Im always on the lookout for simple frostings to spruce up plain cakes. This one from Better Homes and Gardens Magazine, February 1942 is easy... and only uses 2 squares of chocolate a very chocolatey topping.
¼ cup water
2 1-ounce squares unsweetened chocolate
2 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups confectioners' sugar
Heat water and squares unsweetened chocolate until chocolate melts.
Add butter, vanilla extract, and confectioners' sugar
It was a beautiful morning... it felt like Spring. For the first time in a while we walked home from church. And yes...I wore my daffodil with pride
Back home.. Mr D joined a few of our neighbours with the weekly ritual of mowing the front lawn. I know pride is a sin... but boy... these men love their lawns!
Meanwhile.. I used the dried fruit I had soaking in tea over night and made a delicious Bara Brith.. the last of my Welsh dishes for this week
“Bara Brith” is a traditional Welsh fruit loaf that literally means speckled bread. The recipe calls for lots of dried fruit, soaked in tea overnight and orange zest to give it a little zing. Using only one egg it easily fit into a rationed diet... and could be easily adapted during the war to use orange marmalade instead of orange juice and zest. Finely grated carrot could also be used to replace some of the fruit.
Delicious spread with a little butter....and served with a nice cup of tea
Dried fruit soaking in tea
1lb of self raising flour (I used plain with 5 teaspoons of baking powder)
1/2 pint of tea
1lb of mixed dried fruit (substitute 1/3 with finely grated carrot to save on rations) 6 oz of light brown sugar 1 medium egg 1 or 2 teaspoons of mixed spice 1 tablespoon of honey 1 tablespoon or orange juice 1 tablespoon of orange zest (or use 2 tablespoons of orange marmalade to replace the honey, orange juice and zest)
Make 1/2 pint of strong tea and add the dried fruit and grated carrot to the tea
Place in fridge overnight
The next day mix the honey, orange juice and zest (or marmalade) with the sugar and egg
Add that to the fruit and tea mixture
Sift the flour and spice into a large bowl
Add the fruit/tea mixture
Mix until all flour is mixed in
Place in two small greased loaf tins or one large one
Cook at 160C or 320 F for about 1 to 1.5 hours (use foil to cover if getting too brown)
Remove and cool for a while then glaze with honey or a sugar water mix
Remove from tin and cool thoroughly before storing in a tin
Slice and serve with butter
We ended the weekend listening to the happenings of the week on the radio...
with a nice cup of tea.. and of course.. a lovely slice of Bara Brith
I’m not quite sure what Welsh about it unless it’s a play on Welsh Rarebit but all the same..it’s quite delicious.
We spent the day pottering in the garden Our lovely friend Primo had gifted us with a couple of plumeria trees from his yard and MrD had to get them in the ground pretty quick before the day got too hot. And believe me..it got hot. 91 degrees..and its only February
After tending my flowers, I managed to plant all my seed potatoes.
I’m hoping for a bumper crop again this year.
Dinner was another Welsh dish and one of our favorites Ponch Maip
Ponch Maip.. also known as Ponchmipe.. is a local dish from North Wales, where I was born. Maip is the Welsh word for turnip/swede. Ponch, as it sounds, means to punch or to mash.
So quite simply, its mashed potato and mashed swede or turnip, mixed together with a little butter and salt and pepper to taste.
Often served with savory dishes like sausages it can also include carrots, be served with onion gravy, or be used as a topping for shepherd's pie.
Real comfort food... and absolutely delicious
And to end the day, we watched our favourite Welsh movie
how green was my valley starring Maureen O’Hara and Walter Pidgeon
Happy Heavenly Birthday to this amazing human who is never far from my thoughts
He was the kindest.. funniest .. gentlest.. loving dad a girl could wish for.
He loved a flutter on the ponies.. helping with the local football club…got drunk on half a shandy.. made a fabulous Sunday tea of egg butties.. Battenburg cake and Angel Delight (every..single.. week!!) and could make or fix anything from his large stash of “just in case” stuff in his shed. If you needed a bit of wire.. a couple of odd size nails or a key for a 40 year old lock.. Ray was your go to man
Thank you Dad for everything you taught me.. Man do I miss you… I will love you always..xx
The weather is getting warmer.. but we still have snow on the mountains
On a Friday MrD always finishes work earlier than the other days..
so we took Prince for a walk in the local park
On the way home we stopped for a bit of shopping.We didnt need much..just some pantry items.. some vegetables..including some very fresh Leeks which I used in our evening meal
Being Welsh one of my favourite vegetables are leeks.. and I like to make this side dish.. Welsh Wonder. Its a Ministry of Food recipe and quick easy and adaptable
8 large leeks
Salt and pepper 6 tablespoons grated cheese
Cut the leeks in half lengthwise and wash well.
Cook in a very little boiling salted water.
When tender, drain well, keeping the vegetable water for soup or gravy.
