So for two days I have been inside with Ugg boots and my fleece on again baking and doing patchwork. I made a Walnut sultana loaf from the Taste magazine from April this year which I adapted a bit and is very good. It's just nice to be able to use the lemons from our garden and walnuts from just down the road. (It takes me ages to shell them though!)
Line a loaf tin with paper (I use the loaf liners from Lakeland) and preheat oven to 170 degrees C
Heat together:
150g Golden Syrup 100g caster sugar 200 ml milk 100 grams sultanas and cranberries until the sugar is melted. I do it in the microwave in bursts of thirty seconds. Cool it a little as you have to add the zest from one lemon and one egg next.
Sift -
225grams Plain Flour 1 tsp salt 3 tsps baking powder
in another bowl, add the walnuts and mix then make a well in the centre and add the liquid ingredients stirring the mixture carefully, don't beat it. Then pour in to the loaf tin and bake for 45 - 60 minutes. My oven is hot so 45 mins is enough for me. Spread with butter it is really nice, the cranberries give it a lift.
I also parcelled up the Christmas stockings I made for all the grandchildren and sent them off yesterday - I won't tell you how much they all cost to send but it made me EEEKKK! in the post office.
Just hope they like them now and for years to come filled up with lots of nice presents from Santa.
Anyway despite the funny weather my garden survived well and it is such a joy to see all the flowers coming on so well, especially the roses. My real favourite at the moment is our Crocus Rose which has so many buds on it this year that I stopped counting after 60. It is a tea rose and smells beautiful.
Ho hum, glad I got out in the garden this morning then.
TTFN for now - I still have a few pages of Hawaii to do yet so will get to them next week. Derek is off first thing Sunday so I will have lots of time to fill in.
Big hug for Megan today too after the awful time she has had over the last few days. Hopefully you are now on the mend Little Meg xxxxxx