Spicy Cinnamon Apple Bundt

Roll of drums....... I have baked today!  A spicy cinnamon apple bundt.  It is the first time (that I can remember) using a proper bundt tin.  I have used a silicone one with disasterous results when it came to turning out.  This one about flew out of the pan.  It has a warm spicy taste to it.  I need to tweak the baking time to suit the size of the tin and the oven, for next time.  It's on my Make Again List.  Try it out for yourself!



Spicy Cinnamon Apple Bundt

250g plain (all purpose) flour
1 tsp bicarb soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 - 1 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp salt
200g caster sugar
100g butter
350g apple sauce/puree
2 tbsp treacle
150g sultanas

1. Preheat oven to 180c/gm4.  Grease and flour a fluted or straight sided bundt tin (tube pan)
2. Sift flour, bicarb, cinnamon, allspice and salt.  Set aside
3. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Mix in the apple sauce and treacle
4. Gradually add flour to mix and beat well to moisten.  Fold in sultanas
5. Pour into prepared tin. 
6. Bake in pre-heated oven for approx 45 minutes, test with skewer.  Cool in tin for 10 minutes before turning out to cool on wire rack

Notes
I used a teaspoon of allspice and found that, as nice as it was, it over powered the cinnamon.  You could try just cinnamon, or use ground cloves instead of the allspice.  Have a play.

I could have done with turning the temp down by 10 or maybe 20 degrees c and keeping in for another five minutes or so.  Knowing your oven is always good!

I suppose a different cake pan could be used, baking times may need to be adjusted

I used a 6 1/4" bundt tin

A Big Box

A parcel arrived today.  A very big box.  The pop bottles in the background are two litre ones, just to give it some perpsective.  So what may is being delivered in such a gargantuan box?



This was.  Honest.  Talk about over size!

Tea Party, Planting Bulbs and a Short Trip To Egremont

Monday

Mary-Jane has been playing at Tea Party today.  She has played for a fair few hours with it, on and off.  She was given the set today and has been quite taken with it.  Everybody has had several cups of tea and joined in the Tea Pary, including Mr Snuggles. 




Mary-Jane has also planted her first bulbs - narcissus, with help from Granma.

Tuesday

 

I managed to take Mary-Jane to Play Group this morning.  Very pleased with myself that I did this and even more pleased that Mary-Jane went.  She had a fun time and was the least clingy she has been.  In fact I wouldn't really be able to say that she was clingy.  It did take it's toll on me though.  I was very tired when we got back.  Achey all over like you are when you have flu or something along those lines. 

 

After lunch I had to pop to Egremont to get the mid week bread and milk.  As soon as I got back, Mum wanted to see if the wool shop was open, so I u-turned and went back to Egremont.  The Wool shop wasn't open, but will be tomorrow.  We paid a visit to the Tat shop (Age UK charity shop).  I found a few treasures, including a cross stitch of 'Twinkle Twinkle little star' - all stitched and framed and ready for Mary-Jane's bedroom wall, where it is now hanging.  I also found an old butter knife which will have a new life as a palette knife for my sugarcraft and cake decorating.  I also picked up a book for HK.  Winners all round.

 

As for my sugarcraft classes.  As you can probably half guess, I didn't go tonight.  I was way too tired.  I think this week was week five.  I now need, as I've said before, to clarify this and see if it worth me going for the rest of the term, which may be only another five weeks.  Difficult one.  the next term is in September, so it is quite a while to wait.  However I do have the monthly meetings of the Sugarcraft Guild to help me along my way.  I also need to step up my practice of all things sugarcrafty and cake decorating (and baking).  All in due course at the moment.  Practice make perfect!

Normal Service Is Resuming For Me

The first few days back were, are very much a blur.  The stairs were so difficult to climb.  I was almost hauling myself up by the bannisters, one step at a time.  My legs have been very weak.  Walking even small distances around the house have been enough to tire me and to warrent 'a rest'. The days continued to be rounds of sleeping, trying to eat and drink sufficient and taking medication.  After a few days, I was improving.  I was taking things steadily, pushing myself to do more.  I am nearly about back to normal.  I was so gald to be back around HK and Mary-Jane.  I had missed them sorely.  I still am not fit enough to change MJ, get her up and put her to bed.  I am there though.  In the next day or two, I will be resuming normal duties.

 

Knitting restarted a few days ago.  I am working on the Gull Baby Blanket.   I am perhaps six or so rows off half way.  I have done quite a lot today, and to be truthful, am ready to put it down at least for tonight.  I must not start anything else or the blanket is likely to fall into the UFO catorgary (UnFinished Object).  I have been treated to some James C Brett Monsoon to do the cardi in Yarnwise that I have been hanging my nose over.  I have also been treated to some darkish rose pink 4 ply cotton, that is destined to be either a summer cardi or a waistcoat.  I have moved the yarn out of our front room so it is not a temptation to me whilst I slog on with the Gull Blankie.

 

My main goal for this coming week is to take Mary-Jane to play group on Tuesday.  Lesser goals include going to Sugarcraft Class.  This may be put off till next week, depending on how I feel after playgroup as it is on the same day.  I am also aware that sugarcraft is half way through it's term.  I need to see where things are with projects.  Obviously I don't have time to play catch up (do I?) although there may be two or three projects planned for the term. 

 

I also want to cook more, see to Mary-Jane more and maybe, just maybe, do a small amount of baking.  This may spill into next week.  So far, I have managed to do the (much scaled down) weekly shop, and be very grateful to be able to cling onto and push the trolley!  We went to Gosforth Library on Saturday morning, with me driving in the snow.  Tonight I made Mary-Jane's tea and my own - HK had sandwiches, which he makes himself.  Normal service is coming back.

Illness - Hospital

How long have I been saying that I have been feeling off the hooks (unwell)???  Weeks and weeks.  And this time I have been proper poorly.  Not seriously I hasten to add, though.  But bad enough.  Sunday the 13th, in the afternoon, I took a nose dive.  I didn't feel well at all.  Rapidly.  I went to bed in the afternoon and not far off stayed there.  As the evening and night progressed I felt worse and worse.  I was sweating profusely and had such pain in my abdomen.  Sharp, shooting pains that came in waves, almost as bad as labour pains.  I thought about going to the hospital in the night it was that bad.  In the morning, HK got onto the GP's surgery first thing and got me an appointment late morning.  The GP's verdict was to go to the local hospital to the Nurse Practitioners Unit to get checked out.

 

After a few hours of being poked and prodded, I was cannulated and hooked up to a saline drip.  The decision had been made to keep me in.  There was no bed free, so I was taken up to Accident and Emergency to wait in one of their beds.  I was deemed to need an actual bed, rather than wait in a chair.  Luckily I had not been in A&E no more than five minutes when a bed became free on the Emergency Assessment/Treatment Ward.  I was bundled into a wheelchair, along with my drip and taken to a bay on the ward around half past five.

 

I have had bloods taken, had a saline drip, been given very strong IV antibiotics for 48 hours, then changed to oral, I have had a CT scan and an pelvic ultrasound scan.  I have been poked and prodded and vomitted.  I have been bounced between the Surgical team and the Gynae team.  The cause of my pain has been put down to a very bad infection.  The source or origin of this infection remains unknown.  A mystery.  I still have some awareness of a dull ache where the pain was.  I have finished the anti-biotics.

 

I was discharged on Friday tea time, when both teams decided that what ever it was wrong with me, was nothing to do with them.  I was responding to medication, so I was sent on my way.  I could hardly walk.  I shuffled painfully and slowly off the ward, down the stairs and into the cold night air.

Poorly

I've been in unwell.  I've been in hospital for a week, home for a few days. Lots to tell when I'm up to it!

A Relaxing Morning

At last, some pictures of the Grace Beret.  I don't know if the centre is supposed to sit like this, I thought it would have been flatter.  It looks okay and is quite warm to wear.  HK took the pictures this morning.

I have frogged the Gull Baby Blanket.  I had done enough to measure the width and I was way way out with my calculations - by at least 13".  The blankie was 39" instead of 26".  I really don't know what I was thinking about when deciding the stitch numbers.  The pattern said 123 on 5mm, so what ever posessed me to do 193 on 3.5mm, I really don't know.  I now have 137 stitches, which shold bring it out at around 27".  I have one more row of the border to do now before the main lavce pattern starts.  At least the rows are nearly 1/3 shorter.  Should get it done quicker.

 

I still want to do the cardi jacket in this months yarnwise.  And I want to do it in one colour, not in stripes.  I am sourcing yarn, and alternative yarns.

 

MJ and I were due to go to Penrith today, to have a look around the shops.  I took the last minute decision not to go as I thought it might get too cold for MJ.  It was due to be sunny but cold - 2-4c (I think that is about 37f).  Instead we had a very relaxing morning in the house, just the three of us.  HK cleaned the chickens out.  Mary-Jane and I played in the kitchen and had lots of fun.  The three of us managed to sit at the kitchen table together to eat lunch.  I cannot remember the last time we did that, or were able to do that.  It was more than pleasant, I must say.

 

Mary-Jane didn't have the best of nights.  She woke up crying twice, where we had to go into her.  But she had a lie in in the morning!  I didn't wake up until a quarter to eight! Now that is something else I have not done for a while, and no raging headache (just a dull one that went on it's own).