Thursday 17 September 2009

Brownie baking and puppy joy.

Today is Thame Show Day and all local children have a day off school: so I had Miss Y with me all day and we have had a wonderful day together. Miss E was taken to the bus by dad because as her school is not in Thame she did not have a day off: much to her chagrin!

This is also a quick last look at my beloved sunflowers as they have lasted oh soo well I think they may drop their petals very soon. I think sunflowers=happy and today I have been so very very happy. There is indeed much to be said for being a stay at home mum!!!!!BLISS!!!!

Though I have a feeling that work will be coming my way very soon so I am really cherishing these days day by day. I have had e-mails and phonecalls from ex-colleagues who can't imagine what I do all day, but the funny thing is I can't see how I fitted work into my day as I'm so very busy!

We have played the piano and the cello, we have walked the dogs for an hour, we have cylced into town for the ingredients to bake brownies, we went to the library to choose new books, we watched ''How a choir works''on i-player and I learned about polyphony amongst other things.

Then of course we had to have a jolly sing-song together.We had a lovely hot lunch and sat chatting on the swingseat in the garden, played with the dog and the puppy, practiced a bit of maths, went to painolessons - Miss E and myself started to learn in January this year - and then it was high time to cook dinner! Alas JJ who had quoted- this always amuses me as in so very many years I know it won't happen as stated- I'll be home by 6.30 pm .... missed our meal and had his at 9 pm. Yesterday he said: home by 4.30 pm and after 8.30pm the kids had given up on him. I do say: don't give them a time as you can't guarantee it, but there you go..... This is my own spag bol by the way, it has evolved over the decades from a recipe handed down to me by my mum when I went to University. We do mushrooms separately now as Miss Y doesn't like them. Quick see? Lovely sunflower: now STAY happy even when you scroll down and see THIS! That's what puppy Lucy did to my very old and cherished '' tomato pincushion''...And there was more mess all around on the floor and all the cushions too!!! What happened? I was first worried that the pins had hurt her- but no she was absolutely fine. Then a bit cross but I'm reading this book and it had stated: try to see the opportunity in every mishap/challenge soooooooo....

I laughed, cleared up the mess and these were the 3 positive outcomes of this event:

1. I have always wanted to know what's inside these bought pincushions because pins go in much easier than when you use toy stuffing or wadding. IT'S SAWDUST!!!!

2. I had realised that I had ''lost'' my sewing needles recently and was about to buy some .

On clearing up the mess I found 26 HAND SEWING NEEDLES among the pins. They must have sunk into the middle of the pincushion.

3. I get to make a new CROCHETED pincushion and I will fill it with sawdust!

Now all of these made me feel happy , you see?

After dinner it was time to bake: WEIGHT WATCHERS Brownies!!! I have been making these for 8 years now and they are very popular at home and bake sales and school and coffee mornings and and and! I guess I can't divulge the recipe due to copyright but I CAN say they have peculiar ingredients: like it's mostly stewed apple and cocoa / sugar with just a dash of flour and eggs. In fact here are the egg yolks which are given to the dogs as a treat later.
You mix the dry ingredients- on left- and whisk the wet ones and then combine the 2 and pop into the oven.
The book shows them on the cover second from left but they are covered in nuts which I exclude due to allergies. I made 2 batches as I know they hardly last a day...
All in one bowl now. First batch came out all cracked but glossy- it was on the top oven shelf- could that be the reason? Second batch looks more ''volcanic'' : with tiny craters and no gloss?

The first batch made 12 brownie ''fingers'' and the second 18 so I had 30 but guess what: within 2 minutes we were down to 28 already.

Will try to capture some shots of the brownies as cut if I can catch them before being eaten.

They contain no butter or margarine either( sunflower oil) and are fabulously moist and chocolatey!!!










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