Cranberry and White Chocolate Muffins

I love muffins and can't get enough of them.  I find them easy to chuck together and all my family like them. I don't make them as often as I would like though I used to make them loads before I went back to work six years ago.  They were useful for the kids' packed lunches or for taking on picnics as well as some even tasted great at breakfast time.

Yesterday I remembered I had some dried cranberries and some white chocolate chips in my baking stash.  I regularly make cranberry and white chocolate cookies so thought I could try the same flavour in a muffin for a change. I thought it would save my son who is going through a growth spurt at the moment from nicking all the cereal when he comes in starving from school!

If you regularly make muffins then I can't recommend this book enough (see picture below).  I bought it several years ago in Lakeland so I am not sure whether it is still in print but it contains loads of fantastic muffin recipes with different flavours.  At the front of the book there is a recipe for basic muffins to which you can add your chosen flavour combinations.  I adapted the basic recipe and threw in 100g of white chocolate chips as well as 100g of dried cranberries as well as a teaspoonful of vanilla extract. What is also great about the book is that it gives UK measurements, not American cup sizes which was very helpful.

My favourite muffin book "Muffins Fast and Fantastic" by Susan Reimer.

The basic recipe starts off with weighing out the dry ingredients; plain flour, baking powder and sugar. You then mix the wet ingredients in a separate bowl- sunflower oil and milk as well as the free range eggs. When they have been combined carefully by folding in the flour with a metal spoon I could add in the cranberries and the white chocolate bits.  The batter was quite lumpy but I have been told to expect that with muffins.

Spooning the muffin batter into the cases was another matter, I made a massive mess of it and some batter spilled. I suddenly remembered a tip that an American lady had given me a few years ago about pouring the batter into a jug so you then pour it into the cases from the jug! Makes perfect sense to me, I should have remembered it.

The muffins were ready in about 20-25 minutes and didn't rise as much as you would expect shop bought muffins to look like but maybe it was because I didn't over fill the cases.  They smelled gorgeous though, and within about 5 minutes my son had pinched two of them! So much for them being an after school snack for him!

Happy Baking!
Love Sam xx

Cranberry and White Chocolate Muffins, perfect with a cuppa or as a snack.

Ripon Spice Cake

As someone who has been living in Yorkshire for the past 20 years and who loves living in such a pretty part of the UK, I am always looking to bake something regional and traditional.

Before Christmas I decided to do a bit of research on looking into local and Yorkshire recipes.  Usually when you research Yorkshire baking recipes people automatically think of Parkin or Fat Rascals.  I love both of these but wanted to find other recipes which were different.  I suddenly remembered a fabulous book that was bought for me a couple of years back by my dad and step mum called "Cakes Regional And Traditional" by Julie Duff.  I have not got round to baking any recipes from it yet, although I have been looking at loads of them.

Suddenly, a recipe for Ripon Spice Cake leapt out of the page at me.  It did not come with an accompanying picture but it was clear it made 2 loaves, rather like a tea bread. It did not contain yeast or tea though.  The spice came from mace and ground mixed spice, as well as delicious flavours coming through from lemon zest, mixed fruit, cherries and citrus peel as well as ground almonds. I couldn't wait to try it.

I was also interested in the origins of the cake, as I live about 13 miles from Ripon and it's a city I know very well and go to a lot.  However, the author Julie Duff says in the recipe introduction that there was no local reference to the recipes when she did her research, although it features in several old recipe books. At this present time I do not know any local tearoom or cafe that serves this delicious fruit loaf cake. I might be wrong though so do correct me if I am wrong.

I noticed one ingredient I needed was mace but I did not have it. I wasn't even sure if I had ever used it in something, is it meant to be like nutmeg? I added cinnamon to the mixture to replace the mace, not sure whether this would work or not.

All the ingredients were mixed together and placed into two greased and lined loaf tins.  The fruit did not require any presoaking and the recipe was easy to make in a quick way if you were in a hurry.

Ripon Spice Cake- a fruity loaf cake with the aroma of mace and  mixed spice and almonds.

About an hour later the cakes were ready to come out of the oven. I let them cool down and wrapped one up to take to work to share with my work colleagues. I cut up the remaining one and noticed it was quite crumbly.

The verdict? Everyone who ate a piece said it was delicious. I was a bit concerned about it being crumbly and wondered if I had cut it up too soon after coming out of the oven or whether I had mixed it properly.
Definitely one to try again.

Happy Baking!
Sam xx

Fiona Cairns' Very Lemony Crunch Cake

Although I am desperately trying to lose weight to fit back into my favourite red dress I do not want to give up my love of baking. I have not been taking on as many customer orders recently as I have had a lot on with family commitments and with my day job as a teaching assistant.  However, I realised I had not baked one single thing this year so far and I always like to make a pudding for Sunday lunch.

I originally was going to try and make a Queen of Puddings from the Great British Bake Off book but Sunday morning came round and I was not in the mood for making anything complicated or difficult as it appeared on the TV programme. I had two large lemons in my fruit bowl which needed using up.

Inspiration came in the form of a new cookbook which was a Christmas present. I was lucky enough to get both Fiona Cairns' books for Christmas after enjoying her recent fabulous TV series "The Home Of Fabulous Cakes" which was on last Autumn.

I came across a rather delicious sounding recipe the Very Lemony Crunch Cake in the first of Fiona Cairns' books called "Bake And Decorate" it sounded very like lemon drizzle cake with a crunchy syrup topping.  My mouth watered, I had all the ingredients and I knew everyone liked it at home.  I thought I'd better get started.

So out came the ingredients: butter, caster sugar, flour, salt, free range eggs and two large unwaxed lemons.  My deep round spring form tin was buttered and lined ready for the mixture.

First of all I looked at the baking method and realised it was a whisking method to combine the ingredients. I couldn't be bothered with all that so I opted for an all in one method in my KitchenAid mixer. I then folded in the lemon zest and the lemon juice at the end.

Into the cake tin it went and came out of the oven about half an hour later. I just loved the gorgeous lemony smell as it was baking. Towards the end of the cooking time I then prepared the sugar syrup with some more lemon juice and caster sugar. It came out a lot thicker than I expected and laid thickly on the top of the cake rather than drizzling down the side in a big mess.

Here is the result!

A slice of the Very Lemony Crunch Cake served with a spoonful of double cream.

The cake all cut up into slices.

The verdict?  It was absolutely delicious! The lemon cake was meant to be served for dessert after our Sunday roast but we couldn't wait that long!  My daughter was so hungry after she had finished her final pantomime performance, she ate 2 slices one after the other. My son and hubby had some too and what's more even I had a small slice even though I am meant to be on a diet!  I am writing this the day after and I can only see one a small slice left in the tin, the kids must've been at it again after school!  Would I make it again? You bet!

Happy Baking!
Love Sam xx

Fiona Cairn's first book "Bake And Decorate" which was a lovely Christmas present.

Sam's Red Dress- end of Week 2 Progress Update

This is how I looked on 1st January this year in the tunic dress which my son said made me look like a fat jellybean!

Well, it is nearly two weeks since the start of the New Year and two weeks since I started my new health kick.  I started off with such enthusiasm and everyone was giving me such great support and encouragement.

Now two weeks in, I am beginning to wonder why I even started. My pre-menstrual hormones have kicked in big time, I just want to eat ANYTHING and everything.  I have not even bothered to weigh myself because my clothes feel as tight as ever and I know that I will be upset when I read what the scales say.

So what went wrong?  Read on to find out how I got on last week.

Day 8- Tuesday 8th January 2013.
My usual porridge for breakfast, followed by a morning at work which passed by very quickly. I was able to eat a banana with the children during snack time. I came home to a delicious warming bowl of New Covent Garden parsnip soup and a bread roll before a long dog walk.  I felt brilliant and stuck to my plan of cooking sweet and sour chicken for dinner.

Day 9- Wednesday 9th January 2013.
Today was a busy day, work all day including teaching in the afternoon.  Porridge for breakfast, fruit snack, lunch was a bowl of tomato soup and a bread roll.  Even though there are loads of chocolates in school kindly bought by parents I have managed to resist them, even the large tin of Celebrations sitting looking at me every time I go into the school office!  Dinner was spaghetti carbonara, I dry fried the bacon and cut the fat off. It didn't help I was tired. It was meant to serve 4 but my daughter was out so I shared it amongst the three of us.  I should slap my wrists!  My hubby opened a packet of Brie and some crackers, I looked longingly but said no!

Day 10- Thursday 10th January 2013.
The day from hell, work was fine in the morning but came home and after walking the dog had to sit down and finish off my accounts.  I was absolutely ravenous when I came out of work and instead of waiting to get home and eat lunch I stopped off at a local post office and bought a locally made Cornish Pasty and a packet of cheese and onion crisps. I just wanted to eat something there and then and not have to worry about cooking when I got home. Big big mistake, although the pasty tasted yummy a couple of hours later I could have eaten something else.I am not good with figures and I soon ended up with the mother of all headaches, even a large strong coffee didn't help to wake me up to concentrate.  I ended up raiding the cake tin and helping myself to a slice of leftover Christmas cake. Afterwards I thought "What did I eat that for?"  It took me ages to sort out the accounts and I ended up with a different dinner to the one originally planned.  It was marinaded chicken using some Old Bay seasoning, jacket potato, broccoli and peas. My hubby opened a bottle of Pinot Grigio, I had a large glass, and then another... Oh no!

Day 11- Friday 11th January 2013.
I managed well up until about 4 o'clock with my porridge, soup and roll and fruit. I even resisted the chocolates at work again!  When my children arrived home from school my son asked if he could have a couple of Jaffa Cakes- fatal!  Once they were open I ate 4 and felt sick afterwards as they were so sweet but I felt I needed something.  An apple just wouldn't hit the spot.  We went out for dinner before going to the pantomime in Harrogate where my daughter was dancing. We chose Prezzo which had a lovely specials menu with lighter options.  I had some chunky tomato and basil soup which was warming, delicious and full of flavour, followed by a vegetable flatbread.  It was great to have a low calorie option that actually tasted good too.  I did have a small glass of red wine though.

Day 12- Saturday 12th January 2013
I woke up feeling fat, bloated and lethargic.  PMT symptoms have kicked in with a vengeance.  Although I stuck to my porridge for breakfast, today it did not feel enough to keep me satisfied.  At about 11am I had to nip up to our local Morrisons for bread and milk. I was starving by the time I got there and was tempted to go and get a coffee and cake in the cafe.  It didn't help that the bakery smells were particularly inviting today. I bought myself a ready made low calorie wrap and a can of pea and ham soup for lunch. I ended up eating them straightaway as I couldn't wait until my hubby and son came back in. By mid afternoon I was hungry again and ate a slice of Christmas cake!
Dinner was a small portion of meatballs and pasta with a tiny slice of olive bread and a small glass of red wine.I forced myself to stop and left a meatball and some pasta on the plate. Instead of frying the meatballs i baked them in the oven.

Day 13- Sunday 13th January 2013.
Have really blown the diet today.  My hubby very kindly let me have a lie in and I woke up to the delicious smell of a cooked breakfast wafting upstairs. I ended up eating sausage, bacon, egg, tomato, baked beans and toast with a large mug of strong coffee. I did feel very full after that though and didn't eat any lunch at all. For our Sunday roast we had lean roast pork, stuffing, roast potatoes, carrots, broccoli and ended up  making a lemon cake for pudding. I had a small slice of that and did not have wine with my meal, I had a diet ginger beer instead.  After dinner I caught sight of myself in my bedroom mirror from a sideways view and had an immediate downer, my stomach stuck out as much as it did when I was pregnant.  My fingers have all swollen up too, so much so that my wedding ring is really tight. I hate all these time of the month symptoms!

Day 14- Monday 14th January 2013.
Today started off well, porridge for breakfast, a pear at snack time in school with the Key Stage one children, an Ainsley Harriott cup a soup for lunch with a pack of Nairn's oatcakes to nibble on.  By the time I got home at 4.30pm I was ravenous and raided the cake tin. I scoffed down a slice of lemon cake, followed by a cranberry and white chocolate muffin. I felt guilty, disgusted with myself and ashamed. Why did I do it? I should have taken an apple with me to eat in the car before setting off for home but the first thing I do is to stuff cake down my gob like there's no tomorrow.  No wonder my clothes are feeling as tight as they were at Christmas!  I am feeling really irritable and snappy today, I started crying when I was trying to make the dinner, this is ridiculous! Get a grip, Sam!

So what has gone wrong?  I've lost sight of my goals only two weeks into the plan. This is because once I'm back at work everything goes by the wayside. I have not listened to my Paul McKenna hypnosis CD or my app at all or filled in the success diary.  I am determined this will not happen this week so watch this space to see how I get on!

How I want to look on holiday this summer- fit, healthy and slim . This was me in August 2009 on holiday in Mallorca.

This is THE red dress I would like to fit back into.  Pictured wearing it in October 2009 as part of a Hallowe'en costume.

Love Sam xx

Meal Planning Monday- January 14th 2013.

Meal Planning Monday- week beginning January 14th 2013.

I'm really enjoying this planning the week's meals out, it has already worked for me in the past and it makes life so much simpler at home.  Thanks to the brilliant Mrs M for the idea, it makes me sort myself out! I just wish I could do the same with all my household jobs, is there anyone out there who could write a blog about how to plan out all the boring and mundane repetitive tasks we do week in week out? Or a way to make them more interesting, certainly food for thought!

Last week's planned out meals worked out extremely well although I did switch a couple of the meals around to suit our needs.  I ended up with minimum food waste and only had to shop again on Saturday but just for milk and bread. I did also find out I ran out of fruit juice.  My hubby also bought some extra things when he went to Morrisons yesterday for the Sunday papers.

Tonight I have been much less organised for this week.  I had planned to go to our local Morrisons on the way home from work but I felt really tired and jaded. I just wanted to get home with the yucky weather before the roads started to freeze over.  My hubby had bought some delicious looking fishcakes so I thought they would be great with a jacket potato and some veg for a quick tea on a Monday night.  In the end I did an online Tesco order to come tomorrow just before tea (well I did have a £12 off online voucher) and plumped for the fishcakes. Unfortunately I realised I didn't have enough potatoes left, only 4 tiny ones and various veg. They ended up being turned into roasted veg with the fishcakes which were quite tasty but I was so hungry I could have eaten double. So much for being unorganised.

This week I'm cooking my evening meals from one of my all time favourite cookbooks- Jamie's Dinners the book he brought out to coincide with his school dinner campaign. There are loads of great recipes in this book which my family like.  

Here are our meals for the week:

Tuesday:  Working Girls' Pasta  from page 207

Wednesday: Andy The Gasman's Stew (I'm planning on making it with pork) from page 246

Thursday: Simple Baked Lasagne from page 9 but without adding pancetta to it, all lean minced beef.

Friday: A lean grilled Sirloin Steak for me and my hubby, with a jacket potato and the French Bean salad on page 137.  The children will have a veggie burger instead of steak.

Saturday: Bangers and Mash from page 4. Yes I know we had it last week but everyone likes it!

Sunday: Roast chicken, etc. followed by Bakewell tart from page 102.

Have a great week everyone!

Sam x

Sam's Red Dress- Week One Review and Renew

Monday January 7th 2013.

Today has been the first day of a new term and my first day back in my day job.  I was teaching the KS1 class this morning and this afternoon was on a course in Ripon.  It was a rude awakening for me getting up at 6am but I soon woke up having a strong cup of coffee along with the usual bowl of porridge.

  By the time it got to lunchtime I wasn't sure what to do, I was so disorganised I had not got a packed lunch with me and I needed to get to Ripon for my course in the afternoon.  I ended up stopping at a petrol station and buying a healthy choice cheese and onion sandwich with a bottle of water and a packet of cheese and onion crisps!  When I got to the course venue I found that lunch was laid on but to be honest I was glad I didn't eat it, it was all high fat stuff which looked delicious though like sausage rolls and pork pie!  I also saw rather yummy looking eclairs and strawberry tarts but I just went straight to the tea and coffee.

After my course I went food shopping and by the time I got home I was RAVENOUS!  I ended up eating 3 jaffa cakes which I had bought for the children as I started making dinner which was bangers and mash.  I ate 3/4 of it, having 2 sausages, 1/2 the quantity of mash I usually have and made my gravy with Oxo cubes not the ready made stock as suggested in my recipe book.  I turned down cheese and biscuits and wine, letting my hubby have that treat to himself!

I have been on my new healthy eating plan for nearly a week now and after each week has gone by Paul McKenna asks you to take time out to reflect on how far you've come and to refocus on the journey ahead.

The best things which have happened this week:  I have really enjoyed some time out over the past few days being off work and spending time with my family. I have also felt like a massive weight has lifted off my shoulder as I have managed to get some jobs done like clearing out cupboards that desperately needed doing since last summer!

My biggest challenges this week:  I have found it very hard to try and focus on eating sensibly when there is still a lot of Christmas food around at home.  I ended up serving leftover Christmas pudding at Sunday lunch yesterday and there is still loads of alcohol, cheese and chocolate in the house.  I went back to work this morning in my day job as a teaching assistant and there are loads of chocolate and biscuits in school that were given to the staff as presents.  I am trying to be good so I kept out of the way...

I did this for the first time: I refused alcohol!  My husband likes the odd glass of wine with his meal at night and if the wine bottle is open I can never say no!  This week I have managed to say no and instead drank tea, water or slimline tonic. I did allow myself a small glass on Friday and on Saturday night though.

What I learned was:  If you eat something "naughty" you shouldn't think, oh that's it, I've blown it!  This has been a hard learning curve for me, I find if I eat something I can think, oh what the hell and go back into stuffing my face mode.

My top three priorities for this week are:

1. To plan out our family evening meals carefully so I don't end up grabbing something on the way home from work or end up at the chippy!
2. To take a packed lunch to school on the day when I'm there all day.  I have bought some tins of soup and some wholemeal bread rolls which are useful standbys as well as having some fruit handy.
3. To enjoy my WI night and the supper which features cake, but to have only 2 sandwiches and tiny pieces of cake instead of trying absolutely EVERYTHING!

Here's to next week, maybe next week I might have the courage to weigh myself to see if I have lost anything! Here's hoping! 

Sam xx

Sam's Red Dress Day 6- A Little Of What You Fancy

Sunday January 6th 2013

I have decided to abandon my separate blog Sam's Red Dress and post my updates on my existing Yorkshire Bakery one. It is just too much to manage two blogs so I will continue to update my posts whenever I get the chance.  It is now Day 6 of my Red Dress challenge and I am not sure how I am doing. I have not weighed myself, in fact although I feel as if I have more energy than I did a few days back, I certainly don't feel svelte and light.

Breakfast for us on a Sunday morning is usually a cooked breakfast cooked by my hubby.  He makes fantastic cooked breakfasts but he does tend to chuck a lot of olive oil in the pan when frying eggs.  I like to grill my bacon and I love fried bread, so I had to forego that this morning.  I had a small slice of toast, topped with a fried egg and two crispy bacon rashers with vine ripened tomatoes.  I was gutted there wasn't any HP sauce left, but washed down with a cup of tea that was a perfect start to a Sunday morning.  Straight after I went to work it off on a long walk with the dog.

I had a very unhealthy lunch I'm afraid.  I cooked a steak and ale pie as featured in my Sainsbury's Classic Recipe cookbook. I gave the pie a thin lid of shortcrust pastry instead of puff pastry and served it with potatoes, carrots, sprouts and broccoli.  For pudding we had leftover Christmas pudding and double cream. I know I shouldn't have had it but I feel deprived if I don't have my Sunday lunch pudding.  The pudding was very rich but I had a small portion and measured out 1 tbsp double cream.  Afterwards I felt very full and bloated so didn't want to eat ANYTHING for the rest of the day.  

The steak and ale pie as seen on the front cover of my recipe book.

So, did I meet my success checklist as suggested by Paul McKenna?  The answer is no today.  I did not achieve what I set out to but heigh ho, tomorrow is another day!

Sam xx