MONDAY MORNING MISERY... ULTIMATE FIX

Coffee Cupcakes

Time taken: 1 ½ hours

Ingredients:

FOR THE CUPCAKES - 140g caster sugar, 140g butter, 3 eggs, 140g self-raising flour, strong espresso (2 tablespoons of instant coffee mixed with 2 tablespoons of water).

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM ICING – 500g icing sugar, 250g butter, 2 tbsp water,  weak espresso (1 tablespoon of instant coffee mixed with 2 tablespoons of water).

Hi readers,

So it’s Monday. Again. And not a great start to the week for me!! How was your Monday morning?? A grind? Bearable? Tolerable? Not bad? Ok? Fabulouso? I hope you had a better Monday morning than me! Readers, you survived and that’s all that counts.

For me, Monday today started with flatmates scrambling about to get dressed for our shocker of an 8-9am Tesco food delivery slot. Not for in the future – this is far too early. Then my Monday morning descended into fraught correspondence with my parents and my student insurance company. Long story short, readers, I dropped my phone in the loo last Wednesday and haven’t had a phone since. That’s 5 whole days now.

And I’m getting nowhere trying to sort out the situation! My insurance took the claim and passed it on to a terrible local company who don’t respond to emails, who keep trying to call me (ON WHAT PHONE??) and who haven’t yet managed to even collect my wee-soaked broken phone. When they eventually do it has to get to them, then be inspected, then a decision made about what to do about it. I’m not going to have a phone for daaaaaaaaaaaays still!

Literally, it’s such a frustrating situation to be in. At first breaking your phone is quite liberating! No apps and no junk emails to keep checking on. No missing half of a TV show, or missing the view on a bus, because the stupid phone in your face is blocking your view. No ringing or pinging or updates. Just… independence and blissful ignorance of what other people are up to.

But then, after so long, I think you get fed up. I certainly have! Being without a phone gets quite lonely, readers. Plus, it’s really awkward and a little unsafe when you’re on-the-go as you’ve no way to contact anyone. And you can’t talk to mum and dad. Which makes me sad.

So, with tragic phone-gate developments going on, I had a pretty shit Monday morning. But I hope that you didn’t!! And you know what? Regardless of the quality of your Monday morning… just bake it out! Always bake. And bake some more!

This evening the Baking Society at Newcastle Uni are having a Bake Off competition which I’m very excited for. Me and my flatmate Dr Davies are entering a batch of Coffee Cupcakes which we’ve baked this lunchtime and we’ve got our fingers crossed that they taste good and we get through to Round 2! Cross your fingers for us!

So this recipe is based upon an online BBC recipe which you can take a look at HERE.

Want to learn how to bake your own Coffee Cupcakes in just ten easy steps? Here’s how…

1. Preheat your oven to 170˚C and line 2 bun trays with 18 little fairy cake cases.

2. Beat the sugar with the butter until light and creamy.

3. Beat in the eggs, one by one, adding 1 tbsp flour at the same time.

4. Beat in the rest of the flour along with the strong espresso.

5. Spoon your mix evenly into the fairy cake cases and bake for 17 minutes.

ChefBeHere Top Tip: Swap the trays around with 5 minutes to go so that your cakes bake evenly!

6. Leave your cupcakes to cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes.

7. To make your buttercream icing, add all of the buttercream ingredients to a bowl.

8. Beat your ingredients well for a few minutes until they come together to form a smooth mix, which is light and fluffy.

9. Either use a knife to spread icing over each cupcake or (if you have one) crack out a piping bag and neatly pipe icing over your cupcakes.

10. Finally, decorate your cupcakes! Coffee beans or chocolate sprinkles make a fitting decoration. Or maybe M&Ms or Magic Stars?? Be creative!

And then you’ll have a wonderful batch of cupcakes.

Just like these…

Readers, Mondays call for baking. And fun! With our Coffee Cupcakes, I baked the buns and then Dr Davies took charge of icing. Dr Davies is a BIG FAN of a piping nozzle. So we shared the fun. :) And so can you! Why not bake with a friend? Or your special someone?? Or someone who definitely needs cheering up? Share the fun!

And let me know what you think of coffee cupcakes. :) In my ChefBeHereing opinion, readers, these babies are cute, tasty and super moreish! What do you think?? Feeling the love for Coffee Cupcakes?

Good luck for the rest of your Monday. Stay strong, readers.

 

And bake safely,

Hayley



 

HOME COMFORTS

Med Bread

Time taken: From start to finish – 2 ½ hours (Half an hour; then an hour’s break; then half an hour; then another hour’s break; then the bread bakes for half an hour).

Ingredients: 500g white bread flour, 300ml warm water, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1 pack of dried yeast, 4 tablespoons of oil, 1 onion, 2 peppers, 2 tablespoons of dried mixed herbs, & either an egg or a splash of milk for the glaze.

Hi readers,

So I have journeyed back to Newcastle for my final term of university (tears galore!) and I’m launching my final few weeks of student living! Such a strange thought!! And with the big rush of final exams and essays ahead… it’s very daunting. Oh to be back home. Walking the dog and having a lie in some days and watching the telly with a wine in an evening. Easter break seems so long ago already. And I only left home yesterday. I'm missing home A LOT.

Plus, it is noticeably colder in Newcastle than in Sheffield. I’m not joking – 2 ½ hours on the train and today’s been one big BRRRRRRR. It’s nippy! To the North East I say… what the hell?? What is going on?? What?! It’s not WINTER. Not anymore. Not on my watch. Readers, I left the house today wearing shades, with a hoody rather than a coat, and this was a terrible mistake.

So how's your Monday been?? Better? Than shivering and paying rent and collecting missed parcels. I know it’s Monday, and that’s never good, but you’ve got to have had a better time today than me! What’s been your silver lining of today? Give it a think. Just a little shimmer of silver there must be one! Silver liiiiiiiining.

I think mine COULD BE listening to the song ‘Tea & Toast’ by Lucy Spraggan. I picked this up from my cousin while I’ve been down in Sheffield of late. She listens to it in the kitchen and it’s reminding me of family and home. A feel good tune for sure.

Another pick me up today? Has been homemade bread. This was something I decided to have whirl at before I left Newcastle in March. BASICALLY I had time and not a lot of company before I left, and peppers to eat up. So I was inspired to bake an exotic bread! I looked up a recipe online and set to work with much gusto, then froze the loaf to eat when I got back again (best foresight ever). You can check out the original of the recipe that I used HERE.

Here, readers, is how to bake Med Bread in just twelve easy steps…

1. Measure your flour, water, salt, sugar, yeast and 2 tablespoons of oil into a mixing bowl, and stir until they begin to come together to form a dough.

2. Lightly flour your hands and your work surface, and knead your ball of dough for ten minutes.

ChefBeHere Top Tip: If you don’t know what kneading is then check out Youtube. The internet has everything… even bread baking tutorials! Be sure to use some proper elbow grease.

3. After ten minutes, pop your ball of dough back into the mixing bowl and cover with cling film. Leave this to prove now for 1 ½ hours.

4. Take your peppers and your onion and use a sharp knife to dice these into small pieces. Wash your dishes and then take a break for an hour! Listen to some good music.

5. When your bread has quarter of an hour left to prove, heat your oven to 200˚C. Pop your diced pepper into a small ovenproof dish and coat with a splash of oil. Roast in the oven for 10 minutes until they just start to colour.

6. Meanwhile, heat a little oil in a frying pan. Add your diced onion to the pan and fry for 5 minutes until it just starts to colour.

ChefBeHere Top Tip: Prod that onion! Keep it moving around the pan the whole time so that it cooks and softens, but doesn’t burn.

7. Safely take your pepper out of the oven (turning this off) and take your onion off the heat (you can turn that off, too).

8. It’s time to ‘knock back’ your dough! Lightly flour your work surface again and take the dough out of the bowl. Fold your dough repeatedly in on itself using the heels of your hands, until it's smooth and all the air is knocked out of it. Pound your bread on the kitchen top.

9. Knead the pepper and onion into the dough, along with 2 tablespoons of dried mixed herbs.

10. Generously grease a loaf tin and then shape your dough into a rectangle about the size of the tin. Pop it in and leave to prove for another hour somewhere warm.

Before...

... After.

11. Ten minutes in advance, turn your oven on again to heat to 200˚C.When fully proved, safely transport your loaf into the centre of your oven to bake for half an hour, until the loaf is firm and golden brown.

ChefBeHere Top Tip: Half way through the bake, brush your loaf with a little milk or egg so that it becomes crispy on top.

12. When it’s finished baking take your loaf out of the oven. Pop it out of its tin and onto a wire cooling rack, to cool for at least half an hour before slicing your bread up to eat!

ChefBeHere Top Tip: When you take your loaf out of the oven, test that it’s cooked by tapping it on the bottom – it should sound hollow.

And there you have it… a homemade Med Bread loaf.

Readers, I’m not going to lie, baking bread is a tough haul. Like it takes SO loooooooong. And I’m such an impatient person. I got seriously bored and fed up along the way. Slumped by my radiator watching it rise. I quite grew to resent this loaf of bread, with all its proving and its kneading and whatever else. Baking bread is no joke.

Don’t get me wrong – there’s no reason to watch your bread rise. You watching it does not affect whether or not the bread rises, readers. Not one bit. I spent a lot of time watching TV, too, as well as the bread. So you can have a life as well as baking bread! Don’t let me put you off trying this recipe. Not one bit. But, readers, be warned you need to be committed to make this happen. And have a good few hours you can spend about the house. And an iron will.

But I did it! And the bread is loooooovely! Very light and fluffy and flavoursome. And with peppers! I can’t say I’ve eaten bread with peppers before, readers, but I hope that I do again. No to baking it (never again) but a firm yes to eating it. Because Med Bread tastes delicious! Homemade bread is always a winner in my books and so peppers just make this loaf extra special. And healthy! This loaf tastes like a dream. A savoury Mediterranean-but-homely-like-Sheffield bread dream, readers.

So I’m no expert on home baking bread, but I’d hazard a guess that this loaf rose high and baked proper. It freezes fine and tastes good. So… thumbs up? Give it a try! Readers, if there are any of you feeling motivated right now to bake your own bread then I say DO IT. You’ll love the sense of achievement and (hopefully) the bread, too! Give this a shot and let me know what you think of the recipe! Am I right? Is it a good ‘un? Is Med bread a hit with anyone beyond me??

And Tuesday is always a better day. Sleep on it.

Bake safely,

Hayley

4 DAYS UNTIL EASTER

Bunny Buns

Time taken: Half an hour

Ingredients: 150g Cornflakes, 50g butter, 200g marshmallows, 12 Bunny Jelly Babies.

Hi readers,

So, I blogged a few days ago and casually mentioned that it was raining here. I was in really quite low spirits about the rain, readers. And today, on Wednesday, IT IS STILL RAINING. Unbelievable! It’s like… WHY??! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGGHHHH MAKE IT STOPPP. Damn you all to heck, raindrops.

Literally, that’s where I’m at with the weather. That’s where we’re all at in Sheffield. We’re sat indoors cursing the rain. Yesterday? It hailed several times. Tomorrow? Snow is forecast. Meanwhile… rain. And more rain. Raaaaaaaaaain.

BUT I’m not letting it get me down anymore, readers. It’s incredible how big an impact the weather can have on people’s moods! And when you’re living in northern England… that’s really quite dangerous. Because the weather here, readers, is frequently shit. And often it’s utterly shocking.

But… let’s be positive now. What’s cool about being stuck indoors?

A) That’s where all the food is. And the TV and your bed.
B) Where family are (if you haven’t killed them already this week).
&C) If you’re shut in the house you’re basically required to bake!

So, this recipe here is something new for you to try. It is VERY easy and simple. And super cheap. See the 4 ingredients listed at the top of the page? There’s only 4 of them! Win! And, also, this recipe is very Easteryyyy whoooooooo!

So, readers, I’ve been doing Lent now for 5 ½ weeks I believe. I gave up chocolate and it’s been a loooooooong haul. A very long haul. I miss chocolate BADLY right now. Really this week I’m terrible and think about chocolate allllllll the time. I miss chocolate bars and chocolate cake and chocolate biscuits and chocolate mousse. And hot chocolate.

I think that my coffee consumption’s increased dramatically on account of me being off the hot chocolate. And the coffee’s making me more anxious about not being allowed any chocolate. So really it’s a negative spiral I’m in. Very negative.

Buttttttttt I STAY STRONG. Do you, readers? Have you given anything up for Lent?? I’d love to hear what it is and how you’ve been getting on! Share your Lent stories! Have there been any slip ups or any really tough moments?? A week or so ago I came very close to eating the chocolate filling at the centre of my cousin’s 21^st birthday cake. Big drama. I was THIS CLOSE to eating it. But I dutifully ate around it. Offered it away. Cried inside. Has anyone else had such a low point??

Because Lent is TOUGH. We only have 4 days to go but I bet they’re going to be killer! Knowing you’re near the end makes it harrrrrrrrrrrd. Sigh. And, sadly, my efforts to not eat chocolate have pushed me back over the edge with gelatine. I’m being the worst vegetarian ever. Last week, I had a bag of Rowntree’s Randoms and, today, this recipe involves both marshmallows and Jelly Babies. Scandalous.

Readers, I feel bad. I want all animals to keep their hooves. I really don’t support the eating of hooves! My friend Floss doesn’t like it when I sometimes eat sweets with hooves in. But, for the love of god, if I can’t eat chocolate I need something in my life. For my sanity. And in 4 days I will go back to eating chocolate and not gelatine. So allow me this slip up, everyone. Please don’t think badly of me (especially you, Floss).

And on with the recipe! Here I’ve BASICALLY taken the recipe for Easter buns (Cornflakes stuck together with chocolate, with Mini Eggs on top) and merged it with the recipe for SnapCracklePop buns (Rice Krispies stuck together with marshmallow, with popping candy on top) TO CREATE SOMETHING NEW. Something that those of us not eating chocolate can eat. This could be the recipe to carry us to the end of Lent! Stay strong everyone!

Here’s how to throw together a batch of Bunny Buns, in just ten easy steps:

1. Line a bun tray with 12 fairy cake cases.

2. Measure out 50g of butter and pop this in a saucepan, heated on a low heat.

3. Tip a 200g bag of marshmallows into the pan.

4. Weight out 150g of Cornflakes and pop these into a mixing bowl.

5. As the contents of your pan begin to melt, stir it up!

ChefBeHere Top Tip: Keep everything on the move. Marshmallow is quick to burn and you don’t want that to happen! Stir stir stir.

6. When the mix in your pan is smooth, pour it over the Cornflakes in your bowl.

7. Using a wooden spoon, mix together your Cornflakes and marshmallow goo!

8. When your Cornflakes are mostly coasted in marshmallow and they’re sticking together, begin to spoon them into your fairy cases.

ChefBeHere Top Tip: Avoid letting the mix touch you. This isn’t because it’s poisoned or explosive upon contact, it’s just insanely sticky. Like, you will struggle to get it off you. Steer clear.

9. Fill each fairy case with your sticky Cornflake mix.

ChefBeHere Top Tip: Fill your bowl and your pan with warm water ASAP and leave them to soak. Otherwise, that marshmallow is going to bind to them for all an eternity, believe me.

10. Top each bun with a Bunny Jelly Baby and leave your Bunny Buns to set a little while in their cases. Then devour!

And hey presto… BUNNY BUNS!!

Aren’t they adorable? Readers, this is a recipe designed for children. It’s so simple it’s crazy. But adults can make Bunny Buns, too! And so they should! These are a simple, delicious way to celebrate Easter without chocolate, and they’re a recipe that everyone can have a go at. No prior skill required! You don’t even bake them. Bunny Buns are the bomb I promise you – they taste very sweet and sugary. Basically, like childhood. And you’re going to be wearing them on your face, without a doubt! There’s everything to love about them.

So, get your apron on this Easter, and while the rains pour down have a crack at mixing up some Bunny Buns! Do you have a friend that’s given up chocolate for Lent? Feed them Bunny Buns! Basically, anyone that’s given up a food for Lent which isn’t butter, marshmallow, Cornflakes or Jelly Babies, and who seems to be struggling a little with the last few days to go… FEED THEM BUNNY BUNS. I insist. Go. Now.

And shelter safely,

Hayley

A BAKING BLEND

Carrot Cake Tea Loaf

Time Taken: An hour & 20 mins (including the bake)

Ingredients: 230g caster sugar, 280g plain flour, 1 ½ teaspoons of baking powder, a big shake of cinnamon, ½ a teaspoon of salt, 120g butter, 100ml milk, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 230g carrots (that’s about 3 carrots), & 180g chopped walnuts or sultanas.

Hi readers,

So… Monday is done. Readers, you’ve done it again. You have officially made it to the end of the day! A Monday! Three cheers to EVERYONE for your wonderful efforts today, battling against the evil forces of Monday. You. Heroes.

So, has it been a day to remember? At all? If you think about today, and then think about what you might come to remember this day for in the future, what do you think it will be? Will today be remembered? Readers, I hope you’ll be remembering today for all the right reasons, and not for any of the wrong ones. I hope that today’s been a Thumbs Up kind of day.

MY DAY I think I’ll remember for being the day I took a National Express coach instead of a Megabus. This, readers, was a Really Big Deal for me. So big! Basically, due to the incredibly and unbelievably cheap prices of Megabuses, I’m allllllways taking them to get between Newcastle (uni home) and Sheffield (home home). Rarely do I spend more than a tenner on a Megabus which is WAY lower than the trains cost. And if you’re the first person to book onto the bus then you get your journey for the princely sum of one quid (!!!) which was me this December when I journeyed home for Xmas Break.

BUT Megabuses are the worst. You spend ages waiting for them on the pavement and never know when one will arrive. Often, Megabus drivers and marshals are really rude to you. They squash loads of people onto a bus and you never have any legroom. It’s stuffy. Too hot or too cold. The plugs don’t work. The Wi-Fi doesn’t work. The toilet is terrible. A baby is crying. Someone opens a pack of sushi and the smell hits you. And you have hours of survival ahead!

So, for today’s trip, I did my research and found that I could get a National Express coach instead, for only £1 more! Readers, I didn’t look back! So, at 9am my coach set off from Sheffield. The driver was a chatty fellow and he was very concerned with getting his passengers belted up. Safety first. Today, there were only a few people on the coach including me and we each had decent space for legroom. Along with window seats. And no need to sit anywhere near to each other on the bus! Result!

We spent an hour driving to Leeds and then took an hour’s break. I stretched my legs and grabbed a coffee. Back on the bus at 11 and we headed north. After that, it took just over 3 hours and we were rolling into Newcastle. Such an enjoyable trip! The sun was shining through the windows warming everyone up and we got to see the sights of lots of lovely towns along the way to Newcastle. Today, I’ve been through Harrogate and Darlington and Durham… and who knows where else!

When I wasn’t watching the world go by I was having a read at my book ‘In The Darkness’ by Karin Fossum. A proper Norwegian crime thriller! A book which I’ve now gone and finished. And all was good. Today, the journey up to Newcastle has been good. I give National Express a cheerful ten out of ten for today’s trip. It was fun! And so, if I remember today, I think it will be as the day that I finally escaped the Megabus.

OR as the day that they arrested the murderer of Claudia Lawrence. Which I think is the best news ever! Hopefully, this means that the case can be solved and there will be justice at last for Claudia’s family. And perhaps the discovery of her body. So that her family can say good bye and Claudia can rest in peace, as everyone should.

So, readers, you’ve survived Monday. Hopefully you’ll be remembering today for good reasons. And the whole rest of the week lies ahead for you! What will you do with your week?? How will you spend your time? MAYBE you’ll have time for some Spring baking?? I hope you do because I have just the recipe! For a lovely Carrot Cake Tea Loaf. :) This I baked on Friday evening before I headed home to Sheffield,  as a treat for my Father Bear! And a sly way, readers, to get him eating vegetables.

Have you tried carrot cake before? Or  tea loaf, readers?? Whether you have or you haven’t, all you need to know is that this recipe takes the best of both of those cakes MASHES THEM TOGETHER and creates something wonderful for you to bake.

So as you may know, readers, carrot cake is traditionally made with chopped walnuts, in the same way that coffee cake is. Butttt, instead, this recipe uses sultanas. Now, putting sultanas in coffee cake in place of walnuts, definitely seems a weird idea. And maybe putting sultanas in carrot cake seems a weird idea, too? Like, when I set about baking this cake and discovered that I didn’t have any walnuts in to use, I was fairly unsure about subbing nuts for sultanas. And when he sliced this cake this weekend and discovered the sultanas hidden inside, my Father Bear was keen to point out that (for him) sultanas seemed out of place.

BUT the online recipe I was using said that this was an ok thing to do (Click HERE to see the original). And, having eaten a big wedge of this cake, I definitely feel that sultanas work ok. More than ok! ALSO… I was in Caffe Nero this weekend and saw that they sell this very cake. The same one. So, there you have it, this cake ISN’T a weird throwing together of things… it’s a real deal recipe. Which you have to try.

Upon my dad’s recommendation, I’m going to call this recipe a Carrot Cake Tea Loaf JUST SO THAT PEOPLE KNOW this isn’t an original Carrot Cake recipe that they’re signing themselves up for. Nor is it a traditional Tea Loaf. It’s a blend. Zero confusion.

Here’s how you can rustle up your very own Tea Loaf of Carrot Cake, in just ten easy steps…

1. Heat your oven to 190˚C.

2. Measure your butter into a small pan and melt it, then set aside for now.

3. Finely grate your carrots.

ChefBeHere Top Tip: I won’t lie… grating this amount of carrot is bloody hard graft. Your arm will PROBABLY feel like it’s dropping off. And it probably won’t, but this isn’t going to be a fun ten minutes of your life. I recommend regularly switching the arm that you hold the grater with. And distracting yourself with the radio! And not giving in.

4. Measure your sugar, flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon into a large mixing bowl. Stir it up!

5. Add your milk, vanilla extract and melted butter to the bowl. Stir everything together until you have a smooth cake mix.

6. Add your grated carrot to the bowl, along with the sultanas/walnuts. Stir it up!

7. Grease either a deep cake tin or a large loaf tin with butter.

8. Spoon your mix into the tin and safely transport this into the oven to bake for 50 minutes.

ChefBeHere Top Tip: My cake seemed to bake very quickly on top but was still wobbly within, so I covered my cake with foil in the oven and this way the middle could finish baking without the top burning! You may need to do this if your oven is anything like mine.

9. Do your dishes and dance around. Then, when your cake is risen and golden brown (and when a knife jabbed into its centre comes out clean) remove your cake from the oven and leave to cool for ten minutes in its tin.

10. Run a knife around the edge of your cake to loosen it from the tin, and then transfer your cake onto a wire cooling rack. Either slice your cake now and eat warm or leave to cool fully on the rack.

ChefBeHere Top Tip: If you decide to leave your cake to cool, you then have the option to decorate it! While I have zero patience for such pursuits, I know that some people beautifully decorate their carrot cakes with cream cheese frostings and chopped walnuts. Maybe you could even ice a carrot design on the top of your cake? Be creative!

Here’s my beautiful tea loaf of carrot cake…

And, readers, this cake tasted SO MOIST. Like, incredibly so. The moistest cake ever, and then some. SO MOIST. I feel like if you left this cake on your plate for a while (though I don’t know why ANYONE would do this) there’s a strong chance it might melt. So. So. Moist.

Gah. And, for me, the moistness was a really good thing. This cake tasted cinammony and carroty, and it was sticky and sweet. Not even 1% dry. And this cake was fine without any decoration, I felt. This cake wasn’t at a loss without icing. It was fine all by itself! Its very fine self. I like this cake and so does my dad. So will you! Get your Spring bake on this week, readers, and let me know what you think of Carrot Cake Tea Loaf. Go on now.

Travel safely,

Hayley