Birthday Boy - Birthday Cake

G is having a few friends over tomorrow night for his birthday and I am today making him a cake :-) I have doubled the below recipe and made 24 fairy cakes out of the other half of the mixture so that the birthday cake doesnt get touched before tomorrow!!!

Ingredients
CAKE:

250g butter
150g white chocolate
440g caster sugar
250ml milk
225g plain flour
75g s/r flour
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 eggs - lightly beaten

GANACHE:


125ml cream
300g white chocolate

Handy Hint


It can be difficult to judge if this cake is cooked but the crust of the cake should be thick and sugary will keep for a week but not very likely


Method


Preheat oven to moderate - would guess 180C/160C for fan (I used fan at 160C).

Grease the bottom & sides of DEEP 20cm round cake tin.


Put the chocolate, butter, sugar & milk in a pan and slowly heat (without boiling) until smooth - leave the mixture to cool which will take approx 15 mins.


Whisk the two flours into the chocolate mix, then add the eggs & vanilla. Then pour the mix into the cake tin.


Cover the tin with tin foil and bake for approx 1hr.


Remove the foil and leave the cake in the cake tin for 10mins before turning out onto wire rack to cool.


To make the ganache topping:


Bring the cream to the boil in pan then pour over the chocolate that you have already broken into small pieces.


Stir with a wooden spoon until the chocolate has melted and then cover & pop in fridge for approx 30minutes - stirring occasionally - before spreading over cooled cake.

When did I ...

I often wish I could write this blog as I drive to work, this is when I ponder most & have some quite whitty, interesting conversations with myself.

Today I was thinking ... when did I switch to Radio 4?????????? When did I prefer nights in to nights out, when did I stop buying heels and start chosing flats, when did I begin to chose comfort over style, when was there always a coat in the boot of my car 'just in case' - when was I EVER this organised ..... Did I grow up without noticing?  What's next ..... and will I even see it happening, or will I wake up one day and be sat with a twin set and pearls on and a blue rinse in my hair?  How did I get here?

It seems G has gone through the same stages at the same time.  Maybe we did it to each other? Maybe it is Leeds ....? Lol ... i am happy with where I am, I just dont remember making any decisions to get here.

xxx

Soup Making Day ...

Morning world ... today I am going to make a cauliflower & broccoli soup.  I have looked on the WWW and found the following recipe that I can make with everything I have in ...

Cauliflower and Broccoli Soup

This recipe comes from Isle of Skye in Scotland, which we visited on 2005. It is from the landlady, Mrs Macaskill, of a four star Bed and Breakfast called 'Sharveda' at Strathy Point on this island. It is very easy to make and very tasty. Quantities are your choice depending on the amount you require. Serves 4

Ingredients

• 300 gm cauliflower florets

• 150 gm broccoli florets (half the amount of cauliflower). If you don't have broccoli, use cauliflower alone or add one other vegetable like potato.

• 1 onion, thickly sliced


• 2-3 cloves of garlic


• 1 tbs. butter


• Milk and water half and half, to thin the soup.


• A couple of tbs. cream (optional)


• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions


1. Heat butter in a pan and fry onion and garlic until golden brown.


2. Add vegetables and fry a little.


3. Add 1 cup of water and cook until soft.


4. Turn off the heat.


5. Add salt and pepper and liquidize in a blender, until almost creamy.


6. Adjust salt, pepper, add 1 cup of milk, and adjust amount of liquid (add more milk or water if required).


7. Serve hot, with a spoonful of cream in each bowl.

I will let you know how I get along ........ x

Wednesday again ....

I have done some holiday clothes shopping on line this morning, spruce up the bikini collection and a few frocks for the season to be jolly & partyful.

Yesterday I cooked a home made chilli & went to work after posting, and G and I settled down to more Cracker last night.  Now Christmas & the wedding are sorted, we're very relaxed & lovey at the moment, its lovely being in our house - I am very happy, the happiest I have ever been.

Rather excitingly I got a second Christmas card through the post today from Lynz - I adore getting post :-) It is so exciting.  I am off to Lynz's for tea this evening after work so find it funny that she had posted my card, but glad :-)

I am watching Jeremy Kyle whilst I write this .... exploitation of people who arent intelligent enought to even realise.   I feel sorry for them.

Yesterday I contacted work regarding matching any money I raise at the wedding for the Mark Gorry Foundation - should have an answer within 7 days so fingers crossed.  Still havent decided how I can get the message out there to my guests, as I want it to be subtle, I dont want to announce it in a speech or anything.  Hmmm i may review the 'Order of the Day' things I have done and see if there is a footnote space on there.

It is Gordon's party on Saturday, but I am working until 5.  I have said I will do some food, so I may cheat and buy nibbles as I wont have time to prep on the day, and I will bake him a birthday cake on Friday.  I am more looking forward to his actual birthday as we have the day off together and NO jobs to do, so we may go into town for lunch, take in a film and spend the early evening at the Christmas markets. 

We have decided to spend Christmas Eve with AJ & her husband Geoff, and their two girls Emma & Lauren, off to the cinema to see A Christmas Carol in 3D and then back to theres for some wine and a chinese.  I love spending time with the Kay's .... it reminds me of my family when Craig and I were little.  Only a few weeks now until Craig is home - yippeeeee. 

Right, I am going to do some domestic stuff and get on with my day.

K x

The Mark Gorry Foundation

A girl I worked with at O2 in Preston Brook - Leah, married 4 weeks ago to her long term boyfriend Mark.  I have kept tabs on her life since moving away via the medium of Facebook.

I was alerted to her wedding plans when photos of her and Mark were posted by their professional photographer a few weeks prior to the wedding, it was then I noted that Mark didnt look as I remember or how I'd seen in her other photographs.

As stories tend to, it unravelled over the days/weeks to come and I was saddened to learn that Mark had been diagnosed with testicular cancer and this has spread and grown and was now terminal.

They were married a few weeks ago, and Leah looked stunning - like the perfect bride from her photos, and the smiles on everyones faces masked perfectly the terrible sadness they must have all felt.

Mark passed away a few days ago, this has touched me deeply - I could never imagine my life without G in it, a future without him is unthinkable.  Instead of traditional favours for our wedding we have donated money to 4 different charities (Air Ambulance Shropshire, The Miscarriage Assoc, The British Heart Foundation and Cancer Research) - and I now intend on having a collection bucket on the bar at our wedding for The Mark Gorry Foundation - so everyone can tip their bits of change in as they buy a round.

http://www.themarkgorryfoundation.co.uk/

To Leah Gorry - nee Murphy - you & your families are in my thoughts. With much love.

xx

Under 4 weeks until the wedding!!

Yesterday marked the '4 weeks to go' date for the wedding, and today marks the first day of opening the Advent Calendars that Lynz bought us .... hee hee.

Bought and posted my last few Christmas cards yesterday, I am going to sort out our Tesco DVD rental list shortly, as we're now being sent things we have already seen.  I am also off to the supermarket to buy a few things for G's birthday soiree at the weekend, I am going to bake him a birthday cake - white chocolate of some sorts as it is his favourite. 

Work was mad busy last night as it is the end of the month, so plenty of people calling to pay their mortgage arrears as they've been paid.

We had an email from the registrar this morning confirming the songs for the wedding are fine, G doesnt know the song I am walking down the aisle too, I have kept this a surprise :-)

It is FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEZING today, ground frost and frozen up cars, the start of proper winter, although it is quite a bright day.  This is the sort of day i would hope for the wedding, however I will not be hopeful, and will expect driving wind and rain - anything other than this will therefore be a bonus (and if i get driving wind and rain ... well what did I expect booking a wedding in December???)

Busy busy weekend ...

Well I worked a full day on Saturday and the company is still standing - :-) hurrah.  I then headed over to my friend Chloe's where we drank wine in our PJ's, put on face masks, used foot scrub and painted our nails.  Chloe did a lovely spread, chicken and salads - yummy.  It was lovely to relax and have a really good catch up.  G had 'the boys' round and there was lots of late night xbox playing and beer drunk I believe, althought the house was in ship shape upon my return this morning :-) xx

Today G and I went out Christmas shopping & have done it all, in one afternoon! Hurrah! We went to Christmas World and bought a few bits and bobs too.  We also bought ourselves the full 11 episodes of Cracker on DVD and put on episode one whilst I sat and wrapped all of the presents, with the last two fairy cakes and a well earned cup of tea.  So that is Christmas sorted, wrapped & ready for transporting to Warrington & Telford nearer the time, which is now less than 4 week away.

I am off to my friend Lynz's for some tea and Wii games this evening, I am just finishing up on the events in Cracker & Penhaligan's life before getting ready to leave.  Although I had some wine last night, I am back to the no-drinking again today.  I am feeling much much better today, still have a little cough but no where near what it has been like.  G is still not smoking, 2 full weeks of no smoking  -  I am so proud of him, he is doing so well.   Especially as we have lots of stuff going on at the moment.

I am wondering what to make tomorrow for tea, Hmmmm think I may make  S's macaroni cheese as it is G's absolute favourite meal.

Anyway, time to go and brush my hair and put my lippy on.  Enjoy your Sunday evening

xx