UK Amazon Kindle Forum discussion

What a great idea the seperate recipe thread is.Thanks Patti.

I'll add to it as more recipes are posted, of course.

I have lots of recipes but I am too lazy to type them out,will get Son to do it for me some day.

I know the feeling, Sarah.

I'm baking lavender cupcakes right now!! wee mini ones (thanks Ignite!) :o) Made ginerbread cookies last night just wondering if i could be bothered to make icing to decorate them with since Asda was all out tonight...

If you have icing sugar, corn flour, butter and a food processor you can throw together some icing in a few seconds, Jud.

Edit....and a touch of vanilla essence.

i'll maybe do it tomorrow night.

Is corn flour the missing secret ingredient from my icing? is that why i can never get it to look right? or is that just lack of skill...

Corn flour gives it a bit of fluffiness and cuts the sickly sweetness.

I do 1 cup sifted icing sugar, 3 tbsp sifted corn flour, 2tbsp soft butter or margarine, 1/2tsp vanilla. Whiz it in the food processor till smooth. If it's too stiff add more butter a 1/2 tbsp at a time.

Edit... You can add half a package of cream cheese to make icing for carrot or banana cake.

woohoo!! thanks Patti :o)

oh my. I'm having to furiously scribble down or copy/paste into word for a save on a lot of these. yum. can't wait to try the chocolate mug cake.

I have never tried corn flour in my frosting.Must have a go.Are you putting this in the locked thread Patti or should I write it in my kitchen notebook? Thanks.

Oh thanks, Sarah. I'll do it now.

yay :o) i was worrying that by the time i get home it would have been lost to oblivion with all the new posts

Thanks again Patti.I see cup cakes with tea this evening.

Oh reminds me. The talk of waffles yesterday made me think of my pancake recipe. Proper fluffy pancakes. Not the flat insipid things you lot eat. ;)

I'll dig out the recipe now.

I like Scottish pancakes made on a griddle,small rounds but thicker with a denser consistency.
Phil makes what he calls French pancakes,thin unsweetened crepe type pancakes ,rolled with a Bolognese filling,cheese sauce poured over then cheese grated on top and flashed under the grill to brown slightly.Delicious.

Your Scottish pancakes sound like mine, Sarah. I've had the thin crepe-like ones a few times in a few places but have always found them to be rubbery.

Anyway...

I love big thick fluffy pancakes, nothing better.

Canadian Pancakes

The trick to these is to have the pan at just the right temperature. The first pancake never seems to turn out right, so don't worry. I always give that one to Dave. ;)

You want to use a heavy pan that is very hot but not smoking. Heat the dry pan then brush it lightly with oil. A mantra I was taught when young is 'Hot pan, cold oil, foods don't stick'
I've found that my Welsh bakestone works well.

You'll need

1 room temperature egg
1 cup milk (soya milk works well)
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup bread flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tbsp melted vegetable shortening or margarine (not butter)

While your pan is heating, beat the egg then add the milk. Sift the flour with the baking powder and salt and beat into the milk mixture, add shortening last.

Drop by heaping tablespoon onto hot pan. It's ready to turn when the top is full of bubbles and the edges are dry. Don't move it round the pan while it cooks and only turn once. Once it's turned the second side takes about half the cooking time as the first. It should be golden brown on both sides.

Serve immediately with room temperature butter and copious lashings of real Canadian maple syrup.

i want those for lunch

I dont think i have enough icing sugar :'o(

From the photo, it looks like your icing turned out perfectly!

yay :o) i've never really done icing properly just usually slap it on but thought i'd give it a proper go this time and learn how to use my piping bag.

Christmas cake time. I have a very useful recipe
oven on at gas mark 1 140 degrees
6" 8" 9" 11"

Currents 225 , 450, 575, 900, grams
sultanas 75, 175, 225, 350 "
raisins 75, 175, 225, 350 "
cherries 40, 50, 60, 110 "
mixed pee l40, 50, 60, 110 "
brandy 3, 3, 4 , 6 tbs
plain flour 110 , 225, 275 , 450 grams
Salt 1/2 , 1/, 1/2, 1/2 level tsp
nutmeg 1/2 , 1/2, 1/2 , 1/2 "
mixed spice 1/4 , 1/2 , 3/4 , 1 "
chopped
almonds 40, 50, 60, 110 grams
soft brown
sugar 110, 225, 275, 450 grams
black treacle 1, 1, 1tbs, 1 1/2 tbs
rounded tsp dessert
unsalted 110, 225, 275, 450 grams
butter
grated lemon 1/2, 1, 1 large , 1 lemons
rind
grated orange 1/2, 1, 1 large 2 oranges
rind
eggs 2 , 4 , 5 , 8,

baking time 3:30 4:30-45 4:45 5:30 HRS:MIN


Soak the dried fruit in brandy overnight

Sieve flour and spices into mixing bowl. In separate bowl cream butter and sugar and slowly add eggs a tbs at a time (if looks like curdling add some flour)Fold in flour and spices. Now stir in the fruit, nuts, peel
and rind. spoon mixture into cake tin and put a band of greaseproof paper round the outside of cake tin and cover with a disc of paper with 50p sized hole in middle. Bake on lower shelf of oven and do not open for at least 3 hours for 6" 4 hours for others. Test with skewer to ensure cake is cooked.

it didn't print out the same way as I wrote it but there are the four measurements for each line for the various sizes of cake.

so if you made one of each size you could make a tiered cake? AWESOME!

Thanks Mo!

Still like my recipe more, though. ;)


message by Patti (Pennywise):

Christmas Cake


4 bottles of Vodka


1 cup of water
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup of brown sugar
lemon juice
4 large eggs


nuts
2 cups of dried fruit



Method:
Sample the vodka to check quality.
Take a large bowl, check the vodka again.
To be sure it is the highest quality, pour one level cup and drink.

Repeat.
Turn on the electric mixer.
Beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl.
Add one teaspoon of sugar. Beat again.
At this point it's best to make sure the vodka is still OK.
Try another cup .... just in case

Turn off the mixerer.
Break 2 leggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit.
Pick fruit off floor. Mix on the turner. If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaterers pry it loose with a sdrewscriver.
Sample the vodka to check for tonsisticity.
Next, sift two cups of salt. Or something.
Who giveshz a shoot

Check the vodka.
Now shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts.
Add one table.
Add a spoon of sugar. Whatever you can find.
Greash the oven and pee in the fridge.
Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over Don't forget to beat off the turner.
Finally, throw the bowl through the window, finish the vodka and kick the dog.
Fall into bed.
CHERRY MISTMAS! 

 (less)

ahahaha love it Patti!

Think I'll make both. I have a sneaky suspicion that your cake doesnt always turn out the best although a lot more fun to make Patti

I love some of the words in that 'recipe'

Tonsisticity. Hehehehehe

*giggles* Pee in the fridge...


I just sent that to my mum. She'll appreciate it.

Making a note of both recipes better try Mo's first as I have a sneaky feeling I may be out of order after Patti's.

Help!

I really want to make chilli for dinner tonight but I'm having a terrible time with my kidney beans. I use dried as they're easier to transport than tinned. I soaked a bunch overnight and have been boiling them for the last 2 1/2 hours and they're still hard. Any of you clever people have any tricks up your sleeves? I've looked online with no success.

I find that with dried beans so have given up. I keep mine for ages (years) though but I don't know if that makes any difference.

I thought that they might be old, Mo. They're well within the use by date, though. Got them from Tescos during the summer. I've never had this problem before. Argh.

Well I would think dried beans should last for ages, at least a season as what would be the point of drying them if they didn't.

I use dried peas Patti and they have a white tablet of some substance that you put in with the peas to reduce the cooking time.Checked my larder and don't have any at the moment to see what the tablet contains.

Checked a couple of recipe books apparantly salt and acidity can toughen the skins and prolong cooking time.You could try removing them from the heat,cover and leave to soak in the boiled water for a few hours then drain and reboil

I think but I might be wrong that the tablet was bicarbonate of soda, for steeping peas.

I thought that too Lynne but as I couldn't check it out I was scared to recommend it in case I ruined Patti's meal.
Bicarb is alkaline so that would support the theory in my previous post,

Hey! Thanks! The flipping Internet has been down for the last couple hours so I've just now seen this. I'll dump in some bicarbonate of soda and take them off the heat now.

You lot are magic.

Patti (Pennywise) wrote: "Hey! Thanks! The flipping Internet has been down for the last couple hours so I've just now seen this. I'll dump in some bicarbonate of soda and take them off the heat now.

You lot are magic."

I'm dying to know - did it work??

:0)

Lol just came back to say...YIPPEE!!!

They're perfect now! Just dumped everything into the slow cooker to bubble away for the afternoon.

Thank you, lovelies!!!!

Bit different on here to Amazoo, I had a little spat with such a"nice man" he had a right pop at us O/T rant. called me a sheep, Damaskat a pig (well he mentioned snouts) morphed our responses, mangled our names, and had the bloody cheek to call us ignoramuses. At least he spelt that right. He told me to go and do volountry (sic) work. So I said I did, I help with adult illiteracy, but he was too thick to see I was taking the p.
Its nice to be appreciated thank you Patti.

Patti (Pennywise) wrote: "Thanks Mo!

Still like my recipe more, though. ;)


message by Patti (Pennywise):

Christmas Cake


4 bottles of Vodka


1 cup of water
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup of b..."

This looks great! Just wondered, could I substitute brandy for the vodka - and I don't really like nuts in a cake, would it be OK to use more fruit instead? ;)

or rum instead of vodka? a splash of rum might taste nice in a christmas cake so it wouldnt even matter if i spilt some!

Brandy and/or rum should be fine. I think, as you don't really care for nuts in a cake, slightly more vodka should be sus. Sussi. Susbitated.

Glad your dish worked out Patti.Have to start thinking about Christmas cake,have been making xmas cards all afternoon.

Lynne (Tigger's Mum) wrote: "Bit different on here to Amazoo, I had a little spat with such a"nice man" he had a right pop at us O/T rant. called me a sheep, Damaskat a pig (well he mentioned snouts) morphed our responses, man..."

Lynne, that's horrible. I'm sorry. Which thread was it?
I admit I'm avoiding Amazoo these days but I'll go over to fight in your corner.

I rarely remember the nuts and alway add about twice as much peel and cherries as I like them. You can use whatever alcohol you want or don't want. I always feed my cake with calvados because I like it and it is always in the house, unless I have drunk it all. This cake recipe is very forgiving.

I wouldn't worry about being called a sheep by that lot over there. Certain people on the Amazoo site are abnoxious and profoundly unhelpful. It always is the same people... I wonder if they think they are being amusing. I would much rather read the quite banter on this site any day. I do go over there occasionally to see if there is anything interesting and just see abuse.

Lynne (Tigger's Mum) wrote: "Bit different on here to Amazoo, I had a little spat with such a"nice man" he had a right pop at us O/T rant. called me a sheep, Damaskat a pig (well he mentioned snouts) morphed our responses, man..."

What thread was that on?

:0(