Rosemary Bread

FULL DISCLOSURE:  I did not do this week’s Martha Monday’s challenge.  My mum did it instead. 

Mum was at a loose end on Friday and so I said ‘why not make the Martha Monday’s project’ and she got right on and did it.  Took photos and everything.  This was Ana’s pick and she chose Rosemary Bread.

Now my mum is very keen to find out what everyone else thought, as we weren’t that keen and mum is wondering if she did something wrong.  But like I have told her, some recipes just don’t work out (and truth be told, I sort of have my fingers crossed that someone else found it a bit cakey too).

So mum said: “I was looking forward to it I must say and reading the recipe it seemed quite easy to follow but I was surprised that the bread didn’t need to be kneaded and I think this may have resulted in us not liking the bread.”

To be fair, we did eat one of the two loaves but threw the other one away, we all thought it was a bit cakey – but looking at the photo in the recipe they look pretty much the same.  So, not a recipe we will do again (unless everyone says that it was great and then we might give it another go – together)!

~ Pru and Julie

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Hot Cross Buns

Hot cross buns

Hot cross buns

One ha’ penny

Two ha’penny

Hot cross buns

If you have no daughters

give it to your sons

One ha’penny

Two ha’ penny

Hot cross buns

I remember the song from when I was a child and mum would sing it to my sister and I when we had hot cross buns at Easter.  Thing is, now adays you can find hot cross buns in the shops all year round but I still stick to eating them at Easter.  The apple and cinnamon ones from M&S being my favourite.

I had never made hot cross buns until the other week (I was a week ahead with my pick for Martha Mondays as I knew that the week was going to be incredibly busy).  I chose this recipe and watched the video of Martha and Seth Myers making them.  I love that Martha corrects Seth and makes him not joke about the reason for the cross on the buns and that she gives some history about the buns (which I did not know) when they are being made.

Anyway, back to the buns.  These were easy to make but took a fair while to make.

Looking back now, I should have rolled these into better rounds…

…but it didn’t matter because they tasted great!

Oh!  I stuck completely to the recipe except I couldn’t find golden raisins and so used sultanas instead.  Oh!  And the icing quantity I think it wrong, it was too runny.  I ended up adding nearly another cup of sugar to the mixture so that I could pipe it.

~ Pru

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Leek, Bacon and Pea Risotto

Happy Monday everyone!  I hope you had a great weekend.

My weekend was very busy.  Time spent at the garden centre, supermarket, baking, walking the dog and a lot of work over at the allotment.  Mum and I were up at six on Sunday morning to dig woodchip from a pile that had been left nearby and ship it to the allotment.  We made four trips and got so much done.  But it left me wondering when I was going to get time to make the Martha Mondays pick.

I love risotto.  Love it.  Mum often makes a plainish one with onion and we have it with sausages and vegetables for dinner.  I love it.  And this risotto did not disappoint.  Whilst some of my friends think that it is difficult to make, I find that it isn’t difficult just time consuming.  I managed to get not one thing done whilst I was making dinner, every few minutes adding more stock to the rice.

I made two changes.  I used pancetta slices instead of bacon and I put the peas into the risotto earlier than the recipe called for.  I think they would have still been too hard if I had put them in at the end.

I made the full batch and have a container ready for work on Monday.  No doubt I will eat it cold – the best way!

~ Pru

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Brown Sugar Barbecue Chicken

After missing last week’s Martha Mondays project I was keen to get back to cooking with my favourite bloggers.  Brette chose Barbecue Chicken and I loved the simplicity of the recipe.  Only a few ingredients and all that I had in the kitchen cupboard already.

I did make a couple of changes.  Firstly, I never eat meat which is attached to the bone so I wasn’t going anywhere near drumsticks or wings and I used chicken breast instead.  It just took a little longer to cook in the oven.

Now, I made the sauce and it was nice but I had imagined something a bit more smokey and after a rummage in the kitchen cupboard and fridge, I found the perfect thing.  Brown Sauce.  I reckon I added about a teaspoon to a tablespoon of it.  Just a little but it made a difference.

I served the chicken with garlic rice and peas (I was in a rush) but we loved it.  And we will definitely be having this again for dinner very soon.

If you like trying new recipes and enjoy Martha Stewart recipes – from her books, magazine, show or from the website then join our group.  Just click on the link above where it says ‘Brette’ and sign up.  Its nothing too hard, just a group of fun bloggers trying new recipes and crafts.

~ 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!