Lemon Madeleines (recipe by Florence Rebattet)

Madeleines photo courtesy of En Cuisine

 "She sent out for one of those short, plump little cakes called "petites madeleines", which look as though they had been moulded in the fluted scallop of a pilgrim's shell... I raised to my lips a spoonful of the tea in which I had soaked a morsel of the cake. No sooner had the warm liquid, and the crumbs with it, touched my palate than a shudder ran through my whole body, and I stopped, intent upon the extraordinary changes that were taking place. An exquisite pleasure had invaded my senses, but individual, detached, with no suggestion of its origin. And at once the vicissitudes of life had become indifferent to me, its disasters innocuous, its brevity illusory - this new sensation having had on me the effect which love has of filling me with a precious essence..."

Remembrance of Things Past, Marcel Proust

While I cannot promise you that all your worries will go away and you will be filled with happiness as soon as you eat a madeleine or two, these lovely little cakes will certainly cheer you up, even on a grey dull day like today.

Florence Rebattet, chef, founder of En Cuisine Cooking School, and finalist of Gordon Ramsay's "Future Food Stars" (series 2) shares her recipe for mouthwatering madeleines - check out her recipe book "Cook with Flo".

This recipe is suitable for children (with adult supervision, if necessary) and is one of many recipes Flo teaches children at En Cuisine Cooking School.

MADELEINES

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients (20 madeleines):

120g plain flour

120g granulated white sugar

120g unsalted butter

3 medium eggs

zest of one unwaxed lemon

1 lemon (juice)

1tsp baking powder

Utensils:

A madeleine tray

2 bowls

a wooden spoon

a grater

a scale

1. In a large bowl, mix the flour, the sugar and the baking powder.

2. Crack the eggs and separate the yolks from the whites. The yolk goes with the dry ingredients and the whites in a separate bowl.

3. Whisk the whites with a fork until you get bubbles on the top. Add them to the flour and yolks mix and combine.

4. Melt the butter and wait until it cools down before pouring it on the mix.

5. Add the lemon juice (from one lemon, G.V.) and the zest. Stir well.

6. Pour into madeleine moulds and put them in the oven at 240C for 6 minutes and then 180C for 8 minutes. Your madeleines are ready when you see a little mountain on the top and a nice golden colour.

Tip:

Swap the lemon for 1/2 orange or rose water. "I really like mine with rose water and dry peices of rose in the dough".

I have forgotten just how good madeleines are. I bought a madeleine tray years ago, and at first used it quite often, but for the last several years it's been staying in the kitchen unit, totally abandoned.

Last week my younger son and I tried the recipe for lemon madeleines, and it was a great hit with the whole family. Our madelienes were very tasty, and I will definitely bake them again.

The recipe is pretty straighforward and easy, and perfect for cooking with children. Try it, and enjoy the soft spongy bakes, with a delicate lemon flavour.

Many thanks to Florence for the recipe, and reminding us how delicious these little cakes are!

Breadsong by Kitty & Al Tait

 

"It was like Jenga, pull one block out too fast, too soon, and my whole tower toppled".

Breadsong by Kitty & Al Tait is an inspirational hybrid of genres: part-memoirs, part-cook book.

This is the story of Kitty, a 14-year-old girl with a bubbly personality, who began suffering from anxiety and depression, and withdrew from the world to the confines of her home. The family has been trying everything to help her, but it felt like she was slipping further away.

If someone you love suffers with mental health issues, it might be not so easy to read the pages of Kitty's memoirs. You can feel her torment as she is descending into depression. 

Kitty's parents tried out many activities to provide her with some kind of distraction. Gardening, TV, crafts, sewing, painting... until one day Kitty watched her father mixing flour, water and salt in a bowl to make a dough.

"There was nothing planned about it. I just asked Kitty if she wanted to have a go herself. There was no hallelujah chorus or a blinding flash of light... I had no idea just how important that moment was, and I still didn't when Kitty asked to bake that bread again".

For Kitty it was pure alchemy of breadmaking that fascinated her. "Something so dull had transformed into something so brilliant. Like the girl who could spin straw into gold, I could do it too. And so I did it again and again and again".

Baking was taking over. Two weeks in, the family started sharing their loaves with the neighbours. The new routine was developing, with bread being delivered to the happy recipients in their street. The demand for the bread in their street has soared, and soon orders started to come in for more loaves.

The subscription service was born.

The recovery wasn't immediate. As Al writes, "I'm not sure initially I was any help to Kitty apart from just being there. I spent a lot of time barrelling into verbal cul-de-sacs thinking that maybe I could talk her out of the sadness she was lost in".

Delivering bread came with the interacting part. "People were genuinely excited to receive Kitty's bread. The buzz of handing over a warm loaf to a grateful customer lit a spark within her".

The next thing they needed was a name. Starting with Breadheads, they eventually chose The Orange Bakery because of Kitty's favourite orange dungarees.

The bakery has become Kitty's salvation.

"The bakery was a place that soothed my brain and made me feel safe. I knew what I was doing there, and my anxiety never roared away. It was just a really happy place".

Reading Kitty's story brought back some painful memories of referrals to CAHMS. I cannot fault the commitment of the medical staff working there, but everything takes ages. If you need help urgently, it takes forever. There is also no consistency of care. People leave, new people appear in your life, and at times it feels like you are re-starting from the beginning again and again.

I'm only saying that as to stress the point, that you might find Kitty's story too upsetting to read at the beginning. It might trigger strong emotions, though you might also find it inspiring and helpful.

Baking could be a therapeutic activity for some people, even if it is not a universal cure. 

I nod my head in agreement, reading that when a family member has mental health issues, the whole family is affected. "The needs of the rest of the family had to play second fiddle for a while", says Al. For us it's our reality. Our family life is centred around the needs of our older son. My younger one never knew anything different, and he accepts the situation with grace. 

The book also made me smile, as it brought back memories of making my own sourdough starter, and failing most of the time. I also had jars and jars of sinister grey unappetising liquid. I did manage to make a decent starter a couple of times and even used it in a few recipes, but then it died a natural death from lack of use.

Al's voice has a distinct touch of sarcasm. "Sourdough pizza, sourdough crackers, sourdough breadsticks; these are the high-class, artisan versions of their peers. The prefix sourdough somehow means that it's okay to charge twice as much". That is so true. I do love sourdough, but agree there's a whiff of the Emperor's New Clothes about it. Despite being an ancient technique, it has become so trendy, especially during the lockdown, that now almost everything is sourdough.

The second half of the book is a cook book of Kitty and Al's recipes.

You will find chapters on Bread (including miracle overnight white loaf, overnight focaccia, Challah, Biga bread, soda bread, Guinness soda bread and more), Sourdough Bread (including a step-by-step on the sourdough starter, recipes for Ultimate sourdough bread, sourdough focaccia, Ulla's rye bread, Fika buns, Next level Chelsea buns - which I hope to try baking one day), Pastries (including Cheese straws, Eccles cakes, Pasteis de Nata, croissants, pains au chocolat and many more) and finally, Cookies and Cakes (Cheddars, Stem Gingernuts, Ultimate brown butter choc chip cookies, vegan nut butter and banana cookies, blondies with a Marmite glaze etc).

Kitty's creative approach to classic recipes is original and inspiring.

For example, she adds chunks of sweet and salty miso fudge to her Ultimate brown butter choc chip cookies. I have followed the recipe quite closely, but knowing my guys, didn't risk with a miso flavour, adding standard fudge pieces to the cookie dough.

Pasteis de Nata or Custard Tarts are our family favourite pastries. One of our local cafes sells pretty good pastel de nata, and I do often buy frozen ones from Waitrose.

However, if you buy a ready-made puff pastry, you can quickly make a batch of your own custard tarts.

Kitty's twist on the classic recipe is to add a pinch of garam masala to the custard. I added a little bit of garam masala to two of the pastries, as I wasn't sure how much we'd like it. 

The pastries are delicate and wonderfully creamy. 

I also tried a recipe for savoury biscuits - Cheddars, made with strong Cheddar. This is an eggless recipe. I wasn't sure how well I can roll the dough, it looked pretty crumbly, but a dash of water was all that was needed. 

Very tasty biscuits, they didn't last long.

Totally delicious with a dollop of chilli jam.

I have bookmarked a few recipes from the book, which I would love to try.

This book tells a beautiful, uplifting story of a courageous girl.

You can check out Kitty's Instagram @kittytaitbaker for delightful baked goodies and inspiration.

Many thanks to Kitty and Al Tait, Bloomsbury and Tandem Collective UK for my copy of the book! I enjoyed taking part in the Readalong and looking at everyone's bakes.

The Witch's Feast: A Kitchen Grimoire by Melissa Jayne Madara

 

 "As you navigate the following pages, consider the lives of witches and mystics long gone who continue to communicate with us through these recipes, and let their work inform your practice as you venture out from the edge of tradition and into the magical unknown".

I hope this intriguing quote has caught your attention. 

The Witch's Feast: A Kitchen Grimoire by Melissa Jayne Madara (26th October, Watkins; £25; 9781848994034) is truly a source of fascination and a must read for the coming Hallowe'en. This essential companion to kitchen witchraft is a beguiling compilation of history and art of magical cooking, with a wide selection of recipes. 

Melissa Jayne Madara is a witch, herbalist and chef, who will be your Virgil, guiding you through the realms of witchcraft, magic and cooking. They invite you to tour five dimensions or facets of the occult via culinary insights.

The book is divided into five parts: Feast of the Ancestors, Feast of the Stars, Feast of the Heavens, Feast of the Earth and Feast of Spells.

In the Introduction Melissa explains how they had always had an interest in chemistry and science, and how cooking offers "an opportunity for tactile engagement with the mysteries of chemical flux and the transformative power of fire". They talk about the metamorphic possibility of transforming ingredients into delicious dishes. Cooking, according to Melissa, is a liminal ground between science, magic and art, which becomes their artistic medium of choice. 

Words "art" and "artistic" are important in this context, as Melissa's recipes are truly a work of art, creative and thought-provoking. 

It's curious how Melissa says that the two disciplines of magic and cooking share some things in common, for example, both practices possess an air of secrecy, never revealing their secrets too readily (I'm sure we have all encountered reticent cooks whose recipes we admired and asked to share only to be fobbed-off with a vague reply. Yes, some cooks do not want to share their secrets).

Melissa's discussing the mystical link between magic and food. The author "extends an invitation to play with fire, both figuratively and literally, and through this playful investigation explore what power and potency kitchen witchcraft may offer us today".

As this is a magical cook book, not all ingredients are readily available in shops or online. Herbs and wild foods needed for some recipes might inspire you to go foraging. There are useful tips on foraging, if you haven't done this before, for example, never harvest more than a quarter of what you see, be respectful and mindful of nature.

The first captivating chapter is named Feast of the Ancestors which features traditional feasts, recipes and rituals of witches past. The historical research which went into the writing of this book is impressive. You will discover the ancient recipes of the Babylonians which were inscribed on the clay tablets from around 1700BCE, among other historical food data and cooking instructions. Melissa has adapted the recipes to make them more appealing to the modern public.

I have bookmarked several recipes to try in the future, for example, Pharmakos Cakes, the sacrifical cakes of the Ancient Greeks, or the Fornacalia Focaccia, immortalised by the Roman poet Ovid.

I read with interest the extract on Maslenitsa, the Slavic folk and religious festival. 

The Pancakes cooked for the Maslenitsa are part of my heritage, so I was intrigued to see what Melissa would offer for the feast - their recipe for Straw-infused crepes for the butter lady sounds fun (though fresh cherries are a bit of a poetic licence, as they wouldn't be available traditionally at that time of the year). Also ricotta cheese is a recent addition to the Russian tables. Cottage cheese would be more authentic (you can find decent cottage cheese in the Polish delis or Polish aisles of the supermarket. The British cottage cheese widely available in the shops is too soggy for the recipe).

So far I have tried only one recipe from the book - Hildegard von Bingen's Cookies of Joy. She was a German Benedictine abbess, mystic and visionary, and also an accomplished author and polymath. Her recipe for Cookies of Joy uses plenty of spices, including cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves. According to Hildegard, the spicy wholewheat cookies will keep you strong, happy and alert. How can one resist such a recommendation?

The chapted titled Feast of the Stars explores cooking through the wheel of the zodiac. Here Melissa talks about the fascinating art of astrology and offers a perspective on the work of the astrological cooking, which provides a useful new lens for our continued investigation into the tools of kitchen witchcraft. 

I chuckled to myself, reading about the Pisces that they are known for being easily swayed by indulgence (mea culpa!). I love Melissa's recipe for Roasted cauliflower with miso and yogurt, as suggested for Pisces. That's definitely on my must-try list.

Feast of the Heavens is all about the planetary magic in the kitchen. "A working knowledge of these spheres and their properties forms the basis for planetary magic, which draws its power and inspiration from the fabric of the cosmos itself". How does it apply to the kitchen? It means a careful selection of ingredients associated with the planets, and using them to create dishes at auspicious times and in conjunction with appropriate symbols, so that your meal is a worthy dedication to the celestial power.

For example, Melissa's menu for the Full Moon Feast includes a mushroom and parsnip soup, gnocchi with sage blossom pesto and black sesame cake. For the New Moon Feast the menu is equally delectable - a kale salad with hazelnuts and black garlic, five-spice fried mushrooms and a chocolate poppyseed cake. 

Feast of the Earth talks about the seasonal meals for the solstices and equinoxes. "In examining the religions of the ancient world, we often find the rhythms of nature personified, even deified, to reveal various aspects of spiritual mystery... This is the rhythm of the Sun, king of the cosmos and the central star in our galactic neighbourhood". The author finds great beauty and magical potency in following these crucial cycles, as well as a deep wisdom.

For the forthcoming Winter Solstice Melissa invites you to create a feast of fire cider pickled eggs, lentils and roasted roots with walnut sauce, cheesy celeriac mash and cranberry gingerbread. There is a beautiful story of Melissa celebrating the Winter Solstice by going to the forest at dusk and sharing the story of the past year with their special inhuman family. 

The final chapter, Feast of Spells introduces you to potions, rites and dinner spells. The recipes here represent the simplified, stripped-down versions of what Melissa makes at home, because the kind of work they do is highly personal. The author invites their readers to bring in their own traditions and relationships to spirit, and thus personalise their own withcraft practice.

Here the concept of the Feast table as a sacred space and magic circle is re-introduced. Melissa discusses in-depth the practice of sigilcraft, consecration, divination and even sacrifice, including the vegetarian options. The recipes vary from a rosemary star bread for home-blessing to ritual bread masks, from chocolate, beetroot and grapefruit celebration cake to pressed-violet offering cookies.

The Witch's Feast is an unusual, original cook book, with a plethora of mouth-watering recipes to please the most discerning gourmet. If there's a foodie or a cook book collector among your family or friends, this book will make a fabulous gift for Halloween, birthday or Christmas. You don't have to be a follower of witchcraft to appreciate the culinary aspects of the book and historical research which accompanies each chapter.

 

About the Author

Melissa Madara is a witch, herbalist, storyteller, activist and chef. 

They are a co-owner at Catland Books, Brooklyn's most famous occult shop, and Catlands educational courtyard garden, which features an array of medicinal, magical, and poisonous plants. 

They are also the editrix at Venefica Magazine, a radical arts & occulture journal. Their work as a chef since graduating from New York's The Natural Gourmet has run the gamut from traditional french pastry to health-focused meal planning. 

Melissa has been featured in The New York Times, Vogue, Teen Vogue, Refinery29 and many other media outlets for their work as a witch. 

Their writing has been published in Venefica Magazine, Susie Magazine and Fiddler's Green. Their work on kitchen witchcraft has been featured in Vice.

Find Melissa's Instagram at @saint.jayne 

Photo diary: week 41, project 365

 

We have a new cafe in town - Coffee #1. Apparently, it's a chain, though I haven't heard of it before. My kid was very eager to try it. Don't know if we really need yet another cafe in town, but as the building at the Market Square was empty for a long time, it's better than nothing.

I liked the décor, with mismatched tables and chairs, funky murals depicting the local history, and especially the big book shelves at the back of the cafe.

Eddie pronounced his hot panino edible but not particularly exciting. He loved the Halloweed crunch, which was like a heavy wet brick with icing and decorations (it was awful, honestly). And the coffee was not very good. A mixed bag - we liked the location and interior but food and drink, not so much.

On Monday I spent a long time, traipsing from one shop to another to try to find a winter coat. I don't want a parka or a long puffer coat which makes you look like you are wearing a duvet. I also don't want a winter coat with only one button - perhaps OK, if you step out of the car straight into your office, but for someone who walks everywhere in town, I need a coat that would protect me from the gusts of wind, and thus needs to have several buttons. I am not over-keen to buy a coat online, as I'd like to try it on before buying. 

For example, this coat from Phase Eight looked good on the hanger (love the 1940s shoulders), and was OK from the front. Sadly, from the back it bubbled up, so I looked like the Hunchback of Notre-Dame. Back to square one. 

For Tuesday's evening, when Eddie and I watch the GBBO and have a good giggle at the bloopers, I baked some spicy almond butter cookies. They were supposed to be gingerbread men, but I forgot to buy the ground ginger, oups. Talking about the bloopers...

I used a coconut almond butter from Pip & Nut, and quite a lot of spices - cinnamon, vanilla etc. 

It was also the birthday of my late friend Anne, who would have been 95 this year. She was the most wonderful, loyal, caring friend, and I miss her so much. 

I walked into town, and saw these white doves by the museum. It looks like one of them has three wings, but actually that's just two doves on one perch.

That's one of the thugs from the neighbourhood who thinks our garden is his personal toilet. The amount of expensive plants those thugs have dug out, the ruined vegetable seedlings, the killed birds left on the lawn, and of course, the smelly deposits all over the place, from the vegetable patch to the path, from the back door, to everywhere else. 

Nothing deters them. I tried coffee granules scattered around the garden, lots of orange peel, they don't care. I don't want to instal the ultrasonic repellent, as our direct neighbours have little dogs, who would suffer. And I can't put anything on the stone walls either, as we have a big garden. 

Spider webs always fascinate me, with their intricate designs and fragile beauty. As long as the spiders stay outside. Indoors, I'd rather not see them. The other day there was a huge one scuttling along the bed, eeek, I felt like burning the duvet and the whole bed.

On Monday I visited a new charity shop, and found a brand new, still sealed Ravensburger Send off for the Queen 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle for a fiver. I'm not in a hurry to finish it, working on it a little bit at a time.

And finally, my red orchid started to bloom. It was given to me by one of the ex-neighbours who moved to Oxford a few years ago.

In the last week I finished reading The girl from Bletchley Park by Kathleen McGurl. It is set in dual timeline: 1942 and present day. I found the WWII storyline more gripping than the modern one, but overall, it is an intriguing and emotional read.

Last night I started reading The forgotten maid by Jane Cable. It's another dualtime story, set in Cornwall. The Cornish setting is so beautiful, vivid and evocative. I wish I could jump on the train and travel to my favourite destination.

How was your week?

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Photo diary: week 6, project 365

 Another week of monotony, when one day is hardly different from another. "There has been an airless quality to the last few weeks. "Family time", once a precious fantasy just out of reach, is now a sweaty weighted blanket under which four of us must live. Like potholers we shuffle our bodies from room to room, looking for escape routes - a chink of light, a foreign sound, anything that means we do not have to stare into each other's beloved faces for another year-long minute", writes Eva Wiseman in the latest Observer Magazine. While it's slightly exaggerated for emphasis, I find myself nodding in agreement with her article. 

I love my guys to bits, and would fight to death for them, then why do I crave solitude and just hide in the toilet for an awkwardly longer spell with my iPhone. I also dread the never-ending circle of meals. What to cook for lunch, dinner, what to offer as snacks in-between? 

I fantasise about winning a lottery and living with a Mrs Patmore equivalent who would cook all our meals, with me only occasionally doing forays in the kitchen to bake a cake as a hobby rather than a duty. Though we would need a bigger house too. With a library, where you can get lost. Keep on dreaming, girl! 

While the amount of books we have can compete (-ish) with the Downton Abbey's collection, the rest of the house definitely lacks in comparison. I love our old house, I truly do, but it's so much work.

Last week we tried to walk as much as possible to get some fresh air, which was quite nippy. We didn't get any proper snow last weekend in the end, as promised in the forecast, but the snowflakes were floating in the air. We walked home with masks on, for warmth.

My Mum has been quite unwell in the last week, and I have been ready to hit the wall to relieve the pressure from feeling so helpless - there is nothing, absolutely nothing I can do from such a distance. 

To de-stress, I find baking helps. I baked a batch of peanut butter slices with Reese's Minis. They were not lookers, but tasted lovely and were gone in an instant. The next day my husband asked if there was a slice left for him to take to work in his lunch box, and I had to say, Sorry, it's all gone. I should bake another batch and ration it.

A battered wall by the Church Green is a reminder of the old glory. It would have seen many generations of Witneans walking around in the finery on the way to the church.

We cannot still go through the fields on the way into town, but we walked in that direction to check what the flood situation is. Unless you have wellies up to your amrpits, it's unpassable. What looks like a stream in the photo, is in fact a path towards the bridge.

A shame we cannot walk there, as it's an area where we can find good Pokemons usually, and there's a good Gym too.

Eddie was checking his Whatsapp (he only uses it with the family), when he said, Mum, just look at the date of this missed video call from you, and I laughed and said that I'm a time traveller, who was calling him from the past. No other explanation.

As the RAF base is not far from our town, the aeroplanes tend to fly very low above Witney. 

Yesterday's mail brought a surprise envelope for Eddie, it was the certificate from school, saying that his name was entered in the Golden Book for a mature approach to his home learning, submitting work that is thoughtful and accurate. Please forgive me for showing off my child's achievemnets, but life is so lacklustre in the last few months, that I need a little boost. I'm truly proud of my child, and he totally deserves it. On top of his school work, he has been reading a lot. I'm so happy to have another generation of readers in our family.

As a special treat for the boys I placed an order with Uber Eats. I haven't ordered with them before, and there is not much of a choice in our town, but they have McDonald's. Boys were very happy.

We found Murder on the Orient Express on Amazon (with David Suchet). I've seen it ten years ago when it was shown on TV, and I think Suchet is the best Poirot ever. No comparison to John Malkovich, Kenneth Brannagh or Peter Ustinov. 

We can't travel in real life, but books can take us anywhere. I have a big collection of books set in Cornwall. Beneath the Fear is a psychological thriller, which begins with a murder in Oxford, and then the action moves to Cornwall. It made me think, if we'd be able to travel there later this summer. We have booked "our" cottage almost a year ago, in between lockdowns, when we were hoping that the situation would be better by now. Sash shows me the pictures of Cornwall every day, it's his way of asking if we're going soon. I have no heart to tell him that we might not be able to go at all.

Hope you all are doing OK.

 

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Peanut butter bars with Reese's Minis

 

I've recently come across an amusing quote: "If you like peanut butter pie, you are either Dolly Parton, or someone who loves her"(Kate Lebo, A Commonplace book of pie). It made me think that I don't remember ever eating a slice of peanut butter pie. I do love peanut butter cookies though, and some other bakes. I know some people love it on pancakes, but for me, it's a No.

Growing up in the Soviet Union, I don't think I even tried peanut butter until my early 20s, it was something I only read about in books set in America. Not sure why, as there were peanuts in abundance, and you could certainly buy cookies with peanuts.

We usually have one or two tubs of peanut butter in the kitchen. My husband eats it regularly for breakfast, on toast, with a generous amount of jam on top. My kids are not so keen on peanut butter sandwiches. 

There was a Sun-Pat Smooth Peanut Butter tub in the last Degustabox. Packed with 96% peanuts, it is a natural source of protein. For many people Sun-Pat is the classic peanut butter. It is suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Other ingredients include cane sugar, peanut oil, sea salt.

I fancied baking something quick and easy, and peanut butter slices ticked all the boxes.

My recipe reference was Taste of Home Annual Recipes 1999. I used to subscribe to Taste of Home magazine when we lived in the States, and have a few annuals. This one I got on eBay. I love their Mom's best recipes and meals on a budget sections.

I have adapted a recipe for Chewy Peanut Butter Bars (Meals on a budget).

Peanut butter bars with Reese's Minis

220g smooth peanut butter

125g butter

180g caster sugar

125g plain flour

1tsp baking powder

2 medium eggs

1tsp vanilla essence

2 heaped tsp hot chocolate (I used Cadbury's)

12 Reese's Minis

In a miixing bowl beat together peanut butter and sugar. Melt the butter and add to the mix. Sift in the flour and baking powder, add vanilla and hot chocolate (or cocoa), and beat in two eggs.

Spread into a greased brownie tin (I also added a layer of foil to make it easier to take out of the tin, once cooked). Add the Reese's minis to the dough and push them in.

Bake at 180 for about half an hour until browned, and edges begin to slightly shrink away from the sides of the tin.

Do not be tempted to cut the slices while the bake is still warm. The bake is very wobbly and might even appear under-cooked, but it is cooked. Let it set. Slice into rectangles or squares.

I thought the bars were even better the next day, they were very fudgey and properly gooey. My guys truly liked them, so I might be making them again very soon (if only to take better photos).

You can use any smooth peanut butter, and skip Cadbury's hot chocolate or substitute it with cocoa powder. It's just I bought a tub of hot chocolate to enter the competition, and now am looking for ways of using it (I find it too sweet as a hot drink). 

Photo diary: week 2, 2021: project 365

 As I'm reading Grace Dent's wise piece of writing in today's Guardian, I nod my head in agreement. With all the current restrictions and higher levels of intolerance around, you almost feel that you have to walk purposefully and not stop and admire a rushing river, or a red kite soaring in the skies, as if it is against the rules. She asks, "How long outdoors is acceptable until your need for fresh air is deemed wanton?" 

Many people are carrying their anger. Today Eddie and I were walking home, and stopped in the street to catch a Pokemon or two outside one of the Pokestops. We checked that we didn't block the way, in fact, it was absolutely empty, and no-one around, we are very careful with social distancing. Then a car pulled by next to us, the guy has angrily pointed a finger at us. I thought, he might have a delivery for the house we were standing next to, so moved us further along the street. But no, he then just drove on without getting out. What the heck was all that about? 

The levels of river Windrush are quite high this week, though the muddy path through the flood fields is passable.

My brother sent me the picture of their new cat. A couple of years ago they lost their elderly cat, who was 16 or 17 years old, and who was a dear member of the family. 

He is a beauty, isn't he?!

Homeschooling is better structured this time. Children have two Zoom sessions per day, and can discuss any issues with the teachers. They are also happy to see their mates and wave to them.

It's nice that they are also encouraged to have exercise and a walk every day, when possible. Eddie and I have a brisk walk around the block, getting some fresh air for half an hour around lunchtime.

This week I published two book reviews, including for Children's Fate by Carolyn Hughes. I have been playing with photo props. This is historical novel set during the times of the Black Death. It's a fasciating story, but has potential triggers (death during the pandemic). You can also win a £15 amazon voucher to spend on any book you want (or chocolate).

Homeschooling is not fun, so I'm finding my "entertainment" ad hoc. When Eddie is using the laptop, I might open the Pokemon app on the iphone.

The other day, when they had a Zoom session, one of the class mates kept saying she had a question. When the teacher let her talk, she said her dog wanted to say Hi to the class. Of course, it did.

After that, Eddie and I kept saying things to each other like, My Pokemon wants to say Hi to the class.

We haven't had any bread left, and I didn't fancy going out shopping, so decided to try a new bread recipe from Nigella - for an old-fashioned sandwich loaf, made with soured milk. Apparently, Nigella's recipe is a twist on Dan Lepard's bread made with buttermilk.

I'm not a confident bread-baker. I could never pass the test for bread-making on GBBO. This recipe is pretty easy to follow, doesn't require much kneading, and the result is very tasty. I'm going to bake it again.

What else is "newsworthy"? Eddie and I watched the first two episodes of WandaVision on Disney+. From what I've seen on Twitter, most people are raving about it. I found it rather bizarre - cringe at times. But I will watch the next episode on Friday. If you enjoy series like Bewitched, then it might appeal to you.

Today's bit of excitement was going to Sainsbury's and buying new slippers for Eddie with my groceries. It might be considered a non-essential indulgence, but the slippers he's been wearing, look utterly shredded on the soles, and were destined for the bin. 

I also bought a couple of books - CatKid Comic Club and Dear Child by Romy Hausmann. The reviews of this thriller are very encourgaing, if you want to know more, read the review of Dear Child on Coffee and Books blog.

Sadly, it will have to wait until I have a chance to read it, as I have a huge stash of books for reviewing, looking at me solemnly and tutting at me for buying more books.

The article which I enjoyed today is Grace Dent's "Sweet treats..." in Feast (The Guardian). It so resonated with me. It's a poignant piece, which shows we're all hanging there, and little treats save the day. And we should never underestimate little escapes, even if it means lingering by the chocolate aisle or looking at the books at Sainsbury's.

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Easy cheese straws with crushed pretzels and Movie Night & Halloween Degustabox

 

While the weather is abysmal, with the incessant rain and dreary darkness in the afternoon, it's not all gloom and doom. Food-wise, November has a lot to offer, for many people this cold dark month means hearty soups and stews. 

Home-baked bread is a wonderful treat to go with a hot bowl of soup, but it takes time and effort, while cheese straws are so easy to make and take hardly any time at all. Zing them up with toppings of your choosing and serve with a lovely hearty soup.

For my easy cheese straws you will need:

1 pack of Jus-Rol shortcrust pastry

about 60g grated cheese (like Emmental)

1 egg yolk

half a pack of Olly's Pretzel Thins (optional), crushed

Remove the Jus-Rol pack out of the fridge at least an hour before using. 

Cut in half, spread grated cheese on one half, and put the second half over. 

Slice the dough into thin strips, around 3cm in width. Twist the strips and arrange on the baking sheet.

Place the baking sheet on the tray in the oven preheated to 180C.

Bake for about 5 minutes then take out the tray, glaze the straws with a beaten egg yolk and scatter crushed pretzels over them. Bake for another 8-10 minutes, until the straws are golden.

You can use puff pastry the same way, in fact, I would usually go for the puff pastry, making cheese straws, but I had a pack of shortcrust pastry instead. 

I like adding crushed Pringles over the egg yolk before baking. Sesame seeds are another great topping.

This time I wanted to try a different version, especially that I had a small packet of Olly's Pretzels Thins (Multi-Seed Sesame) from the October Degustabox food box. These are oven-baked, low fat, thin and crispy vegan pretzels. A small 35g packet offers 98kcal per serving. You can sprinkle them over salads or crumble into brownies, or just dip into hummus or taramasalata. 

There were two varieties of pretzel thins in the box - Multi-seed sesame and Salted original (£1 each), both lovely.

Available on Amazon and Olly's online shop.

You can easily make these straws with children. They disappeared very fast.

It's not much of a recipe, I know, more of a recipe idea, but try it, and play with flavours.

What else did we find in October Movie Night & Halloween Degustabox?

As you can see, it was jam-packed with all kinds of tasty foods and drink.

My personal favourite was Costa Instant Coffee (£5.50). I'm a big fan of Costa coffee in general, and miss their latte during the lockdown. I know you can have a takeaway, but by the time you arrive home with a takeaway cup, it's already tepid. Instant coffee from Costa is the next best thing - make a cup of tasty coffee in the comfort of your own home, and get a perfect balance of delicate Arabica and strong Robusta beans, slow-roasted for a smooth and nutty flavour and rich aroma.

I enjoyed this instant coffee a lot, and hope to get more, when I have a chance to visit our local Costa.

Maltesers Instant Hot Chocolate (£2.59 for 350g) hits the right spot, when you fancy a sweet hot drink. It will delight the fans of Maltesers - top up with whipped cream and mini marshmallows for an extra indulgent treat.

Available at Morrisons, Sainsbury's and ASDA.

More treats for chocoholics - KitKat Senses Chocolate Selection Gift Box 240g (£5) - a selection of three delicious flavours, all individually wrapped: Salted Caramel, Double Chocolate and Hazelnut.

My family loves KitKit, but we were saddened to read that KitKat will no longer contain Fairtrade cocoa and sugar. This is the step backwards, I hope that Nestle will reconsider this move, and start using Faitrade produce in making this much-loved brand.

Available in all major supermarket chains.

Reese's Peanut Butter Minis (£1.50) offer a delicious mix of chocolate and peanut butter. Now available in minis, bitesize cups in a convenient share bag. Lovely added to the brownie batter before baking too.

More chocolate - Whaoo! chocolate filled crepes (£1.75) are made without any preservatives. They are individually wrapped for convenience, and might work as a sweet snack for a school lunchbox (if having chocolate treats is not against the school policy).

Available at ASDA, Morrisons, Ocado, Spar and Go Local.

Did you hear there was more chocolate? yes, you heard it right.

Brynmor Chocolate Flapjack (£1.29) is a healthier treat for chocoholics - it is packed full of high quality, natural ingredients. Lovely with a cup of tea, for elevenses or when you're feeling peckish.

Available in Ocado, Waitrose, NISA, WHSmith Travel, Grapetree, www.brynmorfoods.com and independent health shops.

Kookie Cat Wild Berries was a little gift, and most welcome it was too. This is a cashew and oat cookie, with tasty cacao butter drops and sweet and sour lingonberries.

Available in organic food stores.

YES! Plant protein bars (£1.59) are the product of the month. They are gluten free, contain 10g protein, and are powered by pea and nut. The wrapping is recyclable paper.

There are two delicious new flavours - Almond, Peanut and Double Dark Chocolate (yum, I love the nuts and chocolate combination) and Cashew, Blueberry and Dark Chocolate.

Available at Holland and Barrett, BP, Moto and WHSmith's.

Just look at that bar - it's so good. 

We all have our favourites in each Degustabox, and St Pierre Brioche Burger Buns (£2) were a big hit with my guys. I didn't serve them with burgers, but with cheese and chutney instead, and they were delicious. Definitely will buy them, when I have a chance. They are pre-sliced, and make a versatile vessel for any kind of filling - from meat-based to vegan products.

Available at Tesco.

Attack A Snak Original Nachos (£1.50) is a lunchbox selection of tortilla chips, smoky chipotle dip, and cooling sour cream with chives. It's a good source of fibre.

Nutritional information: 313kcal and 12g of sugar per 90g serving. Available at Morrisons and ASDA. 

You might have spotted promotional packs of Attack A Snak - currently you might win w Cinewrold tickets every day, simply find a code inside of the film and enter online.

Naked Malaysian Rendang Veg Pot (£1.50) is 100% plant-based. There are three authentic flavours in the range, offering Korean BBQ Ramen, Malaysian Rendang and Chinese Green Vegetable Broth. Simply add water for a quick and easy lunch. Very handy to eat in the office.

Available in Tesco.

And finally, there was a fully redeemable voucher for a box of Strawberry Yollies (£2). These are yogurt snacks on a stick. They are a good source of Calcium and Vitamin D. 

Available at ASDA, Tesco, Morrisons & Sainsbury's (our local Co-Op has them too).

Degustabox is a monthly food and drink subscription box. It's an excellent way of discovering new products which have only just appeared in the shops, or those which have been around for a while, but you haven't had a chance to try them yet.

Thanks to Degustabox, I have found new favourites to add to our shopping list, including some products which I probably wouldn't have tried otherwise.

Each time the monthly box arrives, its contents are a total surprise. You get a good selection of foods and drinks.

If you haven't tried Degustabox subscription box yet, and would like to have a go, I have a £3 off discount from your first box (and you can unsubscribe any time), just use code DKRLN when you place an order.