You only turn fifty five once and yesterday was my turn! I don't know how I got to be that age, but nevermind . . . somehow it happened. I'm now officially a Senior Citizen . . . at least back in Canada at any rate!



I wasn't going to bake myself a cake . . . but then, I broke down and baked one anyways. I had lots of things to celebrate after all.



My Birthday of course! I reckon fifty five is a milestone. (Even if the Queen doesn't send me a card.)



A clean bill of health from my Doctor!



And the arrival of a furry little bundle of joy, which we have named Mitzie.



Life is good and so is this cake. A deliciously buttery sponge, filled with fresh raspberries and baked into two moist layers. Sandwiched together with a lovely vanilla butter cream icing and some seedless raspberry jam, and then drizzled with more sweetness. This is one very moreishly scrummy cake.



In fact I think I'll have some for breakfast . . . cake for breakfast is a good thing . . . besides this one is stogged full of fruit. And fruit is good for you.



shhh . . . don't burst my bubble!



*Raspberry Celebration Cake*
Cuts into 12 scrummy slices
Printable Recipe

This is the cake I always bake for summer birthdays. A light moist sponge, filled with lovely raspberries, butter cream icing and seedless raspberry preserves. Top with a sweet glaze and serve with more raspberries.

For the Cake:
175g of caster sugar (3/4 plus 1/8 cup)
175g of butter, softened (13 TBS)
4 large free range eggs, separated
100g self raising flour (a scant 3/4 cup)
1 tsp baking powder
100g ground almonds (1 scan't cup)
a few drops of almond extract
125g of fresh raspberries (a heaped cup)

For the buttercream:
75g of butter, softened (1/4 cup approx.)
125g icing sugar, sifted (about 3/4 cup)
few drops vanilla

For the glaze:
100ml icing sugar sifted (1/3 cup approx.)
water to thin

Also about 4 heaped dessertspoons of seedless raspberry jam

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/Gas mark 4. Butter two 8 inch sandwich cake tins. Line the bottoms with parchment paper. Set aside.

Cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks. Sift the flour and baking powder over the creamed mixture and then fold in using a metal spoon. Fold in the ground almonds and exract. Fold only until all traces of the flour have disappeared.

Beat the egg whites until they just hold their shape. Fold them in gently, by thirds, being careful not to overmix and lose the lightness of the whites. Lightly fold in the berries. Divide between the two prepared cake tins and level off carefully.

Bake in the heated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, just until they test done. A toothpick inserted in the centre should come out clean and they should spring back when lightly touched on top.

Remove from the oven. Let cool in the tins for five minutes, then tip out onto wire racks, peel off the baking paper and allow to cool completely.

Make the buttercream by beating together all the ingredients until smooth and creamy.

Place one cake, bottom side up on a cake plate. Spread completely with all the buttercream. Spread the raspberry jam over top of the buttercream and then top with the other cake layer, placing it right side up. Whisk together the icing sugar for the glaze and enough water to make a smooth drizzable mixture. Drizzle decoratively over the top of the cake. Allow to set, then dust with more icng sugar if desired.

A lot of you are probably familiar with a popular summertime dessert called Eton Mess . . . a tasty dessert composed of crushed berries, meringues and whipped cream.



I came across this pudding recipe in a National Trust cookery book, entitled Good Old Fashioned Puddings and in the prelude the recipe it claims that the original source for the recipe comes not from Eton, but from Clare College in Cambridge!



A rose by any other name and all that . . . let's not quibble. No matter what you call it . . . it's delicious!



This particular recipe veers somewhat from the traditional in that it uses a mixture of yogurt and whipped cream, with a splash of Raspberry liqueur to fold the fruit and meringues into . . . I kind of like that, and, as you already know, I have rather a lot of yogurt on hand that I need to use up!



You could use store bought pre-prepared meringues for this, but it's not all that hard to make your own from scraatch and they are quite yummy. You just need to plan timewise as they do take 2 hours baking time in the oven.



Also, you should be aware of the fact that this dessert doesn't hold up longer than 2 hours, so you will want to make it and eat it on the same day!



Not a problem. It's so scrummy I can't see anyone wanting to wait longer than a few hours to eat it! Tis also very easy to make in smaller quantities. Some other tasty combinations are raspberries and poached apricots, rhubarb, damsons and plums . . . but hey . . . let your imagination go wild and see what other incredibly scrumdiddly combinations you can come up with!



The world is your oyster . . . or should I say mush!



*Clare College Mush*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe

A delicious combination of berries, meringues, cream and yogurt! Do plan ahead as the meringues take several hours to bake. If you don't want to make your own meringues you can buy some very good quality premade ones that work quite well, but do try to make your own! Note - This should be eaten within two hours of creating.

2 large egg whites
50g of caster sugar (1/4 cup)
50g of icing sugar (1/2 cup)
8 ounces fresh strawberries (1/2 pound)
8 ounces fresh raspberries (1/2 pound)
1 TBS (Plus an extra dash) of raspberry liqueur
200ml of double cream (7 fluid ounces)
200ml of natural yogurt (7 fluid ounces)

Preheat the oven to 100*C/200*F/ gas mark 1/4. whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks, then beat in the caster sugar a bit at a time. Continue whisking for a further 10 minutes until the mixture is smooth and shiny, then sift in the icing sugar. Line a baking tray with nonstick baking paper. Spoon the egg white mixture onto the paper in about six dollops, and bake in the oven until dry, but with a slightly soft, chewy centre. This should take about 2 hours. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.

When ready to put the pudding together, trim and cut the strawberries into halves or quarters, depending on the size. Toss with a splash of raspberry liqueur. Stir in the raspberries, reserving a few to decorate the tops of the desserts.

Lightly whip the cream together with the yogurt and a TBS of the Raspberry liqueur. Break the meringues into bite sized pieces and fold them gently into the cream mixture. Carefully mix in the fruit. You want it to have a bit of a raspberry ripple effect.

Spoon into chilled glasses, garnishing each serving with several raspberries. Keep chilled until you are ready to serve. Must be served within 2 hours of putting together.

It's my birthday today, and I'm treating myself . . . ALL . . . day . . . long!

When I was a child I just adored the story of Mary Poppins. I had been given the first book in the series as an award for good work at the end of the school year in Grade 2 and I practically wore out the pages, reading it over and over again. Oh how I longed for a nanny such as Mary Poppins . . .



The book was filled to the brim with wonderful characters and adventures, pictures and fabulous treats.



Characters such as Mrs Corry, an extremely old woman who ran a sweet shop with her two large daughters . . . A magical sweet shop where you could purchase such lovely delights and cakes such as Gingerbread Stars . . . Star shaped little gingerbread cakes, adorned with golden paper stars . . .



But not just any golden paper stars . . . these ones were special, for, on any given night one could see ( and only if they were very, very observant) . . . the little old lady perched on a very tall ladder pasting the gold stars in the sky along with the help of Miss Poppins herself . . .



How could one resist such a recipe. Taken from the book Mary Poppins in the Kitchen, a cookery book with a story.

This brought back childhood memories and imaginations . . . wonderfully spicy and the perfect accompaniment to an afternoon hot cup of whatever strikes your fancy!



*Gingerbread Stars*
Makes 2 six inch stars or one 7 inch cake
Printable Recipe

Deliciously spicy no matter what the shape!

105g of plain flour (3/4 cup)
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp each of ground nutmeg, ground cloves and ground allspice
a small handfull of sultanas
4 TBS butter
85g of soft dark brown sugar, (1/2 cup packed)
2 TBS dark treacle (dark molasses)
1 large egg, beaten
baking sheet, lightly buttered and dusted with flour
2 6-inch star shapes buttered and floured, or 1 7-inch sandwich cake tin

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/gas mark 4. Prepare the star shapes, and place on the buttered and floured baking pan, alternately prepare the sandwich tin. Set aside.

Sift the flour into a bowl along with the spices and the soda. Set aside.

Melt the butter and the brown sugar together. Allow to cool, then beat in the molasses and the egg. Stir into the flour mixture and beat with a wooden spoon until smooth. Stir in the sultanas.

Divide the batter equally amongst the star shapes or pour into the baking tin. Bake the stars in the heated oven for 30 minutes and the cake for about 40. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

Cheese started being used as a vegetable topping waaaay back in the eighteenth century. In France they began by using it as a topping for Cardoons, which are a close relative of the artichoke, and called the dish "Chardons a la Fromage." It wasn't long before England started using the same idea, and began to top cauliflower with it.



I have to say, what a fabulous idea that was! Cauliflower Cheese is one of my most favouritest of all British dishes! In fact, I could very happily sit down to a plate full of Cauliflower Cheese and nothing else at all!!



Crispy tender Cauliflower florets, slathered in a lucious cheese sauce and cooked in a hot oven until browned and bubbly . . . mmmm . . . this has to be one of the best vegetable dishes going!



I think Cheddar is the best of all cheeses to use in the sauce, and specifically a good strong farmhouse cheddar . . . but you can, of course, use a variety of cheeses. Gruyere and Parmesan immediately spring to mind, used in equal quantities of course! You can even add a bit of stilton which is very yummy when mixed with the cheddar. It's a bit strong all on it's own though . . .



You can top this with buttered bread crumbs, for a buttery crunch!



Or you can simply top it with more cheese, for a lucious golden brown topping that is as rich and tempting as what lays beneath.

This is a tried and true favourite in this house.



*Cauliflower Cheese*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

An old British favourite. This dish makes a tasty side dish, light main course, or delicious alternative for a Vegetarian Sunday lunch.

1 large cauliflower, trimmed and divided into florets
butter
salt and pepper

For the cheese sauce:
1 clove
1 bay leaf
1 small onion, peeled
600ml of milk (2 cups)
1 ounce of butter (2 TBS)
1 ounce of plain flour (2TBS)
150ml of single cream (slightly more than half a cup)
1 tsp English mustard
6 to 7 ounces grated strong cheddar cheese
salt, pepper and some freshly grated nutmeg

To top:
2 ounces grated strong cheddar cheese

First make the cheese sauce. Stud the bayleaf to the onion with the clove, pressing the clove through the bayleaf and into the onion. Place in a saucepan along with the milk and the cream. Warm the milk mixture slowly to a simmer. Remove from the heat, cover and allow to infuse with the flavours of the studded onion for 15 minutes. At the end of that time, strain the onion out.

Melt the butter for the sauce in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour and cook over low heat for several minutes. Whisk in the warm milk, a little at a time, until the mixture forms a smooth bechamel sauce. Add the onion again and allow to cook, over low heat for 20 to 25 minutes. At the end of that time it should be lovely and thick and rich. Scoop out the onion and discard. Season to taste with some salt and pepper, the mustard, and some freshly grated nutmeg. Whisk in the cheese until it melts. Set aside and keep warm.

Bring a pot of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the cauliflower florets. Cook just until tender. This should only take a few minutes, leaving a slight bite. Drain off the water. Warm a knob of butter in a frying pan and add the florets. Roll without colouring in the butter and season with some salt and black pepper.

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Spoon a little of the cheese sauce into an ovenproof dish. Arrange the cauliflower on top and pour the remaining cheese sauce over top to coat. Sprinkle with the 2 ounces of cheese. Place in the oven to melt and colour for 10 to 15 minutes. It should be nicely browned and bubbling. Enjoy!

I apologize ahead of time for the quality of my photos today. It's been very gloomy and rainy and the light has been just horrible. The only place I could get good pictures at all was on my kitchen counter top, next to the sink!



We've been painting in our lounge all day, pretty much. We set up to paint and I realized that Todd hadn't gotten any masking tape or disposable vinyl gloves. *tsk *tsk As annoying as it was, I asked him to pop down to B&Q to get some. There is no way we could have done a proper job without the proper tools. (Or is that just me being pedantic???)



Anyways, masking tape in place and white base coat on, I decided that the colour we had picked for the overcoat was far too light. I wanted something much darker, so . . . you guessed it. We ended up back down at the B&Q picking out a darker colour. (About this time I think I was veering very close to experiencing death . . . ahem . . . thankfully Todd's a very patient man.)



Anyways, we did finally get it all painted and it looks lovely. Nobody killed anyone, and there was only slight irritation on Todd's part. I more than made up for it though, by baking him one of his favourite desserts for afters.



With all the rain we've been having the rhubarb in my garden is growing like a weed! A very delicious weed!! Rhubarb and Custard together is one of our favourite desserts, and it becomes even more so, when I dress it up with a crisp and buttery cookie crust on the bottom and a sweet meringue, all golden on the top.



He was more than forgiving of my picky ways when I sat this down in front of him . . . but . . . I don't think he'll be volunteering to paint anything with my help anytime soon . . . ☺




*Rhubarb Custard Dessert*
Serves 12
Printable Recipe

This lovely dessert combines two old favourites, rhubarb and custard, in one scrumptious dessert. With it's buttery cookie crust and sweet meringue topping, this is delectable.

For the crust:
280g of plain flour (2 cups)
4 ounces butter, softened (1/2cup)
2 TBS caster sugar

For the filling:
400g of caster sugar (2 cups)
225ml whipping cream (1 cup)
35g of flour (1/4 cup)
6 large free range egg yolks
1/4 tsp salt
2 pounds chopped fresh rhubarb (about 5 cups)

For the Meringue Topping:
6 large free range egg whites
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
150g of caster sugar (3/4 cup)

Preheat the oven to 189*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter an 9 by 13 inch, deep baking pan. Set aside.

Whisk the flour for the crust together with the sugar. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Tip into the baking pan and press onto the bottom evenly. Bake for 15 minutes.

Mean while combine all of the filling ingredients in a large bowl, with the exception of the rhubarb. Beat well at medium speed until smooth. Fold in the rhubarb. Pour the rhubarb mixture over the hot partially baked crust. Return to the oven and cook for a further 45 to 55 minutes, until the filling is firm to the touch. Increase the oven temperature to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6.

Whip the egg whites at high speed until foamy. Add the salt and vanilla. Continue to beat, adding the sugar slowly, until the mixture is glossy and forms stiff peaks. Spread over the hot filling, sealing right to the edges. Bake in the oven for 8 to 10 mnutes, or until the meringue is lightly browned. Remove from the oven and cool completely before serving.

Cut into slices with a sharp wet knife to serve. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.

Note - This dessert can be very successfully halved. Keep all timings the same.

I had a really busy day today. I am in charge of the sharing time at church this Sunday morning. (A fun activity for the children's Sunday School) I had two age groups to prepare for, so it takes a bit of extra time adapting it both for older and younger children. You want them all to have fun.

It was getting rather close to tea time and I still needed to prepare us something to eat.



In the old days that would not have been much of a problem as I had a family that readily ate pasta in any way shape or form, and . . . as we all know . . . pasta with some sort of sauce is a quick, tasty, easy and economical way to go!



I have a husband who hates pasta now though . . . it's foreign food, and he is a man with very solid, old fashioned British tastes . . . read meat and potatoes here.

Occasionally I do try to whiz it past him . . . he only very rarely enjoys it, but . . . sometimes I do get lucky.



Today was not one of those times. I ended up opening him a tin of soup after I watched him suffering through it for about 15 minutes . . . trying to pick the vegetables and chicken out from between the pasta bits . . . sigh . . .



I, on the other hand, enjoyed every scrummy mouthful, and . . . I think all you pasta lovers out there will too.

So there! (Crusty bread to mop up all that delicious sauce is a given!!)



*Pasta with Chicken, Pancetta and Summer Vegetables*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

This is one of those quick and easy dishes where you can throw in just whatever vegetables you have to hand. I had courgettes, beans, leeks and tomatoes. You may have something else. Chard is very nice, as is asparagus and peas.

12 ounces Pasta, cooked until al dente
3 ounces chopped pancetta
2 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, cut into 1/2 inch dice
2 whole leeks, trimmed, washed and sliced thin
a large handful of garden fresh beans (I used a mixture of green and yellow)
1 medium courgette, washed, sliced in half and then into half moons
4 medium ripe tomatoes, quartered
4 ounces of finely grated parmesan cheese
4 ounces dry white wine (1/2 cup)
4 ounces double cream (1/2 cup)
a small handful of fresh basil leaves, chiffonade
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Shaved Parmesan Cheese to serve

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain well, (reserve a mugfull of the pasta cooking water) rinse, drain again and then set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally until most of the fat has been rendered and the pancetta has started to brown. Toss in the chicken and leeks. Continue to cook, stirring, until the chicken is cooked through and the leeks have softened. Add the beans and courgettes. Cook and stir for several minutes. Add the tomatoes and the wine, allowing it to bubble up. Allow to bubble until the wine reduces by half. Stir in the cream and the cheese. Cook and stir to melt. Season to taste with some salt and pepper and stir in the basil leaves. Serve immediately with some Parmesan Shavings scattered over top. Delicious!

Well, we are still cooking with yogurt here. I have that much of it, I'll be a while getting through it and I positively don't want to waste any of it. Total Yogurt is such a lovely, thick and rich brand of Greek yogurt, so I'm not complaining!!

I had a lot of lemons that were getting close to their use by date and so I thought I would try making a Lemon Loaf with it.



Mmmm . . . great call! Yogurt in baked goods helps to create a lovely moist and rich crumb. In fact you can subsitute yogurt for sour cream or creme fraiche in most baked goods quite successfully!



This is a wonderful lemon loaf, with just the merest hint of lemon in the actual loaf part . . . it goes so well with vanilla. The combination of lemon and vanilla is a real favourite of mine. It helps to bring out the inate sweetness of baked goods, without you having to use a lot of sugar, or at least that is what I find to be true!



You get a real double blast of lemon in the topping, which is where it really shines, both with an undercoating of a sugar lemon syrup and a final crowning of lemon drizzle icing.



Oh my, but this is some good. So good in fact that I am going to skip summer tonight and just have some more of this luciously scrumdiddlyumptious loaf!!



I know . . . ME <=== BAD. But in a good way, doncha think? ☺ I'm with Marie Antoinette. Cake for supper . . . it's a very good thing!



*Lemon Yogurt Loaf*
Makes one large loaf
Printable Recipe

Moist and lemony, with an underglaze of sweet and tart lemon syrup, topped with a lemon glaze drizzle icing!

210g of plain flour (1 1/2 cups)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
200g of full fat Greek yogurt ( 1 cup)
7 ounces of sugar (1 cup)
3 large free range eggs
the finely grated zest of 2 unwaxed lemons
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
4 ounces vegetable oil (1/2 cup)

For the sugar glaze:
the juice of 1 lemon
5 TBS sugar

For the Drizzle Icing:
140g of icing sugar, sifted (1 cup)
2 TBS fresh lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a large loaf tin. Line with parchment paper and butter the paper. Set aside.

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Whisk together the yogurt, and sugar in another larger bowl. Beat in the eggs, lemon zest and the vanilla. Slowly whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Fold in the oil, using a rubber spatula, making sure to get it all in smoothly. Pour into the loaf tin. Level off and then place on a centre rack in the heated oven.

Bake for about 50 minutes, or until well risen and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Whhile it is baking, heat the lemon juice and sugar for the glaze together until the sugar is completely dissolved.

Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before removing. Place on a wire rack over a baking pan and spoon the glaze over top, allowing it to soak in a little at a time. Allow to cool completely.

whisk the icing sugar together with the lemon juice and drizzle over the top of the loaf. Allow to set. Cut into slices to serve.