Sunday is bake day

So, this Sunday, I decided to get back into baking… and back into my blog.

Being back home last week during my week off work, I baked a lot, and it made me realise how much I’ve missed the simple pleasure of creating something yummy!

As it’s Hallowe’en tomorrow, my theme for today’s cupcakes was scary. I went for a spider decoration, because let’s face it, spiders are pretty scary things.

The cakes themselves are just a really basic cupcake mix –

120g Stork (any margarine would do)

120g self-raising flour

120g caster sugar

2 eggs

Mixed with a hand mixer (my style is lazy) and baked at 180C for 10-15 minutes. For the icing, I did a really basic buttercream icing:

Beat 115g butter until fluffy

Sift in 175g icing sugar and beat until smooth

Then I started adding an inordinate amount of food colouring in an attempt to reach an orange shade. I had failed to find orange food colouring in Tesco but found red and yellow. I added a bit of both and eventually reached somewhere near orange, although it would have been a lot easier if I’d had damn orange to begin with.

When I ice my cakes, I like to just spoon it on then kind of swirl it around on top, but you may prefer to pipe it. I then added fruit pastilles for the spider bodies and piped on their legs with shop-bought black writing icing. Easy!

 

I then moved on to my next bake: raspberry and white chocolate muffins. The white chocolate was added at the request of my boyfriend who adores it, and white chocolate chips seemed strangely expensive so I just bought a packet of Tesco’s own kids white chocolate buttons for about 40p and they seemed to turn out fine. However, if you’re making them for a present I’d tend to recommend buying better quality chocolate. For my basic muffin needs, cheap chocolate is just fine!

I also used frozen raspberries – again, cheaper than ‘fresh’ ones, and probably better at this time of year anyway.

You will need:

200g self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

75g caster sugar

1 egg, beaten

175 milk

125g butter, melted and then cooled (I forgot to cool and this led to panic mid-bake.)

175g raspberries

handful of choc chips/buttons – white or plain

 

1. Preheat oven to 190C. Line a muffin tin with 12 cases, although I only managed to get 11 but I didn’t divide evenly. Sift flour, baking powder and sugar into a bowl and stir.

2. Whisk the egg with the milk and the cooled, melted butter and stir into the bowl with the flour mixture. Then fold in the raspberries and your chocolate chips (or leave out the chocolate if you’re feeling puritanical)

3. Divide the mixture between the baking cases and bake for 20-25 mins until they have risen, are golden and smell divine.

Result: satisfied me.

Sampling the delights of seafood at Mussel Inn

I’m sure most of us have got to the point where we can’t really remember the last time we ate dinner out, and by that I mean at a real restaurant (not a chicken burger and chips at Wetherspoons). Last week the boy and I had got to this stage and decided we were definitely going to take advantage of one of my nights off work to sample some seafood.

Aside from loving the name (I’m an ardent fan of puns), I hadn’t heard much about Mussel Inn on Hope Street. I’d passed by a couple of times and it always looked appealing, but Hope Streetis a strange one: you’ve got the bustle of Bath Streetand Sauchiehall so close, that it’s often overlooked. I feel this is maybe why Mussel Inn hadn’t registered with me previously. I booked on a whim through 5pm.co.uk, obtaining us an offer of £15.95 for three courses and a small glass of wine. With such good value for money, why wouldn’t you book ahead in this way? It means you won’t have to just muscle your way in on a whim… ! Oh, come on, it had to be said…

Terrible jokes aside, the meal was something to write home about. Any reservations about quality or quantity in relation to set price deals quickly evaporated with the arrival of our first course you’ve guessed it; mussels. Or, to be more specific: Mussels Moroccan – with garlic, chilli, ginger and herbs. This was the first time I’d ordered mussels for myself. As an incredibly fussy child and teenager, anything that came out of a shell or a field was completely avoided, and it’s only since about the age of eighteen that I’ve started to try the foods that I was scared of before. Well, let’s just say, from now on, shells are back in my good books. The mussels were delicious and the sauce had just the right amount of kick. With lots of hot, crusty bread constantly available, this dish was the most gratifying I’d eaten in a while.

It seemed my main course – pan-fried mushrooms with fettucini and spinach – couldn’t quite live up to the mussels, and I was right. The mussels were the star of the show for me, but that’s not to say my pasta wasn’t delicious in its own right. The mushrooms were fresh and woody, the sauce creamy but not too heavy, and with just the right amount of pasta I wasn’t too full, leaving space for dessert.

As for the service, I found it friendly and unobtrusive. We didn’t have to ask for more bread or water, we didn’t have to wait long for our food, but we weren’t rushed either. As I said, sometimes I worry that booking a set meal puts you at a disadvantage; taking the cheaper option isn’t always the best and I know some places use it as an excuse to serve mediocre dishes. However, this really wasn’t the case at Mussel Inn, and the menu provides great value for money. I can’t wait to check out their a la carte menu when I have a few more pennies in the bank and can justify eating full-price meals. It seems seafood’s now on my agenda.

Cuppa Cuppa Cuppa

There’s nothing I like more than cupcakes.

Well, that’s an exaggeration: but they definitely make it into my top twenty food groups, along with cheese and starch. And the cupcake I had on Friday certainly justifies the outlandishness of such a statement.

The aptly named Cup on Byres Road is taking advantage of the current mega-trend for stylised cakes – cue yummy mummies and students alike – and specialising in the art of the once humble, now undeniably cool, cupcake, as well aiming to bring afternoon tea into the 21^st century.

The difference between the fairy cakes of our childhood and today’s cupcake lies in the frosting. Oh, what a difference the frosting makes. Piled high, generously piped and adorned with edible glitter and even rose petals, this is cake decoration for the truly sophisticated – a far cry from water icing and dolly mixtures. My choice of vanilla strawberry cupcake topped with strawberry was not just all style and no substance – it was delicious as well.

So dedicated are Cup to the cause, that each cake is assigned a recommended tea, matched to compliment the flavour of the frosting. For those of us who are less au fait, more Tetley, with our tea, it’s a welcome difference and it’s helpful to have the suggestions there on the menu. I went for Rose Pouchong, because I don’t know any better, it sounded exotic and the name was pretty. It was refreshing and complimented my cake beautifully. The tea in itself is an event, with military-precise brewing – it comes with its own timer, to indicate the optimum drinking time. Pretentious? Why, it’s all part of the frivolity of a place where the art of fun is being celebrated, and I’m not complaining. I can’t wait to have an excuse to return for a full-blown afternoon tea – the three-tier stands laden with mini sandwiches and cakes looked marvellous, and there’s something in the idea of going for afternoon tea that appeals to my sense of nostalgia.

Re: Solutions

Solutions to boredom and brain mush in 2011: read all of the books on my ‘Books I want to read in 2011’ list. Books I couldn’t read for the past years because of my degree in English Literature. Isn’t that funny?

One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel Marcia Marquez

Love in the Time of Cholera – Gabriel Marcia Marquez

As I Lay Dying – William Faulkner

Cloud Atlas – David Mitchell

Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck

The Stranger – Albert Camus

Of Human Bondage – Somerset Maugham

Beloved – Toni Morrison

To the Lighthouse – Virginia Woolf

The Unbearable Lightness of Being – Milan Kundera

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man – James Joyce

Sons and Lovers – D.H. Lawrence

The Old Man and the Sea – Ernest Hemingway

Remembrance of Things Past – Marcel Proust

Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy

A Passage to India – E.M. Forster

Catch-22 – Joseph Heller

Lanark – Alistair Gray

Room – Emma Donoghue

The White Woman on the Green Bicycle – Monique Roffey

 

Other resolutions: watch the films on my ‘Films’ list. Embrace exercise (did it last year, will last until April then peak again July/August). Stop eating shit. Write/talk to absent friends more. Plan to travel to exotic, faraway lands. (Save, book flights, stalk fellow travel-planners. Possibly actually go? Too early to say.)

Festive greetings

I’ve got a bit of downtime today after the whirl of Christmas and being at home. Back in Glasgow as of yesterday, now adjusting to the cold again and remembering to switch off lights when I leave the room. (At ‘home’, I never bother. Wasteful.)

Received a lovely Christmas card from a friend I never see these days; was a welcome surprise and made me think about the importance of correspondence via post rather than email, Skype or Facebook. So much of our communication takes place online that it’s easy to forget the simple joy of receiving a letter or card. Although I didn’t get round to making some of the gifts I’d intended to for Christmas (see last post!), I did write and send cards, not because I’m that fussed about the occasion but because it’s the one time of year that you do have an excuse to contact people and wish them all the best. But, why do we need an excuse? Maybe one of my new year’s resolutions will be to make more effort with people I don’t see that often. Since finishing uni, I’ve realised the void that quickly sets in if you don’t see people every day, or every week. Maybe it’s time to start writing to friends at other times of the year. Merry March, anyone?

Explorations of a crafty nature

Yesterday I was so keen to go to the Supermercado at the Barras that I spent about 4o minutes wandering around trying to get to the place: the Barras is like a maze with lots of men shouting ‘Cigarettes! Tobacco! Viagra!’ but it’s kind of amazing, with all the junk and wares of Glasgow for sale, and lots of Glasgow Patter taking place as the sellers try to get you to buy anything and everything from knock-off DVDs to antique furniture.  Supermercado is a weekly indie market organised by Made in the Shade with lots of independent craft retailers selling really cute, individual things. Although it was getting a bit quieter by the time I finally found it (later in the afternoon), I’m glad I went along and will definitely go again. I’m inspired by all the alternative, independent retailers doing their own thing. My aim this Christmas is to spend less, give more. As in, give something more meaningful. I originally wanted to make stuff, but as ever, I’m quite disorganised so I’m not sure if it’ll happen. Some ideas I had for handmade presents were:

1) Decorated matchboxes. I thought about covering matchboxes in a cute fabric and ribbon, and maybe filling them with sweets or soap.

2) Cookie jars (great idea from Bakerella) – you buy a jar and fill it with the cookie ingredients, then make a pretty label, complete with instructions. Such a fun idea and they look amazing!

3) Following my mother’s lead, I was going to attempt to do some homemade raspberry or blackberry vodka. It’s too late now for Christmas, as it takes about 6-8 weeks, but this makes a nice gift for any time of year. My mum’s is delicious; she puts it into those little individual wine bottles and decorates with a ribbon and tag. Very simple but enjoyable!

On the way back from the Barras, I stumbled across another craft/vintage fair, this time with a burlesque theme. ‘Ooh La La’ was taking place at the Britannia Panopticon, Glasgow’s oldest surviving music hall. This was a delight, as I didn’t even know the place existed and it was just oozing 1920’s glamour. I saw a girl from my course at uni who is now a full time crafty-person, with her own shop Gaia Noir, selling accessories and outfits which are made from eco-friendly, sustainable vintage materials. Even though I was supposed to be Christmas shopping, I bought a lovely nautical-themed necklace for myself from Vanity Flair. I should probably take a picture of it and post it here, but I’m still getting used to blogging and I suppose I’ll get more proficient as time goes on!

So there concluded my Saturday. Always enjoy a ‘rummle’ around some craft fairs and the like. And I’m glad it involved going East; I feel I stick to ‘up West’ too much, and should broaden my city horizons.

 

Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink

The joys of -18, we discovered the other day, is that it brings not just numb toes and cold noses but plumbing problems. Frozen pipes to be exact. I had my friend G over the other night and she ended up staying over as the cold was so bad she couldn’t get a taxi home. In the morning I switched on the kitchen tap to nothing but air. It was so depressing. It’s all been thawing out today so our supply is back on, but another couple in our building needed help as the flat above theirs had a burst pipe. I didn’t realise how bad it was until we went outside to look – it was like a waterfall literally gushing down the outside of the building. Drama. Lots of people having the same problem in Glasgow, with heating being affected too. We’re lucky as we have those clunky electric storage heaters that don’t require water! It was actually quite nice to meet others in our building. I envisage going round the doors with homemade brownies- I am a fantasist, I know!

I’ve been watching the student protests against increased tuition fees on BBC News throughout the day, and I find it disappointing that the police found it acceptable to charge horses into a compacted crowd. I just think it’s irresponsible, and I genuinely believe that the violence that ensued was a reaction to police brutality. Yes,  I accept there was a minority who sought to behave violently from the outset, but the majority of people just wanted a peaceful protest, which got out of hand. I think the violence of the protesters is all relative when you consider the violence of the police towards them. None of it matters, when you consider the fact that the government have basically fucked over young people completely. Argh….rant over.

 

Tapas and l’americano

Last night I had a date with the boy; we meant to have a special evening for our anniversary a few weeks ago but money was tight. So last night we headed for the cinema, with a vague plan of watching anything other than Harry Potter – sacrilege! – I’ve never been into Harry Potter and I think maybe I’m one of those people who doesn’t really ‘get’ mass appeal things like Harry Potter, Twilight, Lord of the Rings etc. Anyway, our pre-cinema meal plan was also free and easy so we ended up having tapas in La Tasca, which was nice and relaxed as neither of us wanted a big meal. Highlights for me were the orange and paprika chicken skewers and the serrano ham, pear and mixed leaves salad.

We went to see The American, with George Clooney. Having not read anything about the film, I expected mindless action scenes and a not-particularly-compelling plot. Our evening was more about spending time together; we weren’t too fussed on the film. How pleasantly surprised I was. Directed by Anton Corbijn, the film is beautifully paced, with very little dialogue and a lot going on under the surface. It’s unbearably taut in places, with the tension building slowly as Clooney’s character develops from someone who is self-assured and in control to a man troubled by his past, and unsure of what he’s capable of. I will say that the treatment of Clooney’s character’s inner turmoil was delicate and well executed, but for some the film may be too slow-moving. I personally loved the very slow pace, which left you wondering – genuinely – what was about to happen next. It reminded me in some ways of a play by Edward Albee, The Zoo Story, which challenges the reader’s perceptions of morality and creates a terrible sense of foreboding. Although Albee’s play is all about word play and verbal communication, in contrast to Corbijn’s almost entirely quiet film, the two share the same element of a dark undercurrent bubbling away slowly. Fantastic.

Today’s plan to Sort Out Flat has once again failed. Why am I incapable of being domestically organised? I float about with half-plans and disengaged visions of productiveness.

Snow daze

My first thoughts, written down, in months. Harder than I imagined. Is it a cliche to imagine an outpouring of thought and insight? An endless poem. I could write about What I Did Today (nothing of note) or The Snow and how it is making everyone angry. I simultaneously love and hate the snow. Love the crunching underfoot, watching it snow when you’re inside, the powdery feeling, and the memories: the red cheeks of my childhood snow days and my dog tugging the sledge back up the hill. My month as a ski instructor in Austria. Hate the slipping underfoot, the icy reality of red cheeks, my car being permafrosted and a soldier having to come to my rescue. Yes, seriously.

Anything can happen in Glasgow. My aim on leaving the flat was to return with advent calendars, and have defrosted my car. Not because I’m going anywhere, but because my mother suggested the battery might go flat if I don’t run it, as I haven’t driven it since the snow came. I imagined it would take ten minutes or so. Underneath the layer of snow it was covered in what looked like hard, black grit in the dim light. It was pure, thick ice, crusted all over the bonnet, windscreen, door, you name it, and I couldn’t even open the bloody doors for them being frozen shut. Hence where the kindly soldier comes in… Apparently me and my car troubles seem to attract helpful men!

So, the snow presides over my first post, just as I wanted to avoid. Lack of inspiration and the awkwardness of winter daze, do not a writer make.