd had the nerve to take some of the cakes and buns too, another time I guess.

   I always love and respect any cafe that provides books to read, and this one has all the rest beat! it has cookbooks, lots of gorgeous cookbooks.  The bread builders, Artisan bread, lots on chocolates, I could have settled down for hours (and possibly stayed overnight) to read in a completely contented fashion.  Oh, and once you've read the theory of baking these gorgeous breads you can peek through the window to see the bakery in action!

  I sampled the coffee (lovely, and for £1 you can have a refill) while my tasters had a lovely chocolate, marble cake heart, a toffee, coffee, chocolate slice (with crunchy espresso beans on top) and a marzipan tartlet.  It was all declared pretty delicious (and in the case of the latte deliciously pretty) and worthy of a revisit.  They do do savouries too, but we skipped right to dessert for breakfast, you only live once right?

We also bought a few things to sample at home, three types of cookie, a loaf of sourdough, crispbreads and a cardamom bun.  The cookies are insanely good, the pink sugared one is a light, crumbly shortbread type, the chocolate one is sprinkled with pearl sugar and has some cardamom in it and the last (totally my favourite) is a strangely chewy spelt cookie sprinkled with coffee beans, I do mean chewy in a good way here, it has a lovely texture.

 Everything was so good that I had a hard time persuading the smallest (squiddy) taste tester to let me finish taking pictures...

Librarything (and how my books got out of control)

I thought perhaps a link to my Library thing might be helpful, to illustrate the scale of the book collection... I enjoy making lists (as you will later see I also enjoy calculators and rulers in the kitchen, it's part of my nature) so Library thing really appealed to that part of me.  My catalogue, unfinished as it is.

The obsessive book collecting started when I left home and started to learn to cook, it was a self defense thing, one more frozen ready meal and I would have gone crazy. One day I was in a charity shop and whoa, so many cookbooks!  Finding out about cookbooks was second only to the discovery that I adore cooking, when the going gets tough I go to the kitchen.

 Once they were aware of my growing stack of books family members started passing theirs on too. Fast forward to now and, Christmas, birthday, yup, it's a book (which is great for me, I love books) or a book token... not to mention the random eBay/tk maxx/charity shop/Abe books etc hauls that sometimes follow me home.

 Now with the b2/m2 project on the go I'd like to say I was being more selective, but I cant.  D'oh!

photo dump/list catch up

a delightful conglomeration of pictures and list items achieved... starting with

Go Ape

We visited the Go Ape course at Aberfoyle, probably the best one (in my completely unbiased opinion, lol) because of the giant zip wires! (the longest one, return crossing is 426m and one of the biggest in the UK).

I've been more than a bit nervous about going ape as I'm pretty scared of heights, seriously, climbing a ladder to change a light bulb makes me come over all weak and kittenish (uh, please feel free to read incredibly confident and macho).  The first zip wire was a challenge, as I sat down I gave a loud and most unladylike yell of Oh Shit... which echoed across the valley leaving safety instructors and gogglers alike in stitches.  No matter.  That was the worst bit, except the Tarzan swing which we will not speak of, ok? yeah, good.  The rest of the course was superb! I took both chicken routes, but next time (yep, I want to go back) I'm determined to do the entire thing.  The weather was glorious which undoubtedly helped the atmosphere, but I reckon even on a cloudy day it would have been great.

and moving on to, The Earthship.

 I've been really interested in visiting the earthship since I read an article ages ago about building using cob, earth sheltered houses, straw bale construction and so on.  Once it was on the list I finally had a good reason to go! oh, and it was on the way to somewhere else too, you cant beat us for fuel economy, lol.

 It's a fascinating place, the earthship itself is great, but the grounds and polytunnels are even better, if you are someone whos heart beats faster at the sight of pumpkins, grapes and sweetcorn growing in plastic tunnels (yeah, so, I am) this is the spot for you.  We saw greenhouses made of plastic juice bottles (great idea but I'm sure my neighbourhood aint ready for it)  and fantastic vegetable and herb gardens.  I'd like to revisit to explore the grounds a bit more.

101 things list... a work in progress

 This is my sisters fault, no, my fault, too, we share a certain amount of blame. I bought a book from a charity shop, 101 places to see before you die, which got her interested in 101 things type lists, which led her into making a list of 101 things to do in 1001 days. Well, monkey see monkey do, so here I am... the b2/m2 project is part of the list, as you'll see, and probably one of the more challenging items.

My list as it stands reads....

1, Cook two items from each of my cookbooks

2, Learn to make macarons

3, Bake a bread from one country for each letter of the alphabet (what, oh what was I thinking?)

4, Host an Amnestea

5, Visit Peters yard bakery Done 11/09/10

6, Get to between 10.5 to 11 stone

7, Have plastic surgery

8, Go to Paris, tour famous/infamous bakeries

9, Do an extreme driving experience (right now tank is my favourite idea)

10, Go to baby loves disco with the squid

11, Take a midnight swim at Stonehaven outdoor pool

12, Cook a mad, themed meal, Heston style! lol

13, Make it my solemn duty to road test lemon tarts
 27/12/2010 lemon tart at Eteaket

14, Take a motorbike taster lesson Done! July '10

15, Take my cbt

16, Take my das

17, Go to Pride Amsterdam

18, Go to the Eurovision song contest

19, Visit another cow parade

20, Come out to family  Done! lol, July 13th in Glasgow now I can check out anyone I please, rofl!

21, Go to Moominworld

22, Visit the Pineapple Done, 25/09/10

23, Go Ape Done! I swung through the trees with the greatest of ease... 

24, Visit the Earth Ship Done!

25, Go to the Menton citrus festival

26, Visit Cafe Gandolfi

27, Walk across the Forth road bridge

28, Have a tattoo done

29, And some more piercings... Ooh! got part of this done today, a shiny, new industrial on my left ear.

30, Visit Eteaket Done 27/12/2010

31, Have a Wallander themed meal, no crayfish though!

32, Go to an outdoors Indigo Girls concert

33, Eat breakfast at Peter's yard

34, Have a tea party each month on a seasonal theme

35, Drive the A1 from Edinburgh to London

36, Go to Books for Cooks

37, Look in a full length mirror and say I look good

38, Cycle across Edinburgh

39, visit Rosslyn chapel

40, walk (lurch?) in the 2011 Zombie Walk

41, Participate in project 365

42, Buy a Lame to make my bread look nicer!

43, Go to pride in Edinburgh

44, Join the library in Glasgow



  yes... currently it is a list of 44 items, must try harder! I did think of something today but promptly forgot what it was (which  is what I get for going out without a notebook).  On the bright side I ticked off an item today too! more in the next post.