Wednesday 24 February 2010

Hive of Activity..

What a busy day...we didn't get up too early either! After our breakfast we started on the big clean up..one thing leading to another. I did the shelf in the kitchen which has a lot of bits and bobs on it that need washing, and VT then did the window and the tile shelf for me. Then he said the outside looked mucky so he did those too, then he did the big window at the end that Rusty sticks her nose up against. That led to doing shelves and cupboards. After our coffee, I started to do a bit of baking. Haven't done any for ages and ages, but wanted to make some home made biscuits for Saturday.
Made some Viennese fingers..a recipe I have had since I was very young and the recipe is barely readable in my handwritten recipe book.
(Swiss Fingers)
8oz butter or marg
2oz of Icing Sugar
2oz of Cornflour
2oz Plain Flour,
1 tsp of vanilla extract and 1/2 tsp of salt.
Cream the butter and icing sugar together till light. Add the other ingredients till a soft mix is formed. Put the mix into a piping bag and pipe out fingers or whirls onto a baking sheet on baking paper. Cook at Gas mark 5 till golden brown about 10-15 mins. Leave for a while then transfer to a tray. Careful, they are delicate.
When cold sandwich together with a little buttercream and dip the ends in chocolate if you like.
VT spent ages in the front room tidying up in there. A lot of winter dust..he said there were Cobwebs in the co5rners!!! one thing about not having good eyesight is that you can't see things like cobwebs! It must be lovely to have a cleaner to keep on top of it all.
VT is sneezing now..He says it is the dust!!!! Bless..
After lunch he went to finish off, and I made some Oaty Biscuits.. A Rachel Allen recipe I got off the Internet.
Oaty Biscuits
5oz Oats I used Jumbo ones it was all I had,
2 1/2 oz caster sugar
4oz butter
2oz Plain Flour.
1/2 tsp salt
Whizz the oats in a food processor till quite fine, then add all the other ingredients and process till the mix comes together. Simple as that. Then roll out on a lightly floured surface to about 1/2 in thick and cut into rounds or squares whatever. |I did rounds.
Bake at gas mark 5 about 10-15 mins. Absolutely delicious. I will get VT to take a photo sometime of my baking endeavours.
Must admit I really enjoyed the baking, I haven't done any in so long.. trouble is what you make is terribly moreish!! then there are the calories. But what the heck..it was nice while it lasted.
VT has done a stellar job on the front room, what a star!
Tonight we are having:
Pie maybe?
Mashed potato with leek,
Cauliflower gratin and mushrooms.

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