This Vintage Life...: cooking

Showing posts with label cooking. Show all posts

Monday, January 30, 2012

A little bit of Winter cheer

Urghhh, the weather here is chilly, gloomy, wet...basically the sort of weather that makes you want to do a big fat nothing!
There's nothing wrong with that of course. Soon, the weather will turn, the trees will be in bud and the plants will burst forth from the ground. Yes, Spring will have sprung and we can look forward to longer days and warmer weather. We have to find little ways to amuse and cheer ourselves until then though.

Simple things can make the dark, wintry days seem less dreary can't they? And they don't all have to cost a lot...

Short days and bad weather = more time to read, hurrah!

I don't feel the least bit guilty about making mini cheese scones to eat with my soup

We're enjoying simple, comforting food like Baked Eggs and Spinach.
This isn't my effort, I keep forgetting to take a picture! Source. The recipe is almost the same. The cheese is my addition.

{Tip a tin of chopped tomatoes into an ovenproof dish, mix in some seasoning and chilli flakes/powder, pour a kettle of boiling water over enough fresh spinach for two, drain, mix with tomatoes, make four small wells in the top and break an egg into each, grate over some mature cheese and bake at 200 degrees for 15 - 20 mins until everything is hot, cheese is browned and eggs are cooked to your liking. Don't forget the crusty bread. Yum!}

Experiencing that little thrill when the postman knocks at my door with (yet another, oops!) parcel of goodies.

Finally being able to wear one of my best CS bargains ever. It's been too mild thus far for cashmere. Yes, cashmere! And vintage Pringle for Harrods at that! (It looks a lot better on I can assure you!)

My little Christmas present looks quite at home on it. Thanks hubby!

The best thing about this generally mild and snow-free Winter for us is that we've been able to keep on motoring in Morris!

Every mile, a smile!

And when one motors in Morris, one has to dress appropriately don't yer know!

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Now we are FOUR

It doesn't seem twelve months since I was here announcing that This Vintage Life was three years old and yet it is and now we're four. Where does time go?

Once again my thanks to everybody who has visited over the years to make a purchase. There will be a new upload of stock very soon so look out for an email if you've subscribed to the newsletter or just pop in here and there's bound to be a mention.

The house is looking very floral this week, due in no small part to flowers from my 'Valentine' but also because I treated myself to some potted Hyacinths at the supermarket and then a few days later couldn't resist the daffs at the market. Both ridiculously cheap for the amount of pleasure they bring.

I'm dead against buying roses with over inflated prices on Valentines day and am more than happy with a few bunches from the market. A picked them out himself so they may not be perfectly matched but at least it's from the heart and he does get me my favourite Freesias. I tried to grow them in the garden once but they didn't come up. Pfff!

As we can't get a decent vegetarian meal without a two hour drive, I offered to make whatever Mr Valentine wanted and so he decided he'd like a Moussaka. I don't know why but I've never actually made one before. After a quick squizz through the cookery books and the internet I came up with a cobbled together version {it tasted a lot better than that sounded!} It contained a combination of lentils and Quorn mince with the other usual ingredients and topped with a really easy all-in-one pan Bechamel sauce. We just had a green salad on the side and it was delicious.

We wanted to save a bit of space as I'd made this cake. It is just gorgeous. One of the best cakes I've ever made. I'd urge you to try it. I made it with apple but it's even better with plums. I also can't remember where the recipe came from...somewhere on the internet I think. Sorry I haven't got a picture. We were too busy eating it and then the rest went in the freezer to help us avoid temptation!

Fresh Plum Cake

Ingredients:

225g (8oz) self-raising flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
100g (3.5oz) margarine
50g (2oz) sultanas
50g (2oz) soft brown sugar plus 2 tblsp for sprinkling
2 large eggs
4 tblsp golden syrup
225g (8oz) plums, stoned and chopped
Method
Preheat oven to 160C/325F/Gas 3.

Grease and line an 8 inch square baking tin. I don't have one of these so use a round spring form. Works fine.
Rub the flour, half the cinnamon and the margarine together. I use soft or block. Doesn't seem to matter.
Add the sultanas and 50g (2oz) brown sugar and stir. I leave the sultanas out as I don't care for them and just add a few more plums/apples.
Beat eggs and syrup together in a separate bowl, add plums, then stir into flour mixture.
Transfer to tin and level surface.
Mix rest of brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over top of cake mixture.
Cook in centre of oven for 45-50 mins and then test. It should be risen and just firm to the touch when cooked.

Serve warm with custard, creme fraiche, plain yoghurt or best of all cream {we like extra thick Channel Islands cream from the Co-Op!} but have also used Soya cream/custard. It's great cold too and freezes really well.

And we don't need much of an excuse to indulge in a bottle of bubbly in this house. We'd not tried this one before but were pleasantly surprised. It's from the Co-Op, is reasonably priced and is vegan. Cheers!

Edit: I've just found this picture of the plum cake from a previous occasion!

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Seasonal Pleasures

We were lucky in our neck of the woods to escape this weeks frosts and we do seem to lurch from Summer straight into Winter these days don't we? So I say if there's a little bit of Autumn around, as there seemed to be on our recent walk, then make the most of it.

The trees do seem slow to turn this year which is no bad thing in the garden as I have mountains of leaves to rake up.

I always enjoy a spot of 'fantasy househunting' when I'm out and about, don't you? Love this...in one of my favourite villages.

...but this is much more 'me'...

Likely to be our local vernacular building style; 'mud & stud'...

and what a location!

Don't fancy thatch?

I usually snaffle the sloes that {luckily} grow just over the hedge at the bottom of my garden but when I saw these, much riper than 'ours' we filled our boots ~ not literally but our empty lunch receptacles.

They've now been introduced to the gin and sugar...Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without Sloe Gin! I'd advise anybody to have a go if they've never made it. So simple and tastes wonderful.

Of course, Autumn also means the season of soups is upon us...hooray! This is a favourite in our house ~ Carrot & Lentil served with natural yoghurt and A's homemade bread. Cheap, filling and good for you.

Trust a chicken to throw a spanner in the works though. Betty is in moult...early. She doesn't normally start until we're into November so maybe she knows something we don't...

So the garden looks like a chicken's exploded, egg laying duties have been suspended and the sweetcorn rations have come out of the cupboard! In our house we call it the 'henopause'.