This Blog Has Moved

Hi All,

I've decided to move my blog to http://www.livingareallife.com/blog/.

Part of the reason for the move is that it is much easier to comment on the new blog because of the way it's been set up.  So click the link, bookmark it and then get commenting on my posts.

Please be patient with me though, I've imported the old blog entries and they need some prettying up so I'm slowly working my way through them.

I've also decided to create a website for myself to showcase some of the creations I make and to post my recipes so that others can share in my creative fun.

Thanks for reading and I hope that you follow me to my new site.

Carol

War in the Garden

Easter Saturday was such a beautiful day we dragged the dining table onto the deck (need to buy an outdoor table) and sat in the sun most of the day.  Our Kiwi friend Bryce came out on the subway and joined us for the afternoon.  We drank wine and beer, ate tiny chocolate Easter eggs and listened to some good old Kiwi music.  

Jesse was bored with all these not so energetic goings on so bought out his water guns and challenged Jenna to a fight.  Not sure who came off worse, I think they were both as wet as each other.  

After being told "do not squirt me" by Andy, Jesse took his life in his hands and did it anyway which resulted in a somewhat one-sided war.  I took a series of photos in which you can Jesse getting hammered. 

Bryce

Jenna

On the warpath

Hot Cross Bun Update

The hot cross buns were extremely successful and very yummy (see previous post for recipe).  

Just wanted to let you know that I made two batches, one with the breadmaker and one by hand using the dough hook on my hand beater.  The pictured ones are made in the breadmaker - very successful. 

The hand made ones were very tasty but the dough was very soft and they rose very high so spilled over the edges of the pan and the crosses disappeared down the sides.  If you are making them by hand either put them in a tin with higher sides or build up the sides with some aluminum foil or parchment (baking) paper.

Tomorrow I will be making the non-gluten-free kind for the boys, even though they were chomping away quite happily on the gluten free ones.

If you decide to make them, let me know how they go.

The Mystery of Easter

You will be aware from previous blogs how "big" the holidays are here - Halloween was huge, in the shops weeks before and so much stuff it was incredible.  As soon as Halloween was over, the very next day, Christmas was in the shops.  Straight after Christmas we started with Valentines Day.  So you would assume from all of this that the retail world would take full advantage of Easter too but NO!

There is very little Easter regalia and no chocolate Easter eggs, you know the large hollow kind with the treats in the middle.  The only places I've even found anything Easter is at Walmart and Druggers Shop Mart (whoops Shoppers Drug Mart), where they had only a small selection.  I found chocolate bunnies, dogs, cars, chickens and even Dora the Explorer but no large chocolate eggs.

What's with this??  The only explanation I can offer is that it is a religious holiday and so therefore not commercialized as much as the others although last time I checked Christmas too is a religious holiday.

The other thing that I find hard to understand is that the schools get Good Friday and Easter Monday off but Andy only gets Good Friday.  The shops are closed today (Friday) and on Sunday.

I'm busy making Hot Cross Buns (gluten free of course).  I'm wondering how they will turn out because for some unfathomable reason my gluten free bread is nowhere near as good in Canada as it was in New Zealand.  With that in mind I'm posting the recipe below if anyone has a hankering for making them.

In other news, the weather here has been amazing.  We are expecting 25 degrees today and I'm being optimistic wearing my shorts - it's 11 now at 9.30am so here's hoping.

Andy started his new job at Mosaic this week and is loving it.  He's feeling challenged and excited about the work.  Good to see him so happy.  They seem to work long hours though so will have to keep an eye on that.

Yesterday Jenna and I went into Toronto on the subway to St Lawrence Market where she used to work (yes she's unemployed again but that's a whole other story).

Was a beautiful day so we decided to walk to the ribbon shop which Jenna said was about 10 minutes walk away.

I learned a very valuable lesson - never trust Jenna when she says something's 10 minutes walk.  40 minutes later, in the burning hot sun (me wearing my thermals, carrying my cashmere coat and a woollen jersey) we finally found the ribbon shop.  Of course, after I'd done my shopping we had to find our way back to the subway.  Needless to say that by the time we got home my feet were so sore I could hardly move.

In the evening we picked Andy up from work, got fish and chips and sat on the grass by the lake at our local park to eat them.  Was a beautiful evening.

Well, here's the recipe, I hope you like them.  I make them in the breadmaker but you could make them by hand if you wish.

GLUTEN FREE HOT CROSS BUNS

Ingredients:

1 egg

350ml warm water (may need a little more)

2 tablespoons oil

3 cups gluten free flour mix*

1½ tablespoons guar gum

½ cup buckwheat flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon active yeast

Add 15 minutes into mixing:

75g chopped peel

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon mixed spice

¼ cup brown sugar

½ cup sultanas

½ cup currants

Crosses:

¼ cup gluten free flour mix*

Enough water to mix to a paste

2 tablespoons melted butter or dairy free spread (Olivani)

Glaze:

¼ cup sugar

2 tablespoons hot water

*2 parts rice flour, 1 part potato starch, 1 part tapioca flour

Place the ingredients into the breadmaker in the order listed.  Turn onto the dough cycle.  After 15 minutes of mixing add the fruit and spices and ensure they mix in well (I have to get in with a spatula and mix them in with my machine).  You may need to add a little more water to the mixture, it should be sticky and not lumpy.

When the dough is ready, turn out onto a well floured board.  With floured hands roll into a long sausage and cut into 12 pieces.  Roll each piece into a ball and place in a greased swiss roll tin. 

Put the flour for the crosses into a zip lock bag and add enough water to make a paste.  Squish it about a bit to ensure there are no lumps.  Snip off the corner of the bag and use it to pipe the crosses on.  Brush the tops of the buns with melted butter.

Leave to rise for 30 minutes (they should fill the tin).

Bake at 200ºC for 20 – 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and brush the glaze over the tops immediately.  Cover with a tea towel for 10 minutes.  Turn out onto a cooling rack.

Freeze well – especially if placed in freezer while still a little warm.