Weekly Bake - Coffee and Walnut Cake

This week we celebrated my darling other half's birthday and seeing that he LOVES coffee I wanted to try this Coffee and Walnut cake from the Great British Book of Baking. For anyone interested in this book you can read a little more about it here.

 

 

 

It would please some of you to know that I actually had one of the worse days baking, everything spilled, eggs broke before they were suppose to go into the mixing bowl, you name it, it went wrong. My reasoning was pressure, as I wanted this special man in my life to have a lovely day and I just wanted everything perfect. It did make me laugh as I normally just throw and go and it generally always works, but this time all odds were against me. Why does this always happen when we least need it?? A question that really puzzles me!

Once again I adapted the recipe to make it Gluten and Dairy free by replacing the flour with Doves Self Raising Gluten Free flour, I used PURE spread instead of butter and I used decaffeinated coffee instead of the real deal, largely because I knew this was going to be eaten at night and I didn't want hyper kiddies running riot in the house around bed time. For the icing I used Oat cream instead of normal cream and I will say this, the icing is simply delicious!!! I did however have two attempts at this as the first required far too much coffee for my liking, so I only used 3/4 of a teaspoon instead of the three required and the result was far better.

I also had a go at making these River Cottage Chocolate and Beetroot Brownies as I wasn't too sure that the kids would eat the coffee cake. Yes I hear you think, but surely the kids won't eat beetroot brownies, well look no further if you want to get some beetroot into your children, this is the way forward even if its not the most healthiest of ways. The kids loved these and if allowed would have happily had about three each. Friends who had some also really loved them but for me the verdict is still not out on these brownies, I think I might have a love-hate relationship with them. I am a massive fan of beetroot, I love it raw, cooked and to be honest in any way possible, but I wouldn't say these were the best brownies that I have tasted, for me Nigella wins hands down every time with these Flourless Chocolate Brownies. They are simply THE best!!

 

 

The kids helped putting up a few balloons and wrapping the presents, they were so excited to celebrate Daddy's birthday with him. Little Es even practiced a little birthday tune on the harmonica and she even got her little chair ready to sit on to do her little birthday performance, so sweet. It is tough when you work and get home late, but I think the doh was delighted and really enjoyed his evening with the family. I cooked a meal, lit some candles, opened a bottle of red and it really felt like a little celebration.

If you are a coffee and walnut fan, then look no further. This recipe is wonderful and the cake turned out far better than expected. The icing was a little runny at first, but it settled, so note to self, next time leave the icing a little longer before icing the cake.

This is the kids on their way to school this morning dressed in PJ's for Children in Need day. I know that our school will be giving 50% of the donations to the crisis in the Philippines. My heart goes out to all those people so badly affected and I do hope that people keep on contributing in some way or another. If you haven't gotten around to donating and would like to you can do so HERE.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, mine will be mostly spent sewing and sewing and more sewing and resting of course. What do you have planned for this weekend? Thank you for all your lovely comments on my neck warmer, you bring a little ray of sunshine to my life. A warm welcome to my new followers too.

For anyone interested to add your bake, you can do so at the bottom of this post.

Warm Wishes

Hannapat

xoxo

CAL - Silver Shells neck warmer

Joining in today with Chrissie and Marianne for the weekly 'Blooming Crochet-A-Long'. This week I have made a very beautiful neck warmer for which I used Drops Lima and followed this pattern that you will find on Ravelry.

 

Off to try and catch up with blog reading, oh my I am so behind. The next two weeks might be a little hectic for me as I have to try and finalise everything for the preschool fund raising gifts night and I still feel like I have heaps to do with little energy, so if I am not getting around to everyone, I apologise. Life should resume some kind of normality in December, errm, did I just say that?! December normal? Well maybe not, hopefully a little more than now.

Warm Wishes

Hannapat

xoxo

Tooth Fairy Pillows

Those readers who follow the Stitching Sunday with the lovely Chrissie will know that I stitched quite a few little fairies over the course of several weeks. Well the time has come to reveal just what I've done with them.

I'm not sure about you but for me a lot of my inspiration comes from just every day life and in this instance all these little fairies were inspired by one little wobbly tooth, or the start of it shall I say. Over the summer little J started complaining of a sore tooth, but only when brushing. This got me thinking as I was keen on doing a little stitching and also for Mum to show me the ropes, so the old cogs started turning and voila this idea was born. Well of course I could have stuck with the traditional way of placing the tooth under the pillow, but that would have robbed me of all the fun that I've been having making these little pillows. 

I really enjoyed making these sweet pillows not only because the fairies were such fun to stitch, but also because I know there is something so magical about the Tooth Fairy coming to OUR house. It's funny how as parents we get so excited about all the milestones that kids have to go through in their lives, but for me loosing your first tooth is up there amongst taking your first step and saying your first word. It finally happened on Saturday, little J lost his very first tooth after months of having a wobbly tooth and I am not sure who was more excited, little J at the prospect of a visit from the Tooth Fairy or his Ma looking a bit silly and giddy with excitement holding her baby's very small tooth in her hand. There was definitely a part of me that felt sad to know that this signalled the start of a new 'bigger' boy stage, but I also know that it will bring many new happy moments and challenges alike. What impressed me most was that little J was adamant that we had to wash the tooth (possibly years of me going on and on about how the tooth fairy won't give you much money unless your teeth are sparkly clean, so make sure you brush properly, oh the things we have to do as parents!), so the tooth had a wash and dry and I was terrified of dropping it down the plug hole, I mean how small is it! When it was all ready and passed the quality control check little J popped it very proudly into the little pocket of the Tooth Fairy pillow, that he put next to his head when I went to sleep. I never want to stop believing in the Tooth Fairy or Father Christmas for that matter, a decision I made a long time ago. The magic lives on as long as we believe right?!

 

 

 

So these little pillows will be going for sale at this years preschool fund raising event at the end of the month amongst other things that I have been busy making over the last couple of months and whatever doesn't sell will be popped in my Etsy shop in the beginning of December.

It is a very wet and grey day here, but we did enjoy a glorious weekend where I managed to go to my very first bonfire with the kids. It was completely last minute, but it was perfect as it involved hardly any walking and it was short and sweet, so everyone was happy.

I just wanted to thank you all for taking the time to read and comment the 'Canary in a Coal Mine Preview' post. I am so pleased to see how many views it has had and that warms my heart as it means more people will have some insight into this condition. I know that I am blessed and that I am so so much better than I was and there is not a day that goes by where I am not immensely grateful for that! Basically, I think you are all rather wonderful, so thank you!!!!

Leaving you with this gorgeous view with its rolling mist and slight frost that I woke up to on Remembrance Sunday.

Warm Wishes

Hannapat

xoxo

Weekly Bake - Parkin

Before I move on to the my Weekly bake, I just wanted to say a very big thank you to everyone who left a comment on my previous post. I was incredibly touched and moved to tears by your very kind words and I really appreciate you taking the time to watch the video and also to leave such lovely comments. I really don't feel brave in the slightest, but incredibly lucky that I still have the little things in life to make me smile. Yes we all want more in life and I won't lie that some days it can be very lonely and after four years of living a life in these four walls, I do have times where I feel incredibly isolated, but thanks to all you lovely people, you have really brought a little of 'life' back into my life, so thank you!

This week I wanted to stick to the Northern tradition of baking Parkin around the 5th of November. Apparently the origin of this cake is unknown, but it was originally enjoyed in Yorkshire and Lancashire, but these days I think it is enjoyed all through the Country. It is not something I have baked before as I am not the worlds biggest fan of treacle, I find it rather bitter, but surprisingly the actual parkin isn't that bitter at all. For this recipe I used The Great British Book of Baking, that I have spoken of here.

Parkin is traditionally made with oatmeal, flour, butter, ground ginger and also candied ginger. I adapted the recipe to make it Gluten and Dairy free by ensuring that I used gluten free oats, which I ground in the food processor, Doves All Purpose Gluten Free flour, Pure dairy free spread and a little Xantan gum.

 

I have a deep love for ginger, so I doubled the amount of candied ginger and I really think it makes the bake a little less dry, as Parkin tends to be on the dry side. This recipe states that you should wrap it in foil and leave for a week before you eat it, but I was to ill prepared and to curious to know how it tasted to wrap it up, instead it's been enjoyed by us all this week, maybe next time I will try wrapping it up just to see what difference it makes. 

 

 

I have finally managed to get around to changing the Weekly Bake grab button, so if any of you fancy joining in every now and then when you bake during the week just add your bake to the link-in section at the bottom of my Weekly Bake posts, which will happen every Friday. You can also add the button to your blog simply by going to your Layout in Blogger and adding the code to the HTML section of  'Add a Gadget'. You will find the code just underneath my Weekly Bake button on the right hand side of my blog.

 

 

Wishing you all a very lovely weekend.

 

Warm Wishes

Hannapat

xoxo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Canary in a Coal Mine Preview

A lovely bloggy friend shared this on Facebook over the weekend, which I have been meaning to share all week. It is a short documentary done to try and improve awareness of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. This brief video identify only a few of the difficulties that people around the world face, but I thought it was a courageous effort to bring people's awareness to the fact that this illness is REAL! It is not in our heads and even though we might look well to most of the world, it doesn't mean that we are feeling well. Claims that people with M.E are lazy, is such an insult to the millions of people who have to struggle with this debilitating condition every day, in fact the majority of us are Type A personalities who are generally over achievers and strive to get the very most out of life, we do everything and anything and all at once. So the reason that we are now unable to do things, is not as a result of laziness, but simply as a result of the fact that our bodies are burnt out and that they don't operate like most healthy people's. Our sympathetic nervous system is basically in a state of shock and this results to everything shutting down inside, yes, it does affect all our organs, and for some a great deal worse than others.

I have been ill for 4 years now and in the early years, I could hardly move, without feeling pain and complete and utter exhaustion, together with a whole host of other problems. This came shortly after a time in my life where I was blasting single tracks on my bike and walking with my kids most days!! I don't want to bore you with the details of my illness, but when I watched this video, I just felt that people  need to see it. I am a text book M.E patient, therefore meaning that my illness started as a result of a virus. I contracted Viral Meningitis first, then Anterior Uveitis, then Shingles, then Labyrinthitis (the straw that broke the camels back). By the time I fell ill with M.E I had already had at least 20 or more episodes of shingles, something I still struggle with on a very regular basis, despite being on a suppressive treatment program. Surely with a viral history like this, one would think that the doctors would identify the problem and start looking at ways in which to improve immunity, no instead the doctors told me I had sever anxiety and depression and told me that anti-depressions and exercise will sort it all out. Being particularly stubborn in nature, I got on my bike and thought right, I will ride this 'mental problem' out of myself even though I knew something much bigger was going wrong! Well, what a big mistake that was, I didn't get up the next day and for many months after that. Exercise is the VERY LAST thing people need in the early stages of M.E, they need rest and good quality rest. The most infuriating thing I have experienced since being 'officially diagnosed', was sitting in front of a Doctor who told me that she didn't 'BUY' M.E, what a disgrace!!!

I know that I am really fortunate, and there isn't a day that goes by where I don't feel grateful that I am no longer in bed most of the time or moving around like a zombie for the rest. I have learnt many lessons through my journey with M.E, but one of them is to be grateful for the little things in life and fortunately for me I am a really positive person, which has been a blessing.  I am lucky enough to be up and about for longer periods in the day now and I really enjoy spending more time with my family and seeing my children grow up and there is also the enormous pleasure I get from creating. This is all still only largely happening in the confines of my four walls, which can drive one a little doolally sometimes, but I have gotten much better at accepting this and being happy with it. Even though I can drive again, only for very short distances, I have to calculate everything, how many steps to the entrance of the shop, can I park right by the door as I still need the wheelchair for longer distances. If it is any further, I have a choice, do I go and pay the very HEFTY price tag that comes with it tomorrow and the next few weeks after that, or do I stay? I can't walk my kids to school even though we live a stone throw away from the school, I can't take them to a proper park and parts of my days and weekend are still spent lying in bed. Some days I feel like rebelling and I read blogs on my phone, but I know it is taking away from the rest my mind and body needs and it usually results in me not coping very well later that day, but sometimes we need to live a little on the wild side right?! I still need at least 2-3 hours in bed every day and on the weekend I don't get up till 1.30pm, unless it is the Treacle Market (once a month) where I have my little treat, but I know there is always a price to pay, but for me a price worth paying.

About a year ago, I started a blog about my journey with M.E, I managed all of two posts as I just couldn't do it. I just couldn't write about how I was feeling and for me it was simply just much more of what I was already experiencing every minute of the day, possibly a bit too negative for me, possibly a perspective problem on my part, but I decided against it. Instead I wanted to look at pretty flowers and lovely cakes and pretty crochet. There are some really amazing M.E blogs out there that offer so much support for people struggling with this. For the first two years I was completely unable to read blogs or go on the Internet, in fact I couldn't even read the most basic books to my kids. So in January I decided that I needed to do something about this dead brain of mine, so with a view to do some 'graded exercise' with my brain, not my body as prescribed, hopefully a chapter that will follow in the near future, I started Cosmos and Cotton. I am still really struggling with this and most days it really takes it out of me to read and write, so writing this blog is really hard work for me, but I have resigned myself from the fact that it is not going to be the most coherent blog in the world and I am most certainly not a gifted writer, but it is my little place where I can come and sit and hopefully start the engine for a little fun.

It wasn't my intention to write about M.E on this blog, but this is my journey and seeing it plays such a big part in my life, I need to make others aware that more needs to be done to get funds for the necessary research so that one day there will be some positive treatment that will help people. It kills me to know how many young children are missing out on a life because of their struggles with M.E, why oh why?!! I know they are doing studies with various different drugs, but we are still a long way away from having something out there to make 'professionals' respect and treat this condition in the same way that they deal with any other major illness.

Knowledge is power, so please watch this video and share it with your family and friends so that others can also get a better insight into this very debilitating condition.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IW11Je8pm20&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DIW11Je8pm20&app=desktop

Thank you for reading all this, I know it was a mouth full.

Warm Wishes

Hannapat

xoxo

Halloween and Gluten and Dairy Free Pumpkin and Cocnut slice with Lemoncream.

 

Happy Halloween everyone. It has most certainly been a fun filled couple of days around here. The house has been everything but calm over the last couple of days, the kids have been running wild with excitement of going trick or treating and going by the continued excitement, I think they've had heaps of fun. We decorated the house and I also made some last minute bunting (I sense a pattern emerging here!). Ma gave me a fat quarter of some really sweet Halloween fabric when I saw her over the summer, so I thought I would put it to good use. I had an Eureka moment when I was going through my stash trying to make the bunting big enough, and now the bunting can double up as Autumnal bunting too, with the reverse in pretty autumnal colours.

For this weeks bake I figured I might as well use the pumpkin flesh from the pumpkins I carved with the kids and attempt a pumpkin cake/slice. I have made pumpkin cake before, but to be honest, I have never been that big a fan. I love Pumpkin pie, but for some reason the pumpkin cakes, or muffins I have attempted in the past have never been a success. So how was I going to do it?

Well I drew inspiration from The Gluten-Free Goddess and Pippa Kendrick and figured that if I applied a similar approach to the cakes I have baked from these two fabulous gluten-free experts, then the result should surely be a success. So I set off and with a little guess pouring here and there, which to be honest was fun, a bit like making pretend cake in little Es's kitchen. The exciting bit was not really knowing how it was all going to turn out, but the end result is amazing!!! The coconut flavour is really lovely and I think I might try and add a little more Coconut flour instead of the all purpose flour next time. The recipe is gluten and dairy free and to be honest I don't know how it will work with gluten, but it's always worth a try. All the gluten hungry folk who ate it want the recipe, so I reckon it is worth a try.

 

So here is the recipe for my Pumpkin and Coconut Slice with Lemon Cream. I will add that this is the first attempt at this, so I am sure there is plenty of opportunity for doing a little tweaking  here and there, but with all the feedback I have had over this cake, I think it is fare to say, you won't be disappointed.

Ingredients
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 ground almonds
1 cup Gluten Free Doves all purpose flour, or similar
1 1/2 cup soft light brown sugar
1tsp baking powder
1tsp baking soda
1tsp xanthum gum
2tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2tsp fine seasalt
1/4-1/2tsp of ground nutmeg, or freshly grated if you prefer a strong nutmeg flavour
2 large eggs beaten
1 cup of pumpkin puree
1/2 cup of coconut oil softened
2tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Lemon Cream Icing
100g Pure Sunflower or Olive Spread, or something similar
300g of Sifted Icing Sugar
Zest of one Lemon


Instructions

1.Preheat the oven to 180C.
2. Line and butter a 9 inch square baking tin, or anything similar, with baking paper and Pure Dairy free spread.
3. Mix all the dry ingredients together in an electric mixer or by hand for a minute or so and then make a well in the middle of the mixture.
4. Pour in the beaten eggs, pumpkin puree, softened coconut oil, vanilla extract and then mix for a couple of minutes until the mixture is fully mixed. It will now look a bit like peanut butter, so this is where I just poured in some almond milk, which I suspect was around 1/2 cup of almond milk, you can make this with normal milk if you like. Just keep adding a little milk if the mixture is still looking far too dry. This mixture wont be very soft, but it needs to slide off into the baking tin with a little help and NOT look like it is glued to the bowl.
5. Stir in the walnuts
6. Put mixture into your baking tin.
7. Bake for around 20- 25 minutes, this will depend on your oven, but start checking from 20 minutes onwards.
8. Now make the Lemon Cream. Soften the pure sunflower spread a little then sieve in your icing sugar and mix.
9. Grate the zest of one lemon or more if you prefer a very lemony taste, I think I might do one and a half next time, but one is really delicious so if in doubt start with one. Then add the zest to your butter and sugar mixture.
10. Leave your cake to cool completely before you ice it and once iced you can cut it into slices, which makes for easy eating and the ideal thing to put on your Halloween party table or any other for that matter.

This cake will be delicious all year round, but I love the fact that I just used the flesh of the pumpkins I carved for Halloween without letting any go to waste. For any of you wanting to bake this, please let me know how you get on and also give some feedback on what worked better for you. I will most definitely be making this again, so if there are any tweaks I will let you know.

I was hoping to find time to change the Friday Bake to Weekly Bake, but unfortunately that will have to wait until next week, but if any of you have done a spot of baking this week and fancy linking in, please do so at the bottom of this post at any point during the week. Hopefully I have also sorted out the link problem from last week as the lovely Anne from Marmalade and Catmint tried to link in her very delicious looking 'Sticky Treacle and Ginger Lime Cake', so if you didn't see this last week, do pop over to her lovely blog to have a look at this recipe.

I don't know about you, but we are fairly exhausted after this weeks spooky excitement, so we have a very quiet weekend in stall. There will however be a trip out for our very first Bonfire night as a family, as it is the first year I THINK my health will allow, so I am really excited about it. I just hope that the rain gives us a little clearing as it won't be much fun in the wet and cold. So what do you all have planned this weekend???

This weekend I am really looking forward to finishing Andrea Levy's Never Far From Nowhere, I really enjoy Andrea's books, and even though this isn't as good as Small Island or Long Song, I am thoroughly enjoying it. I love this time of year where we can light the fire and enjoy some relaxing time with the family, reading, playing or getting completely lost in Downton or Strictly. Oh Life is good. Wishing you all a very enjoyable and relaxing weekend.

Warm Wishes

Hannapat

xoxo

Add your bake here

1. Ellie at Feltabulous

2. The Summerhouse by the sea: Three Things 27/52

(Collection closed)

Link tool by inlinkz.com