HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

VALENTINE BISCUITS

1 Medium Egg

50g Caster Sugar

50g Soft Brown Sugar

75g Golden Syrup

80g Butter

1 tsp Mixed Spice

1/4 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

375g Plain Flour

Preheat oven to 180'c. Rub the butter into the flour and then stir in the dry ingredients. Add the egg and golden syrup and bring together to form a dough.

Roll out onto a floured board and cut out hearts using a heart shaped cookie cutter. Arrange on a greased baking tray and bake for approx 20mins, until they are a golden colour.

Decorate with icing or icing pens.

LITTLE COTTON RABBITS' BEAUTIFUL CUPCAKES

I have been after a good cupcake pattern for a long time now, but have never been able to find a really good one until now. I popped over to the Little Cotton Rabbits blog and came across her wonderful patterns. I bought this pattern from her site on Folksy, but she also has lots of lovely free patterns on her blog - they are absolutely wonderful. I can't wait now to knit some more of them!

MY KNITTED BAG

At last!! I've managed to make this patchwork bag. I've been meaning to make one for ages and kept putting it off. In the end it took just over a week to make, evening only, so not too much time spent on it. The pattern was from last month's Let's Knit magazine, which was well worth the money as there were lots of good patterns in it this time as well as the free handles.

I lined the bag with some gingham which was one of those things which I bought for those 'it may come in handy for something' moments!!

It's smaller than I imagined it to be, so I think it will be used to hold my current cross stitching project. Very pleased with the result!!

MONKEY BREAD FOR THE BREADMAKER

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE BREAD

1/4 Cup Warm Water

3 1/4 Cups Flour

1 Egg

1 tsp Salt

1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar

3/4 Cup Warm Milk

25g Margerine/Butter

1 Sachet Dried Yeast

FOR THE COATING

115g Butter, melted

1/2 Cup Chopped Mixed Nuts

2 tsp Ground Cinnamon

3/4 Cup Demerara Sugar

FOR THE DRIZZLE ICING:

1/2 Cup Icing Sugar

Enough milk to make a thin icing



Place all the ingredients into the bread maker in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Set breadmaker to dough programme.



Preheat oven to 180'c. Grease and flour a bundt pan (a large sandwich tin works just as well).



Place the chopped nuts, cinnamon and brown sugar into a small bowl and mix. Place melted butted into another bowl.



When the breadmaker has finished, pull pieces off the dough and roll into 1/2 inch balls, roll the balls into the butter and then roll in the nut mixture to cover. Arrange in the pan in a circle.



Bake for approx 20 - 25 minutes or until browned and the bread sounds hollow when tapped underneath.



Leave to cool. Make the icing by sieving the icing sugar and mixing with enough milk to form a runny consistency. Drizzle over the bread and leave to set.

AMERICAN:ENGLISH CONVERSION CHART

I own lots of American recipe books, but some of the measurements have often been awkward to work out. I do now have a set of cup measures, but this chart still comes in handy for liquid & butter measures etc.

LIQUID MEASURES

1 Cup US = 275ml

1 Pint US = 550ml

1 Quart US = 900ml

SPOON MEASURES

1 Level Tablespoon Flour - 15g Flour

1 Heaped Tablespoon Flour - 28g Flour

1 Level Tablespoon Sugar = 28g Sugar

1 Level Tablespoon Butter = 15g Butter

SPOON MEASURES

1 Cup Rice US = 225g Rice

1 Cup Flour US = 115g Flour

1 Cup Butter US = 225g Butter

1 Stick Butter US = 115g Butter

1 Cup Dried Fruit US = 225g Dried Fruit

1 Cup Brown Sugar US = 180g Brown Sugar

1 Cup Granulated Sugar US = 225g Granulated Sugar

QUEEN OF PUDDINGS WITH COCONUT

INGREDIENTS

150g Stale White Bread or Brioche


Vanilla Extract


1 tbs Caster Sugar


Finely Grated Rind of 1/2 Lemon


200ml Milk


50g Butter + Extra For Greasing


300ml Coconut Milk


4 Eggs, Separated


2 tbs Bramble Jelly


100g Caster Sugar


Salt





Preheat oven to 180'C (350'F) Gas Mark 4. Grease a medium sized oven proof dish.





Process the bread crumbs and tip into a mixing bowl. Add a few drops of vanilla essence with the tablespoon of sugar and the grated lemon rind.





In a small pan, heat the milk with the butter. Just before it boils, pour the hot milk over the breadcrumbs, then add the coconut milk. Lastly beat in the egg yolks.





Pour the mixture into the greased baking dish, put into the oven and bake for about 30mins. The cream should be just starting to set.





Warm the jelly gently and spread it over the cream, when it has cooled a little. Whisk the egg whites until stiff with a pinch of salt, add the sugar (reserving 2 tsp) and whisk again. Spread the meringue over the cream, sprinkle with the remaining sugar and put in the oven for about 15 minutes, just long enough for the meringue to brown in places. Serve hot.