The Taste of America

pop

fizz

soda

bliss....

Ok I admit I have never been that big a fan of Mountain Dew, my dad would probably say it tastes likes piss, but to me its just another thing that reminds me of beign stateside and tastes of home. I'm sure there are better things out there to remind me of america but right now i'm sitting her with an opened can of the vile yellow liquid and its like nectaer from the gods of consumerism.

I purchased it strangely enough from a little market stall in Derby, a little Thai market stall to be precise, I'm not particularly sure why they had MountainDew, and Mug root beer too, but that only stayed in the fridge for a few hours before it was just an empty can to be recycled. Barq's is the best root beer though I think I might cheerfully maim for a cold can of it. And as M thinks its vile stuff its all mine. Though I find it hard to get my head aroudn the fact that he will drink gallons of dadnelion and burdock, which I think was created as part of an internation food dare, right up there with haggis and snails.

Lemon and Mascarpone Cheesecake

Lemon and Mascarpone Cheesecake

2 pkg. (8 oz. each) Cream Cheese, softened
1 pkg. mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. grated lemon zest (3 lemon)
juice of 3 lemons
for the base:
12 biscuits (makes roughly 1½ cups crumbs)2 tablespoons melted butter
Crush the biscuits and add the melted butter. Mix well and press firmly into a 8-inch pie pan. Pat down using the base of a glass. Place in fridge for 30mins to set.
While base is setting. Mix together cream cheese, mascarpone, lemon zest, lemon juice (I normally put the lemon juice in to taste roughly about 2 lemons worth but in this instance i used all three for a very lemony cheesecake) sugar, using a wooden spoon or electric mixer. Pour the cheese mixture over the base and spread evenly. Put cheesecake in the fridge for at least 4 hours to set, preferably overnight.

cooks notes:

as I had a lot of lemons to use up i used three lemons in the recipe which made for a very tangy refreshing cheesecake but if you don't like lemon quite that much you can just use the juice and zest of two unwaxed lemons.

Painted Lady

hello..lo..lo..lo i'm still alive honest, though i'm not sure anyone actually reads this blog besides my dad on a regular basis, i am still here but its been a hectic week or two and i haven't managed to get much writing done on here. THe biggest project had been entertaining H as its summer break and he o nly goes to preschoon for a few hours on monday and friday, so cue me running around the house like a woman possesed trying to clean the house and tidy up whatever messes H, M and the cats have left for me.

Also I have been painting H's room, and I absoloutly hate painting walls, and especially celings its just crap, and i ran out of paint, so there are a few patchy bits that need repainting, and the back wall has fluffy white clouds on it as a quick improv to figure out what to do with one corner of the wall still being bright white when it was supposed to be blue. not just any blue but the dark under-the-sea stuck-at-the-bottom-of-a-trench blue that H picked out all by himself. And now to add to it I have to go back to painting it on friday and add a rocketship to the clouds as per h's request. That i don't mind, I like actual painting, I'm ok at that, I'm no rembrant but I enjoy painting pictures just not walls. Perhaps its a lefthanded thing as i can't really paint a straight line to save mylife. And no matter what i do i just end up completly covered in paint, i have given up using rollers as i'm just so diabolically bad at using them and now just stick to using a little paintpad and away I go.

I hyave been drawing alot lately and may soon be designing a little canvas bag to go along with the two t-shirts I have made in the last few weeks.... so i'm quite happy with that.. oh and there is the possibility of going on a one day writing course in septemeber with frizbe, its a begginers course on novel writing, I would never think to go on one on my own but Frizbe is much more outgoing than me so will let her do the talking to begin with and maybe it will help me to move on with writing a bit more. my poor little teapot blog has been sadly neglected for too long. I must sort out writing some more on it tommrow while h having his nap before swimming lessons.

Cinnamon and Blueberry Pancakes

Cinnamon and Blueberry Pancakes


2 cups Self-raising flour
¼ cup Sugar
¼ cup sour cream
¾ cup Milk
1 Egg
2 teaspoons Cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup fresh or frozen Blueberries

.Beat together flour, sugar, sour cream, milk, egg, cinnamon until smooth. Gently fold in blueberries. pour approximately 1/4 cups batter on hot griddle. Though I make small pancakes for my son.
On occasion I have made blueberry syrup as well, when the are going cheap that is

BLUEBERRY SYRUP

2 cups blueberries
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional it just helps it to keep longer if not used right away)
combine the ingredients and simmer about 10 minutes. Serve as is for rustic treat or sieve for a smoother consistency.

cooks notes: ok to be honest i have only made the syrup once as normally pancakes are a sunday ritual and i'm just not a morning person so whatever is quickest and makes H and M happy works for me, and the quicker i make breakfast the quicker i get the next cup of coffee! The pancakes are lovely and one of my favorite pancake recipes. I'll sort out a picture next time

Key Lime Cheesecake (no bake version)

Key Lime Cheesecake With Biscuit Base

3 pkg. (8 oz. (200 g) each) Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. grated lime zest (2 limes)
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice (2 limes)
1 cup whipping cream
pie crust*
Beat cream cheese, sugar, zest, and lime juice with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended.
In a separate bowl whip the cream then add it to the cheese mixture. Pour the cheesecake mixture into the crust.
refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight.
Top with fresh whipped cream just before serving. Store any leftover cheesecake in the refrigerator.

For the crust
12 biscuits (digestives or coconut or graham crackers makes roughly 1½ cups crumbs) 3 tablespoons melted butter
Crush the biscuits and add the melted butter. Mix well and press firmly into a 8-inch pie pan. refrigerate while preparing the cheesecake filling.

cooks notes:

The cheesecake was much easier to make than the baked version, the addition of the whipped cream made for a much lighter density. I'm quite happy with the result the only drawback is that I used a new zester which was a little bit keen to zest the limes. I think I will definatle use this recipe again in the future. THe origional recipe I found online and adapted it to my way of thinking. Afterall I'm left handed and we do think diffrently! Next time I might experiment with some lemongrass or a bit of ginger, or possibly some cherry topping.

Crafty

Ok don't laugh but the other week I started a new um hobbie I guess, and some cheap organic cotton t-shirts in plain boring old white that I found at Primark. Yes I hand my head in shame I have been to primark and actually bought something. Anyway I wanted to design a t-shirt, and not having a clue what to do with it the shirt sat around for over a week before I did anything with it, then I bought a laundry pen.. that you iron the ink on to make it stay even when washed. The above is what I ended up with. I'm pretty happy with the result, though I'm sure it could have turned out better or possibly worse if I tried to lean how to do silk screening.

I think she is a lovely little flower goddess I must scan or take a picture of the original sketch I did. My only other option would be to have the imaged scanned and either print it on that iron on paper or take the file to one of the printers that prints t-shirts.

Yesterday was Frizbe's birthday and I made a t-shirt for her, its the same style shirt just a different drawing, which i totally forgot to take a picture of I'm such an idiot.. I took a picture of the original sketch which has been lurking about in my sketch book for something like a decade.. ouch.. anyway here she is until i take a picture of Frizbe's shirt anyway.

P.S. Meg if you are reading this I'm still working on your scarf I haven't forgotten about you!

Thai Chicken with Basil Leaves on Sticky Rice

Chicken With Fresh Basil Leaves

3 tablespoons vegtable oil
2-3 tablespoons crushed garlic
3 red chilies chopped
1 lb chicken (ground/minced) or turkey
1 tbl oyster sauce
2 tbl thai fish sauce
1 tbl soy sauce
1 tbl sugar (white/caster)
2 red chilies cut large
1 cup chicken stock or water
1 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
1-2 tbl lemongrass ( I used the squeezie kind but you can use fresh stalks and chop it)
2 tbl fresh lime juice optional


Heat the oil in a wok or a large frying pan, add the garlic and chopped chilies and lemongrass. Stirfry until the garlic begins to brown.

add the chicken mince stirring vigorously to break it is. Cook the chicken for two minutes before adding the oyster sauce, fish sauce, soy sauce, and sugar. Stir well before adding the large chilies. Add the cup of chicken broth, or water and bring it to the boil.

add the basil and cook for a further 1 minute. just before serving add a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

cooks notes:
the dish turned out lovely, I served it with some tom yum soup that was from a paste that I bought at the little thai stall at the Eagle Centre Market in Derby. I also cheated with the rice and use some readymade thai sticky rice. Although last week I expiremented with making coconut rice which had mixed results of tasting nice but strangly not very coconutty.

another meme

My roommate and I once: never had a roommate unless my husband counts

Never in my life have I: bungee jumped, freeking stupid sport

High school was : hell, definitely 10th circle territory

When I'm nervous : My stomach twists in knots and I feel sick

My hair : needs a new style, M says he thinks it should be long again

When I was 5 : um we drove across the US of A from New York to California

When I turn my head left : I look out the window at the carnage that is H's toys strewn about the garden. Also there is a strange glowing orb in the sky surrounded by blue

I should be : cleaning right now, but H is asleep and I'm having a break

By this time next year : I have no idea its hard to think ahead to what to make for dinner tomorrow night let alone decide what i want to be doing a year from now.

My favorite aunt is : erm seeing as i don't think i actually exist to my blood relatives I would have to say my favorite aunt of my husband's relatives is June

I have a hard time understanding : politics, baseball, knitting patterns

You know I like you if : I cook/bake for you

My ideal breakfast is : coffee followed by more coffee, possibly followed by pancakes with cinnamon sauce yum

If you visit my home town : Santa Rosa: bring me back some asiago bread and a wolf coffee, and a spinach Parmesan bagel, and a burrito from the mexican place the next road over from where i lived. if you visit Ripley, well there isn't a lot to do here, but Brock's is a nice cafe.

If you spend the night at my house : you will be woken up by H promptly at 6am, but you will get a lovely lavazza coffee, and i might make some nice pancakes with maple bacon

My favorite book is: ohh um well I dunno, that's really difficult to narrow down to just one book.. possibly the Stand by Stephen King unabridged naturally

My favorite day of the week is: Tuesday, as its normally ride out day

The animal I would like to see flying besides birds : penguins, but the are a bird so umm turtles

I shouldn't have been : eating m & m's earlier.

Last night I: watched Garden State for the second time, I forgot how lovely the soundtrack is

A better name for me would be : I've always wanted to be an Alex (Alexandria) or a Morrigan or even a Mara

I've been told I look like : my parents.. other than that I think someone once said i looked like some star from the 40's or 50's, i can't remember, probably Mae West if she was brunette or someone equally curvy (read fat) .. my brain is tired today

If I could have any car, it would be : a flying car so no more paying out tons of money to fly out to visit my parents.

favourite movie from childhood: a toss up between The Last Unicorn, Labyrinth, The Flight of Dragons, The Lost Boys, The Princess Bride, many many more

Apple Upside Down Cake II

Upside-Down Apple Cake with Cream Filling


The recipe for this is essentally the same as that of the original Apple Upside Down cake but this time I took pictures and instead of using my large cake tin, I seperated the batter into two smaller tins, then when the cake was cooled I whipped some double cream that was lurking in the back of the fridge trying to hide until it turned into sour cream. I slatered the whipped cream over the bottom layer of cake and the carefully manuvered the top (upside down layer) carefully over the cream.

A closer view of the cake

Apple Upside Down Cake


½ cup butter
½ cup caster sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1½ cups self-raising flour
½ cup milk
2 to 4 firm-fleshed apples (granny smiths are best but this time a used small royal gala apples that were perishing in the fruit bowl)
1/2 cup butter (melted)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
¼ cup light brown sugar (I used dark brown this time as thats all I had it just gives a much richer taste)

Cream the butter and the sugar together, add the eggs one at a time. Add half of the self-raising flour, then half of the milk and the vanilla.Add the remainder of the flour followed by the remaining milk and beat till well blended.

Melt butter in baking pan in the oven while pre-heating, remove and sprinkle with the cinnamon and sugar mixture. Pare, quarter, and slice the apples thin. Spread in an over-lapping layer on the bottom of the baking dish . Pour the cake mixture over the apples. I'n this instance i used two small 8" cake tins and seperated the batter. The batter will be thick and may need to be smoothed on top with a knife.

Bake at 300° to 325° F. for 45 minutes. Until the cake is golden brown on top and springy to the touch. Leave on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Loosen the sides of the cake with a knife , Cover the cake with a large serving dish or baking tray and turn it out carefully, upside down.

original post

http://meridianariel.blogspot.com/2007/06/apple-upside-down-cake.html

Wilted Green Tomatoes

My poort tomatoes have been woefully neglected this past week with everyone having been sick in some way. Poor Starbuck the cat was attacked and his face was punctured in to places, it got infected and was oozing some not very pleasant green pus. Whe had to take him the the vets to get him patched up, the poor thing looked like a monster.

Starbuck as Frankenstien

Starbuck is much better now his wounds are healing nice and cleanly and he seems quite happy again... Well as happy as Starbuck ever gets, he has never really been the life and soul of the party, but he choose us and we choose him so there we are. He is a good cat despite his grumpy disposition, I often wonder why we didn't call him Oscar, as in Oscar the grouch... I will tell the tale of how starbuck got his name in another post, and its a bit more complicated than the coffee place!

Anyway I took care of a poorly cat, a poorly son, and a poorly husband, and just when i thought i was going to be ok I got the virus as well, and am still recovering now, as the cold left me with yet another throat infection which i have had to go to the doctors for and get some penicillin, which is making me feel rather neaseaus, and throw up a few times, but M says I have a weak stomach after all so I shoulden't be suprised.

Anyway my poor tomatoes have been brought back from the brink of withering away several times this past week and seem to keep going on strong, which is good that i haven't killed them, and bad becuse if all those tomatoes do survive its going to be one hell of a crop, I don't know what i'm going to do with them all.

meme

Everyone here has been battling flu including me so have gotten nothing at all done this week and should have been asleep two hours ago but my throat kiss and I can't stop coughing so here is a meme. I promise new posts soon.

Time for SCATTERGORIES,

Here are the rules:+ Use the first letter of your name to answer each of the following.+ They MUST be real places, names, things…NOTHING made up.+ If you can’t think of anything, skip it.+ Try to use different answers if the person before you had the same first initial.+ You CAN’T use your name for the boy/girl name question.+ Have fun!

My name: Ariel
1. Famous singer/band: All About Eve
2. Four letter word: Arse
3. Street name: Ash
4. Color: Aubergine
5. Gifts/Presents: album
6. Vehicle: airplane
7. Things in a Souvenir Shop: err ashtray?
8. Boy Name: Alexander
9. Girl Name: Alys
10. Movie Title: Amalie
11. Drink: americano
12. Occupation: Accountant
13. Celebrity: Al Pacino
14. Magazine: Arena
15. US City: Alameda
16. Pro Sports Team: A’s (do they even exist anymore?) erm Angels ?
17. Reason for Being Late for Work: accident
18. Something You Throw Away: ashes
19. Things You Shout: AAAAAAAhhhhhh
20. Cartoon Character: Alvin (and the Chipmunks little bastards)
21. Fruit or vegetable: Apple, artichoke

Show Me The Bunny!

Yeah so.. Its my bunny and my box!

Its very much a love hate relationship between Alys and Mr. Bunny, a bit like Calvin and Hobbs with claws, and if Hobbs were a purple bunny with green ears. H won the bunny at Critch Toy Library and said he was bringing it home for Alys that she would like it. Since then she has beat the crap out of that purple bunny pretty much every day.

Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins

Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins

Ingredients
1 ½ cups self-raising flour
½ cup porridge oats
¼ cup caster sugar
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup sour cream
½ cup milk
2 eggs
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

pre heat oven to 400F.

Place paper baking cups into a muffin tin, or grease and flour the muffin cups. In a medium bowl mix all the ingredients except for the blueberries until flour is moistened (batter will be lumpy). Carefully fold in the blueberries.

Divide the batter evenly among muffin cups filling them about two thirds full. Sprinkle the cups with a small amount of sugar or oats.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Immediately remove from the pan. Enjoy while still warm or wait for them to cool.

notes: Picture forthcoming. I made these muffins this morning using the ingredients I had in stock, there are many different ways to make blueberry muffins and I was quite happy with the way these turned out. Not too sweet, otherwise they would be more of a blueberry cupcake than a muffin. They have been quickly devoured by husband and son so I must have done something right. ;o)

Medieval Fayre

Been to ye olde Litchfield Medieval Market today and had a great day out, knights on horseback, jewelry stalls, ice-cream, pretty things, did I mention the jewelry? Because there were some absoloutly lovely stalls there with lots of pretties. I think I must be part magpie or something becuse I do have a profound weakness for silver jewelry, especial of the square cut gemstone variety. I tried to be stong but i couldn't and ended up buying a teardrop shaped lavender amethyst cabachon pendant, its lovely, will wear it tommorow, not that I'm doing anything tommrow as M has a wedding to shoot but thats ok I have a new precious to wear. I'm happy.

The market was fun we sat and watched our first ever punch and judy show, H thought it was hysterical for about 5 or ten minutes and then he had had enough and we wander around a little bit more, looked at the bird man collection of owls and hawks, which h though very good but informed me that he liked the zoo better when we went on thursday. The jousting was great though H got very worried at the start because the knights were walking around and didn't have their horses right away. It was very exciting and M has said we will go to Warwick castle sometime soon as its all very commercial and camp there and H will love it.

Independence Day

Happy Fourth of July!

Its that time of year again the great BBQ holiday, or in the case of my house growing up the great barbecue Holy Day! We will hopefully be having a little bit of a BBQ here later I have made a lovely citrus cake that is cooling on the counter as i type this, to be topped in whipped cream with blueberries and strawberries, red with and blue of course.

Today is the day we celebrate America's Independence from British rule. Doesn't really say a lot about an ex-pat American living smack dab in the middle of England, but it is an excuse to bake a cake, not that I really need an excuse for anything other than skipping the gym.

H has a bit of a cold today so he hasn't gone to his swimming lesson in fear that things will turn into the Exorcist and he will cough and puke up his lunch in the pool. again. Hopefully he will feel better after having a bit of a nap but right now all i can hear from him is singing and random chatter from his darkened room. So much for trying to be quite and not disturb him, I guess I'll get the vaccuume out then no more putting it off.

Also on the menu for today is Macaroni cheese, as I haven't got and Kraft mac and cheese, I will have to make do with normal chedder and some relatively orangeish red leichester that is as close as you can get to the love shade of orange that mac and cheese normally comes in.

Alys Through The Cat Flap

And here we find Alys having shot through the back door and out into this brave new world called outside. Now Starbuck, are great black lump of a cat he only uses the cat flap if he really really has to. In point of fact he will sit and wait till you do his bidding and open the door for him. Even when he goes through the flap on his own its quite a scene with a lot of pawing and nudging the flap with his nose before he squeezes his girth through the hole somewhat eel like, or perhaps like The Blob.

Alys in the other hand if we so happen to have forgotten to lock the cat flap will take a running leap and dive to freedom! So far she hasn't gone very far up the garden, its pretty safe in our yard the only place that could get a bit hairy is the neighbors with the dogs. Two Staffordshire pit bulls, I believe, is there technical name, nasty ass bastards that would shut up is what we call them.

Now growing up my parents house has always been a zoo, I love animals, have grown up on a farm, have lived on a ranch, and had innumerable cats, and dogs in my life. And never have I disliked animals more than the ones in my neighbors yard. They are just not nice looking dogs, they bark constantly, and I really don't think they are taken well care of at all. THey are kept in a shed with some hideous blue fencing to keep them to a little concrete square and they are always fighting.

I love dogs, and would have one in a heartbeat if I didn't think it would be cruel to leave it twice a year to visit my parents stateside. But these just aren't nice, I have been told that they are lovely dogs and are not the illegal sort of pit bull, but they are still pit bulls, when i would never trust. I really don's see the point in having a pet that is not part of the family. Animals have always been part of my family, and took the place of the extended family I never had growing up. It was me, my parents and various cats, dogs, ponies, and horses, the animals took the place of the grandparents and other relatives that I didn't really have.

My parents have a kennels worth of dogs, lets start with the biggest dog, Hunter (very big some sort of water dog/hunting dog but gentle as a lamb) they found him at a pet fair for an animal shelter and brought him home. Holly, (blue heeler) she was found on the side of the road near to where they live, skinny and half starved my dad took her in and she has found a place in their home. Bear the collie mix, who is quite ancient by dog standards and though he cant walk very well is still very tolerant of H. Now for the pugs, which I think are some of the nicest dogs around. First there is Stormie, the queen bee, she is half pug and half Chihuahua, so she has a temper but is a good dog, and apparently a good mouser. She came from L.A. from an adoption fair for Little Angels Pug Rescue http://www.lapr.org/welcome.html .

Then there is Ricki, he came from the flea market aptly enough, he had a tag saying he liked to wander and my dad took him back to the house near the market. On a return trip to the flea market my parents found him wandering around again and very thin, they tried to take him back to his owners but no one was there so they took him home and fed him and were never able to get ahold of his former people. His tag said he liked to wander which is so untrue, he follows my dad around everywhere, and if my dad goes out he will wait by the door pining for his return. Up next we have Sherman, found on Sherman Avenue of course, he was wandering around lost in the street and nearly hit by a car, he was filthy and limping, my dad stopped and asked a group of school kids if it was their dog, they said no that he had been wandering round for a few days in the area. My dad took him home and fed him and placed and add in the paper saying male pug dog found. Nobody called so Sherman became another member of the family, he adores H and follows him around when we visit.

Since last we visit my parents in Early spring they have got two more pugs, a mother and son Nico, from someone who could no longer keep them. They are all happy and healthy and well loved, and all great with H, I'm sure the new ones will be too, H can't wait to see them. They are are surrogate dogs, we only get to be with them a few weeks a year but its fun and good for H. For now we have Starbuck and Alys, and crotchety old thing that Starbuck is he would probably defect if we were to bring a puppy home Alys is more than enough trouble for him.

Key Lime Cheesecake With Coconut Biscuit Base

Key Lime Cheesecake With Coconut Biscuit Base

2 packages of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. grated lime zest (2 limes)
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice (2 limes)
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
pie crust*
whipped cream for topping


Preheat the oven to 350°F (180 C).

Beat cream cheese, sugar, zest, lime juice and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended.
Add the eggs and mix just until blended. Pour the cheesecake mixture into the crust.
Bake for 40 minutes or until the centre is almost set. Remove from the oven and let cool. refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight.
Top with fresh whipped cream just before serving. Store any leftover cheesecake in the refrigerator.

For the crust
12 coconut biscuits (makes roughly 1½ cups crumbs)2 tablespoons melted butter
Crush the coconut biscuits and add the melted butter. Mix well and press firmly into a lightly greased 8-inch pie pan.



I have found a new recipe for a key lime cheese cake. I have made several versions of Key lime pie before, as it is one of M's absolute favorite deserts. This one is a very simple recipe with out much fuss, and without condensed milk. M would quite happily sit with a can of the stuff but I have never been a fan. Probably something to do with having it in my tea while camping with my dad as a kid. I wouldn't recommend it. One of the other recipes I have used quite often in the past is one that is very heavy on effort, time, and gelatin, its totally gorgeous but very hard work to make. SO I'm going to attempt this cheesecake recipe, and see how things turn out in a bit, once the rain abates and I can scurry up to the co-op and get some cream cheese and biscuits to make the biscuit base. How I do miss graham crackers, but plain digestives or nice biscuits will suffice.

more to come in a bit but need to flick the coffee maker on as frizbe is here.

its still in the oven as I type this so i have no idea how it will turn out. I'll let you know as this is the first time I have ever made a baked cheesecake. The recipe I found and adapted to my own liking making it my own as it were.

THe Cheesecake turned out great very nice and dense and refreshing, and all in all it was really very quick to make, so lets hope the offer is still on for half price cream cheese. Next time I will try a No Bake Recipe perhaps something with fresh raspberries or peaches.

Strawberry Vanilla Cupcakes

I have been in the icing sugar again as you can clearly see from the above image of a very yummy vanilla cupcake with a strawberry on top. I have been baking because I singned up for a cupcake competition on www.mumsnet.com the teme is summer and songs the picture I entered into the contest is the one below of a ice-cream shaped cupcake. Basically a cupcake shoved into a cone with lots of butter cream icing.

Update on the mumsnet contest.

tigi on Mon 25-Jun-07 19:31:54
Overall Winner – Daemara This prize is awarded for the perfection of the solitary cake seen at the end of Daemars’s photographic album. It is seen with a swirl of icing with a succulent strawberry dropped on top. The symmetry of the image is a marvel to behold. The judge was bowled over with delight and ecstasy to see the absolute perfection of Daemara’s cake. Completely perfect and 100% round, sat in the case proudly, with no excess dollops or slops of icing sugar or sweeties to be seen. A marvellous specimen that makes me very proud indeed to be a member of the WI. Daemara will receive automatic entry to the ‘All England Cupcake Championships’ to be held in the Blackpool Ballroom on 1 April 2008. All spectators welcome (subject to £20 entry fee and smart dress code to be adhered to – no flipflops accepted into the the pimms and champagne reception tent). To summarise, the cake is a perfect shape in perfect proportion, with a simple effective swirl of creamy icing, with a perfect strawberry. A perfect cake, and it tasted delicious too.

Thats me I won I won... I know its only online but I won and I am totally stoked. Big thanks to Tigi for her Judging, and everone else from http://www.mumsnet.com/ that participated. The pictures for all the cakes can be located here: http://www.picturetrail.com/mncupcakes . Daemara = Meridian Ariel.

Cupcakes for Everyone!

Dream a Little Meme of Me

WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
no not really, but I suppose you could say I was named after a month
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
A few tears the other moning when I bunt myself on the pan while making pancakes
DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
I'm left handed so thats pretty much a no, a whenever I write I tend to smudge it and make a big mess, my typing skills aren't much better.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
either pepperoni or roast beef
DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
Yes, just the one two if you count my husband
IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
I don't think I quite hate myself enough to actually not be friends with myself.
DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?
I wouldn't say alot but its always lurking around somewhere
DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
Yes, thank you very much, and I get some lovely throat infections every year.
WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
f*** no, thats just stupid, I really don't see the need to jump head first at the ground. We all have to die sometime but I prefer not to go splat willingly.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
Cheerios, though Captain Crunch was my favorite as a kid
DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
Don't actually have any shoes with laces at the moment my trainers (sneakers) died an agonising death and all the rest of my shoes are girly without laces
DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?
I can be very storng at times, usually when I need to be strong for other people
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
Coffee or Black Cherry
WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
As I'm a bit crap on the old eye contact thing my gaze tends to be a bit shifty and notice everything, hair, shoes, eyebrows,
RED OR PINK?
Purple
WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
Body wise, my stomach and stretch marks, internally my lack of self-confidence
WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
Meg my best friend from High School, we chat but I haven't seen her in person for five long years. Get your ass to England Meg!
WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
Black trousers and bare toes
WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?
toast with black cherry jam and a latte made by my loving husband
WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
The Joker and the Thief by Wolfmother
IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
Mauve
FAVORITE SMELLS?
roses in the garden, lilac blossoms, tomato plants, lime, cake batter, the smell of antiques
WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
M my husband
FAVORITE SPORTS?
yeah I never really got the whole watching sports thing, boring.
HAIR COLOR?
dark brown
EYE COLOR?
dark brown.
DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
no coke bottles.
FAVORITE FOOD?
Vietnamese, Thai, Italian, Mexican, Greek,
SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Probably scary movies, none of that Grudge crap, I hate that, but happy ending fluff movies get on my nerves I prefer sci-fi
LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
The Black Dhalia, pretty good but a bit convalouted
WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
a purple tank top and a black sweater
SUMMER OR WINTER?
Autumn, Otober is my favorite month, and Halloween my favorite holiday, crisp autumn
HUGS OR KISSES?
both
FAVORITE DESSERT?
Whipped cream and raspberries, or coffee ice-cream orreally good very dark dark chocolate
MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
Meg
LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
Gin
WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
Several actually For a few Deamons More by Kim Harrison
WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
don't have one, if I did the kitten would just sit on it
WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT?
Criminal Minds and House on sky+
FAVORITE SOUND?
M's laugh, he sounds just like mutly from the great race cartoon thingy.
ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
I guess the Stones as the beatles tend to get on my nearves
WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
Rome, Italy
DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
erm besides the vast amounts of useless information stored in my brain
WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
New York State
WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK?
anyones, I think there are onyl about 3 people who actually visit here.

Feel free to copy and play along.

Huntress (a Drabble)

Drabble From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A drabble is an extremely short work of fiction exactly one hundred words in length, although the term is often misused to indicate a short story of less than 1000 words. The purpose of the drabble is brevity and to test the author's ability to express interesting and meaningful ideas in an extremely confined space. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drabble


The moon and stars glimmer in the pool of night blackened water. Leaves dance in a caress of foul wind carrying the scent of fire, cloying smoke, burnt flesh, the bitter tang of metal, the taint and filth of humanity. The smell of death. Twigs snap and branches break, echoing in the forest, and the pool is invaded by men, bloodstained warriors all. They drink of the water, muddying it with the blood and gore of battle. Filling the night with raucous laughter, course words and the clinking of coins. Green eyes blaze fire in the dark. The Huntress awakens.

The House of Green

I seem to have underestimated my ability to not kill off the seeds I planted, because they have all turned into rather large plants in the greenhouse. I have tried somewhat successfully to unload some of the tomatoes, and courgette plants on pretty much everyone I could convinced that they needed them, I even gave a few to my neighbours, see I'm very nice, but still they keep growing, and I'm quickly running out of space for them. I have taken most of the courgette (zucchini) and pumpkins out to be planted in the flower boarder, between the rose bushes, or should i say rose sticks after they got trampled by the work men putting up the new fence. I'm not happy about that they destroyed my best rose, not that I really did anything to the roses but they were pretty and smelled nice and now the bush is no more. sigh

Anyway things are all growing beyond my skills to tame them and I really haven't got the heart to let perfectly good plants die. On the other hand I'm quite confused as to how everything is doing so well in the garden but my houseplants never seem to last very long before giving up the ghost as it were. I'll have to see if I can sucker anyone else into taking one of the left over tomato plants as they are desperate for bigger pots and compost which i havent got, and even more desperate for space, which there is none.

Apparently I have green thumbs, I just haven't a clue what I'm doing.

Pumpkin Flower

Peas

Homesick for Americana

Today I have been looking through some pictures stored on my phone and the picture here is one of thoses. The building is This big Fruit and Antique mall in Thorpe, Washington on the I90, you can hardly miss it, looking at the pictue makes me smile though as H thinks its great becuse they have apples, candy, and lots of clocks that his pappy might like. Its one of the places we stop on the drive from Seattle to Coure D Alene , Id where my parents live. The drive is 5 hours more or less depending on potty, coffee and food stops.

I have been talking to my friend Meg*, on messenger a few times and I think thats made me feel rather homesick for the states, and California specifically, though I do like Seattle, and Idaho is georgeous and very friendly, but with talking to my best friend since high school and looking up some classmates on http://www.classmates.com/ I have been missing the bread.

Sourdough bread that is, as if there is any other, and the bagels from the bagel store, and most of all I miss hanging around with Meg, We used to have this movie ritual, I'm not sure M ever really got it when we tried to explain, but we would always go see films together, mostly sci-fi at that, and into the movie we would sneek not bottles of pop or candy, but giant sized fruit smoothies, some sort of raspberry concoction for me, and something tropical for Meg. On one occasion to a matinee for some forgettable movie we snuck in some Chinese. Orange Chicken and noodles to be exact from the panda express at Santa Rosa Plaza Mall. The movie was B but we had fun eating Chinese in the theater and talking over the bad dialogue. We were also the only ones in the theater so we didn't get caught. Oh the hours spent sitting in the upper floor of the down town barns and nobles coveting books and watching the people down below.

Hopefully next year we will drag H along to Cali, and show him all my old haunts. Bodega Bay, the Larkspur ferry, Pier 39, Sonoma and its wineries and the little coffee garden Cafe, Mary's Pizza Shack, Down town Petaluma all the old favorites that I have dragged M around in the past. I think because I was so sick durring my pregnacy with H that I never really got to say goodbye to Northern California because I missed out on the trip we were supposed to take to help my parents move to Idaho, I never got to have that one last look around, that last bit of salty air from bodega bay, and the best fish and chips in the world. Oh well next year then, H will be four and old enough to remember it all.

P.S. Meg if you are reading this get off your ass and get that passport and come visit me! ;o)

Ghost in the Hall

I have been toying with nostalgia today, I have visited classmates.com and registered with my high school graduation class. Looking up a few names from a deliberately forgotten time. Lets face facts high school is hell, pure and simple, with a few bright spots more or less, but we were all condemned to walk the halls.

I wasn't a popular kid, mind you despite my four-eyed status I like to think that I wasn't a complete loser, my grades were good enough but I wasn't some complete ass kisser. I wasn't the member of a clique, and there were cliques, Montgomery High being just as cliched as any other high school. I had a few close friends but mostly I was a ghost in the hall just trying to be noticed and not fit in. I was never one with the in crowd, I could never be I didn't drive a bmw to school I didn't have all the trendy clothes, we weren't poor well most of the time we weren't I just couldn't give a damn about clothes or fitting in.

I was more of the apathetic sort of student, I would probably been a goth if it didn't require so much effort. As it was I did seem to wear quite a lot of black, but eyeliner wasn't me. I'm not even sure if any of my past classmates would recall me, just another brown haired, brown eyed, average ghost. I can't think what would be worse not being remembered at all or being remembered for all the wrong reasons. I tried to avoid the pitfalls of student life, and tried to get on with things, sure I probably missed out on a lot of things but there isn't really anything that I regret really, I have always been a bit shy and reserved but I still managed to make friends with some rather cleaver people. As for the rest of the school well there are a lot of people that I don't miss and hope that grew beyond what they once were, and if not well karma's a bitch and I hope they get bitten on the ass.

I e-mailed a few people from the past and will wait and see if anyone remembers me, or if I trully was just a ghost in the hall.

At the Movies

this week M and I went to see Pirates of the Muddied Plot III. You know what I mean, Johnny Depp was gloriously I on top form, Rush was great but I found myself being let down buy the amount of double crossing, superfluous clutter and plot content that appears to have been thrown in just for good measure. And quite disappointed by the Disney ending, Leaving Keira of the pouty lips to wait ten years for Will's return, ten years of what twiddling her thumbs and going back to her home, its gone, her father, dead, to being a lady? not gonna happen while limp will goes off ferrying souls about to the afterlife, with his heart cut out, and is now immortal. What I love fantasy and sci-fi but this is just a bit slapdash. And although I didn't stay to see the bit after the credits my friend assures me it is an over the top and incredibly cheesy scene that she would rather of not had to sit through. In this last scene there is Keira standing on the clifftop with a 9 year old boy watching the boat sail away. Honestly

Perhaps I'm turning into a cynic.. it was still a good movie held together by captain jack but I think it needed a hell of a lot more editing and reworking of the storyline a bit especially the ending. Speaking of less than a thrilling time at the movies a few weeks ago we went to see Spiderman III, yet another case of third outing in a trilogy gone a bit haywire. It got lots of complaints about too many characters, which is not my beef about it. The thing I hated was strutting and dancing scenes, I was ready to walk out, I hate hate hate cringe inducing scenes like that and had to hide my face in my hands, which M took much glee at as he loves to watch me squirm when I am faced with watching people making total fools of themselves.

In short when they come out on dvd I don't think i'll be making a purchase. by all means go and see the films for yourself and make your own decision but don't say you haven't been warned.

Unwritten Words

I can feel them floating about in my mind whispering to me in the quite hours of the night when everyone else is asleep. Words and images thoughts desires dreams and nightmares, burning brightly behind my closed lids. Words that vanish and hideaway in the dark recesses of my mind when I sit down and try to write. Its not writers block, more shy thoughts hiding away from the possibility of being written.

I sit here with time free to devote to writing and everything that whispered in the back of my thoughts, all those voices that tease and laugh have fallen silent, their characters cannot be written, thoughts remain untamed unshared, alone in the darkness, imprisoned in my mind fearing the freedom of being written.

Enough of the waxing unlyrical, perhaps I've had too much coffee this morning. Or maybe just not enough. When ever I sit down with a little time to put fingers to keys, pen to paper it all just goes grey. The house is mostly clean, the boy is asleep, the kitten is purring in my lap and all the things I want to write are teasingly out of reach. A few slender strings to grasp but nothing to pull out into the open. I think I will go do some drawing instead and forget all about my good intentions to write something well I am in fact writing this but blogging wasn't what I meant. Though I have actually written more on this blog then I ever got on many failed attempts to write a diary or journal, Samuel Pepys I am not. http://www.pepysdiary.com/

I need chocolate.

A Piece of Cake

I was going to do some baking today, but as we haven't done the shopping I'm a bit limited on ingredients, I have no eggs, no butter, no milk, no vanilla. So there will be no cake unless I fetch some ingredients from town after going to the gym later as I intend to do having not been for over a week and a half. Due to being shattered from camping, H being miserable with a cold then passing it on to me so I have been miserable with a cold and unable to do anything but whimper a bit on the sofa.

But I'm all better now, cue dramatic coughing fit, no really I am just a bit of a sore throat but I always get that, bad tonsils you know. After gym then its time to drag H to his swim lesson so he can throw fits of god awfulness, followed by terrible cheekiness in equil measure, then floods of hysterics at being asked to jump into water that he can touch his toes to the bottom of the pool. Meanwhile I stand there clutching my offering of coins or chocolate as his reward for just getting on with it and doing as his instructors bid him to. But at least he hasn't puked in the pool for a while, that was such a proud moment.

So now that I have been on about sick, back to the cake rack as it were. If I can be bothered I might get a few things from the co-op to feed my baking obsession, I need milk anyway to feed my coffee cravings so its only fair really. I have a recipe for a lemon drizzle cake but was considering making it into a lime one as I prefer lime with possibly a creamcheese icing. mmm

or I might just buy some vicounts and save cake baking for tommrow when H can help (hinder) and then I have somone to clean out the batter bowl besides me. I can share gracefully.

What the Doormouse Said

Alys has been living with us for a week now and has settled into the family home pretty well in my opinion. M is absoloulty enchanted with her, having never been witness to the antics of kittens, which are a hell of a lot more intresting that a hamster going round and round a wheel, and they are quite cute I suppose in there own up all night while you try to sleep sort of way. I don't really get along too well with rodents, a friends of mine used to love rats, I never got that retched creatures enough of them in the world that you just don't need them for a pet. Guinea pigs, well they say that they are a delicacy in the andies, I can't say I would ever try it but I'm pretty sure that about all they are good for as the only thing I have ever know is to be bitten by one that was suposedly very friendly.

I did have a rabbit once, the cat ate it. Well I got blamed for leaving the cage open, which I did not, and one of that cats got it and well ate it. Had a hamster once too, it was awake all night bit people for no reason even though was handled properly, it had babies then ate them for no reason (no one touched them or messed with anything she just had them one night and the next night she ate all but one. Cheerful story teller aren't I? Don't let me get started on my animal tales of woe, or we will be here all week. Anyway cats are good, dogs are good, rodents are for rodent traps. Yeah yeah I know I'm evil and not giving rodentia a fair trial. and what about the capybera and there are always ferrets, and what about the. I say my cat will eat your rats, well Starbuck would at least give it the cold shoulder and Alys is probably smaller than a rat still but she might squeek at it a bit, and she terrorizes toy mice at least.

Apple Upside-Down Cake

I was meant to make some banana bread yesterday with some rather old bananas that were lurking in the back of the fruit bowl, but on further inspection they were black beyond use. Well at least to me, I actually prefer my bananas bordering on green. I didn't have any nuts either so I really wasn't doing very well on the banana bread front. I did however have four apples that needed using, and as I really don't like making pastry all that much decided to make an apple cake of the upside- down variety. I know it has a lovely french name but beyond bonjour and fromage my french is severely lacking, I blame it on the California school system, I took Spanish instead. So anyway the following is the recipe I came up with after searching the net and finding a few recipes that didn't seem quite right so I adapted what I found and remade it into this recipe which turned out rather yummy in the end. Word of warning don't leave it too long before turning it over otherwise it will stick to the cake tin!


Apple Upside-Down Cake

½ cup butter
½ cup caster sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1½ cups self-raising flour
½ cup milk
2 to 4 firm-fleshed apples (granny smiths are best)
1/2 cup butter (melted)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup light brown sugar (or caster sugar if you prefer)

Preheat the oven at 300 F
In a large bowl cream the butter and the sugar together. Add the eggs one at a time. Add half of the self-raising flour, then half of the milk and the vanilla. Add the remainder of the flour followed by the remaining milk and beat till well blended.

Melt the butter in 13x9x2" baking pan in the oven while pre-heating, remove and sprinkle with the cinnamon and sugar mixture. Pare, quarter, and slice the apples thin. Spread in an over-lapping layer on the bottom of the baking dish . Pour the cake mixture over the apples. The batter will be thick and may need to be smoothed on top with a knife.

Bake at 300° to 325° F. for 45 minutes. Until the cake is golden brown on top and springy to the touch. Leave on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Loosen the sides of the cake with a knife , Cover the cake with a large serving dish or baking tray and turn it out carefully, upside down.Best served warm with custard, or vanilla ice cream.

© Meridian Ariel 2007 - all rights reserved

Go Ask Alys

Where was I? oh yes camping, now my definition of camping is based on the only camping I did as I child growing up in the golden state. My dad and I, not my mother she did not DO camping, would drive across cali and up into the sierra mountains we would park the car load up the backpacks the gold pan the sluice , and the food bucket. Several hours of walking down twisty turny trails with a sheer drop off to one side before you got to the campsite at the river. Time spent wrestling with the tent making a fire and some sort of food before dropping off to sleep. We didn't leave till the food was gone as it was an incredibly steep walk back up the mountainside to get to the car. We brought the dogs with us and my dad taught me how to pan for gold, the water was clean but the fish were poisoned by mercury, so no fishing but to throw them back in. The mercury was from all those years of people looking for gold, it being the place of the gold rush and all. We saw a bear once and then there was the time that our dog Sophie saved me from a rattlesnake, good times all. That's my idea of camping, the only running water is the river, and the little outhouse had a nice bucket of lye to sprinkle down the hole. Oh and there were lots of nice interesting bits of discarded gold rush equipment scattered about in their rust coloured glory.

Camping this weekend was nothing like that. Don't get me wrong it was lovely, save for what I shall call the febreeze incident. It was my first trip to Wales, and it was beautiful, while my friend and I struggled with her new enormous tent figuring out how to put it up the kids argued among themselves. The campsite was lovely lots of trees near some sand dunes fresh running water, and minutes drive from town. And my friend assures me that the local pizza place, and the chinese deliver to the campsite. H has a ball running around between the tents while we sort out some tea and await more arrivals to the site after a slapdash trip around the local tesco's to stock up on various tinned pasta for the kids, sausages, bacon, all manner of goodies needed for the bank holiday weekend.

Then Frizbe pulls some kit out for me. Kit? you say what sort of kit, well this wasn't just any sort of camping expedition this is camping with a purpose you see my friend and her husband run a live action role play company and this is one of there excursions. And where do I fit in, well I was to be a lady pirate, Minerva Swan. Pleased to make you acquaintance. Argh Hoist the mainsail and all that. The only role play I have ever done is about 8 or 10 years ago on WBS (long may it rest in peace) and that is nothing like finding your self in the woods dressed in a frilly pirate shirt with a replica pistol and a bunch of thesp types running around words and accents flowing from their lips like breathing. It was good fun, H loved running around with fake swords, and pistols, I had fun but I felt absolutely abysmal at play acting. It was great fun to watch but damn I just couldn't seem to open my mouth to play along, to shy I guess, my brain was going like a hamster running frantic in a wheel, just any of these thoughts running crazily through my mind seemed to stop before they could reach my tongue.

Mostly I busied myself with keeping the kids happy and feeding them and reading countless stories, making endless cups of coffee for Frizbe and me, pottering about the campsite. I think the best bit of roleplaying I did was being an unnamed vampire to give a message to a group of pirates to come meet my mistress the Countessa (my friend playing a vampire) I was totally petrified I'd garble it up but I think i did ok there, god I'm such a wuss.

IT was good fun though and I think we would go again if invited, the only downside was the rain on Sunday, and we just ditched everyone to go have some lunch at an Welsh Italian ice-cream and coffee cafe and then off to a soft play place to tire the kids out. M came down on Monday for the day to bring us back and have a look around, and he forgot to bring a camera, what sort of photographer forgets to bring a camera?

We did bring out souvenir back with us, you see near to the campsite there was a little house with a sign saying they did cream teas, and below the sign there was one saying "Kittens free to good home". So how could I resist? cream teas and kittens totally sold, and they were the sweetest little kittens and we just had to have one, Frizbe was forbidden but as M wasn't there...

So that's how we came to bring a little welsh kitten home, now she needed a name and I searched through a baby name book that was floating about the house and found the name Alys, the welsh form of Alice, and asked the kitten if she liked that as her name, she started to purr so we took that as a yes. So welcome to the family Alys.

Dolphins

So the other day we are in a camping store looking at air mattresses. the woman behind the counter asks the following.

Woman: "Are you going camping then?"
Me: "yes this weekend." Isn't it obvious as I'm looking at camping things in a camping store?
H: "We're going camping in Dolphins we are!"
Me and the woman: "Dolphins?
then it clicked.
Me: "He means Wales." cue much laughter and H going all shy and embarrassed.
H: "Silly me I got it wrong." said into the material of my jacket.

so then we went camping in wales.

As if anything is ever that simple....

Half Baked Cupcakes

Meridian Cupcakes hasn't got very far on becoming reality yet, but Frizbe has challenged me to make some by the end of the week and tout them to a few local cafes which I'm dreading doing because I am so not out going and chatty person and she is. I wish I could be more like that but I have always been a more reserved type and chatty and selling has never been my stock in trade. I'm not really the tortured artist type either, basically I'm a scaredy cat worrier. But I do want to try, honestly I'm jealous of people who do that easy going, life's a breeze everyone is your friend thing because I really struggle with coming out of my shell and sharing my thoughts and ideas with the world at large. of selling my personality and ideas.

Here its easy it always has been to spew out whatever random thought comes to mind and then let pretty much nobody read it because to be honest I don't think anyone much has read what I have written here. Its detachment I guess because I can say things here that I would choke on in the real world. Like in the good old days of WBS, for those of you in the know, although I made lasting friendships there, hell that's where I met M, and one of my best friends in the world (ahem Miss Bronwyn please stand up) but if I wasn't hidden across the wires then I don't know if I would have ever befriended them in the first place. I think I'm waffling a bit here and have gotten off topic a little bit. or a lot for that matter, but anyway I have an assignment so I best complete it before being dragged off to Wales, but that's another story for another post.

Homity Pie

The following recipe is for my take on the classic English dish. Served in one of H's favorite places Caldwell's Mill near Chatsworth.


Homity Pie Recipe

Ingredients:

Pastry for a pie
¾ lb. potatoes (or enough to make roughly a pan of mashed potatoes)
2 large onions
3 tbsp. oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (optional)
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup sour cream (the traditional recipe calls for a few tablespoons of milk)
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
2 garlic cloves, crushed
salt and pepper to taste
Oregano
First either make the pastry or buy it ready made and roll it out and line a 9" pie plate.

Peel the potatoes and cut into small pieces then boil or steam the potatoes until tender.
Chop the onions, and fry in a pan with a sprinkle of sugar and the oil ( I also added about a teaspoon or so of balsamic vinegar).
In a large mixing bowl combine the potatoes with the onions. Add the butter, sour cream, half of the cheese, garlic, oregano and salt and pepper to taste.
Mix well then fill the pie shell and sprinkle the remainder of the cheese on top.
Bake in the oven at 425°F. for 20 minutes until the cheese is golden brown on top.

Raspberry Cream Cake

The following recipe is for one of my favorite cakes, similar to a strawberry shortcake, but with raspberries and using one of my favorite cake batter recipes. Although the picture above is not of the greatest quality the cake itself is gorgeous and a perfect summertime treat. In this instance the cake is vanilla but the next time I bake it I plan to create a lemongrass version as I think lemongrass and raspberry would compliment each other nicely.

Raspberry Cream Cake


Ingredients:
2 cups self raising flour
1 ¼ cups caster sugar
½ cup butter or margarine (softened)
3/4cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup Whipping cream
Powdered sugar
1 cup raspberries
Preheat the oven to 375 F
Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Then add half of the flour to the butter beating well. Add half the milk and beat well then add the eggs one at a time. Add the rest of the flour then the remaining milk and the vanilla mixing till smooth, Fill a greased and floured baking pan half full ( 1 large cake tin or two smaller tins) bake for 25 to 35 minutes until golden on the top and the center springs back when gently pressed.

When the cake has cooled whip the cream and if desired fold in a small amount of icing sugar. Ice the cake with the whipping cream then place the raspberries (strawberries, blueberries whatever fruit you desire) gently onto the cream. Dust with icing sugar just before serving.

Anarchy and the Cupcake

I have been obsessively doodling cupcake related things in a notebook today, which hasn't really accomplished anything very much but has kept me busily in my cupcake dream world. I'm going to bake some tommorow morning though I haven't decided what flavours yet. But that mostly depends on whats lurking in the fridge and cupboards. Hmmm vanilla cupcakes with lemon buttercream sprinkled with blueberries, as I have one lemon and some blueberries that need using up. Any takers? will badger M into taking some pictures of one for me as the camera on my phone justs has one setting. blurry.

Frizbe says she will push me if I need pushing to do something and I suppose if doing soemthing dosent work out my husband and her's will eat all the evidence so no worries there then. as long as M dosent get ahold of the batter bowl before I've made the cupcakes that it. As for what to call this budding buisness venture, not sure about that have been combinging all sorts of things in my notebook today. Meridian Cupcakes is one of my favorites but I also quite like the blog post title I just typed in, I'll keep thinking about it and see what happens, at the very least I would like to do a little stand at H pre-school summer party. Off to daydream a little more and do some more doodles.

Ankara

The following is a short story I wrote a few years ago that I just recovered from the old laptop and had complety frogotten existed till I read it ten minutes ago. Its not the best I have ever written but I don't things its all that bad and hopefully rereading it will inspire me to write more.

Ankara

"Welcome to the beautiful city of Ankara. Gem of the Empire." Zenia muttered under her breath as the door to the cell slammed shut, the lock loudly clicking in place. She waited a moment before pushing to her feet and surveying the dank cell in the dim light from a small window in the door. She could hear the shuffling steps of the guard retreating up the long flight of stairs. " Spend the night in the exotic Palace Dungeon visited by men and women from around the Empire." Zen continued her monologue her tone dripping with acid.
"We’re going to die here aren’t we?"
" What? What sort of attitude is that? I’ve been in worse scrapes that this, this is nothing."
"When?"
"Well I was once climbing a mountain in search of my father’s lost sheep. Halfway to the top the path became very steep. I lost my footing and started to slide down the mountain to my death. I held onto an outcrop of rock, the sharp edges biting into my hands. I looked around and found that I was so high up that the clouds were below me. I could hear the sounds of the sheep bleeting somewhere above me, so up I climbed, hand over hand, higher and higher.
"All the sudden I heard a terrible howling, and upon the ledge above me stood a pack of winter starved wolves, saliva dripping from their long yellow fangs. There I was, hanging by one arm on the side of a freezing cold mountain, wondering whether or not I should leave the sheep to the wolves and climb back down to safety. As I contemplated my best route home, a hideous roar shook the mountain. Down below me on a ledge stood a giant bear.
"Imagine that. Hanging from one arm on the side of a mountain. I couldn’t climb up, because of the wolves. I couldn’t go down the mountain as the bear was waiting for me. Now have you ever heard of a worse predicament?"
"No never" Chianna exclaimed waiting patiently for Zen to finish her tail. Zen began to sort through the mouldy, louse infested straw of the dungeon cell. " Uh Zen?"
"Filthy stuff, but some of it seems to be dry. It should be better than sleeping on the cold hard stone." Zen murmured keeping her eyes from alighting on Chianna’s face as she carefully lowered herself to the straw reaching for the small dish of stale slightly mouldy bread "oh good no maggots just a bit of mould".
"Zen"
"It’s not a feast but it should be enough to fill our bellies. The water isn’t too bad either." Zen continued breaking the bread into equal halves and taking a cautious sip of the brackish water in its dented metal pitcher.
"Well?"
"Yes?" Zen looked up, absently brushing a strand of raven hair from her eyes, her face devoid of all expression. "Did you want this side of the cell?"
"The story Zen! Finish the story. What happened next?" blurted Chianna, her cheeks flushing as red as her hair in exasperation.
"Oh that"
"Yes that. How did you get down the mountain?" Chianna asked eyes flashing green fire in the dimly lit cell.
"Oh. I didn’t." She replied in a bland tone.
"What?"
"The bear ate me." Zen finished blue eyes sparkling with merriment as Chianna stared at her mouth agape before bursting into helpless laughter. "That’s better. Now remember, never give up. The only situation that could be worse is if we were dead and then nothing would matter anyway. I have been in worse circumstances than this." Zen finished, the corner of her lips twitching slightly as she bent to adjust the laces of her boot withdrawing from a hidden sheath a small deadly looking dagger. The blade gleamed in the pale yellow light shining from the barred window in the door. Now lets get some sleep. We’ll need it for whatever comes next." Zen slipped the dagger back into her boot settling herself in the straw, a small smile curving her lips as her eyes closed.

copyright 2003ish Meridian Ariel

Meridian Cupcakes

For awhile now I have been toying with the idea of selling the cakes I make but as a dreamer I find it very difficult in putting these ideas into gear and making wishful thinking into some semblance of reality. I probably need some one to either hold my hand or drag my sorry procrastinating ass kicking and screaming into the land of action, productivity, and the real world. Meanwhile I just stick my head in the sand and play the semi-domestic diva, languishing in a slightly haphazard house playing Suzie homemaker while M goes off to work everyday. Its not all chocolates and soap operas, as H is still running around half the time and even when he is at pre-school I’m still surrounded by the chaos he has left behind Like the aftermath of a toddler sized tornado.

I love to cook and bake for husband, son, family, and friends. Though I have no delusions of being a master chef, Nigella I’m not, but I guess the fat around my middle doesn’t lie! To tell the truth I’m scared that if I were to do something that it would be a complete and utter failure, as I have felt about so many things in my life. I’m afraid that I would sit there with my little cupcake stall and not sell a damn one. Which is silly I know, its that whole low self esteem issue rearing its ugly head. I keep wondering, especially now having reached 30, if I’m ever going to stop feeling like I’m some useless teenager and have some sort of self belief. Wisdom come with age but obviously 30 isn’t aged enough yet for me to feel like a grownup whatever that is.

I’ve been sitting doodling up logos for my cupcake dreams, which might just be the saddest thing or not, I don’t know if I have the courage to get out there and try to sell some, H’s nursery has a summer party with stall and the like and I said to M that my cakes, and flapjack are nicer that what was on offer last year. So I sit here and think about having a little stall to sell Meridian Cupcakes. It has a nice ring to it…maybe…somebody push me…

would you buy a cupcake from me?

Relic of a Dream

I admit that I am a dreamer more than anything else. I can cook and I can do a variety of different things but at heart really I am a dreamer and I didn’t think that was such a bad thing until yesterday when M and I were clearing out the old etch-a-sketch laptop and found hoards of old crap that I had dreamed up and wet to the wayside. One was painting and decorating those little storage boxes that they do at Ikea, and I did actually manage to sell a few but damn looking at them now makes me shudder a bit. I can’t believe I thought that was a good idea or that I actually made a bit of money off of it. Ok the cloud one isn't so bad but some of the others oh dear.

Why didn’t anyone stop me. And then we also found some pictures taken of some cards I had made, oh dear. I haven’t yet read through all the writings that I have recovered and e-mailed to myself, I need to work up the courage for that some of it will be ok, some I won’t remember at all, and some I sure will be absolutely abysmal. But I'll still keep on dreaming there has to be something good somewhere in my head the difficulty is in weeding out the bad things and dragging the good out into the light of day.

And Then There Were Three

ok this isn't terribly exciting at all but I do finally have a picture of the tri of canvases I wittered on about in earlier posts. Not much I know but they are there and the whole point of them is not the artisty but the fact that I actually was inspired to paint something so I sat down and accomlished something. Wether or not they ever get put on a wall is debatable, oh and as for the fourth one that didn't want to play with the others well that one was given out as a birthday present to a close friend who I hope enjoys it and loves it like I did, I'm just sorry I forgot to badger my hubby to take a picture of it for me. Thats what I get for not hoarding things.

Tenth Circle

Well I have been to that unholiest of unholy places IKEA, to worship at the alter of flat packed furniture. And thank the gods that I no longer work at that hellish place of tasteless Scandinavian chairs, boxes of boxes to build boxes, and don’t forget the meatballs. Anyway It wasn’t completely the tenth circle of hell, and I still like the smell of sawdust, plastic, meatballs, and coffee that permeates the store, and not to mention the cloying scent of manure that greets you as you step out of the car if you happen to be lucky enough to find parking spot without a.) getting into a shouting match at some old geezer who has parked in one of the few family spaces, without kids in toe and despite twenty million old geezer marked spots. b.) some idiot with more money then sense parking in two spaces with his sporty drop top. Though I must admit to gleefully watching said idiot later trying to fit a wardrobe in. c.) the people that make all the motions of going, i.e. putting everything in the car the jangling of keys then blithely walk off again without looking at you or saying that they aren’t going anywhere that they are just plainly f**king with you. d.) people with shiny big ass suv ‘s who park over the line. M takes great delight in parking right next to them in a normal fashion which means that I have to squeeze out and accidentally move their wing mirror, excuse me for wanting to get my share of lingonberry jam.

Mostly we went so H could look at beds, M could have meatballs and coffee, and I could wheedle the purchase of a new rug for the living room out of M. Its teal which takes some getting used to but as I said before I’m a bit enthralled with tea at the moment and as soon as we got back I repainted the canvases up on the wall to match the new rug. I’m quite pleased with them even if I did run out of paint and that left the second one slightly unfinished. I’ll get back to it honest. The Image above is of my favorite little painting that I did a week ago, again the same colour scheme but M deemed it too small for the wall so its just sitting awaiting to find a home. I'm proud of it anyway and its quite calming to look upon.

Rogue Artist and theThirtieth Year

Having abandoned all writings for the week of birthday festivities, H tearing into my presents and having too much cake, I have somehow found the time and the desire to do some painting. And no not the walls, although H’s room desperately needs repainting. I have painted a small picture for a friends birthday, and the card. I know what you are thinking and no I was NOT just being cheap, I just wanted to give her something other and the obligatory girly bubble bath/lotion/face cream. Not that there is anything wrong with that, as a matter of fact I’m a great believer in the all healing power of a bubble bath and a book or magazine. But I wanted to giver her something a bit different something that I put heart , soul, thought and imagination into. I painted a card too in disgust over the wares in the three or four card shops in town. The painting was abstract in teal, brown and turquoise, which I am currently obsessed with as I painted again last night and though far from a masterpiece of any kind its pretty and soothing to look at so I’m pleased with the result. Though I’m not sure how it turned out so tranquil as I was watching an episode of Bones at the time.


I’m out of canvas now unless I go up into the attic ( I do not do ladders) or go buy some, and availability is limited in this relatively small town, there are two shops to get canvases from, one that is expensive, and the other that is run by the quilt Nazi. Whenever I go into her craft shop she manically tries to get me to join in her coven of quilters, I have not succumbed. Partly because I can’t sew, not won’t but can not, I’d probably sew my fingers together in a sewing machine, you should see me handle a bread knife. And partly because I’m too busy trying to breathe new life into my painting and writing. Not to mention cooking, baking and housekeeping, knitting, and the colossal mountain of novels I haven’t started reading yet. All that and now I m thirty a grownup, scary thought that.