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~ Baking is my happy place

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Monthly Archives: October 2015

Pumpkin scones (Starbucks knock off)

27 Tuesday Oct 2015

Posted by Mooandboosmum in Recipes

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Halloween, recipe, tasty treat

I was wondering what to do with my pumpkin purée (there is only so much pumpkin pie you can make!) and stumbled across this recipe for pumpkin spice scones. They are very quick and easy. To be honest you don’t really need the icing, they are nice without, and being Scottish I prefer my scones simple!!! But I wanted to get close to the Starbucks version.

They have gone down well and the hubby requested a batch for his team at work!

  
The recipe below has American measurements:

Makes 8

INGREDIENTS
2 cups all-purpose (plain) flour

7 tablespoons golden caster sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1⁄2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1⁄4 teaspoon ground cloves

1⁄4 teaspoon ground ginger

6 tablespoons cold butter

1⁄2 cup canned or fresh pumpkin purée 

3 tablespoons half-and-half (whole milk)

1 large egg
FOR THE GLAZE

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

2 tablespoons milk

FOR THE SPICED GLAZE

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Pinch of nutmeg

2 tablespoons milk

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 200 C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, baking powder and salt. Add cold butter, using your fingers to work the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse crumbs.

In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, milk and egg. Pour mixture over dry ingredients and stir using a rubber spatula until a soft dough forms.

Working on a lightly floured surface, knead the dough 3-4 times until it comes together. Using a rolling pill, roll the dough into a 10- by 7-inch rectangle, about 1-inch thick. Using a large knife or a pizza cutter, cut the rectangle in half lengthwise, then cut into 2 even pieces crosswise, making four rectangles. Then cut each each rectangle into two triangles, making 8 triangles.

Place scones onto prepared baking sheet. Place into oven and bake for 12-14 minutes, until golden brown.

To make the glaze, combine icing sugar and milk. Whisk until smooth. If the glaze is too thick, add more milk as needed; set aside. To make the spiced glaze, combine icing sugar, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg and milk. Whisk until smooth; set aside.

When the scones are done, cool for 10 minutes and spoon the glaze on each scone before drizzling with spiced glaze. You can also make a piping bag from baking parchment if you want.

Allow glazes to set before serving.

  

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Pumpkin time!!

26 Monday Oct 2015

Posted by Mooandboosmum in Craft

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Disney, Halloween, pumpkin

Each year me and our best man get a bit competitive over pumpkins. This year I started simple with a tinkerbell design (although her legs are looking a bit short!!! I still have one more pumpkin to go though so may get more adventurous!

In the meantime I have a ton of purée so I’m planning on putting it to good use in the next few days!!
This year was the first time I used a power tool on a vegetable…life is full of firsts!!!
   
 

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Gorgeously gooey raspberry brownies

23 Friday Oct 2015

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chocolate, recipe

The eldest was on half term this week. After a trip round a museum Moo and her pal Deelybop were exhausted, they had been at sports camp all week. I asked if they wanted to help bake, but they preferred watching Wizard of Oz with a bowl of popcorn. So instead I whipped these little gorgeous bites up by myself. I had some raspberries frozen from our last fruit picking trip, I probably used too many so it all got very gooey, but blimey it was tasty!

Chocolate Raspberry brownies

Makes 16

  • 125g unsalted butter
  • 100g good quality dark chocolate, at least 70% cocoa
  • 2 large eggs
  • 275g golden caster sugar
  • 1tsp baking powder
  • 2tbsp cocoa powder
  • 150g raspberries

Grease and line a 20cm square tin. Pre heat the oven to 180c (170 fan)/350f/gas mark 4

  1. Put butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl on a pan of water on a simmer making sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Melt both and stir once or twice.
  2. Remove chocolate from heat and allow to cool slightly
  3. In a large mixing bowl whisk the eggs and caster sugar with an electric hand mixer for 5 mins until pale and fluffy.
  4. Stir in the melted chocolate mixture.
  5. Sift flour, baking powder and cocoa into the bowl and fold into the mixture.
  6. Fold in half the raspberries then pour into the prepared tin and level the top. Scatter the rest on top.
  7. Bake for 35-40 mins until risen but still a bit soft in the centre. Remove from oven and leave to cool in the tin. Then turn out and cut into squares.

Alternatively, replace raspberries with 80g honeycomb broken into chunks.

Best eaten warm with vanilla ice cream. My family demolished these in one evening.

  

Frantic family! And best place to live in the UK!

23 Friday Oct 2015

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Edinburgh, Family, Sober for October

Just realised it has been over a week since I posted. Things have been busy, travel for work (both me and the hubster), the eldest has been on half term, the youngest still has nursery. Life has just taken over!

But here I am on the verge of yet another sober weekend. Whilst I find it easier in general, I am looking forward to next weekend and a wee glass of wine. I have learned that I can be sober. I have learned that I feel a lot better in general. But I have also learned that I won’t be giving it up long term. I think I am moving to a place where I will have less of it, less often but higher quality.

In other news, turns out we live in the best city to live in the UK, Edinburgh!!! hurrah! Could of told you that years ago. It is an amazing city, and I have lived in lots of places, but Edinburgh makes me very, very happy. Especially as we live right by the water so have the benefit of lovely sunsets. I’ll remind myself of this fact next time I’m stuck on a red eye flight somewhere!!! Here is the view from my bedroom….

 

Halfway through Sober for October!!

16 Friday Oct 2015

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health, husband, Moo, reflection, Sober for October

Yay!!! Success!!!! It is all downhill from here 😀

Time for some reflection. I have actually been booze free for 19 days, and have successfully drunk 2 litres of water each day. I have also been sticking to a pretty healthy diet. So far I have shed about 7lbs. I was away for work yesterday and unprompted someone said my skin looked amazing, glowing! Then she asked if I was pregnant 😐 mind you, I half expected that question when I decided to go sober.

But there are points where it is still a struggle. I do crave a glass of wine from time to time. To get through the weekend I decided to try an alcohol free wine. I was distinctly underwhelmed I have to say, it was a jumped up Shloer. I have another one to try tomorrow, but that doesn’t even pretend to be wine.

On non health news, the eldest child (Moo) was poorly this week. I was a rubbish mum and slept through the carnage whilst the husband dealt with it (I blame the flu jab for making me feel a bit worn out). She also finished up for a two week school holiday. Other parents look horrified when I say 2 weeks, their half term is a week and two days. So two weeks of frantic child and work juggling ahead!

Anyway, I’m posting a pic of my alcohol free wine. Don’t everyone rush at once! 

 

Day 11 Sober for October – unexpected wobble

11 Sunday Oct 2015

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Family, Goals, Sober for October, wobble

Not even halfway, I have successfully negotiated two weeks, including a night out. Whilst I felt a bit grumpy I didn’t really waver.

Today we made a big family Sunday lunch, roast beef with all the trimmings. The hankering for a glass of wine is strong!!!! I stuck to tonic water and a fruit tea, but it is now 10pm and I feel like the next 20 days are going to be loooong! 

The hubby was amazed I didn’t drink last night, and if I hadn’t taken the car he wouldn’t have believed me….the support is overwhelming 😉 I started toying with finished 3 days early since I actually started three days early. All of a sudden he has an opinion and insists it would ruin the whole thing 😮 Although he did promise to buy me a bottle of champagne to open on the stroke of midnight on the 1st November…so I guess that is an incentive!

20 days a and 2 1/2 weekends to go!!

Day 10 Sober for October – First night out survived!!!

11 Sunday Oct 2015

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friends, night out, Sober for October, success

I was dreading it. I delayed leaving the house, tried to think of excuses. But it was a night out with a good friend who is going travelling for the next year and a half. On Facebook I could see other people dropping out right, left and centre. I would be a terrible friend to let a little thing like sobriety stop me going.

Now as part of the challenge I could use a ‘golden ticket’ to have a drink, but to be honest that felt like a cop out. Do it properly or not at all.
So I hopped into my car and off I went. After the initial banter about me not drinking and everyone being shocked I settled in with a virgin moijto. I thought that I would only stay a short while, but before I knew it it was midnight and I was taxiing people home. It was a lovely night, a good laugh and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

This morning I feel great about myself and very proud. Completing this challenge seems very doable just now!!

Sober for October – bit of a lull

09 Friday Oct 2015

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It has been a few days since I came on here. Life has been hectic. I’ve been travelling for work, the hubby is going through a bit of a crisis at work so things have felt frenetic. 

There was a challenge whilst travelling. Me and my colleague arrived early for our flight coming home and went for some food. Normally in this situation I would have a large glass of wine, but I didn’t, I went for a virgin moijto (go me!!). Then on the flight I turned down the free booze and had a tonic water. I felt very smug!

I get the feeling the husband hasn’t really believed me so far. He is probably just caught up by work but He seems underwhelmed by my efforts. But hey ho, I’m not doing it for him. 

Yesterday I did feel very exhausted. The week caught up with me and every muscle in my neck and back ached. So as a treat for getting halfway through Sober for October I booked a Swedish massage for next week at a fancy spa. I had a voucher from my birthday so this seems a good time to put it to use 😃 I’m very excited!

I have however been shedding the pounds. The scales were broken for the first week, but this week I lost 3lbs, so I reckon I have shifted a decent amount. I feel slightly better round my middle. Nothing startling, but the mum tum overhang doesn’t seem so bad. Hopefully in a couple of weeks it will be more noticeable in my jeans!

Day 5 Sober for October – adding in some excercise!

06 Tuesday Oct 2015

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fitness, health, Sober for October

After a week of staying off the booze, drinking lots of water and watching what I eat, it was time to step things up. Back to the gym, eeeeeeek!!!!

I had actually been out running a handful of times before starting Sober for October. I was using C25K and was slow but trying. It is getting darker at night so I’m shifting my efforts to the gym because I don’t fancy freaking myself out on dark roads!

So on the treadmill I knew exactly how far I went. I managed 2.5km in 20 mins. Not too bad considering how unfit I am. I was red for ages afterwards!

It will be Thursday before I get to go again due to work and childcare, but I am aiming for 5km by Christmas. Might sign up to the Christmas Day 5k as extra motivation…..hmmmmm…..

Day 4 – Sober for October: ‘what’s stopping you?’

04 Sunday Oct 2015

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It’s a question I have been asking myself a lot lately.

‘I’m not sure I have the willpower to stay off booze for a month’….’what’s stopping you?’

‘I should try and drink more water each day’….’what’s stopping you?’

‘I should spend less time online’…..’what’s stopping you?’

The answer is always ME. I’m stopping me.

But by asking the question I reframe it in my mind. If I know I am the block it feels easier to change. So Tomorrow will be one week of no booze. One week of drinking 2 litres of water a day. One week of tracking my acrivity with a fit bit. One week of tracking my food. One week where I spend an hour each night doing anti stress colouring.

One week of success. It takes a while to start a new habit. But one habit I will keep is asking myself empowering questions.

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