Cooking up a storm

The slice on the left is the actual colour of the cake.

APPLESAUCE BLONDIES

2/3 cup butter, melted (4 oz)

1 cup brown sugar (6 oz)

1 cup applesauce

2eggs

1 tblspn. grated orange peel

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups all-purpose (plain) flour (11 oz)

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda (Bicarbonate)

1 cup chopped pecans

confectioners' (icing) sugar

Preheat oven to 350 deg. F.

Combine first two ingredients in a large bowl and blend well.

Beat in next 4 ingredients, reserve.

Sift together flour, powder, salt, and soda, stir into applesauce mixture.  Stir in nuts.  Spread batter in a greased 10 x 15 inch pan.  Bake 40 minutes.  Remove and allow to cool before dusting with confectioner's sugar.

These are really lovely.

BANANA APPLE BREAD

1/2 cup softened butter (approx. 3.4 oz.)

1/2 cup white sugar (3 oz)

1/2 cup brown sugar (omit if wished)

2 eggs

3 tblspns yoghurt (I used peach and passionfruit)

2 tspn lemon juice

1/2 cup mashed banana

1 tsp vanilla

2cups flour (plain) - 10 oz.

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda (Bicarbonate)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

2 apples, pare, cored and chopped

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 deg. F.  Grease a 10 x 5 inch loaf pan.

Cream first 3 ingredients, and beat in eggs.

Stir in next four ingredients.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, powder, soda, and cinnamon and nutmeg.  Gradually fold in first mixture.

Stir in apples and pecans.  Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for about 1 hour or until done.

This is a lovely cake and the hint of banana really makes it special.  It's a good way of using up old bananas and even older apples!  I have had a small box of the last (and smaller) apples we picked from the main apple tree and which have been chilled on the porch ever since.   I don't like waste, so these have been cooked up this week.  That said, a few scabby ones have just been cut in half and put out for the Blackbirds - there were 12 on the patio when I drew back the curtains this morning.  Some European guests I think, who came with the Fieldfares, Redwings and other birds escaping the bitter weather in Europe, only to find it had followed them here . . .

CORNISH FAIRING BISCUITS

4 oz Plain Flour

Pinch of Salt

1/4 tspn each of ground ginger, mixed spice and cinnamon

1 1/2 tspns Bicarbonate of Soda

2 oz butter

2 oz caster sugar

2 1/2 level tblspns golden syrup

Sift the flour, salt, spices and Bicarb in a basin and rub in the butter. Melt the syrup and stir in to make a soft dough. (Though what I do is melt the butter with the caster sugar and the syrup.)

Roll the mixture into balls about the size of marbles and place them on grease baking trays with a space between them to allow room to spread.  Bake at 350 deg. F (180 deg. C) Gas Mark 4 for 10 mins.  Take the tray out of the oven and hit it on a solid surface to make the fairings crack and spread.  Put back in the oven for another 5 mins to finish baking.

(This will soon be your favourite go-to biscuit recipe.)

I always try to fill the oven when I have it on as it costs so much to use.  In the fridge I had a small bowl of minced beef which wasn't really enough for a good meal (for Keith) so I cooked up a few potatoes and chopped them up and stirred in with the mince.  Meanwhile I made some cheese pastry to make into pasties with the mince and potato.

CHEESE PASTRY

4 oz plain flour

Pinch salt

2 oz butter

3 oz grated Cheddar cheese

A good pinch of Cayenne pepper or dry mustard

Yolk of an egg

A little chilled water

Rub in the flour, salt and butter till it resembles fine breadcrumbs.  Stir in the grated cheese and add a good sprinkling of Cayenne pepper or mustard if liked.  Add the beaten egg yolk and a little chilled water, adding more water if necessary.  Knead gently and then roll out, using a side plate as a pattern for the pasty.  I got 3 pasties from this amount of pastry.  Spoon meat and potato mixture on the pasties, and smear some water around the border of the pasty before folding in half and sealing the edges with the blade of a knife or the back of a fork.  Make a few holes in the top with a fork, and then glaze with a little milk.  Put on a greased tray and cook in a hot oven until golden brown.

As for the Beast from the East, so far we have just had a few flakes of snow here but quite a wind blowing, and bitterly cold.  It's difficult to get the house warm, even with the fire lit and the central heating on, so I fear we must use a lot of oil to see us through this cold spell.  At least it is warm in bed - in fact, I was too HOT last night!!