ABC WEDNESDAY - B

A BOUNTIFUL BATCH OF B'S !!!!

ABC Wednesday blogroll

abc wednesday

B IS FOR BRUSSEL SPROUTS, BEGONIA AND BEEI always lift a couple of Begonia Sempiflorens each Autumn to overwinter........they are tucked away in the 'junk room' and left to their own devices....imagine my surprise when I found this one in flower


It makes me feel that Spring is coming............it won't be long before we see bees in the garden like this one I photographed last year.
B is also for BATTER......it's Shrove Tuesday next week...Pancake Day!!!....( for more info on Shrove Tuesday click on the photo below)...

Pancakes with Orange Sauce
Ingredients for the pancake mix

250g (9oz) soft plain flour

pinch of salt400ml (¾pt) milk3 eggs

sunflower oil or clarified butter

For the Orange Sauce

125g (4½oz) unsalted butter200g

(7oz) caster sugar

zest of half an orange

zest and juice of a small lemon150ml (¼pt)

orange liqueur (optional)

To make the pancakes

• Put the flour in a bowl and stir in the salt. Add the milk, whisk until smooth, then mix in the eggs.

• Strain the batter through a fine sieve and leave to rest for half an hour.• Pre-heat a non-stick frypan or pancake pan add a little oil or butter and roll around to coat the pan base. Pour off any excess.

• Using a ladle, pour the batter into the pan so that it just covers the base, being careful not to let the mixture go up the side of the pan.

• Cook until golden brown and flip with a spatula or palette knife - or simply toss it. Repeat until all the batter has been used.

To make the orange sauce

• Melt the butter in a saucepan.

• Stir in the sugar and citrus zest, mix well.

• Turn up the heat, add the citrus juice and cook for 5 minutes. Add the liqueur if desired.

To serve

Roll or fold the pancakes in halves or quarters and plate individually, or present on a serving dish. Pour the orange sauce over the pancakes.

B IS ALSO FOR AN EXCITING NEW BLOG AND ALSO FOR BEAR..........PLEASE PAY A VISIT TO EDMUND THE BEAR'S BLOG .......HE'S AN INTREPID EXPLORER FOR AN EXCELLENT CAUSE...........

SWEET FIFTEEN

Since Christmas I've had nine family and friends birthdays....I don't post enough at the moment to catch up with them all.....but I love to publically celebrate the birthday of grandchildren....so...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY NICOLE...15 TODAY

I had to get the Superglue out at the weekend and glue myself to my chair...................The sky was so blue outside.................................and there was sunshine hitting the back fence..................but the Superglue held as I slaved over my History assignment..............

I've finally got my first draft done....just a case of typing it out, tweaking it endless times!, referencing and doing a Bibliography. THEN I can get started on my next Literature and Sociology assignments......groan.......................

SKY WATCH FRIDAY

Once again I've been trying to take photos just as it's getting dark...without using a flash or my hand shaking too much! Ermmmmmm.........could do much better...... though a bit Monetish I think...Come on Ruth...deep breath and hold it..................................ermm....interestingI think these are the best I'll manage..........maybe I should stick to day sky photography....

SKY WATCH BLOGROLL

Still at least while I was upstairs in the spare bedroom I noticed the Aloe was in bloom.

Oh and you remember the rubbish in the alley that I mentioned last week...it's STILL there!Have a good weekend everyone..........it's head down in my books for me...

Memo to self........DO NOT GO IN THE GARDEN YOU'VE COURSEWORK TO DO!!!!

ABC WEDNESDAY - A

A IS FOR APRICOTS AND ALMONDS

100g ready-to-eat apricots, chopped
175ml orange juice
100g soft butter
100g caster sugar
50g self-raising flour
2 eggs
1/2 (half) teaspoon vanilla extract
175g ground almonds
2 tbs slivered almonds

Preheat oven to fan 160C,180C conventional, gas 4 and line the base of a 20cm cake tin.
Put the apricots and orange juice in a pan and cook gently for 5 minutes then allow to cool.
Whisk the butter, sugar, flour, eggs and vanilla together until fluffy then fold in the ground almonds followed by the apricots and juice.
Tip into the tin, smooth and scatter with the slivered almonds.
Bake for 40 minutes or until firm, cool for 5 minutes then turn onto a wire rack to cool.
Dust with icing sugar

Lovely with fresh fruit and creme fraiche or creme.

This cake will freeze.

ABC Wednesday blogroll

abc wednesday

THE BEST OF INTENTIONS!

SUNDAY...9A.M.

Right then...let's see... my History assignment is the first one due in. 'To what extent did the domestic ideology impact on the lives of Victorian men and women?' Ok I'll get all my books, handouts etc out and spend a few hours making a start on it. Then I must look through last week's Sociology handouts before our next tutorial tomorrow.

Think I'll make myself a coffee first......

The house seems quite warm today despite those grey skies outside...I'll have a walk down the garden while the kettle's boiling.......
Gosh that's mild for this time of year! It's really pleasant out here.......the pansies are looking cheery....
Oh and look......there are some patches of snowdrops dotted around the garden....

I love looking inside their nodding heads....look this one has wildlife in it...two bugs and a caterpillar.....can you see them?

I'm sure I heard a frog croaking...can't see one but can definitely hear it!

Ohhhhh it is nice out here.....maybe I'll sit on the bench and drink my coffee...THEN I'll get that assignment started......
Hmmmm..........I may just spend 5 minutes doing a bit of weeding........oh look this Grape Hyacinth (Muscari) is in flower....buds on the Daphne odorata too! I know it's a weed but the Celandine is so pretty.....and the perennial Candytuft is flowering too!

Well I never!......there are leaf buds starting to show on the hardy Fuchsia's..... and that cutting of Lady Boothby against the wall is in leaf!
Now is this a late Autumn Cyclamen or an early Spring one......
Would you believe it....a left over bedding Begonia in leaf and flower..........Like last year...Osteospernums and Narcissi in flower at the same time.... Still flowers on the Winter Jasmine..............Gosh there is quite a bit of weeding to do..... I may as well get my secateurs out and prune back some of the die-back on the roses.......I'll snip the old leaves off the Hellabores too as I see they are coming into bud.....I may cut back some of the ivy too.....it's kept growing all Winter..

Well I've completed filled the Brown Bin (garden waste)...good job they collect it this week! These garden bags are almost full too.....

3p.m.

I think I'd better call it a day now.......I'm feeling quite tired after all this fresh air.....feel a bit achy too.....think I'll have a nice long soak in the bath.... and I've not had lunch so may have an early dinner..........Plus I'm sure there was something I was meant to be doing today????

(take off outdoor shoes, wash hands, go into living room).........................

AGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!......I've not even started my assignment....everything's just as I left it!!!

and I've yet to read my Sociology handouts.........................oh dear......... well I must have that bath and cook some dinner....I'll get down to my studies after that.........

5.30p.m.

Ahhh...that feels better.......I've had a nice Radox bath, a nice dinner and even a glass of wine..........

I think I'd better read the Sociology handouts and make some notes on them before I start the History....................

6.30p.m.

Just glanced at the TV magazine....Antiques Roadshow starts at 7p.m., then the second episode of Lark Rise to Candleford and that's followed by the crime drama Messiah.....................I could really enjoy chilling out and watching some T.V........and it is a bit late in the day to start doing that assignment......my brain's never as alert in the evening......................I'll just do a quick blogpost about today and see how I feel then.................

7p.m.