Birthdays

First off let me apologise for my slight delay in writing my weekly post. Not that I'm sure it matters or you in fact are the slightest bit bothered but the reason for my slight pause is due to the fact that i was approaching an unavoidable date in my dairy that had been gloomily shadowing me for some time.
On Monday 17 Th October i reluctantly entered into the age of 27. Many of you reading this may scoff and snigger at my reluctance for hitting this age in my late twenties, but for some unknown reason i have always likened 27 to teetering on the edge of a step on the stairs. At this point in life you can either strive for more and carry on climbing until you have reached your goals, fall back down and loose grip on what you are looking for or possibly worse stay on that same step all your life, daring to never venture forward and continuing to pace back and to in the life you already exist in.

Fortunately for those of you who are still reading my late twenties crisis has been subsided due to a very thoughtful and attentive husband, who heroically saved the day and stopped me from becoming one of those many millions of people who hate birthdays and dread the next arriving.

Elegantly and precisely wrapped was a large box awaiting my attention on the morning of my philosophical celebrations, alongside it was a eager husband about to burst with anticipation. There is something about big wrapped up boxes, it could be housing anything - an animal ( there were no air holes ), a box inside a box ( that could possibly include something small and eye blisteringly shiny), no this looked too heavy and it wasn't moving. I unwrapped it ( much to R's dismay, i took no care in seeing how neatly it had been wrapped ) with the excitement of a 5 year old child and only had to see the font that the name was displayed in to know that R had hit a home run.

I have spent many a time ogling over Nigellas Kitchen Aid in many of her cooking programmes, watching her lovingly  take it away with her on a seaside holiday just to get the best results for a billowing pavlova.
Minutes have been long dwindled away as i have stood quietly caressing them in in the crowded aisles of John Lewis only stopping when being pushed away by R when he noticed people beginning to stare.
Not just Nigella but Ina Garten, Lorraine Pascale and Sophie Dahl all help to glamorise this ultimate mixer and make it a sexy addition to any wannabe bakers kitchen.

' Its Red', said R, ' Candy Apple Metallic Red '.
' Red ? '. I stupidly answered back, letting my mouth speak without engaging my brain first.

' Well the lady in the shop said the cream ones get filthy and she hadn't been able to get hold of a purple one for months'.

If you haven't already guessed, Cream and Purple have been the Kitchen Aids of my desire since i first began my obsession about owning one, not that it should matter what colour i get one in but for probably the second time in my life i thoughtlessly let my mouth run away with me without a single glimmer of a pause into the massive thought that R had put into this present.
The colour, irreverent as it should be is actually breathtakingly gorgeous, She ( i haven't thought of a name for her yet, but its definitely a her) now sits like a glamazonial princess amongst my other mainly purple accessories but i am to be haunted till the day i die by the look of utter disappointment on R's face upon my first senseless reaction.

Ecstatic though i am, this foxy arrival has provoked a unhappy retirement of a much loved kitchen gadget that has seen marriages, births , deaths , divorces , birthdays and many more important stages of life (many of which before my time ), it has never once let me down or failed to disappoint me in any way shape or form. It has been there all the way through my culinary journey, helping me grow from my first pathetic attempt of a  pancake flat victoria sponge to an award winning light as a feather victoria sandwich. The beaters have been carefully licked by many tongues I'm sure along the way, each trying to reach the unreachable parts on the inside where the most cake mixture likes to hide. Only just recently has it started to show its age with strange black pieces falling out from the holes which grip the beaters so tight ( these never seemed to get noticed nor tasted) and small billows of smoke have been seen puffing stressfully out of the the back when tirelessly whipping up meringue, still not once has my Kenwood Chefette given in to its grand old age and stopped action.
Much more of a plain Jane compared to the Heidi Klum style of my Kitchen aid it has worked relentlessly into helping me become the cook and baker i am today and for that i owe it my all and will remain in my possession for as long as i live.


Being National Baking week and in need to christen my newest addition to my kitchen i decided upon some biscuits, quick to whip up, quick to bake and most of all quick to eat.

Chocolate Orange Peanut Butter Cookies

100g butter at room temperature
50g demerera sugar
50g golden caster sugar
100g peanut butter smooth or crunchy
1 egg
100g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarb of soda
100g dark chocolate flavoured with orange, chopped into smallish chunks

Pre heat the oven to 180oc
Cut the butter into chunks and mix together with the sugars until pale in colour and creamy in texture,
add the peanut butter and the egg.
Sieve together the flour, baking powder and the bicarb of soda then add to your wet ingredients along with your chocolate chunks.
Mix gently until you have formed a soft dough, tear of teaspoon sized pieces of the dough and place on a tray lined with greaseproof paper and gently flatten on top without making them too thin.
Also be aware that these cookies will spread slightly so don't place too close together on the tray.
Bake for around 8 - 10 minutes until golden brown, then cool on a wire rack for as long as it takes someone to smell the chocolaty peanut deliciousness coming out from the kitchen.


Dedicated to my Kenwood Chefette - My kitchen best friend, now not used but never forgotten.