Happy Things

I thought I'd share some things currently making me happy and thankful.  A yummy Victorian sandwich cake...

 ...and flapjack.

 Some cheerful yellow daffodils.

 Crocuses coming out in the garden.

 Buds of Prunus Incisa 'Kojo-no-mai' starting to green up in the sunshine.

 Silky flower buds of Magnolia 'Susan' against a beautiful blue sky.

Snowdrops in the garden - this one is a double.

 Tulip buds hopefully promising a colourful Spring.

Flower buds from Blueberry 'Blue Pearl'.  

 A little china pot bought for £1.00 in a local antiques shop.  It was so pretty, I just had to buy it.  It will look lovely with primroses and grape hyacinths in it.

 My seasonal tree, full of wintry-coloured decorations.

Finally, a pretty mug from my friend Alison.  Lots of happy things.

My new baking best friend

I know that this is not a very exciting photo, but I wanted to share my new baking best friend with you.  No doubt, all you seasoned bakers will be shaking your heads and asking where have I been since this product was introduced, ages ago.  I can only say that it had passed me by.  However, that has all changed.  I first bought it for a craft project using Angelina fibres, as you need to trap the fibres inside baking parchment before ironing them. I then used the baking parchment for its designed use when I made a banana and apple loaf.  My baking tins have seen better days and I am used to fighting with them in order to release my baking but with a lined tin, the banana and apple loaf could be lifted whole out of the tin with no fighting required.  This is when I realised that baking parchment was brilliant.  Since then, I have made two batches of flapjack which lifted straight out of the tin too. I know it is only a little thing, but it has made such a difference!
(My friends Katy and Alison laughed at me when I said I was going to write this post, extolling the wonders of baking parchment, but here it is anyway.)

Flapjack

I did say that flapjack might be the next baking project so here it is! It always amazes me that it is such a simple recipe with only four ingredients and tastes so yumptious (another of my very descriptive but not necessarily technically correct words, combining scrumptious and yummy). You need 4 level tablespoons of Golden Syrup melted with 4 oz margarine in a saucepan. To this you add 3 oz granulated sugar and 8 oz porridge oats, put into a greased square tin and cook for around 30 minutes on Gas 3.

I have managed to over cook these sometimes and they go too hard and crunchy. I have also found (through experience) that you must cut them up while still warm otherwise they harden too quickly and it is then difficult to cut them into shapes.

What a lovely treat!