Sunday 20 January 2013

The Great Becky Bake Off....

Hi everyone!!!

Well this evening my post is slightly later than I had hoped but it's been a jam packed day!  It was really clear from the state of the roads on our hill that we weren't going to be going to Gosport for my demo at the Range today - people couldn't stand up and walk on the ice let alone drive.  It was crunchy stuff yesterday which made a big difference but nothing has moved today in our street.  My first job tomorrow morning will be to re-arrange a new date for them in the next couple of weeks - I absolutely hate not meeting my commitments but in this case safety really was paramount and when you are contending with steep hills its better to be safe...  I was really upset to let the store down though and can't wait to go down there very soon...

Before I move on to the main crux of tonight's post I really do need to say "Thank you" to each and every one of you who has taken the time to read my posts, make such lovely lovely positive comments, follow my page and even keep coming back for more...  I am loving writing this blog... I'm finding it a wonderful way to get out and chat to all of you and "meet" you even if it only be in cyber-land.  That you find my musings on craft and life in general worth taking some of your precious time to read I am really very touched by...  And yes, Nikki Smith, I think you may be very right in that it is becoming an addiction...

The theme of this post really comes from two directions...  Over the past couple of days I have asked the followers of my facebook page, Becky James, what crafts other than papercrafting they enjoy and what crafts they would love to learn/ find the time to do more of in 2013.  I've had some fabulous answers and I'm going to speak to everyone about those over on my facebook page really soon... I'm fascinated by what other crafts people enjoy.  Every craft holds so much inspiration for me - and you can bet your bottom dollar I'd love to try it. 

My own answer to something I would love to do more of is, probably unsurprisingly from my post title, baking... I used to bake all the time but since getting married its fallen by the way side for a variety of reasons.  There is the odd occasion I can get round to it but rarely these days...

Which leads me on to why this came to mind...  As I couldn't get to my demo there was no way I was wasting the day!!  I hate wasting my days - even when I am suffering with a tremendously painful flare up I can't sit down. It drives poor Mr J mad that I am on the go all the time.... RELAX!!! CHILL OUT!!! TAKE IT EASY!!!  are phrases that are often slung in my direction... And with this in mind around lunch time I dived into the world's largest ironing pile... Not an exciting day I grant you, but before it drove me to distraction that mountain had to move!

Ironing.... A "four+three"-letter word in this household, I have to admit (now you see that degree in maths really did pay off!) but you know it does have some good points...

1. I can catch up on some tv

2. I can drift off in to my own little dream world....

You see I was stood ironing in the kitchen part of my kitchen-diner and I have a dream.... (well isn't that one of the good things about ironing - granted there are few but atleast you can spend all that mundane, dull, repetitive time dreaming of the life you would love to lead  .)

Its a simple dream but a dream nevertheless...  the diner half of the room that I was looking out on would be a vision of stunning country-chic style... I would have a beautiful dresser filled with a fabulous collection of baking books, romantically vintage china, thrift find pretty jugs filled with tulips (my absolute favourite flower) or fragrant sweetpeas grown in my own garden... time of the year dependant naturally...

On my reclaimed country pine table would sit my charity shop cut glass cake stand - one of my all time favourite finds - and on it every day would appear a new baked creation... a stunning victoria sponge one day, little carrot cake muffins the next, lemon cupcakes another day, a rich fruit cake the next... you can see where this is taking me...  Its a little piece of my ideal...

Of course it didn't help that my viewing of choice for today's ironing marathon was a series made by the Royal Wedding cake creator, Fiona Cairns.  I can honestly hand on heart say her cakes are "to die for"!  I know - I have two of her books and I've baked several of the recipes - every one simply mouthwatering, though my favourite has to be the rosewater, cardamom and white chocolate sponge...  Words cannot describe (and as you can tell I'm rarely lost for those!)

So there I was dreaming away the never ending time it took me to complete my chore.

As I say a dream... for one thing if I was making that many cakes Mr J and I would put on a fair few pounds (No STONES!) in weight - though I know a very good home for my baking on a Wednesday and Thursday.  The other is that I have many other things I want to achieve so I couldn't bake every day and fit everything else in...  BUT I do want to rekindle my passion for baking and hone my skills... 

I re-caught the bug late last year when I took over the job of family Christmas cake maker from my mom and realised just how completely relaxing, chilling and therapeutic making food that gives the recipients so much pleasure really is...  If you have Nigella's "Christmas" then I really urge you to give her Christmas cake recipe a go... rich, moist, boozy, delicious... and teamed with my mom's recipe for home made marzipan and icing.. well, I was delighted with the results and got so much joy from sharing with family and friends... My dearest bestest boy has already placed his order for his birthday cake...

Which brings me really to the point of baking for me... it isn't just about the making, its about the sharing, about enjoying a cup of tea, cake and gossip with your friends, snuggling up with your other half and enjoying something sweet after tea whilst watching your favourite tv programme... you get the picture... atleast that's what its all about for me... Not entirely certain though that Mr J gets the whole sharing concept...

So, returning to my dream... well can I achieve it?  Maybe some parts of it I can.. after all I have got the rows of baking books and three more were added to my colection at Christmas:


These are added to my collection of Nigella's, Delia's, Fiona's, Primrose Bakery's and Kate Shirazi's, Mary Berry's, Hairy Bikers', Lorraine Pascal's and others and are making up my evening reading at the moment...

And I will have my dresser and my kitchen table when we get round to kitchen in our project of a house... And from time to time - and hopefully more frequently than now - there will be a freshly baked cake on my gorgeous cake stand ready for anyone who happens to drop in... and no doubt Mr J and I will put on a few pounds...

So yes I may well achieve my little dream atleast in part...

And so inspired to bake and wrapped up in my little dreamworld was I by the time I had finished the ironing mountain I got straight on with baking some bread... Hence the lateness of this post but I do now have a gorgeous italian herb and sundried tomato loaf ready for hubby and I to enjoy with tea tomorrow and a home smelling of fresh baking and I feel happy...that surely has to be a little piece of heaven...

 


Anyway, I think its time for me to go.
Thank you so much for dropping by!
Take care and I'll chat to you again soon

Becky
xx

2 comments:

  1. Can I have a slice?? Complete with pate of course and a slice of cucumber...

    Loving the range of baking books - we'll have to compare notes... lol.. love it too, but like you, rarely time to do it these days!

    xxxx

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  2. This made me laugh! My kitchen is the last room in the house that needs to be done!! it is such a state, I hate it in there, but my dream is to have a lovely vintage style kitchen! My mother in law bought me a gorgeous Cath Kidston cake stand for my birthday and I love it so much there is no way I am putting it in my manky kitchen so it is in my bedroom with jewellery on and looks fab!! xx

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