Back in my happy place

Been back in the kitchen, getting my bake on. Haven’t baked anything for a week or two for various reasons, so it was great to be back in my happy place after a particularly difficult week.

Fortunately my BakedIn box arrived, so that avoided any difficulty decisions having to be made.

I’ve never made butterscotch before. It does warn you in the recipe card that it will be hot, but that didn’t stop me sticking my finger in it for a taste 😋

How long do you think is a polite length of time to wait before scoffing some? Quite frankly, I’d happily tuck in now but C is busy putting together my new desk and chair for the study, and we need to go up the tip to get rid of all the stuff we’ve decided to chuck out during the clear up to make space for said desk, and we haven’t had lunch yet. Maybe it’ll have to wait a bit until afternoon tea time.

I had thought at one time, reasonably seriously, about going into a baking business, or having a little tea shop and selling homemade cakes. Trouble with that is, you have to have the space and facilities to meet all the necessary food hygiene and safety requirements, and actually doing it all would take too much of my personal time up, which would impact on my #bellringing time. I do make the odd cake for friends and family, and I have been commissioned in the past to make cakes for a fee, but I do it very much on my terms. If I’m not “feeling” it or I simply don’t want to, I will say no. I make cakes because I want to, not because I have to, in order to make a living. I absolutely applaud those who have turned their hobby into a business and if I wasn’t so consumed by #bellringing, maybe I’d think a bit harder about it. But for now, I’m happy making simple things to enjoy.

I wonder what my grandad would make of it. I used to love watching him mix a cake together without weighing anything, just by feel. He was a master Baker in his day, and didn’t bat an eyelid at making my sister’s wedding cake, including the Royal icing from scratch, in my mum’s kitchen. I sat round the table watching him work.

I wonder whether that was an early influence on me. My first full time job out of school was as a cream finisher in a bakery, putting all the finishing touches to cakes, doughnuts and all sorts of yummies. I’ve always said that if I did set up my own cake business that I would name it after him. Duffell’s Cakery. And the logo would be a side profile of his face in ginger to reflect the colour of his moustache.

We would have had fun in the kitchen together.

Keeping us guessing

As you know I subscribe to BakedIn Baking Club. Each month I get an email telling me fresh ingredients to buy ready for the box with the dry ingredients and recipe card to come through the post. But you’re never told what the recipe actually is. This was the email that arrived this week ahead of distribution. Then there’s a frenzy of comments on social media about what it could be.

This one really has me stumped though. Eggs, cream, milk, butter, oil. The dry ingredients always seem to contain a flour mix of some kind and some nut or other. Google is generally not much help.

I’m hoping that the box will arrive by Saturday. I really missed out on baking last weekend, partly because I was quite busy, and partly because C had purchased 2 boxes of mince pies, so I thought we had enough snacks in (not that they lasted very long). I fully intend to bake something this weekend. I need the distraction after a difficult week at the office.

If the box doesn’t arrive in time I’ll have to think about what to bake. I’m torn between biscuits, cranberry & orange biscotti, cinnamon buns, chocolate brownie or biscoff cuppies.

I found an online quiz called What Should I Bake? After asking some obscure, and some unconnected questions, the results suggested that I should bake cookies. The chart however suggested my responses showed 40% cake, 20% cupcakes 20% pie, 14% muffins, 4% bread and 2% cookies.

I’m hoping the box arrives so I don’t have to make a decision.

By this time next year we’ll be miwyonaires, Rodney.

I gave C the choice of what I’d bake this weekend. The options were millionaire shortbread, lemon & blueberry biscotti, iced biscuits, or ice cream cone cupcakes. After some consideration he opted for the shortbread.

I’ve never actually made millionaire shortbread before. I’ve made shortbread, I’ve made caramel and I’ve made chocolate ganache as part of other recipes, but never put them all together. Its all relatively easy but I get impatient with waiting for things to cool down before doing the next stage.

That’s the good thing about baking though. It forces you to slow down. Everything about life tends to be full on and at hyper speed. I listen to podcasts at 1.5 speed, I drive to work because its quicker, I’m a fast eater and have always finished first, once I’m up and dressed in the morning, I need to get on with things, I hate sitting around waiting. Weeks are rushing by and we don’t often get to slow down.

We had hoped to go out for a walk on Saturday but just as we’d decided where to go it came over all dark and drizzly so we decided to stay in instead. Then of course the sun came out. That got me a bit aggy because now what was I going to do with the rest of the day?

Well, instead of rushing about feeling like I had to do something, I sat and read a book. In fact I also ordered 3 new books on a subject that I wouldn’t normally go for but have decided to widen my horizon and try something different.

I waited for the shortbread to cool, then I waited for the caramel to set, then I waited for the chocolate to harden. Then I scoffed some, whilst reading my book.

“Slow down and enjoy life. Its not only the scenery you miss by going too fast – you also miss the sense of where you are going and why” – Eddie Cantor

Double Trouble

Every now and then, half way through a workday afternoon I get a real hankering for cake or biscuits. I’m supposed to be dieting but a long afternoon often needs a sugar boost to get me through to the end of the day. Its really not helpful having an M&S and WHSmith on site. It makes it too easy to pop along for a snack.

For some reason, Wednesday was a day that needed feeding. I’d brought my breakfast in and had it at about 9am. Yoghurt and grape nuts. Pretty good. I’d brought my lunch in too, homemade leek & potato soup with a slice of C’s homemade multiseed bread 😋. So far so good.

I had a couple of video conferences over the lunchtime period so I’d eaten my soup by 12:30. After the calls, I went for a walk around the hospital site to get some fresh air. Despite being damp out, it was warm and quite pleasant.

When I got back to my desk, I ate my Fibre One cake bar, swiftly followed by the popcorn bar, which I sometimes save for snack later on. But I still wasn’t satisfied.

Purse in hand I went to M&S firmly resolved just to get a small packet of biscuits. But I want cake. I REALLY want cake. But I want something savoury too. And something sweet for a sugar kick.

Before I knew it I’d got 2 packets of sweets, a packet of pitta chips and a twin pack of lemon curd whitby buns (why don’t they sell them in singles?).

I know, I’ll have the sweets this afternoon because I need a quick sugar hit, then save everything else for tomorrow.

Apparently not. I’ll get back to my desk, then scoff the lot. Now I have a sugar high and full up so I’ll not want my dinner. Doh!

Something simple for the weekend

The weekly bake continues. This time with a chocolate orange marble cake. It was going to be just chocolate and vanilla marble but something inside me can’t resist chocolate orange flavour.

I used #foodieflavours orange flavouring in the cake batter. Then decided to top it with melted chocolate orange buttons.

I’m missing out on Cake International this year as its been cancelled so my shopping list, that included getting some different #foodieflavours flavourings has also been cancelled. Their flavourings are brilliant. You only need a few drops as they are quite intense. And they have a really large range too.

Chocolate tends to go well with many different flavours though. I quite like raspberry chocolate too.

Looking ahead to next weeks bake, I’ll have the choice. I could either do one of the outstanding BakedIn boxes. I have millionaire shortbread or lemon & blueberry biscotti to make. Or I could do the next magazine bakes of either heart shaped cookies, with the dreaded royal icing again, or ice cream cone cupcakes.

Decisions, decisions 🤔

In anticipation

A couple of christmasses ago I was given a 3 month subscription to BakedIn, a baking club where they send you dry ingredients and the recipe card for a different bake each month. I was suitably impressed so I extended it.

Every month you get sent an email just before they post the boxes out, telling you what fresh ingredients you’ll need, but they don’t tell you what the recipe is. The anticipation is trying to guess what’s going to be in the box. The social media groups are abuzz with guesses as to what it might be. There is an embargo for a couple of days to stop anyone posting photos or comments to give everyone a chance to recieve their box. Then there’s usually a photo competition for those who get their bakes done quickly and the winner is sent some other BakedIn goodies.

I’ve never actually made a bake in the same month that it was sent. For a while I was considerably far behind, but since I changed my working hours it meant that I could catch up a bit. I now just about get it down by the end of the following month.

There have been a couple of bakes that we’ve not liked so much but that’s not because of the bake itself, more that we don’t like the some of the ingredients. For example the bakewell tart I had all to myself because C doesn’t like almonds, but then he’s had a different one to himself because I didn’t like it. There has only been one that I haven’t made at all because neither of us would like it, so I’m waiting for a time when I can make it for someone else.

This month, the email said we needed to get a lemon, some butter and eggs. I like lemon flavoured things so I’m sure we’ll like this one. And I still have last months millionaire shortbread to do.

I await my delivery 😋

Therapeutic baking

Spent the day on a cake course learning how to make cakcicles and heart gems.

I’ve been to several courses run by this person. It’s always a great experience. She had been very thorough with regard to Covid precautions so I felt reassured that there was nothing to worry about there.

The classes are always informative, friendly and relaxed. For me, attending these courses gives me some me time, some space and time to focus on something else. And the great thing is you get cake at the end of it. What’s not to love?

There were only 2 students, the third had cancelled last minute. Everything was prepped, weighed out and tools ready. Nothing rushed. Colouring and sprinkles options chosen. Chocolate tempered, moulds filled, chilled and decorated. Plenty of time to chat and get to know yhe other student.

Thoroughly enjoyed my bit of me time. Even the hour long drive there and back.

Self portrait

I’m going on a course soon to do with work and as part of the preparation they’ve asked me to send them a short bio and a photograph of myself to go in the course pack.

I HATE having my photo taken. There are very few of me about, I’m not photogenic and why the heck would any one want my ugly mug staring at them.

Also, the request for bio information stated “send a brief profile write up mentioning your role, hobbies and anything you’d like the other participants to know“. The first two bits are easy. I know what my job is and, well basically its bells and baking. But how would I know what other people might want to know about me. How far do I take this?

My favourite colour is burgundy, I like orange Smarties. I drive xx car, I have un frere et deux soeurs (as we used to trot out in French classes). Married, daughter, home…

How much could anyone possibly be interested in?

I turned to trusty old Google and typed in “what should I write in a short bio”. Google suggested that I should include my goals and aspirations, the 2-3 most impressive and relevant achievements and a quirky fact about myself.

OK, so the Smarties thing is in. Hmm, goals and aspirations. To get through life as best I can, you can’t see what’s coming round the corner. 2-3 impressive and relevant achievements. I don’t know. I’ve done some stuff and some of it has been OK but I’m not sure that it’s relevant to the course context.

I’ve kept my bio very short. It’s of little interest to anyone else I’m sure. It’ll be interesting in itself to see how much and what things others have written.

Fundraising Baking

My team are holding a socially distanced MacMillan coffee morning on Monday to raise funds. We do this every year in memory of a colleague who died a few years ago. I’ve done my bit by baking some chocolate and lemon cupcakes.

Its going to be a little strange holding the event this year, when we can’t gather all together. The team is split across two shifts in order to maintain social distancing. That means we’ll get to do it twice though. A coffee morning and a coffee afternoon. We usually hold a raffle as well to augment our fundraising.

For all the cake scoffing and prize winning of course the point is to raise funds to help support MacMillan cancer support. Lets hope we can raise a good amount.

Disappointment of Cancellation

Gutted to have recieved this email yesterday. I had booked tickets for this event several months ago for step-daughter #1 and I to attend, and even splashed out on VIP tickets to get faster entry, drinks and snacks and a place to sit down and rest our feet. It involves staying at theirs for the weekend, a day of all things cakey, which we both enjoy and lots of shopping, whilst the boys fix a shed or something, lots of good eating, drinking and company.

SD#1 and I were only messaging each other the other day about how we hoped that it wouldn’t get cancelled and were pleased to read about all the precautions they had in place.

Whilst for me and SD#1 it means no fun day out for us, I can’t imagine how the exhibitors, professionals, organisers and competitors must be feeling. So much lost revenue for everyone again. Those competitors who had probably already started work on some of the entries, wasted.

At first I thought about the disappointment of not going to the event this year. They have said that tickets would be automatically carried over to 2021, but then I realised that it could also mean no weekend away and visit with SD#1 at all. Who knows what the rules of meeting up with, staying with or even distanced interaction is going to be come early November.

Hublet and I were planning on taking a few days to journey up and have our first night away from home since the pandemic started. Will need to discuss it with hublet and SD#1 to decide whether we go up there at all now. This makes me feel sad for hublet who won’t have seen his eldest face to face this year at all if that’s the case.