Dorothy's Scones

This recipe comes courtesy of the CWA documentary 'Not All Tea and Scones'.

500g flour
60g butter
60g icing sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 tsp salt
30g cream of tartar
15g bicarb soda
1 egg

Rub butter into sifted dry ingredients using spirit fingers. Add milk and egg all at once. Knead gently and lovingly like a CWA chick. Gently pat down to 3cm or so thickness. Rest dough for 5 minutes. Cut into rounds and bake in a hot oven on a greased tray for 15 minutes until risen.

Amazingly Delicious Eggplant with Honey

Whenever I make this, people moan with delight. It can be a wee bit embarrassing. For them. I am used to moaning. I based the recipe on a Claudia Roden one that I found in an old Cuisine Magazine.

2 medium eggplant, sliced to about 1cm slices
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, diced
1 tsp of curry powder
1/4 cup of honey
1/2 cup of stock or water
Juice of one lemon
1/2 cup of olive oil (light)
a sprig of fresh mint or coriander

arrange the eggplant on oiled oven trays - drizzle with 1/4 cup of the light olive oil and bake until golden. Add more oil if they look to be drying out.
meanwhile, in a deep frypan - heat a tablespoon of olive oil and gently fry the garlic and ginger, being careful not to brown it. Add the curry powder. Next add the honey, lemon juice and stock/water. Stir until well combined. Simmer for 5 minutes on a low heat. Add the oven baked slices of eggplant. Cover and simmer, checking often for sticking/burning, until the liquid has reduced and the eggplant has started to go sticky and caramelise a bit.

Serve at room temperature with plenty of sea-salt and black pepper and the mint sprinkled over it too.

eggplant beanbags from here

Best Ever Choc Chip Cookies - via the Frankie Cookbook

I am lucky. Frankie asked me to be in their cookbook last year. Of course i said Y.E.S. With pretty bells on. Here is my Frankie-Famous recipe.

125g salted butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 small eggs
1 or 2 drops of vanilla essence
1 3/4 cups self raising flour
250 grams ! choc chips

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees.

Using an electric mixer, cream the butter with the sugars until pale.
Beat in the eggs and the vanilla until nicely mixed.
Beat in the sifted flour until mixed through.
Fold through the choc chips.

Grease or line a baking tray with baking paper. Roll dough into teaspoon sized balls and pop onto the tray. Bake for ten to twelve minutes. If you like them chewy don't let them brown. They will crisp up as they cool down. makes about 48.

cookie jar via here

Lemon Squares - Not For Sour Pusses

Did you know... that this is really a lovely slice. A simple cake topped with a fresh lemony sugary syrup. It's really lemon soaked loveliness... in a square!

Make Le Cake...
175g butter
175g caster sugar
175 g self raising flour
2 eggs

Make Le Topping...
juice of two lemons
120g caster sugar

Cream the butter and the sugar. Beat in the eggs. Fold in the flour. Bake in a greased, square pan measuring 25 X 17 cms. The oven should be at 180 degrees. Bake for about 40 minutes or until cooked.

Meanwhile, mix together the lemon juice and the sugar. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, pour it over the hot cake. Leave to cool and then cut into squares and serve.

Make some tea.

Play scrabble.

Have fun.

Yellow Tea Bowls from here

Honey Madeleines and Moustaches

My big girl grew up on these. Icing sugar dusted madeleines sent home from Stephanie's for her munching pleasure. She did turn out pretty sweet. Perhaps it was due to these.

100g butter (unsalted)
1/2 tbsp honey (i like leatherwood)
2 eggs
100g caster sugar
a tiny slosh of vanilla essence
pinch of salt
100g plain flour sifted with 1 tsp baking powder

Melt the butter and honey together. in a big mixing bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla. fold in the flour. Let rest for an hour or so.

Butter and flour the madeleine tins well (or if you don't have a fluted madeleine tin - use a patty pan tin). Spoon tin 2/3 full of mixture and bake for just under ten minutes in a 180 degree oven. Allow to cool for a minute or two - then bang the tin on your benchtop to dislodge the sticky cakes. Cool on a rack and dust with icing sugar. Eat lots of them.

Mug from here

Nigella Lawson's Cupcake Recipe

put zem on zis....

250g softened unsalted butter
250g caster sugar
3 large eggs
250g self raising flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 tbsp milk

Preheat oven to 200 (or 400)

Throw all ingredients into a food processor. Mix until combined. Spoon into cupcake case lined muffin tin - fill them 2/3 full. Cook for about 15 minutes until well risen and golden and springy on the top. Ice with your favourite icing*. Decorate. Share. Gobble them down!

Cake stand with birdys from here

Egg Baskets - From Cooking With Daisy

My kids love these. They are crunchy and eggy soothing at the same time. And cheesy. They are cheesy too. It's a bit of preparation - but it's worth it for the fun factor!

Make some toasty baskets with egg in them....!



4 slices of brown or white bread (2 for each child)
4 eggs
a bit of butter
2 tbsp milk salt and pepper
1/2 cup of grated cheese

Preheat the oven to 200c or 400f.
Cut the crusts off the bread and spread both sides with butter.
Press each slice into a muffin tray to form a basket.
Bake for 10 minutes until a bit golden and quite crisp.
Whilst they are baking, whisk eggs, milk and some salt and pepper
Melt a little butter in a pan and add the egg mix. Scramble until almost cooked through.
Tumble the scrambled egg into the bready basket. Top with grated cheese. Return to the oven until the cheese has melted. Keep watching them to be sure the bread doesn't burn. Serve with a smile!

Felt eggs from here