Sugar Pie, HONEY Bunch!

We were given some honey from a local backyard beehive.  

Raw honey is so much better for you than the processed stuff available at the store.  The health benefits are retained due to the fact that the honey hasn't been heated excessively.  The honey retains natural enzymes, minerals and vitamins.  This product is easily digested by humans (although very young humans should wait a bit).

Backyard bee keeping 101:

http://outdoorplace.org/beekeeping/citybees.htm

Lemon Honey Madeleines

3/4 cup unsalted butter1 1/2 cups  flour, sifted 1/2 teaspoon baking powder1/4 teaspoon coarse salt3 large eggs2 large egg yolks1/4 c. honey1/2 cup granulated sugar1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 


                                     
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter madeleine pans. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Mix eggs, egg yolks, granulated sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest and juice until pale and thickened.  Drizzle in the melted butter. Fold in the flour mixture. Set aside for 30. Pour batter into buttered pans, filling the molds 3/4 full. Bake cookies for 7 to 8 minutes. Let cookies cool slightly.  Place on a platter and dust with confectioners' sugar, if desired.

You can make large size and mini sized cookies, just get the appropriate pans.

I couldn't resist acting on an idea I had, hedgehogs fashioned out of madeleines. First trim the pointed bit of the cookie to make it more pointed like a nose.   A bit of the honey was lightly melted and the cookie was dipped in it, then rolled in coconut.   A small amount of icing and bob's your uncle, a hedgehog.

                                     

I was happier with the look of the mini size for the hedgehogs.

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Limoncello Passion Fruit Tiramisu Style Dessert

Limoncello and Passionfruit come together for a dessert inspired by Jamie Oliver's 30 Minute Meals.  This recipe doesn't claim to take 30 minutes, it will take more time.  No Joke! 

 

Passion fruit seems a bit easier to get a hold of in Britain than it is in my part of the states.  It seems to be a bit cheaper here as well. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gather your ingredients together:

 

3 oranges, juiced, and zested

1/2 c. caster sugar

6 passion fruits

 

3 gelatine sheets, prepared in warm water

 

 

250g marscapone, or make your own - instructions below

30g icing sugar

100ml milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

 

75ml limencello, or make your own - instructions below

100g sponge fingers (ladyfingers), or make your own - intructions below

 

Zest the oranges and set the zest aside.  Squeeze the juice of 1 of the oranges and add it to the measured out Limoncello, set aside covered.  Lightly whip the marscapone, milk, icing sugar and vanilla set aside.  Scoop the seeds, pulp and juice out of 3 of the passion fruits, press thru a sieve and add the juice of the other two oranges.  Dissolve the caster sugar into the juices.  Heat the lightly watered, softened gelatin sheets, add to the juices and pass through a sieve.  Layer the sponge fingers into an 8x8 Pyrex pan.  Evenly pour the orange/Limoncello mixture over the sponge fingers.  Next spread the cheese mixture over the sponge fingers.  Seal the edges with with the cheese mixture.  Pour the gelatine mixture over the cheese.  Scoop the remaining passion fruit over the top of the lot.  Set in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. 

 

 

Limoncello is an Italian liquer, but is also produced in France and Malta.  Sorrento, or Sfusato are the most common variety of lemons to use with grain alcohol.  The peels with, or without pithe are steeped in the alcohol, it is then added to simple syrup.  Used as an after meal tipple, in cocktails, or in desserts.

Passion fruit  

 

Indulge in the tropical fruit for a good source of beta carotene, potassium, fibre and vitamin C, also lycopene.  The fruit is widely used worldwide in juices, desserts, smoothies and cordials.  In Mexico they like to have some with chili powder and lime.  In Isreal is made into a wine called Sicar.

http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/passionfruit.html

Garnish with shaved dark chocolate.

 

Of course, if you make your own cheese, sponge fingers and/or Limoncello, it will be fresher and even better!

 

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Hedgehogs - Going Live!

I was very fortunate to go and see a live hedgehog recently.  This male hedgie is living at Cuan House in Much Wenlock.  Cuan House strives to rescue, rehabilitate and release wild animals.  They are chuffed when an animal can be released in the same area that it originally came from.   

 If you are interested in giving to a good cause, Cuan House does great work for the animals.  Think about giving to them.

http://www.cuanhouse.org.uk/

Cuan house is moving to a larger facility closer to the wood.  They could use funds to complete all of their plans, in their own words: Purpose-built hospital block with reception area, treatment room, separate rooms for the small mammals and birds and so on, not to mention space for bigger and better aviaries.

I'm glad  the flash of the camera was off, as this guy is wild and a bit timid.  The click of the camera gave him a start on one of the snaps.  Having said that, he seemed fairly calm overall.  Yes, he would rather go back to a good daytime kip.

 

Even better would be a release, but the weather isn't co-operating.  Snow in March and very cold....We need to reload Spring!

   

 

Much Wenlock, March 2013

 

 

The list of releases is very short right now. 

                                     

Hibernating animals in general are having a hard time in this weather. Waking up to extreme cold and lack of food sources.


                                    

Something I learned, also pertains to hibernation. Hedgies all hibernate differently. Most people think that they all go into a great sleep and wake up in a few months. The fact is some wake up and have a nibble and a drink of water and go back to sleep. There are different lengths of time individual hedgehogs will hibernate.

                                     


Some important things I learned about the plight of hedgies: In the wild, badgers are the natural predator, but humans are a bigger threat. The hedgies get struck by cars, and slug pellets left by humans get ingested.   There is little to nothing that can be done for a hedgehog that ingested slug pellets.  Instead of using the pellets, maybe do what I do when gardening.  Put saucers of beer out to trap the slugs that are eating your garden.

 

 

Some things you can do in the garden to help these creatures:

 

Solid fences and walls restrict a hedgehog’s movement through gardens. Make sure you leave small gaps at their bases

Hedgehogs can swim but often drown in garden ponds because of their steep and slippery sides. Provide them with an escape route: a piece of wood, chicken wire or pile of stones

Bonfires make good places for hedgehogs to nest. Check them to make sure a hedgehog has not made its nest before lighting

Be prepared to leave a small part of your garden to go wild. Long grass, log/leaf piles and undergrowth provide foraging and nest places for the perfect hedgehog habitat

Feed your local hedgehog, but please provide dog/cat food and not bread and milk.

Taken from the website:

http://www.devonwildlifetrust.org/help-the-hog/

 

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Newborn  hedgehogs are born without spikes, but within a few minutes they start to poke out in white spikes. 

Hedgehogs -Part 1- A Coming Out of Hibernation Celebration

On one of my visits to Shropshire I spotted a hedgehog in the wild. Being from America, I hadn't seen one before.  Of course it was one of the rare times my camera was left at home.  Hedgehogs are noctural and it was dusk, the picture may not have turned out the best anyway, nevermind.  I have adored the little creatures ever since. It was autumn at the time and the hedgehog was rather sluggish.  I imagine it was winding down for hibernation.  He, or she went slowly on it's way, it didn't seem in distress, so I quietly said tara.... 

 

 

 

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Hibernation 101:

 

http://www.lincstrust.org.uk/factsheets/hedgehog.php

 

http://www.wildlife-web.org.uk/hedgehog/facts/hibernation.html

 

http://wormithedgehogs.co.uk/?page_id=65

 

 

 

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If you do see a hedgehog in distress here are some people that do great work and support for hedgehogs.  Why not give them your support?

http://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/

 

 

 

 

Another place in Shropshire that provides for wildlife rehabilitation in Shropshire, including hedgehogs.

 

http://www.cuanhouse.org.uk/our-team.html

On the website it says that an orphaned hedgehog can be helped with £50.  The new babies usually appear in early summer.


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A Flickr group- I Love Hedgehogs:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/1353775@N22/


An Etsy treasury of hedgehog crafts:

https://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTI4MDc2Njd8MjcyMzgxNjY2OA/out-of-hibernation

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Hedgehogs in humour:

Liverpool

We arrived by train to the Lime Street station. 

A taxi ride straight away to Albert docks.

A stroll around for a few hours, camera in hand.

Ferry cross the Mersey, well maybe not, but you get the idea.

 







A few symbols of Liverpool, the Liver bird, a stylised sea bird and....

 Super Lambanana, this was designed by an artist to convey that Liverpool was and is a goods port....wool and fruit being important products.

Food of Liverpool would have to be Lobscouse.  A stew made from lamb, or beef.  It just so happens we are having that in a slower cooker today.

While that cooks.....

Four lads that you may have heard of came from Liverpool!  We went on the Magical Mystery Tour and saw the relevant places of The Beatles.

 

Ringo's neighbourhood from the bus.



Beneath the blue suburban skies....



The street of George Harrison's home.  I can't turn portrait style images on the blog at the mo.  So you don't get a crick in your neck, you can see the house on my Flicker site.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chefmackers/sets/72157632963566898/with/8544011035/




Sir Paul McCartney's house.

John Lennon's house he shared with his Aunt Mimi.

Forever...

....Nothing to get hung about.

The final stop was....

The Cavern Club (more images on my Flickr site)

A short walk back to the Lime street station a drink at the pub and away to home.  A good day out!

The lobscouse is finished.



lobscouse [ˈlɒbˌskaʊs]

n

(Cookery) a sailor's stew of meat, vegetables, and hardtack

[perhaps from dialect lob to boil + scouse, broth; compare loblolly]

This is probably where the name for people from Liverpool came from - Scouser/Scouse.

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I have to put a Beatles song don't I?



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Copious Cherries Fairy Cakes

Here is my tribute to Red Nose Day.  Comic Relief - Do something funny for money.   This charity helps people in need in Britain and in Africa. 

http://www.rednoseday.com/

http://www.rednoseday.com/what-we-do

I've been on a whiskey diet.....I've lost three days already.

I have my red nose t-shirts.  

                                          We all have a red conk.....

And now my red nosed treats.

Start with 200 grams of glace' cherries

Set 6 of the prettiest aside.

Chop the rest into medium pieces and roll in flour.

Fold into a basic vanilla cake batter.  Bake in 12 paper cups.

Cool completely.  Look at the copious amounts of cherries!

To make the goofy, red nose faces, use frosted cakes, 6 cherries cut in half and Catherine wheel licorice. 

Start pulling faces!

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