Part 1

  

Sorry there aren't more pictures of the process. My hands were rather floury during those parts.

They were still a bit gooey in the middle, but I didn't want to cook them any longer for fear of burning the bottom. Next time I'll go even thinner at the rolling out stage. They still went down a treat, and look stunning.

Ta-da:

The book, the pinwheels, and some beer & cheddar bites the Other Half had a go at. The fizz of the beer made them extra light while the pinch of chilli powder gave them a gentle kick.


Here they are:

I didn't make scones on Thursday. I was ill and could barely stand, standing made me dizzy and sway-y. Plus I try to avoid handling food when unwell. So I slept some more and am making scones today.

The recipe is from a rather lovely book I discovered in the Glenfinnan tourist shop.

I chose Spinach, Feta & Black Olive Pinwheels for the Other Half. I'm leaving olives out of some of them so I can enjoy them too.

(I realise I haven't developed a recipe format for this blog yet. Sorry.)

Makes 12, it says.

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C (About Gas Mark 7 or 425F). Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper.

2. Sift 200g plain flour, 2tsp baking powder and 1/2tsp salt into a medium sized mixing bowl. Crumble 150g feta and add the 20 calamata olives (pitted & sliced). Pour over 120mls water, then stir to combine with a fork.

3. Knead lightly into a dough - you may need to add a little extra water if the mix is too dry.

4. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll out to a rectangle roughly 40cm x 25cm and place so the 40cm length is horizontal. Sprinkle the dough evenly with the 3 handfuls of spinach leaves. Season with milled black pepper and sea salt flakes (or just salt and pepper). 

5. Brush the far edge lightly with water. Roll up from the front to the back. Press lightly to make sure the sticky edge secures the roll. Slice the roll 2cm apart. Place slices cut side up onto the baking tray. Bake for 6-8 minutes until lightly browned.


It's a good book. Buy it, if you have the remotest interest in scones.


Pictures to come in Part 2.

Our Internet is back! Hopefully it will last a bit longer this month.

Here is some cool stuff you might have missed . . .

(If you have some cool stuff you want to share, go ahead and e-mail me.)


1. Fandom Teas (part of Adagio Teas)

These. Are. Amazing. I want to stock every one in my tea room! Except, I counted over 200 hundred, and that was just as a rough estimate for you. There are over 200 blends! From Doctor Who to Firefly to Avatar: The Last Airbender to Sherlock to Supernatural to Lord of the Rings to Guild Wars. And breathe.

It is, alas, American (because they're just wacky like that) so shipping to yonder states is free if you're spending over $50, whereas we have to pay almost 50 bucks (25 quid) just to get it over here. There's a European site that's a bit more accessible, but they're missing the all-important fandom blends.


2. GEEK Magazine (a rebirth of GEEK monthly)

Look, a magazine for geeks! Also mainly in America. We here can either pay a lot of postage, or get the digital version, which is apt, sure, but not the same. Just look at those pretty, pretty covers. I'm going to wait until I'm not sharing limited Internet with a dozen others.


3. Superhero bleach dye tees (from the author of the lovely Dream {a little} BIGGER blog)

How easy do these look! And how good. If you have some cotton tees, freezer paper and spray adhesive lying around, then they're even easier. I don't, but you know how much I love tees . . .


4. Comic shoes (hundreds, but these from Star Wars and Wine)

[images broke, fixing . . .]

Another thing I am definitely going to give a go, some day. They must work, because enough people blog about them. And boy do they look stunning.


5. Print your own Map Envelope!


6. Lady Bonin's Tea Parlour, Purveyor of Magical Infusions and Tasty Curiosities

From a caravan! (And now, also, a shop.)

      

  

Who doesn't want one of these? Again, American. I have to go there some day.


To be continued. Because I've bought my Green Lantern comics, and the new Uncanny Avengers one, and must now answer the call of tea and an autumnal/wintery walk, and put on clothes that aren't my pyjamas.

Tomorrow, I'm making scones!

This, dear readers, is Blackberry Bangbelly. It is a delicious fruity cake thing from the mother of my Canadian friend (pictured below).

It lies somewhere between fruit crumble and fruit sponge. Best served hot and with ice cream. Still good cold and on its own.

Ingredients and other important information are in bold.


Cover the bottom of an ovenproof dish with berries, seasonal if possible. Type and amount are up to you. More is better.

Cover generously with sugar. This is the sweet part, the biscuit doesn't have much sugar. 

Sprinkle and dollop on some flour and butter/shortening (this thickens it a bit). Again, this is a preference. If unsure, go with less.

Mix 2 cups of plain flour with 1/2 a cup of shortening/butter/marg/lard. Add 2 tablespoons of sugar, 4 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/2 a teaspoon of salt. Mix.

Beat 1 egg and add, then add 1 cup of milk (this is one of my favourite parts). It should be gloopy yet doughy.

Dollop the mixture on top of the berries as evenly as you can. It should spread out and merge together as it cooks.

Cook at 180°C for about 20 minutes, but keep an eye on it as every oven is different. It should be brown on top and a knife should come out clean.

Enjoy.

I did a lot of cleaning last week, and have plenty more awaiting me in the days ahead.

It is really boring.

I try to think about other stuff during the more mundane, less social times, but I actually find it really hard to switch off - whilst keeping up the work.

I do now have a lot of the cleaning worked out for my tea room. Huzzah! I am not going to share here (unless you really, really want to know), except to say it is wonderfully simple. There are some complicated ways to clean toilets out there, and most are completely unnecessary.

And I'm baking this week! I forget what it is called, something my Canadian friend's mum makes, together with brambles¹ picked from a Cumbrian lonning.² Check back on Friday, or click on my lovely RSS feed button, or follow me by one of the numerous available ways.

¹blackberries

²a small lane