Friday 7 May 2010

Baking the Blues Away (It's Friiiday!!)



After the intensity of the past few weeks and the triumph of completing the race on Sunday, it wasn't surprising that I experienced a long, slow come-down from the top of my mountain. The past few days have been long and dull, as I've started the loathsome task of collecting data for my Master's dissertation (more on that soon!).

Times like these require cake. In my case, an exciting experiment involving my favourite things: spelt flour, scones and ginger!

Carrot and Ginger Spelt Scones

2 cups spelt flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup sunflower oil
1/3 cup honey
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground ginger
1/3 cup hot water
1/2 cup grated carrot
1/2 cup sultanas

Mix together everything until combined, put small blobs of mixture onto a greased baking tray and bake at 190C (gas mark 5) for 15-20 minutes until golden brown - easy peasy!

Now I feel much more like myself, back into some sort of routine and excited for the project ahead. All it takes is a good scone!

And it's Friday! Today's Fill In The Blanks is about books!! I can talk about books!

1. My favorite book growing up was The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton; possibly the only book my Dad has ever read! We read it together when I was really little and we both loved it. That fuelled my love for The Famous Five and Malory Towers - I loved Ms Blyton!

2. The funniest book I've ever read was Ohhh I have no idea! Defining The World by Henry Hitchings is an amusing read - it tells the story of Dr Johnson and his odd ways - I loved it!

3. The one book that has truly changed my life is Atonement by Ian McEwan. I was quite young when I read it, probably a little too young, but it opened my eyes to literature; it taught me to read beyond the words and see books as literature and not just stories .

4. If you're looking for a real "tear jerker" you should probably read The last Harry Potter book! I wept and wept, and I rarely cry at books!

5. If I could meet any author living or dead I would want to meet Virginia Woolf. I don't know what we'd talk about, but I'd love to sit and take her in; I bet she was as immediately absorbing as her books .

6. The next book on my "to read" list is To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf. I'm going on holiday in 2 weeks, and Daniel is going to read my favourite Woolf novel while I read his; I can't wait to be swept up along the bleak Irish coast, and then be swept away in a book by the fire in our little seaside cottage! .

7. If I was snowed into remote cabin in the woods and could only choose three books to bring with me I'd bring Ulysees by Joyce as I bought it but I know I'll never read it! Then a poetry anthology - probably Philip Larkin because he suits my every mood, and Atonement as I've never re-read it but would love to one day, when I have lots of time to think about it all properly!


Thanks Lauren :-) Have a good weekend!!!

3 comments:

  1. Oh hey, I like your bookish Fill-in-the-Blanks, and your scones recipe looks yummy!

    Can you explain to me the difference between a scone and a biscuit? Or a cookie or a muffin? I don't know exactly what categorizes a scone...
    Have a great Saturday!

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  2. Hi Becca!

    I could happily discuss scones all day ;-)

    I guess they're more like a muffin than a cookie (but I belive that a biscuit in the US is different from a biscuit in the UK so I can't comment on that one...!)...they're quite bready, a little like the texture of a pretzel. Think cupcake meets bread roll!

    They're healthy and really easy to make so I recommend you have a go at making them! My favourite recipe is here

    http://www.janegreen.com/index.php/recipes/lilys-scones-via-nigella/

    You probably already know that they're a typical British teatime treat - often served with clotted cream and jam - not quite so healthy but REALLY tasty ;-)

    Hope you're having a good weekend!

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  3. CARROT AND GINGER??! oh how YUM! i am a lover of all scones! i must make these asap!
    i'm glad the insanity is over with {for now.. haha}

    you read so many interesting books! i must put some on my to read list this summer!!!

    ReplyDelete