Ta-dah moment (and racing, and recipes)

FINISHED!  How wonderful it is to be able to tick the box and move onto finishing the other works in progress.

I'll keep this aside for best for the moment, until the Heirloom quilt has been done (not even started yet). The current W.I.P. is the Baltimore Quilt, you know - the one I thought was a wall-hanging until I saw it needed an 80" square of wadding!  How did I not guess when the central appliqued  panels were so big?  There will be another FINISHED at the weekend, when Tam arrives with a plant or two to fill a corner . . .

After the two busy crafting days, when I spent the evenings watching the Cheltenham racing which Keith had recorded for me, I got to watch it live as I sewed this afternoon, and WHAT an emotional afternoon it was.  First of all, Bryony Frost winning the Ryanair Chase with Frodon, who she loves to bits.  I will admit to dabbing away tears.  Then in the next race (the Stayers' Hurdle), more emotion when Paisley Park, who I have been following all season, won for his blind owner Andrew Gemmell.  Gosh, you should have heard me yelling at the screen for him to keep his nose in front, especially after he didn't get the stride he wanted at the last.  Then to finish it off, another lady jockey, Lizzie Kelly, came home beaming ear to ear on Siruh du Lac (which we had a fiver on!) It was definitely Lady's Day (even if it was a day late for the one held yesterday when all the gals dress up to the nines and some must have been absolutely freezing, trotting round in skimpy numbers and nothing warmer than a pair of knickers to keep them from the gales!  A great sporting afternoon. It was SO good to see women jockeys prove they are every good as bit as the men, and whilst I am not a feminist, I am so pleased they have shown their ability and skill.  I've followed National Hunt racing  ever since I was 8 or 9, as mum used to watch the racing on a Saturday (only day it was on in those days).  To see the best horses in the jumping game competing at the best meeting on the calendar is something else.  Now I'm tired, as I feel like I have ridden every inch with them! 

Here are the Lemony Apple Scones (all that's left as Keith likes them) and the Pineapple Muffins left over from Patchwork yesterday.

Lemony Apple Scones

8 oz(225g)Self-Raising flour
1/2 level teaspoon salt
2 oz (50g) butter or margarine
1 level teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
2 oz (50g) caster sugar
1 medium peeledcooking apple, grated
5-6 tablespoons cold milk to mix
A little beaten egg for brushing (I used milk)

Sift flour and salt into a bowl and rub in butter or marg finely.  Toss in lemon peel, sugar and apple, and mix to a soft dough with the milk, using a fork. 

Turn out onto a floured surface and knead lightly until smooth.  Pat or roll out into a round 1/2" (1.25 cm) thick. Cut into 12 rounds with a 2" (5 cm) biscuit cutter, re-rolling and re-cutting trimmings to make the correct number.

Transfer to a greased baking tray, brush tops with beaten egg and bake for about 15-18 mins near top of oven (any position in a fan oven)set to 400 deg. F (200 deg. C) Gas 6.  Cool on a wire rack then split open and spread with butter.  Eat when fresh.  (Keith has them cooled and without butter).

Pineapple Muffins

4 oz (100g) butter or margarine
6 oz (150g) caster sugar
2 beaten eggs
7 oz (200g) Self Raising flour, sifted
Half of a 435g tin of Crushed Pineapple

Cream butter/marg, and sugar until fluffy and gradually beat in the eggs.  Mix in the crushed pineapple and stir, and then sift in the S-R flour, beating well.  Take 10 muffin cases and put them in a muffin tin and fill with mixture and bake in preheated oven at 200 deg. F/180 deg. fan oven/gas 4/350 deg. C for about 20 mins or until a skewer inserted in middle comes out clean.