Totally Taylor

Happy New Decade!

2010-01-08T12:45:00.006Z

Can't believe another year has passed and I haven't posted! I keep dipping back though as I hope to one day post regularly!

As you can see we continue to visit Loch Ness and take photos. Sunset is our favourite time for a visit.

The end of 2009 saw a large amount of snow which started falling on 19th December 2009 and, as of 8th January 2010, is still here. We have over 2ft of snow deposited still on our patio table and that is with some of it having thawed! I don't remember having snow and ice conditions for this length of time ever! Beautiful to look at, and photograph, but very dangerous underfoot! Still here for a few days yet I believe!

Stay safe everyone!

BACK TO BLOG!

2009-01-31T00:01:00.010Z

Well I think the time has come to get back to the blog!

Such a lot going on last year & never really did make it back here. Of course, there was still plenty of baking, travelling & activity going on....just didn't record it here.

2008 was a year of change which, amongst other things, saw my oldest son sit &, thankfully, pass his standard grades whilst my youngest son started secondary school (which, incidentally, makes me feel very old!). My husband started a new post with his existing employer & I changed my working hours following a fellow colleagues' retirement! I managed to lose 2 and a half stone in weight...then put a large majority back on again! Story of my life!

One activity has remained constant throughout this year though - Loch Ness visits. We live a short drive away from the northern shore and often nip down to the Lochside to see the scenery. No day is the same...each day a different picture. During December 2008 we had some exceptionally cold days which saw the sky bright & the water still - casting wonderful reflections on the glassy surface. Such a pleasure & a privilege to see it. God's canvas.

SO MUCH TO DO...SO LITTLE TIME!

2007-11-09T12:31:00.001Z

When I first set this blog up I was really excited about keeping an online diary! Now I know why I have never kept a diary! I have always been too busy to keep them up-to-date! But I am determined to keep posting even though it is at irregular intervals...it's fun & it'll be good to look back at.

I have been really busy with church publicity given the time of year; I've also being carving & cooking pumpkins as we seldom get the orange ones
after Halloween & they're great for making cakes. I know there's always the butternut but it nice to have a change! I've made pumpkin, honey & cinnamon loaf, pumpkin & ginger loaf, pumpkin date cake as well as frozen a load! On top of that I made my Christmas cake. it's a new recipe this year as I wanted to use whiskey instead of brandy. hopefully it'll turn out OK.

MMMmmm...it is now the 19 November & I still haven't finished this to post! People I will be back with recipes and the like very soon...I have obviously got to re-evaluate my life to fit this in somewhere as I enjoy doing it.....BACK SOON!

I'm Almost Back!

2007-10-22T16:16:00.000+01:00

Goodness, doesn't time fly when you're having fun! Been away...school holidays! Found ourselves in Rome for a week! Wonderful!! Exhausted!!

So much to see & do. My husband, sons & I went...did the tourist 'thing': Colosseum, Campo Di Fiori, Piazza Navone, Vatican City, Trastevere, Trevi Fountain, Castel Sante Angelo, Spanish Steps, Pantheon, Forum, Appian Way...it goes on! We stayed on the Via Nazionale which is an excellent location to get around the city from & just up the road from the main train terminal so great for our arrival & departure too. Temperature was around 25 degrees & it only rained for about 3 hours...very heavily...clothes-soakingly heavy...one day!!!! You can see our pictures on Flickr - we'll probably load them one by one (Click on Flickr link at the side of Blog). Above is a picture of us all awaiting nightfall over the Colosseum.

Now we're back...getting back into the groove of routine life. Kids are back at school. All my little one can think of is Trick n' Treat! I'm not a huge fan of the symbolism of Halloween but I let the boys go out & have a laugh with their friends...they're in it for the sweets...that's the whole story & nothing but the story! So...it's costume-thought time...pirates, mummy, zombie, Dracula, mad scientist, cowboy...wonder what it's going to be this year? My oldest is done with it now, "I'm going to answer the door this year & hand out the sweets," he said. Suits me fine!

Time for Harvest

2007-09-30T15:03:00.001+01:00

It was harvest Thanksgiving at our church today so we were thanking God for all the food we have & how important it is for us to share that gift with those who don't have as much. Our church supports Highland Food Bank so the children collected all the provisions to take to the front & it'll be carted off to make up food packages for distribution in our locality. Our speaker also reminded us of how important it is to remember to share this gift from God practically & spiritually, by sharing our faith as well as what we have materially

Highland Feast 2007

2007-09-29T23:18:00.000+01:00

OK all you foodies out there...it's festival time! Highland Feast 2007 started Friday 28th September and goes on until Sunday 14th October. There are lots of food-related events going on throughout the Highlands to celebrate food! Click here to find out more!

A few friends & I headed out to Cawdor Castle today for 'Living Food' - a celebration of all things organic food-wise from production to administration. There was organic vegetables, herbs, baking, soap, shitake mushrooms (smoked & plain!), meat, fish, chutneys, jams, Really Garlicky Company, Spoff...the list goes on!

A huge marquee was set up in the castle grounds full of stalls promoting the above. There was also an opportunity to purchase produce. It was great to see such a wealth of decent foods...all produced in Scotland...predominantly the Highlands & Islands area. Picked up a few chutneys, sauces & garlic bulbs myself.

It was a beautiful day too so we wandered into the Castle gardens for a browse. there were still quite a few flowers in bloom given how cold it has gotten here lately! Looks like a light frost tonight & apparently there was snow on the Cairngorms today! Signs of a cold winter to come? We'll see soon enough!

We then ventured into the tea room for lattes & baking before heading back home.

Catching up...again!

2007-09-29T17:49:00.000+01:00

Such a busy week! Haven't even had the time to blog! Been busy baking for the Youth Weekend & just life in general! Baked chocolate cake, almond slice & chocolate & orange cookies for the teens...hopefully went down OK!

Chocolate Cake

250g self-raising flour
250g light soft brown sugar
50g cocoa
250g plain chocolate (I like Green & Blacks)
250g butter
4 large eggs

Filling
100g butter
200g icing sugar (sieved)
4 x 5ml spoon cocoa
5ml vanilla extract

Topping
1 and half bars (125g bars) Galaxy milk chocolate

Heat the oven to 160c/fan 140c/gas 3. Use a 20 x 20cm square cake tin - grease & line.

Mix the flour, sugar & cocoa together in a bowl. Melt the plain chocolate & butter together with 200ml water in a pan & then beat this along with the eggs into the dry mixture. Pour into the cake tin & bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool on a cooling rack. The cake may crack on the top a little but don't worry about that as we're going to smother it in milk chocolate :O) Yum!

To make the filling: sieve your icing sugar & soften your butter. Place butter into a bowl: cream it & gradually add the icing sugar & cream well together. Add the cocoa & the vanilla essence & mix in well till smooth in colour.

When the cake is sufficiently cool to fill: cut carefully in half & spread the butter cream filling over the bottom half evenly. Replace the top part of the cake & then prepare the chocolate topping. Melt all the chocolate in a Pyrex bowl over a pan of boiling water & stir the chocolate until all is melted & smooth using a fork. Pour over the top & smooth evenly over the surface...careful not to overload the edges if you don't want the chocolate to drip over the sides! I then use a fork & pattern the top before leaving the chocolate to solidify again.

You can, of course, use whatever filling & topping you would like for your chocolate cake...but this is what my Mum always did & it takes me back to my childhood when I do it this way! It will also keep for a few days using the above ingredients.

Go girls...& enjoy!

Almond Slice

This recipe I have had for years & have never forgotten where I found it. My mum-in-law has a friend who used to save all her magazines for me as she knew I collected recipes. The above was a reader recipe from People's Friend magazine which I have adapted slightly by adding the white chocolate! The kids love it (as long as they don't have a nut allergy of course!).

4oz butter
8oz condensed milk
2.5ml almond essence
8oz rich tea biscuits (crushed)
3oz dessicated coconut
100g white chocolate

Line a 18 x 28cm shallow tin. Place the butter & condensed milk in a large saucepan & heat gently until it has melted. Stir until well combined. Then stir in the almond essence. Mix the crushed biscuits with the coconut. Add this to the mixture in the pan & mix thoroughly. Press the mixture down into the lined tin & place in fridge until it has hardened (a few hours).

Melt the white chocolate & flick over the mixture in the tin to create streaks of chocolate in patterns across the top. leave in a cool place or back in the fridge until the chocolate has solidified.

Cut into slices to serve. Makes around 24 slices...depends how big you cut them! It'll keep a few days as long as you keep them in the fridge. it's best to take them out a wee while before serving as this allows them to soften & reach room temperature.

I forgot to take a picture...will take one & post here when I make them again!

Last but not least...chocolate & orange cookies!

3oz soft light brown sugar
8oz butter, softened
9oz self-raising flour
2tbsp golden syrup
1tsp vanilla essence
6oz milk chocolate chips
zest of 1 large orange

Grease & line 2 large baking sheets.

Heat the oven to 200c/fan 180c/gas 6.

Beat the sugar & butter until creamy/pale. Stir in all remaining ingredients until you hyave a soft dough. Roll dough into 18-20 walnut-sized pieces & place on baking sheets - space out generously.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until cookies are lightly golden; they will be slightly soft in the middle but you want that. leave on the baking sheets until firm & then transfer to completely cool on a cooling rack.

Easy does it!!

I'll be back later to tell you about the Highland Food Festival! Going out to the cinema to see 'Atonement' with my friends!

BUSY DAYS

2007-09-26T01:03:00.000+01:00

Tuesday: Taken pity on the girl who runs the coffee shop! She can't eat chocolate & she needs something without chocolate to sell (as well as nibble herself!) so made Lemon & Raisin Bar tonight to take in .

Was at a Phoenix Cards Fundraising Evening for our church building this evening at a member's home. The cards are beautiful & very good quality. Giving money to Cancer Research & your own chosen charity. That's me got my Christmas cards now...no excuse to start writing them. So many family spread about I always have to send away early.

What a laugh! My friend took me home & her car stalled outside my house! We had to call the AA & ended up following a tow truck across town to the garage where the car could be left overnight. Her car, poor thing, is very sick! goign to be a few days before she'll get it back...not a happy bunny...her or the car for that matter!

CHOCOLATE!

2007-09-24T16:42:00.002+01:00

I'm having a chocolate moment! Today it's all I can think about...so they'll be getting Chocolate & Cinnamon Squares at the Church Coffee Shop this week! Depends on how quickly I get it all done & I'm out tonight. As I'm responsible for the newsletter at the church I tend to have a lot of Committee meetings ...keeps me informed...which is very helpful! Newsletter goes out every first Sunday of the month so that is an even busier week! Not impressed with my 11 year old; a project which he said he needed to do about a month ago is to be in Friday & he hasn't started it! I kept asking him when it was due!!!!! When will he listen to me...he's really got to get cracking now! Where's that chocolate?!

Come Now is the Time to Worship!

2007-09-23T14:08:00.001+01:00

That was the starting worship song at church this morning.

We had a fantastic speaker this morning. A member of our congregation - a woman who works for Youth for Christ in our area - a very gifted & challenging orator! Working with young folks she had a fabulous sense of humour & the time went in a flash. Her subject was; 'God is Love'. Part of her theme; Jesus said, "I have come to seek and to save those who are lost." Luke 19:10. She then went on to describe her own experience of being lost:-

She had gone with a group of friends to climb 3 munroes (somewhere) with a group of other more experienced climbers. As they proceeded it became quite clear that the less experienced in the group (namely her and her friends) were not going to be able to complete the 3 so one of the experienced climbers took them to complete the one munro whilst the others did all 3. Unfortunately the weather took a turn for the worse; it became cold & the fog came down (& of course they didn't take any coats - what would they need those for!). The more-experienced climber lost his bearings & she said general panic began to set in. For a moment she became quite excited at the thought of being rescued by a rescue squad just like on TV but when reality kicked in she became terrified. Especially when the experienced guy began setting rocks out in 'HELP' formation! After a moment of thought the climber said, 'Water has to run down, listen for water...then we can follow it down the munro.' They found a source & followed it to safety. When they got down to the bottom all the other climbers had successfully completed their 3 munroes & had been there 30 minutes waiting for them to finish their 1! But groping about in the fog with no sense of direction had been a terrifying experience!

The moral of her story: people who don't have God in their lives, whether they realise it or not, are just like them...when they were lost on that munro. Their lives will never be going in the right direction or complete without God their Creator in control. God is the whole reason we are here & we were created to have Him in our lives. Without Him...we are lost!

Playing Catchup

2007-09-22T18:40:00.001+01:00

Well! Where have the hours gone? We're at Saturday evening already! Do you sometimes feel that you are at a point in time, blink, open your eyes again & two days have passed? That's me...now!

Friday:The End of Summer Ball at the church went really well & everyone had a great time. The baking I did for the occasion was the Zucchini & Pistachio Spice Cake with Lime Frosting:

As you'll see from Thursday's post...this cake came highly recommended by Morsels & Musings and she was right! Folks who tried it were in awe & are all asking for the recipe. I personally have never tasted a combination like it - it was a real taste sensation! The recipe calls for sunflower oil but as I only had a light-tasting olive oil I used that instead & it seemed to work well. Apart from that I followed the recipe to the letter. I was skeptical of the lime in the frosting but it is a very well balanced recipe. Thanks to 'M & M' for sharing it with us all! I found it quite amusing, as when asked where I got the recipe from I stated, 'A food blog'...to which the reply was, 'A what?' I think they thought that I had fallen out of a tree!

The second recipe I ended up using was from Delicious (UK) magazine: Passion fruit & Coconut Slice...last left in the fridge photo'd quickly before it got snatched! Due to Copyright regulations I can't print their recipe but I found an almost identical recipe here.

It also has an unusual texture & taste BUT if you love passion fruit then it's a winner!

I went along to help in the kitchen as my hubby was away at a function in Edinburgh. He was having a meal with the Association of Space Explorers - as you do! He appeared to have a fascinating evening - meeting astronauts & cosmonauts from all over the world. You can only be part of this Association if you have been on an space mission...my husband obviously didn't meet that criteria. As part of developing Skills for the Highlands of Scotland he received an invitation. And it was great that he did, otherwise he would never have met the first Japanese astronaut, danced the 'Gay Gordons' with a Russian woman cosmonaut or given a Russian English student the opportunity to be his translator during his address at their annual congress! What can I say...he leads an exciting life!

Saturday:Met one of my church friends in town today for an Iced Vanilla Latte at that British Institution 'Marks & Spencer'. Caught up on the latest in each other's lives & organised some dates & upcoming events we're responsible for.

A little different from last Saturday night: we were staying at the Old Course Hotel, St Andrews, to celebrate my hubby's brother's birthday. Fabulous hotel & the food was de-lish!

Birthday Menu:

Smoked Scottish Salmon & East Neuk Crab "Raviolis"with Avocado, Sauce Gazpacho

Veloute of Sweet Potato with Abroath Smokie, Coulis of Parsley & Poached Quail Egg

Risotto of Woodland Mushrooms with Shaved Parmigiano Reggiano & White Truffle Oil

Main Course:

10oz New York Strip Served with Vine Tomatoes, Field Mushrooms & Pont Neuf Potatoes

Sauteed Tranche of Shetland Halibut with Crushed Potatoes, Ravioli of Rabbit

Roast Baby Chicken, Braised Cabbage, Fondant Potato with Garniture Bourgogne

Dessert:

Bitter Chocolate Tart with Milk Ice Cream & Cappuccino Foam

Chilled Scottish Strawberry Soup with lemon Curd Ice Cream & Pistachio Macaroons

Selection of Fine Cheeses

Coffee with Friandises

Theses consisted of mango jellies, white chocolate fudge, chocolate truffles & lemon & pistachio tartlets

Food, wonderful food! Me personally? The Veloute of sweet potato followed by baby chicken then the strawberry soup...my mouth waters in remembrance. Sorry if that has left you yearning for a taste!:) I can seriously recommend the food...but don't go if you are a fussy eater! You have to LOVE food to LIKE the nature of their menu. Our fussy boys did struggle a little...our eldest actually took a picture of his dessert...he couldn't quite believe edible gold leaf was sitting on his chocolate tart! Not to mention his starter of the smoked salmon!

It was an enjoyable weekend catching up with family members, who live in southern Scotland, & doing a little St Andrews sightseeing (viewable on Flickr). Our little 1-year-old nephew was so cute in his Ralph Lauren striped blazer! Plus, if ever in St Andrews - do give Janetta's Ice Cream shop a visit...St Andrews' version of Baskin Robbins!However, home sweet home this weekend...I certainly don't produce to the above standard in my kitchen! My hubby takes me out to restaurants for that!

Laugh of the Day: There was a magician who performed at a theatre in London & his speciality was cutting ladies in half. After his show a man asked him backstage how he had discovered the trick. The magician replied, 'I learned it from my father who had a large family. I have 2 brothers & 7 half sisters.' Bum! Bum!

Don't blame me - blame my father-in-law! My 11 year old totally loved it! :O)

Courgette Day!

2007-09-20T14:46:00.000+01:00

Thursday: We're having an End of Summer Ball at our church tomorrow night so I'm making a few cakes to take along. Not that Summer really came to Britain this year! Apparently the Gulf Stream didn't come far enough north...& didn't we know it?! Hopefully it'll cheer everyone up anyway - pop & ceilidh music provided by our in-church musicians...a very gifted lot. Should be fun.

It's a fundraiser for our new church building - we've been in it for nearly a year & a half now. As a church family we feel tremendously blessed. Before the church was built there was a port-a-cabin on the site. The church met there for a good number of years & the cabin was beginning to get just a little outgrown as well as falling apart at the seams! Fondly known as the 'sardine can'. Having said that we sold it on ebay - it now provides a social centre for berry pickers in Perthshire! That is big time recycling!

So...we moved from a cabin with a church house providing 2 toilets , a small kitchen, lounge, upstairs room plus 3 smaller rooms to a church building with an auditorium to sit 350, a foyer, catering kitchen, proper ladies & men's toilets, creche room, large upstairs room, admin block & a few other side rooms! Would you believe a year on that we feel we almost need more rooms! And we still have the Church House too! It's a fantastic facility & we are thankful to God for His goodness to us.

Today is courgette day in our house! Not only did I grate them into my spag bol (which we had for dinner) but I made 'Zucchini & pistachio spice cake with lime frosting' as per Morsels & Musings - recipe here - for tomorrow night plus one other...haven't decided yet...I will go where my fridge/larder stock leads me! Probably do that when I come in from work tomorrow.

Hello! There's a new gal on the block...

2007-09-19T17:07:00.001+01:00

...& when it comes to blogging she is totally wet behind the ears as the old saying goes!

Bear with me as I am determined to get to grips with all this. Always wanted to write a diary &, as I am totally rubbish at doing so, thought this would suit better as I'm always on the PC & love to create things via photography & graphics. Am an amateur...but I do try!

What have been up to today? Totally Taylor - that's what. Work, food shop, a visit to our Church Coffee Shop & home to start a blog & cook a curry. Nothing special...just a Chicken Korma with rice & garlic & coriander naan bread. My boys don't like things with too much spice in them...but then again neither do I...I prefer flavours to heat. The boys aren't very adventurous when it come to main courses, unfortunately, so I spend most of my cooking energy on baking, mostly for church, that way I don't put on the pounds (there are enough of those already!).

Heading into the Autumn I'm now thinking berries; raspberries, blueberries, cranberries, as well as oranges & spice. I find myself looking up Christmas cake recipes - I've decided that it will be a whiskey-flavoured recipe this year. My husband has brought so many beautiful bottles of the stuff back from conferences over the years that I think it's time to use some up...only the cheaper varieties of course! Won't be long before I'll have to don the apron for the annual session. When I decide on the recipe you'll be the first to know!