Cheddar Cheese And Buttermilk Scones

I haven’t participated in a Daring Bakers challenge since July (see all my previous Daring Baker posts here).  I’m so pleased to be back and joining in again.  When I first saw this month’s challenge I though ‘how easy’, but I was surprised to find that there is quite an art to getting perfect scones.

Audax Artifex was our January 2012 Daring Bakers’ host. Aud worked tirelessly to master light and fluffy scones to help us create delicious and perfect batches in our own kitchens!  I never knew about sifting the flour at a height to allow more air to circulate and Audax even suggested sifting the flour three or four times, although alas, I didn’t do that.

We had fruit scones on Christmas Eve which my mum made and it took two attempts to get them right.  Recently on BBC2 show ‘The Great British Bake Off’ scones were made and it was very interesting to watch the two professionals show how the scones had gone wrong, either by using too much butter, not grating the cheese correctly (you need to grate it on the coarse edge so that the cheese does not disintegrate when baking) or overworking the dough.  With my new found knowledge I got to work.

I decided to stick with British cook Delia Smith and the recipe is right here.  I have a love/hate relationship with Delia, but I love her at the moment because these scones were so good!

Combine until the dough just comes together.

Roll out until an inch thick.

A sprinkling of grated cheese and paprika.

Don’t overcooked the scones, the cheese was golden but the scones were still pale.

Simply served with butter, although mum ate then plain and loved every bite!

Be sure to check out how the other Daring Bakers did here.

~ Pru

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Let Me Check My Diary

Yep.  Nah. No room in my diary this week.  Fully booked.  Try next week.  The diary is pretty free then.

You know sometimes when weeks go by and they just keep plodding on.  Nothing that special happens, nothing to get dressed up for or write in the diary and it all gets a bit boring.  Just going about the motions day after day.

Well this week isn’t one of those weeks.  Oh no, its turned on its head and has all gone a bit crazy.  In fact I don’t know whether I’m coming or going. I’ve ended up scheduling everything.  The days and times when I’ll wash my hair, my travel plans, what buses I need to take, what time the trains run, a time to go to the bank (knowing that this will take all lunch time).  I’ve got singing class tomorrow and practice to do before then.  I walked home this evening practicing my scales.  Thank goodness it was quiet(!).  Dinner with friends in London on Wednesday and a hangover to contend with on Thursday morning, and then another dinner on Thursday with a very close friend.

See, busy.  I’ll need a rest come the weekend.  But it should be oh so good.  Expect a great post on Friday (Its Daring Baker’s Reveal Day).

Oh, and I was thinking of taking photos at dinner on Wednesday as we are going to Bill Granger’s new restaurant.  What do you think about taking photos (on my phone) at dinner?  Acceptable in small doses or completely wrong.  Views please!

~ Pru

My Make Up Bag

The other day I was reading this post where Rachel showed her makeup bag and I was shocked.  There were nine items.  NINE!  It was incredible.  I mean I own about four pairs of tweezers!

So, I thought I would have look through my makeup bag to see what I could get rid of.  Turns out, I like my makeup a bit too much, I like the choice of doing smokey eyeshadow, or greens and purples, or gold eyeliner for a night out with the girls.  I even have different face powders and foundations depending on how I’m feeling (and looking)!

So, welcome to my makeup bag.  I keep some of it next to my mirror and a lot of the eyeshadows in a box under my bed.

Even though I own a lot of foundation and powders and concealers, I actually only wear the mineral powder on a daily basis and the blusher.  It is really rare for me to bother with concealer or foundation, its when I look really pale and ill that I reach for the liquid stuff.

The eyeliners might be a little out of control.  I mean I only have two eyes!  But they are pretty colours, purple, gold, blue, turquioise, green, brown and black.  The pink crayon at the top is by Jemma Kidd and is wonderful, its glittery but not too glittery so is ideal for work and then adding another layer for the evening.

And finally, lipsticks.  Although there is another one in my handbag.  I don’t wear them that regularly though.  I just wear lipbalm.  I’m thinking that I might do a post on lipbalm, for there are many, many pots!

So, is this too much makeup?  How much makeup do you have?  Do you keep certain makeup for special times (like I do with the gold and purples)?

~ Pru

Are you following me on Twitter or Pinterest?  If not, then click on the links.  It would make my day, possibly my week too!

Chicken with Artichokes & Spaghetti

 

Megan usually picks a great project for Martha Mondays and I was certain that while we don’t eat a lot of artichokes or capers in our house, that this would be a winner.  Its billed as ‘Chicken with Artichokes and Angel Hair Pasta‘ but the closest thing we have is spaghetti, so I changed that.  Apart from that, I made this recipe as it stated.  I even bought parsley.

This past week I haven’t felt that well.  It was a clear sign to me after returning to work for four days and then becoming sick that I was trying to accomplish too much at one time.  I was so pleased that this was a quick recipe which I made when mum returned from a trip to see my grandfather on Saturday night.

It was easy to make, with very few ingredients, although I did have to make a trip to the supermarket for capers, artichokes and parsley.  I wonder if the addition of onion would have helped or another ingredient instead of so much artichoke.  Also, the chicken didn’t have much flavour.  Maybe lemon would have helped.

The verdict?

Oh, we hated this (probably evident from my words above).  I ate two mouthfuls and decided that I didn’t want any more.  There was nothing about it that I liked.  Mum complained that there was no ‘sauce’ and she was right.  What sauce there was was sucked up by the pasta leaving a plain meal of spaghetti with chicken and artichokes.  I have decided that I don’t like capers either.

So we had cheese and crackers for dinner.  I’m pleased I tried the recipe as it was something new, but I won’t be making it again.  Such a shame.

I can’t wait to see what everyone else thought.

 

~ Pru

Are you following me on Twitter or Pinterest?  If not, then click on the links.  It would make my day, possibly my week too!