COOKBOOKS GALORE

Needed to make something quick for tea today, as my new neighbour is coming for a cuppa. This is a recipe I've been meaning to do for ages, so today's the day! It's out of my handwritten notebook, so presume it's from a magazine or a friend. 175g soft margarine or butter[softened] 175g soft brown sugar 2 eggs 200g sr flour 1 heaped tspn cinnamon 75g dried cranberries rind and juice of 1 orange demerara sugar for the top preheat oven 180C/gas5. Line a tin 33x23 cm. Beat the margarine/butter with the sugar. Add the eggs and beat together. Add the cinnamon to the flour and fold into the mixture. Finally, add the cranberries, orange juice and rind. Mix to a dropping consistency. Put into the tin and bake for about 25mins. Cool on a wire rack and sprinkle with demerara sugar. This cake freezes well, so you can cut it into slices and freeze them in a suitable container. I think it would taste good with an orange flavoured icing.

I'm going through a 'Cook British' phase, so wanted to make some rock cakes. Had some apricots and sultanas to use up so tried a variation on the original. A big success. Will make double next time, as son arrived, and together with OH ate them! I did manage to salvage one for me! 100g white sr flour 100g wholemeal sr flour 2 tspns baking powder 1 tspn mixed spice 100g soft margarine or butter 50g light brown sugar 50g dried apricots [chopped] 1 egg 2tbspns milk light brown sugar for dusting on top of cakes preheat oven 200C/gas 6 Grease or line a baking sheet [I used the reuseable baking paper I got from Lakeland] Put the flours, baking powder and spice into a bowl and mix together. Add the margarine or butter and rub in till like breadcrumbs. Stir in the fruits and sugar. Beat the egg with the milk and add to the bowl. Mix to a stiff mixture [add a bit more milk if it's too dry]. Put mounds of the mixture on to the baking sheet and sprinkle some ...

Another one of my favourite recipes for teabreads. It's full of juicy fruit that's been soaked in tea and it's spicy too. 375g mixed dried fruit 125g soft brown sugar 150ml hot tea of choice 1 large egg 1 tbspn milk 50g chopped walnuts 225g sr flour 1 tbspn mixed spice Preheat oven 150C/gas3 Grease and line a 900g/2lb loaf tin. Put the fruit, sugar and tea in a large bowl and leave to infuse together for about 4 hours or overnight. Beat the egg and milk together and add to the bowl with the walnuts. Sift the flour and spice together and fold into the fruit mixture. Put into the tin and bake for about 50mins to an hour. Leave to cool on a wire rack. Can be eaten on its own or with butter.

Thought I'd post a recipe that wasn't baking this time.  I watched Nigella's 'Kitchen' series and loved the look of this paella. We're off to North Wales tomorrow to visit our son and family, so I didn't want to go shopping. Had some raw tiger prawns in the freezer, so this seemed to be the ideal time to try out this dish. We'd  brought some paella rice and spices back from Spain last year, and they were just lying in the back of the cupboard. You'll find Nigella's recipe here I wish I'd brought a paella pan back too, but I used my new heavy duty Tefal frying pan instead. This is the finished dish. Nigella suggests you decorate it with lemon slices and coriander, but haven't any lemons left and I hate coriander!

Happy St David's Day! Thought I'd make a few Welsh cakes to celebrate. My husband likes them well done and I prefer them golden.  I got my lovely Emma Bridgewater daffodil mug for Mother's Day last year. This is Gran's recipe which I always use, hence the lbs and ozs! After sprinkling sugar on top, she always added a knob of butter. We ate them warm, straight off the bakestone. This recipe makes about 24 cakes, but I halved it today as there are only 2 of us;  I'm not sure if they'd freeze well. 1lb plain flour 4oz margarine 4oz lard [I use Trex] 4oz currants 6oz caster sugar 1/2 tspn mixed spice 1 tspn baking powder 1 egg pinch salt 2 tbspns milk Put the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl, then rub in the fat. Add the currants and spice and mix together. Beat the egg a little then add with enough of the milk to make a firmish dough. Roll out on a floured surface till about 1/4" thick, then cut into rounds. Grease a bakestone an...