Double Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Hello there how are you, welcome to my kitchen, I'll put the kettle on. It's time for some baking, grab a cup of tea or coffee and bake a long with me. I've been looking at my cookery books, I've de-cluttered so many cook books and those that are left on the shelf must be worth keeping or else!
I have a little black pink book that I write recipes in, so many have been ignored and forgotten about. It's time to go through the book and root out the abandoned and unwanted choices. At the time I had high hopes of cooking them but life got too busy and diets changed. 

Today I need chocolate, I prefer Cadbury's chocolate pieces but for now Aldi's finest will do. I only ever use Anchor butter, everything else seems too soggy and oily. You're going to love these I promise. Double chocolate chip cookies from the Be-Ro cook book... this has definitely a place guaranteed on my kitchen book shelf. 

I favour all-in-one recipes of which this isn't, however as my family will testify this doesn't stop me. The recipe requires creaming of fat and sugar before stirring in the remaining ingredients of 
Golden syrup, cocoa powder, SR flour and chocolate chips. I just throw all the ingredients in together, except the chocolate chips. I save those until the end, the blade will chop them up otherwise. The Braun mixer was a wedding present from Mark's Nan 30 something years ago. Incidentally it had stopped working, a dodgy connection in the plug, all wired back in again now. 

 

And here they are, tuck in they are so good! The recipe makes 12 cookies, I forgot the 2 tbsp of milk at the end, Oops! They look weird but they taste divine. I flattened 6 before baking and left the others alone. 
Next time, oh yes there'll be a next time, probably tomorrow... I will add milk and give them a gentle flatten first before baking. 

You can send off for your own Be-Ro cookbook for £2.99 + postage. 

*Do you write out favourite recipes in your recipe book? Do you have lots of cookbooks? 
Let me know if you bake some chocolate chip cookies xx

Five on Friday 'ing'

Hello there how are you, had a good week? I thought I'd do a 'Five on Friday' post today. A mixed lot of photos this week. I've been carrying on with knitting my sock, I've tried it on and it fits snug. A little unpicking as the foot length was a little too short... no suprise there! This week I popped into Knit & Natter in the next village to mine, I set it up a few years ago but handed it over to another lady before we moved. She's a lovely lady and more of a yarny expert than me, finishing far more too. It was nice to catch up with the ladies and see what they're making. Since returning to our previous church, I've been joining with their Craft Circle. Afterwards I pop to the shop and do the food shop for the week. Later in the week I drive back into town for the butchers and all the other bits needed around the town.

Ready for my Five on Friday?

First - enjoying my pot plants. My Orchid continues to amaze me, it keeps on blooming with more flowers. It's so beautiful and thriving in the lounge away from direct sunlight. It's been flowering for weeks now. 

Every Christmas I love to buy a Cyclamen, I prefer the white flowers but the pink one was all I found. In the loft is a wicker reindeer that will contain this plant pot. I water the indoor plants once a week and in the growing season they're all enjoying a feed of Baby Bio plant food. Unless there is a set day (Tuesday) for indoor watering, they get forgotten. 

Second - an amazing 'dinner tonight' - Lasagna with garlic bread, it was very tasty.
Beef mince fried with onion (I cheated and used chopped frozen onion) then I added an orange pepper, mushrooms and a jar of garlic tomato pasta sauce. After 20 minutes I added a tin of tomatoes a splash of wine vinegar & soy sauce. Meanwhile I made a cheese sauce, greased a glass dish ready and on heating the oven I layered up the dish.
Layer half the meat sauce mix, then 3 sheets of lasagna pasta, next half of the cheesy sauce, followed by the second half of tomato sauce, 3 more pasta sheets, the second half of the white sauce and topped with some grated cheese. Baked in the oven for 40 mins and garlic bread baked for 13 mins. 
Definitely a favourite and packed with flavour. 

Third - whilst shopping in town today and I succumbed to an impulse purchase at the checkout. A nice celebratory pot holder, or in my case an oven cloth to lift trays out the oven. Usually we use tea cloths, that get wet and cause burns. If you're in the UK Boyes sell them and tea cloths with the same logo. 

Fourth - listening on the library audio app. We watched this particular story on ITV3 Marple this week. It bore very little resemblance to the original story, a shame as it brings the drama to life. For a start Marple was plonked into the drama, whereas she was never in the book, the original featured Battle who solved the crime. Audio stories suit me, as I'm free to knit or crochet. 

Fifth - Watching Marple today, Greenshaw's Folly - link here for more info about the Marple TV series. There was a knitting circle meet up for the church. Lots of charity knitting and amusing as you never see knitting en-mass in programmes. 

I'm off to catch up with a bit of crochet, I did one row early this morning over a cup of tea. 
Thanks for visiting, glad you stopped by. Do leave a comment and let me know what you are up to. 
Ttfn (Ta ta for now - Good bye!)
Cx

Unpick and knit again!

Hello there, how are you? It's been a busy couple of weeks, with lots of extra work covering for someone on holiday. At the end of the day I was just exhausted. Some decisions were made and lots of audio story listening whilst knitting and unpicking socks. There's been lots of watering to do in the garden and admiring the pink Peony showing off, as blooms do. 

At church, our previous church leader visited last Sunday. I can't tell you how happy I felt to see them again. I helped the lady at school for a number of years in year 1, in Sunday school for a time and worked for them as their home cleaner. It must've been 7 years since they lived here, all our kids have grown of course! The church is advertising for a new minister and I think the congregation would love them back in a heartbeat. Once you've moved on, you rarely go back. Kids settle in school, then college etc and don't want to move away again. 

Having travelled to visit family over the years when the boys were small, I know neither of the boys want to face that for their future. Years ago families tended to live closer together, before employment forced lots of moving pre 2000. With many jobs now worked from home, maybe circumstances are changing, where there's less need to move.

Mark and Johnny have been working in the garden clearing the stinging nettles around the greenhouse. At the bottom of the garden is a seating area with slabs, it has a gazebo frame that used to have 4 boxes one in each corner to keep it ridged. We've replaced the battered boxes with 4 new wooden boxes and planted them up. I scrubbed the glass table and swing seat (left by the previous owners) only for birds to blast them again. We'll need to source roof covers for both, to give protection from the birds. 

Keeping with the bird theme, the sock yarn is Robin 4 ply WYS purchased from Yarndale a few years ago. I've tried knitting a couple of pairs of socks recently but each time they seemed baggy, too Nora Batty. Do visit Winwick Mum's blog for a pattern and a wealth of knowledge all about knitting socks, including a calculation chart for a perfect fit. 
Armed with renewed confidence and enthusiasm I started by unpicking the sock that I'd started. This one has 56 sts cast on. I've more sock yarn in my stash that I'm keen to knit into lovely socks, so I do hope these fit snug. Being a small project, they're easy to pack and take anywhere I go. 

I'm taking a break from instagram and thoroughly enjoying the peace and quiet. With checking posts, stories and any links from those, plus all the extra posts, reels and general scrolling of stuff desperate for our attention; it became necessary to take a break. There are many lovely accounts that I followed on there but for my own sanity, I'm pleased with my decision. I've also taken facebook off my phone so except for Messenger that remains for our family chat group (handy to share photos and videos), I access facebook on the lap top only. 

Though it's only been a week, I feel so much better. I'm working through deleting emails, duplicate photos and files from the lap top and phone. It felt strange not regularly looking at my phone during the day. Listening to audio stories has helped with that, as despite picking up my phone, it wasn't to scroll. I tried all the time limits etc but nothing worked. It's a slow withdrawal I guess, busy but with purpose and over time hopefully there will be less need. 

I'm reading These Wonderful Rumours by May Smith. May records her life as a young school teacher surviving during the war years. Have you read this book, it was very popular when I was still on intsagram, especially in the vintage community following? I'm finding it slow and a little dull, each chapter is a new year. I may end up purchasing a second hand copy to slowly read through. The other book from the library was a cookbook, once upon a time I often read cookery books. Nowadays I find they just make me feel hungry.  

 

Two audio books by Agatha Christie that I've enjoyed listening to on the library app. Sparkling Cyanide and The Murder on the Links. One day I hope to have read or listened to all Agatha Christie's books. 

Well that's all my news at the moment, next week I plan to get back to de-cluttering and some weeding. Both are in need of attention, along with knitting socks of course. 
Do let me know what you've been reading or creating. 
Ttfn 
Cathy x