Happy Sunday morning!?
Hopefully your day is going slightly less downhill than mine!
Husband has been in America on a “work” trip (they call them conferences – I’ve seen the pictures – there’s not a lot of working going on…), and gotten snowed in in the freak October Nor’easter. I would like to say this is the first time such an occasion has presented itself, but he got snowed in in Switzerland just before Christmas last year (we had over a foot of snow over here – and I got to shovel the drive with a 2 year old – three times – and we have a long drive…), and delayed somewhere else also last year. This is the man who drove to France in his 2-CV (her name is Florence ) during the volcanic ash cloud – for work. Bless.
This has not stopped the Halloween baking, but has certainly meant that by the end of the day, I’m simply knackered, and dinner has been mostly simple, heat and eat.
We did, however, go all out for pancakes this morning:
It looks like a mix between a cat and a pig – covered in Stawberry spread and raisins (forgot to get grapes this weekend!)
I have to say it was nice having the recipe on hand in the blog from earlier! No more googling with a desperate toddler who wants to do cooking!
The Halloween treats have been made in stages – given the limited attention span of a 3 year old, and the limited spare time of a mummy with no daddy to take the heat off (or anyone else for that matter). So it started on Friday whilst the lady was at Kindergarten / nursery. With the baking. She doesn’t like to help with some of the baking because mummy is a control freak who doesn’t let her stir all over the counter.
We went for cupcakes (so she could help decorate), and some ogre finger cookies (for another post) – made in tandem, because it’s always best to multi-task, and I do have extra arms (comes with child birth, I think)…
Spooky (ish) Halloween cupcakes (makes 12)
For the cupcakes:
Based on The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook recipe:
- 120 g plain flour (about 4 ounces)
- 140 g caster sugar (about 5 ounces)
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 40 g unsalted butter
- 1 egg
- 120ml (about 4 ounces again) milk
1. Melt butter completely in the microwave, leave to cool
2. mix dry ingredients
3. add egg to cooled butter and whisk
4. make a well in the dry ingredients, then add the butter and egg until it looks like a dough
5. Gradually mix in milk until a batter forms (this keeps the mix from getting lumpy – and I don’t think anyone likes lumpy cupcakes!)
6. Pour into cupcake tin lined with cupcake cases (like these!!!)
7. Bake at 170C / 340 F until the cupcakes are lightly browned and firm to the touch (about 20 -25 minutes – mine usually take the former)
8. Decorate as desired
We did these:
I now need to go and entertain a very kind little girl who has very patiently waited for me to finish…
Severed smushed fingers later. Promise.
Fingers crossed that our neighbour can take the little one to nursery tomorrow morning (else I will have all the Halloween treats at home, and no one to eat them – the pink cupcakes are for us), and that the airport is fully functioning in whatever part of the US the husband is currently located (we clearly do communication on a totally different level).
Have a great weekend!
g
certaintyincookiesandtaxes 