Wednesday 29 February 2012
Plants update
A quick update on my plants, lots of chives and the thyme is doing well and finally there are some shoots in the basil pots too. Still no peppers but they look like healthy plants.
Tuesday 28 February 2012
To pay or not to pay?
Recently big companies, like Burger King and Tesco, got themselves into trouble for being part of government campaign which involved people working for them for nothing more then jobseeker's allowance. This sparked a lot of debate about whether people in these situations should be paid or glad for a job, and so I thought I haven't ranted about the job market for a while.
I can understand not paying people as part of work experience - and in my eyes that is one or two weeks shadowing people in the work place. Whilst I was a journalism student I did work experience stints like this regularly and fully appreciated the experience. In some places I got a few bylines, and although not paid they went out of their way to say thanks with a free lunch and a glowing reference.
But when you start finding unpaid internships for a month or three months then that is rude. Yes I understand that times are tough but you can't get round that by having a free dispensable worker. You don't get the quality of work you want, and more importantly, nobody feels particularly valued. Sitting at a desk, working in a shop for over 30 hours a week constitutes as a full time job and that means payment with money. Even if the money is just minimum wage, or a little over it that is better than nothing.
Not only can these huge companies afford it, it makes people feel like they are doing something in return for something. It feels crap to know that you went out all day to sit in an office to know that at the end of the day you can't afford to pay your way, let alone go to the pub to relax.
As we having a bad time economically this is the time to change the system and make people feel valued, rather than see it as an opportunity to screw more people over and achieve nothing.
Photo: Guudmorning! via Flickr
Monday 27 February 2012
Sunday 26 February 2012
World Book Day should be for one and all
The annual event, World Book Day, is coming up on March 1st. It is usually associated with children's books, those little vouchers you get given as a kid and dressing up as your favourite character from a book. As the World Book Day's website explains the day is a chance to get children and young adults reading.
Now, undeniable, this is a good idea. I vividly remember one year dressing up as Mary Lennox, the little girl from the Secret Garden. We photocopied my Grampy's dramatic front door key and I carried around a plush robin all day at school. My costume only lost out to a girl dressed as Mary Poppins, whose family made costumes for a living and happened to have a Mary Poppinsesque carpet bag.
I also enjoyed the opportunity to get more books and to read more, but being somebody who already loved reading not much was needed to convince me. I mean one of my ambitions in life is to have a library room in a house - although made out to be cool and homely of course.
However, there are also a great number of adults who just don't read as well. Not because they can't but because finding the time to sit down and enjoy the written word seems hard to do. But we should. Through a book you get to live vicariously through other people, learn about things and people you never would in normal life or just enjoy yourself.
If it is important to children then it is important to adults too and it would be sad to miss out on a simple pleasure in life.
Photo: jonathanpberger via Flickr
Saturday 25 February 2012
Friday 24 February 2012
Choc mint marble cake
I may have got a bit too interested in baking now. Throughout a stressful day this week I ended up half fantasising half planning my latest cakes. It felt therapeutic and I am frankly beginning to find this alarming.
However, more people found my latest bake alarming. I made chocolate and mint marble cupcakes.
Although it sounds ambitious it is in fact relatively simple, just requires having a lot of bowls to hand.
You need to half the mixture to make a normal Victoria sponge, so that you can flavour the two sets of cake batter differently.
So cream together 65g of sugar and 65g of butter. Next add 65g worth of flour and a teaspoon of baking powder. Fold this in carefully until all the lumps have gone.
Then repeat this process again so you have two bowls of normal cake batter. The only difference I made was for the cake mix that was going to be flavoured with cocoa I used dark brown sugar so that it tasted more treacle like.
So for the chocolate cake mix add in about a tablespoon of cocoa powder. Mix this in until you have a lovely rich brown looking cake mix.
For the mint half of the cake I attempted to make it look green. I added in about 4 teaspoons of green food colouring which made the mix look green but when baked it just looked like normal cake. This was disappointing but I suppose I should just look a bit more into the best kind of food colouring for cakes etc.
To make it minty I added in about 4 teaspoons of peppermint flavouring, and mix it in. This is thing to gauge for yourself based on how much you like mint, but this amount did not end up being too overpowering in the end.
Now for the fun part. Set out 12 cupcake cases in a cake tray. Go round each of the cases putting in one large tablespoon of one of the cake mixes into each case. Then top of the cases with a tablespoon of the remaining cake mix. I went chocolate first and then mint second.
Put them into an oven at gas mark 5 for about 20 minutes and then you have mint choc marble cakes.
When I told some people about it they were a bit disturbed because mint should either be hard or chewy and not 'cakey'. However, the people who have eaten the cakes, ie me and my boyfriend, have liked them.
Also you don't have to stick to choc and mint. The traditionally flavourings of a marble cake are chocolate and vanilla, but as long as the flavours work together then pretty much anything could work. And the marble effect is fun to make.
However, more people found my latest bake alarming. I made chocolate and mint marble cupcakes.
Although it sounds ambitious it is in fact relatively simple, just requires having a lot of bowls to hand.
You need to half the mixture to make a normal Victoria sponge, so that you can flavour the two sets of cake batter differently.
So cream together 65g of sugar and 65g of butter. Next add 65g worth of flour and a teaspoon of baking powder. Fold this in carefully until all the lumps have gone.
Then repeat this process again so you have two bowls of normal cake batter. The only difference I made was for the cake mix that was going to be flavoured with cocoa I used dark brown sugar so that it tasted more treacle like.
So for the chocolate cake mix add in about a tablespoon of cocoa powder. Mix this in until you have a lovely rich brown looking cake mix.
For the mint half of the cake I attempted to make it look green. I added in about 4 teaspoons of green food colouring which made the mix look green but when baked it just looked like normal cake. This was disappointing but I suppose I should just look a bit more into the best kind of food colouring for cakes etc.
To make it minty I added in about 4 teaspoons of peppermint flavouring, and mix it in. This is thing to gauge for yourself based on how much you like mint, but this amount did not end up being too overpowering in the end.
Now for the fun part. Set out 12 cupcake cases in a cake tray. Go round each of the cases putting in one large tablespoon of one of the cake mixes into each case. Then top of the cases with a tablespoon of the remaining cake mix. I went chocolate first and then mint second.
Put them into an oven at gas mark 5 for about 20 minutes and then you have mint choc marble cakes.
When I told some people about it they were a bit disturbed because mint should either be hard or chewy and not 'cakey'. However, the people who have eaten the cakes, ie me and my boyfriend, have liked them.
Also you don't have to stick to choc and mint. The traditionally flavourings of a marble cake are chocolate and vanilla, but as long as the flavours work together then pretty much anything could work. And the marble effect is fun to make.
Thursday 23 February 2012
Radiant Rayman
I am about to do something which I have never done before. Write a game review. Now before you get worried that I start calling myself a games journalist it is because I have been crap and not read a book in a few weeks.
Recently I became the proud owner of an Xbox and the best Xbox game I own is Rayman Origins. This is largely due to the fact that it is the only Xbox game I own, but regardless of that it is a pretty damn good game.
The last time I played a Rayman game was on the Megadrive and I was aged approximately 10 years-old. The game has a lot of childhood nostalgia for me and I was worried that a new version of it wouldn't have the same charm. I had no reason to be worried because the game looks beautiful, is silly and creates hours of brilliant fun. It also has save points, which is an added bonus.
So the game is beautiful and a joy to watch but it is also a really good game. It could be written off as a kids game but the challenges are hard. You can soon find that you have spent an hour trying to complete one level to achieve 100%, an enjoyable way to waste time.
The game also rewards you for your hard work. You work hard to get past the increasingly difficult bosses to get an entire level which is just collecting points and bouncing around in fun little world.
In brief it is amazing and I am glad that something from my childhood is still as clever as I remember it.
Photo: Ubisoft
Recently I became the proud owner of an Xbox and the best Xbox game I own is Rayman Origins. This is largely due to the fact that it is the only Xbox game I own, but regardless of that it is a pretty damn good game.
The last time I played a Rayman game was on the Megadrive and I was aged approximately 10 years-old. The game has a lot of childhood nostalgia for me and I was worried that a new version of it wouldn't have the same charm. I had no reason to be worried because the game looks beautiful, is silly and creates hours of brilliant fun. It also has save points, which is an added bonus.
So the game is beautiful and a joy to watch but it is also a really good game. It could be written off as a kids game but the challenges are hard. You can soon find that you have spent an hour trying to complete one level to achieve 100%, an enjoyable way to waste time.
The game also rewards you for your hard work. You work hard to get past the increasingly difficult bosses to get an entire level which is just collecting points and bouncing around in fun little world.
In brief it is amazing and I am glad that something from my childhood is still as clever as I remember it.
Photo: Ubisoft
Wednesday 22 February 2012
Clarkson cleared
So Jeremy Clarkson was cleared by Ofcom for what he said on The One Show. Yes, unbelievably, it turns out that what Clarkson said was stupid but nothing more than that. Ofcom cleared him because viewers should know by now that the presenter has a "provocative and outspoken nature". I think that is a technical way of sighing and then saying "Who cares? It is Jeremy Clarkson, ignore it".
So the next time that people decide to have a hissy fit make sure you understand what you are complaining about. Or the best piece of advice I can think of just before midnight is - stop watching The One Show.
The Top Gear presenter does like to say a lot of things to cause a reaction, but I don't think he expected over 30,000 people to complain when he said that protesters should be shot in front of their families. Especially when that wasn't really what he said. It was a joke. Perhaps in poor taste, but again the words were coming out of Clarkson's mouth.
So the next time that people decide to have a hissy fit make sure you understand what you are complaining about. Or the best piece of advice I can think of just before midnight is - stop watching The One Show.
Monday 20 February 2012
Sunday 19 February 2012
Dressing up war
The new series of period drama, Upstairs, Downstairs started tonight. Despite it all being terribly posh and now with Alex Kingston, who I can't stand, I felt compelled to watch it.
I am a fan of classic literature and learning about the past through fiction, but as some pointed out whilst I was watching the show. There was a focus on Nazis and Hitler, and this seems to be a theme when thinking about making a period drama. Foyle's War and Land Girls just two recent shows that come to mind now.
I suppose it is an attractive time to write about because it is so well documented with millions of stories to tell. Also as an educational benefit more people should know what happened during the Second World War and what Hitler did. A television show about posh people showing the hardship of war is easier going in comparison to a documentary about Hitler.
But this is not why I was drawn to it. I was drawn to it for the same reason that I love watching shows like Poirot. The dressing up. Marvelling at the amount of costume changes a well to do person can make, especially when they have been told to stay in bed. Then comparing this to what the ordinary folk are wearing, and realising that you would prefer to wear what the ordinary folk are wearing because it takes less effort.
It might be dealing with something serious but it has something beautiful for the eyes too.
Photo: BBC
I am a fan of classic literature and learning about the past through fiction, but as some pointed out whilst I was watching the show. There was a focus on Nazis and Hitler, and this seems to be a theme when thinking about making a period drama. Foyle's War and Land Girls just two recent shows that come to mind now.
I suppose it is an attractive time to write about because it is so well documented with millions of stories to tell. Also as an educational benefit more people should know what happened during the Second World War and what Hitler did. A television show about posh people showing the hardship of war is easier going in comparison to a documentary about Hitler.
But this is not why I was drawn to it. I was drawn to it for the same reason that I love watching shows like Poirot. The dressing up. Marvelling at the amount of costume changes a well to do person can make, especially when they have been told to stay in bed. Then comparing this to what the ordinary folk are wearing, and realising that you would prefer to wear what the ordinary folk are wearing because it takes less effort.
It might be dealing with something serious but it has something beautiful for the eyes too.
Photo: BBC
Saturday 18 February 2012
Friday 17 February 2012
Chicken and leek pie
This week I felt the most middle class I ever have. It went even to a level that I wasn't too sure I was comfortable with. This was all because there was a leek in my kitchen. It was all for a pie, which I am not entirely sure justifies it. But it was tasty.
I like making pies, but find I tend to make quite samey recipes - chicken, vegetables and a sauce. I have wanted to do something a bit different for ages and finally found a recipe that caught my eye, thanks to The Fabulous Baker Brothers. Their recipe for a chicken and leek pie is why I ended up with a leek in my kitchen.
I only made a few changes to their recipe, mostly because the recipe was for six people and I was making it for two, and it used wine which I switched to stock.
The most significant change was how the pastry was made. The Baker Brothers used beef dripping and butter, which just sounds indulgent to me. So I just made a normal pastry using 115g of flour, 55g of butter. Rub them together until it looks like breadcrumbs. Then add 4-5 tablespoons of water to bring the pastry together. Whilst you are doing the rest of the pie keep the pastry wrapped up in cling film in the fridge.
Next it was time to tackle the middle class leek. The recipe says to shred it and I had no idea how to do this. So I answered my question by asking Google and came across this helpful video. Essentially you cut the top and the bottom off the leek. Then cut it in half along the middle and then slice it up. To cook, put a knob of butter in a frying pan and add the shredded leek. To season add a little salt, pepper and herbs and leave to cook on the hob until soft. Once soft then add in about half a pint of stock, and wait until it has boiled off.
Dice the chicken, and when the leeks are soft remove them from the frying pan and put them somewhere else for the meantime. Then cook the chicken in the frying pan.
Once cooked put the leeks back into the frying pan with the chicken. Then to make it creamy add in about 4-5 tablespoons of creme fraiche and mix it all together.
Take this off the heat and put it into an oven proof pie dish. Then get the pastry out of the fridge and roll out to make a top for the pie.
Put the pie in the oven at gas mark 6 for about 30 minutes, or until the pastry looks cooked.
So far this pie is the best pie I have made, so do recommend that you try it out.
Next it was time to tackle the middle class leek. The recipe says to shred it and I had no idea how to do this. So I answered my question by asking Google and came across this helpful video. Essentially you cut the top and the bottom off the leek. Then cut it in half along the middle and then slice it up. To cook, put a knob of butter in a frying pan and add the shredded leek. To season add a little salt, pepper and herbs and leave to cook on the hob until soft. Once soft then add in about half a pint of stock, and wait until it has boiled off.
Dice the chicken, and when the leeks are soft remove them from the frying pan and put them somewhere else for the meantime. Then cook the chicken in the frying pan.
Once cooked put the leeks back into the frying pan with the chicken. Then to make it creamy add in about 4-5 tablespoons of creme fraiche and mix it all together.
Take this off the heat and put it into an oven proof pie dish. Then get the pastry out of the fridge and roll out to make a top for the pie.
Put the pie in the oven at gas mark 6 for about 30 minutes, or until the pastry looks cooked.
So far this pie is the best pie I have made, so do recommend that you try it out.
Thursday 16 February 2012
Practise makes perfect
When Channel 4 first announced 10 o'clock Live it was expected that it would become Britain's version of Jon Stewart's Daily Show. Instead it felt more like the combination of four individually funny people doing the same thing they normally would but with other people. There was nothing wrong with that, per se, but it didn't change the world as much as expected.
Luckily the show did get a second series and now seems to be forging more its own voice rather than relying on the reputation of its presenters.
In the first series Charlie Brooker was pretty much doing old Screenwipe and Newswipe pieces. David Mitchell had his soapbox, similar to his rant videos over on the Guardian and Jimmy Carr was doing his opener from 8 Out of 10 Cats. And poor Lauren Laverne was sort of left out it mostly, every now and again given a silly pre-record to do, but sometimes felt a bit token woman.
They also tried discussions, which involved many, many people. Asking lots of different people what their opinion was on something much like a real news programme would do.
This time around there is still plenty of conversation and debate, but it is focused on the four presenters. It may not be informed discussion because they no longer have the most qualified person in the country to talk about that subject. But then they have gained something from it - humour. And I do believe that is important in satire.
However, the show is not quite at running level yet. It also suffers from the problem of relying upon the news and for that to keep on giving quality stories to make jokes about. But the turning point seemed to come this week from Charlie Brooker and his rant about The Sun newspaper. And I am glad that is starting to prove itself.
Photo: Channel 4
Luckily the show did get a second series and now seems to be forging more its own voice rather than relying on the reputation of its presenters.
In the first series Charlie Brooker was pretty much doing old Screenwipe and Newswipe pieces. David Mitchell had his soapbox, similar to his rant videos over on the Guardian and Jimmy Carr was doing his opener from 8 Out of 10 Cats. And poor Lauren Laverne was sort of left out it mostly, every now and again given a silly pre-record to do, but sometimes felt a bit token woman.
They also tried discussions, which involved many, many people. Asking lots of different people what their opinion was on something much like a real news programme would do.
This time around there is still plenty of conversation and debate, but it is focused on the four presenters. It may not be informed discussion because they no longer have the most qualified person in the country to talk about that subject. But then they have gained something from it - humour. And I do believe that is important in satire.
However, the show is not quite at running level yet. It also suffers from the problem of relying upon the news and for that to keep on giving quality stories to make jokes about. But the turning point seemed to come this week from Charlie Brooker and his rant about The Sun newspaper. And I am glad that is starting to prove itself.
Photo: Channel 4
Wednesday 15 February 2012
Tuesday 14 February 2012
Surprise news, always the best kind of news
I was going to do a piece about how Twitter is made out to be important, and have a general rant about those articles going on about people reading the news about celebrities dying on Twitter before the usual mediums.
But then I got distracted by something fun.
I, along with my friend Emma, run a little television blog called TV Talk. It gets a fair amount of readers each month even though we don't publicise it a great deal. Turns out if you write about Gino D'Acampo and Timmy Time there is always an audience.
The amount of content we put up goes up and down depending on our schedules, and recently the quality of television. This is why we were pleasantly surprised to see that an article Emma had written about the recent return of Top Gear had been highlighted on the BBC Top Gear site.
It may only be fleeting fame, but it feels great to be appreciated. Hopefully it could lead to something good.
But then I got distracted by something fun.
I, along with my friend Emma, run a little television blog called TV Talk. It gets a fair amount of readers each month even though we don't publicise it a great deal. Turns out if you write about Gino D'Acampo and Timmy Time there is always an audience.
The amount of content we put up goes up and down depending on our schedules, and recently the quality of television. This is why we were pleasantly surprised to see that an article Emma had written about the recent return of Top Gear had been highlighted on the BBC Top Gear site.
It may only be fleeting fame, but it feels great to be appreciated. Hopefully it could lead to something good.
Monday 13 February 2012
Sunday 12 February 2012
Bring back...?
Finally the UK can see The Muppets movie in the cinema. It feels like, and probably has been, promotion for the film has been going on for about six months. This is because not only do they want to make a lot of money out of the film, but they want to bring The Muppets back. Everyone must know who The Muppets are now, no matter how old or where you come from.
So this made me think about what shows I would like to be brought back.
My first television revival would be Mongrels. Yes, it was only on the television just before Christmas but that is the last we will see of it. BBC Three cancelled the show because it wasn't getting enough viewers, and the BBC is axing anything they can at the moment. This has genuinely annoyed me - I have even deleted BBC Three from the television.
The show is also puppet based, but it is for adults. It followed the lives of a fox, a cat, a dog and a pigeon all living behind a pub. There are jokes about the usual adult things; sex, violence and obscure references. Half the time I was amazed that the show was even on the BBC, but exceptionally grateful.
Much like The Muppets, Mongrels have a musical number each week. It produced such classics as Middleclass is Magical, Die Evil Zombies and Breaking Up is Such a Faff.
Essentially I miss it and I want a series three.
Next up I would like to see Buffy the Vampire Slayer back on the small screen. It does continue as a comic book, and it is down properly with Joss Whedon in charge of it, but it is not the same.
They do get to do story lines that could never be done on the telly well - for example one character, called Dawn, suddenly became a giant overnight. It is still confronting hard hitting issues too. Buffy isn't coping with being an adult (still) and became pregnant from a one night stand. Whedon has decided that the character is going to have an abortion. A bold choice, and if it was on the television it would have become watered down and less meaningful.
It also helps that seeing as most of the characters in the Buffy universe are immortal or don't age. So drawing your main characters means that you can make them look however you want. Whereas actors have an annoying habit of ageing.
And my final choice is decent Saturday morning children's television.
When I was growing up we had Live & Kicking and SM:TV, just to mention a few. They were daft and funny and now all we have is bland cookery programmes. Now I know that I am 22, so technically should not have an interest in kid's TV, but I would appreciate if early morning weekend television had something creative on. Rather than just the usual dross that you can film easily and make cheaply.
Photo: Disney
So this made me think about what shows I would like to be brought back.
My first television revival would be Mongrels. Yes, it was only on the television just before Christmas but that is the last we will see of it. BBC Three cancelled the show because it wasn't getting enough viewers, and the BBC is axing anything they can at the moment. This has genuinely annoyed me - I have even deleted BBC Three from the television.
The show is also puppet based, but it is for adults. It followed the lives of a fox, a cat, a dog and a pigeon all living behind a pub. There are jokes about the usual adult things; sex, violence and obscure references. Half the time I was amazed that the show was even on the BBC, but exceptionally grateful.
Much like The Muppets, Mongrels have a musical number each week. It produced such classics as Middleclass is Magical, Die Evil Zombies and Breaking Up is Such a Faff.
Essentially I miss it and I want a series three.
Next up I would like to see Buffy the Vampire Slayer back on the small screen. It does continue as a comic book, and it is down properly with Joss Whedon in charge of it, but it is not the same.
They do get to do story lines that could never be done on the telly well - for example one character, called Dawn, suddenly became a giant overnight. It is still confronting hard hitting issues too. Buffy isn't coping with being an adult (still) and became pregnant from a one night stand. Whedon has decided that the character is going to have an abortion. A bold choice, and if it was on the television it would have become watered down and less meaningful.
It also helps that seeing as most of the characters in the Buffy universe are immortal or don't age. So drawing your main characters means that you can make them look however you want. Whereas actors have an annoying habit of ageing.
And my final choice is decent Saturday morning children's television.
When I was growing up we had Live & Kicking and SM:TV, just to mention a few. They were daft and funny and now all we have is bland cookery programmes. Now I know that I am 22, so technically should not have an interest in kid's TV, but I would appreciate if early morning weekend television had something creative on. Rather than just the usual dross that you can film easily and make cheaply.
Photo: Disney
Saturday 11 February 2012
Coughing
I have been coughing like this for the past week. It has caused some concern, but I am fine.
Friday 10 February 2012
Apple and cinnamon cupcakes
So this week I was ambitious and created my own cupcakes. Apple and cinnamon is a known combination of flavours, and cake is good. So even if this recipe had gone wrong it still would have tasted nice.
So the filling is an apple puree, which I have used when making an apple tart. So get one apple and cut it up into small pieces. You can take off the skins of the apple if you like but they mostly boil down and become soft Put this into a small saucepan, ideally one that has a lid. Fill the saucepan with water and then add two tablespoons of sugar. I like using brown sugar because it makes it more caramel tasting. Then put it on the hob on a low temperature. Keep tabs on it and if the water starts to get too low before it starts to look like a puree then put in some more water.
When it starts to look more like a syrup then add a few drops of lemon juice. Just before you would take it off the heat add a tablespoon of apricot jam, which just brings it all together more.
Once done take it off the heat and allow it to cool.
Next make the cake. I fancied making cinnamon cake mixture but decided to leave it, but I am sure it would work. Instead just make a normal cake mixture.
I did 150g of butter, 150g of sugar (white sugar this time) and cream together. Then I only had one egg so mixed the egg with 100ml of milk. If you have more eggs then just use two eggs and forget about the milk. Then put this into the sugar and butter and mixed together. Then added 150g of self raising flour. If you need more moisture then just add some more milk as you are mixing until you get a dropping consistency.
Then put the mixture into cupcake cases - this mixture made 12 cakes. Put them in the oven at gas mark 5 for 20 minutes.
During this time I made the icing. I had one tablespoon of butter, and then three tablespoons of icing sugar. Added one teaspoon of cinnamon powder to flavour the butter cream icing. To make butter icing I find it best to use an electric mixer, it will spew icing sugar everywhere so be prepared to make a mess and to inhale a lot of icing sugar too, but it makes really nice icing, really quickly. If it looks too sloppy then add more tablespoons of icing sugar. I think I ended up using about six.
Once the cakes are done, take them out the oven and allow them to cool.
Once cool use the handle of a teaspoon to poke a hole in the tops of the cakes. Try and keep it neat but at the same time make sure you can poke lots of your apple puree mixture into the cakes.
Then put about a teaspoon of the apple mixture into each hole in the cakes. If there is mixture left over then fit it into the cakes where you can until it is all gone.
Then put a tablespoon of the cinnamon icing onto the tops of each cake and that is it done.
So the filling is an apple puree, which I have used when making an apple tart. So get one apple and cut it up into small pieces. You can take off the skins of the apple if you like but they mostly boil down and become soft Put this into a small saucepan, ideally one that has a lid. Fill the saucepan with water and then add two tablespoons of sugar. I like using brown sugar because it makes it more caramel tasting. Then put it on the hob on a low temperature. Keep tabs on it and if the water starts to get too low before it starts to look like a puree then put in some more water.
When it starts to look more like a syrup then add a few drops of lemon juice. Just before you would take it off the heat add a tablespoon of apricot jam, which just brings it all together more.
Once done take it off the heat and allow it to cool.
Next make the cake. I fancied making cinnamon cake mixture but decided to leave it, but I am sure it would work. Instead just make a normal cake mixture.
I did 150g of butter, 150g of sugar (white sugar this time) and cream together. Then I only had one egg so mixed the egg with 100ml of milk. If you have more eggs then just use two eggs and forget about the milk. Then put this into the sugar and butter and mixed together. Then added 150g of self raising flour. If you need more moisture then just add some more milk as you are mixing until you get a dropping consistency.
Then put the mixture into cupcake cases - this mixture made 12 cakes. Put them in the oven at gas mark 5 for 20 minutes.
During this time I made the icing. I had one tablespoon of butter, and then three tablespoons of icing sugar. Added one teaspoon of cinnamon powder to flavour the butter cream icing. To make butter icing I find it best to use an electric mixer, it will spew icing sugar everywhere so be prepared to make a mess and to inhale a lot of icing sugar too, but it makes really nice icing, really quickly. If it looks too sloppy then add more tablespoons of icing sugar. I think I ended up using about six.
Once the cakes are done, take them out the oven and allow them to cool.
Once cool use the handle of a teaspoon to poke a hole in the tops of the cakes. Try and keep it neat but at the same time make sure you can poke lots of your apple puree mixture into the cakes.
Then put about a teaspoon of the apple mixture into each hole in the cakes. If there is mixture left over then fit it into the cakes where you can until it is all gone.
Then put a tablespoon of the cinnamon icing onto the tops of each cake and that is it done.
Thursday 9 February 2012
Teenage Revolution
My recent reading trend seems to be reading the thoughts of memories of men the same age as my Dad. Most of them were also bought for me by my Dad. Nevertheless the most recent, Alan Davies' Teenage Revolution was an interesting read.
You would only really be interested in the book if you are a fan of actor and comedian, Alan Davies. Although the book does cover a lot of the issues of the 1970s and '80s such as racism, music and The Sweeney, it is all through the eyes of Davies and what he was doing at the time.
The book also came with a television series a few years ago, which lightly touched upon the issues of the era in the way that Davies saw it.
However, for an autobiography Davies is honest that a lot of what he remembers is in fact wrong once he has looked it up. Even simple things have escaped him. He saw his favourite band, The Jam, six times. He can in fact only remember three of those gigs.
It does make my childhood sound quite dull. I went to school and then I came home and did my homework, not really book worthy. Davies did similar things but he grew up in more interesting times. In his earlier years Davies does reminisce about the television shows he watched and what they meant to him. When he got older he had to deal with racism at his school and at the football matches he attended. Likewise with people his age learning about homosexuality and finding the kid at school to bully over that.
Mostly I am jealous at the music he grew up with. Having the chance to see The Jam is enviable. Whereas I had a myriad of shit girl bands and boy bands to feign interest in to appear normal.
The saddest thing about the book though is the fact that Davies lost his mother when he was very young. Missing his mum is something that you can tell in almost every page, which makes the book more than just a vague memory of his childhood. And you realise what a terribly shitty thing it is to happen to a child, and how it never really leaves them.
Wednesday 8 February 2012
Tuesday 7 February 2012
Is this the real life?
After weeks of Denise Welch hitting the papers because of various indiscretions, she decided to announce on live television that she and her husband have separated.
She decided to use the daytime television programme she works on, Loose Women, that talk of her having an affair was false. She then cried as she announced to the audience that her and her husband Tim Healy had broken up. This was all live on the television whilst most people were just about to tuck into their lunch.
So not only was that sad but it seems to have become a selling point for Loose Women now. The show's host, Andrea McLean, announced in the papers and in her autobiography that her second marriage had broken down.
The entire show does revolve around the honesty of the women as they dissect their lives so the viewers can identify with them and know that someone else feels the same as them. So I suppose when something happens in their relationship they have more of an obligation to let people know. I mean it is nothing like when David van Day used Channel 5's The Wright Stuff to dump his girlfriend.
But at the same time, the show now feels the need to use this to their advantage. If they can have a discussion where both Denise and Andrea look sad and reflect on their current emotional state, then they sure as will.
This feels slightly weird, and maybe should be something for people, and celebrities, to take note of. When you are fawning and gushing about your latest partner and talk about nothing else, then realise that first of all it is unbearable for everyone around you. Secondly, it could all go wrong and then you will have to announce this too.
Admittedly, it is unlikely that in a normal job you would have to disclaimer that you are getting a divorce in a meeting at work.
Photo: ITV
So not only was that sad but it seems to have become a selling point for Loose Women now. The show's host, Andrea McLean, announced in the papers and in her autobiography that her second marriage had broken down.
The entire show does revolve around the honesty of the women as they dissect their lives so the viewers can identify with them and know that someone else feels the same as them. So I suppose when something happens in their relationship they have more of an obligation to let people know. I mean it is nothing like when David van Day used Channel 5's The Wright Stuff to dump his girlfriend.
But at the same time, the show now feels the need to use this to their advantage. If they can have a discussion where both Denise and Andrea look sad and reflect on their current emotional state, then they sure as will.
This feels slightly weird, and maybe should be something for people, and celebrities, to take note of. When you are fawning and gushing about your latest partner and talk about nothing else, then realise that first of all it is unbearable for everyone around you. Secondly, it could all go wrong and then you will have to announce this too.
Admittedly, it is unlikely that in a normal job you would have to disclaimer that you are getting a divorce in a meeting at work.
Photo: ITV
Monday 6 February 2012
Crispy duck
They aren't my ducks but they look so cute in the snow that I had to post them for my duck post.
Sunday 5 February 2012
How to get yourself noticed in advertising
Advertisers are supposed to be able to sell you anything. Even if you don't need what they are selling. But at the moment you would think that they have run out of things to sell.
I am referring to the abysmal Andrex Washlets adverts. During the adverts now you can cringe as Dawn Porter repeatedly asks unsuspecting members of the public how they wipe their bottom.
This is all to convince people that for years we have been cleaning up after ourselves incorrectly because we 'dry wipe', as Porter crudely refers to it. Instead we should be using wet wipes. It seems Porter will not rest until everybody knows this. So far she has paced high streets, walked into gyms and disturbed shopping centres in order to tell people about the merits of wet wipes.
Originally the adverts started with people shunning Porter, thinking that she was a mad stranger asking too many questions. Gradually people have started warming to her and are now getting sucked into this absurd belief that we just aren't going to the loo correctly unless we have some wet wipes nearby.
I mean what next? Adult nappies for the busy lifestyle and you don't have time for the loo.
It is also ridiculous because people will always need to buy toiletries, so you have a head start. Toilet paper is not a luxury item that people constantly think about if it is worth buying.
In fact it reminds me of a That Mitchell and Webb Look sketch. The advertisers have run out ways to sell a toothbrush. So they come up with an idea that even they are sceptical about.
Photo: Andrex
I am referring to the abysmal Andrex Washlets adverts. During the adverts now you can cringe as Dawn Porter repeatedly asks unsuspecting members of the public how they wipe their bottom.
This is all to convince people that for years we have been cleaning up after ourselves incorrectly because we 'dry wipe', as Porter crudely refers to it. Instead we should be using wet wipes. It seems Porter will not rest until everybody knows this. So far she has paced high streets, walked into gyms and disturbed shopping centres in order to tell people about the merits of wet wipes.
Originally the adverts started with people shunning Porter, thinking that she was a mad stranger asking too many questions. Gradually people have started warming to her and are now getting sucked into this absurd belief that we just aren't going to the loo correctly unless we have some wet wipes nearby.
I mean what next? Adult nappies for the busy lifestyle and you don't have time for the loo.
It is also ridiculous because people will always need to buy toiletries, so you have a head start. Toilet paper is not a luxury item that people constantly think about if it is worth buying.
In fact it reminds me of a That Mitchell and Webb Look sketch. The advertisers have run out ways to sell a toothbrush. So they come up with an idea that even they are sceptical about.
Photo: Andrex
Saturday 4 February 2012
Sound: making a cake
I made cakes and then I wanted to know if any of those sounds made good radio, turns out most things are quite quiet unless you present it. I apologise for the heavy breathing, I have a cold nothing lewd.
Friday 3 February 2012
Lemon meringue pies
So after accidentally mastering how to make meringue I decided it was time to stop making an assortment of chocolate cakes and make a tart. So I went with the obvious choice of lemon meringue pie.
I made all the sections separately, especially after a conversation with my friend Emma (who has a funny blog of her own) that the meringue on lemon meringue pie is too foamy and soft compared to just normal meringue.
So start with two egg whites, separating out the yolk can be a bit difficult but just concentrate. Then measure out 3oz of white sugar. Whisk the egg whites until sort of foamy and then add the sugar gradually whisking as you go. Then I like to add a tablespoon of icing sugar just to make the meringue mixture look shiny.
Pour it into a baking tray and then put it into the oven at gas mark 1 for about 30-40 minutes or until when you tap it there is a hollow sound.
Whilst the meringue is in the oven make the pastry. Measure out 115g of flour and 55g of butter, rub them together until it looks like breadcrumbs. Add a few tablespoons of white sugar and mix together. Then bring together with 4-5 tablespoons of water.
Roll out the pastry, make it quite thin. Then as I was making individual pies I used a cupcake tray and cut out circles of pastry to fit the trays. Then prick the bottom. Once you have taken out the meringue out of the oven put in the pastry and put the temperature up to about gas mark 6.
About 10 minutes later take out the pastry and put in a couple of teaspoons into lemon curd into each case. Then back in the over for another 10 minutes.
Take out the oven and allow the pies to cool. In the meantime break up the meringue into sections to put on top of the pies.
They are really good and I might try making a big sized pie too.
I made all the sections separately, especially after a conversation with my friend Emma (who has a funny blog of her own) that the meringue on lemon meringue pie is too foamy and soft compared to just normal meringue.
So start with two egg whites, separating out the yolk can be a bit difficult but just concentrate. Then measure out 3oz of white sugar. Whisk the egg whites until sort of foamy and then add the sugar gradually whisking as you go. Then I like to add a tablespoon of icing sugar just to make the meringue mixture look shiny.
Pour it into a baking tray and then put it into the oven at gas mark 1 for about 30-40 minutes or until when you tap it there is a hollow sound.
Whilst the meringue is in the oven make the pastry. Measure out 115g of flour and 55g of butter, rub them together until it looks like breadcrumbs. Add a few tablespoons of white sugar and mix together. Then bring together with 4-5 tablespoons of water.
Roll out the pastry, make it quite thin. Then as I was making individual pies I used a cupcake tray and cut out circles of pastry to fit the trays. Then prick the bottom. Once you have taken out the meringue out of the oven put in the pastry and put the temperature up to about gas mark 6.
About 10 minutes later take out the pastry and put in a couple of teaspoons into lemon curd into each case. Then back in the over for another 10 minutes.
Take out the oven and allow the pies to cool. In the meantime break up the meringue into sections to put on top of the pies.
They are really good and I might try making a big sized pie too.
The Good, the Bad and the Multiplex
So I have finally gone and done it. I have found the time to read a book. It only took an evening as well.
The book in question is film critic Mark Kermode's latest offering The Good, the Bad and the Multiplex. Although it is a book it was easily devoured in an evening because it felt more like having a chat with Kermode down the pub about his love of cinema. Although there wasn't a really a chance for the reader to talk back or disagree, but I have a funny feeling that is what would happen anyway.
I mean if you did happen to be in the pub with Kermode you would talk about cinema, only a mad man would decide that this was the time to find out his opinion on German fiscal policy. And if you did disagree would you tell him? Or would you let him continue with an anecdote about when he was interviewing Spielberg or when he found out the truth behind those "This is the best movie you will ever see" movie poster quotes?
The book would only really appeal to you if you have a fondness for Kermode, whose rants are similar to those of Charlie Brooker's but with a focus on cinema, or if you have a passion for film.
I fall into the category of enjoying Kermode's rants, my favourite in the book being a short review of the film The Animal (never seen it myself) which said "an appalling affair which made me understand how a fox can chew its own leg off in order to escape a hideous ordeal of entrapment".
The book covers a range of topics for Kermode to get angry about and equally excited like popcorn (an angry topic) to a bicycle powered film festival (an excitable topic). Throughout the book you also get the sense that he has a bizarre job and consequently a weird life, but seems very normal and down to earth. Ignoring the fanatical knowledge of films. But everyone has a hobby and I am sure his family have learnt to tune him out when he gets into one of his usual rants.
But the thing I have always liked about Kermode is, yes he gets angry, but he equally gets passionate. And he isn't a boring film critic who likes the powerful, Oscar tipped films because everything we do in life should have a meaning. No, he enjoys the Twilight films, is a fan of Zac Efron and cries at The Sound of Music.
His writing makes me realise what I have missed out on from not being a regular cinema goer. I mean to change that each time I read or listen to him, but secretly know that I will not. This means my cinema experience is sitting down in the evening and catching up with Kermode has written of late and for that I am grateful.
The book in question is film critic Mark Kermode's latest offering The Good, the Bad and the Multiplex. Although it is a book it was easily devoured in an evening because it felt more like having a chat with Kermode down the pub about his love of cinema. Although there wasn't a really a chance for the reader to talk back or disagree, but I have a funny feeling that is what would happen anyway.
I mean if you did happen to be in the pub with Kermode you would talk about cinema, only a mad man would decide that this was the time to find out his opinion on German fiscal policy. And if you did disagree would you tell him? Or would you let him continue with an anecdote about when he was interviewing Spielberg or when he found out the truth behind those "This is the best movie you will ever see" movie poster quotes?
The book would only really appeal to you if you have a fondness for Kermode, whose rants are similar to those of Charlie Brooker's but with a focus on cinema, or if you have a passion for film.
I fall into the category of enjoying Kermode's rants, my favourite in the book being a short review of the film The Animal (never seen it myself) which said "an appalling affair which made me understand how a fox can chew its own leg off in order to escape a hideous ordeal of entrapment".
The book covers a range of topics for Kermode to get angry about and equally excited like popcorn (an angry topic) to a bicycle powered film festival (an excitable topic). Throughout the book you also get the sense that he has a bizarre job and consequently a weird life, but seems very normal and down to earth. Ignoring the fanatical knowledge of films. But everyone has a hobby and I am sure his family have learnt to tune him out when he gets into one of his usual rants.
But the thing I have always liked about Kermode is, yes he gets angry, but he equally gets passionate. And he isn't a boring film critic who likes the powerful, Oscar tipped films because everything we do in life should have a meaning. No, he enjoys the Twilight films, is a fan of Zac Efron and cries at The Sound of Music.
His writing makes me realise what I have missed out on from not being a regular cinema goer. I mean to change that each time I read or listen to him, but secretly know that I will not. This means my cinema experience is sitting down in the evening and catching up with Kermode has written of late and for that I am grateful.
Wednesday 1 February 2012
Photo: more herbs
I am growing more herbs and this week little shoots started poking through.
Also I have now been doing this blog for a month, only another 11 to go now.
Also I have now been doing this blog for a month, only another 11 to go now.
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