I’ve been trying to write a post about something nice and Christmassy that I did at the weekend, but I’m not getting very far. This is because I am also chasing last minute bits and pieces for an event which may or may not happen tomorrow evening, as it is totally weather dependent. Meanwhile, outside the weather is taunting me with an impressive medley and I keep leaping up to take photographs. I suppose I’m only encouraging it.
So far this morning we have had high winds and heavy, heavy rain; thunder and lightning; three separate hailstorms; sleety-rainy-haily stuff and now, brilliant sunshine.
I’m expecting a rainbow and perhaps some snow by this afternoon’s school run.
The other post will follow soon enough. But in the meantime Amy left a comment asking for the chocolate shortbread recipe which I mentioned in this post – here it is, Amy, and sorry that it’s taken so long for me to get round to writing it up. It’s not mine, but from The Great British Book of Baking (the first one, as I think there might be a second one).
Ingredients: 260g plain flour; 100g caster sugar (plus a little extra for sprinkling); 40g cocoa powder; pinch of salt (not necessary, I think if you use slightly salted butter); 200g unsalted butter, chilled and diced.
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas 4 Grease a loose-based 20.5cm cake tin
Put flour, sugar, cocoa and salt into a mixing bowl and stir well to combine. Add the butter and rub into the dry ingredients until it resembles fine damp sand, or sandy crumbs. Tip it into a prepared tin and press into an even layer using the back of a spoon. Finally prick the dough well with a skewer or a fork, and then score into 12 sections.
Bake in the oven for around 25 mins until just firm.
Remove from oven and sprinkle with a little more caster sugar and then, before removing it from the tin, carefully cut along into the pre-marked sections. Leave to cool before removing from tin. This might be difficult as it smells wonderful, and you may be tempted to eat it, but it is still quite crumbly at this stage, and will set firmer as it cools.
Thanks! I can hardly wait to try that recipe! I don’t mind the wait since I’ve been very busy myself… seeing progress is a good reward though
Ahh, those dark menacing skies which yield to bright sunshine. It reminds me of living by the sea where one could experience at least ten seasons in one day!
I love those coloursful decorative socks in your last post by the way. It’s nice to drop in and see you… where has the year gone to?
Thank you, I was a bit unsure about them as I am not great at sewing, but I finally got them in the post today, so that’s one thing ticked of the Christmas To Do list.
Fantastic thundery skies…
Good grief, what changes! I hope you don’t get too much snow.
I don’t think there will be any really, but we have had two more hailstone dumps since I took that bottom photograph, and for a while the garden was completely white. It’s pouring with rain now.
It’s been like that here too today. Back to blowing a gale at the moment! I wouldn’t mind snow but these high winds I can do without, I think we may be about to lose some of the garden fence! Love the sky pictures
Yes, Bristol was extraordinary this morning! At school run time I was feeling very sorry for my daughter (and other parents) taking little ones to school. Then suddenly my husband was yelling “there’s water pouring through the bedroom ceiling!”. He wasn’t exaggerating. Turns out the valley gutter had filled up with hailstones to such a depth that the subsequent rain took the water level way over the top of the lead flashing. Oh what fun we had!
My sister’s roof sprang a leak today as well and, like you, once she was up on the roof she discovered a great pile of hailstones blocking the guttering. I wonder how many other houses in the city suffered in the same way.
Snowing in Bath and Bradley Stoke…. bring it on! (I think?)
o wow…def in LOVE with the first pic!!
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Oops, better phone my sis who lives north of Bristol in Alveston – you’ve got to love the vagaries of the British weather! I found your blog via Naomi at ‘Out of My Shed’ and have loved reading back through your posts – let’s face it I have sooo much spare time just now, ha ha! Anyhow, just wanted to say that I’ve left an award for you over on my blog. (You’re a writer, you probably won’t want to be bothered with such things and so… ) you’re absolutely under no pressure to accept it, but it’s just really to say how much I’ve enjoyed reading your blog. Wishing you a happy Christmas and good luck with your garden project next year, Caro x