Today is an orange day....

Hello all!

I hope all is well with you out there in the world.

Like I mentioned in my last post, I felt the need to do some baking this weekend.... and I've been baking! It's a bit of an orange theme today... you'll see soon enough...

I had the morning to myself so I pulled out the aging Kenwood (which has been passed down to me from my mother and from my grandmother so it's knocking on a bit. Touch wood it's still working.) and decided to whip up a cake.

Now, my wonderful friend Mrs H in Cornwall made me the most amazing orange cake for my birthday last month and I really fancied making it. Unfortunately I didn't get the recipe but I'm sure I can prise it out of her! So I searched through a few sites and books and kinda concocted my own.

So, here is The Pengelly Bellys Orange Polenta Cake with Rosemary Syrup.

Ingredients:
2 oranges, diced but with skin on, pips removed
4oz margarine
4oz caster sugar
2 eggs, beaten
6oz polenta
3tsp baking powder

Heat oven to GM 4/ 180C. Grease an 8" cake tin (or cheat like me and use a tinfoil one!)

1. Place chopped oranges into a food processor and blitz to a pulp. Leave to one side.
2. In a clean bowl or mixer, cream together the sugar and margarine until light and fluffy.
3. Start to add the eggs slowly the the butter/sugar mixture.
4. Stir in the polenta and baking powder.
5. Stir in the orange pulp.
6. Pour batter into cake tin.
7. Place in oven - first 10minutes at 180C, then reduce to 170C for 40minutes.
8. Leave to cool in the tin.

To make the rosemary syrup, add 200g caster sugar, 200ml of water and two sprigs of water into a saucepan, bring to the boil and then simmer for 10minutes. Slowly pour over the cake and it will absorb all the the syrup. Leave for absorb for 30minutes before taking out of the cake tin.

Pouring the rosemary syrup onto the cake...

I've got a lovely retro orange glass cake stand that my mother gave me and it fitted the occasion perfectly, along with the orange stripey tablecloth and clashing flowers!

I love this dish soooo much!

Orange lovelyness

The first slice, moist and yummy...

...and all cake shots deserve a close up!

Cake update... mmm there's not much left of it after one day! Mr P seems to like it served warm with a dollop of yoghurt and honey!

Give it a go! I think it will also work well with lemons!

Cheers for now xoxox

Mr P's new canvas bag.... handmade of course

Hey ho everyone! How's it going?

Finally I've finished Mr P's new canvas bag. I offered to make him a bag as he kept complaining that he couldn't find a funky man bag for town (instead of me carting all his stuff around!)...

There are so many funky fabrics out there for boys and since he's bike mad, bike fabric was the way to go.

So. last weekend I started the project. I used my own pattern. Fabric was from a couple of places on Etsy and all metal bits was from U-handbag who have all the bag making supplies that a girl needs! If you really want to venture in bag making Lisa (who owns U-handbag) has written the most amazing book - suitable for all levels!

So here are the results....

Can't wait for him to take it to town on the weekend! I also think that some baking time is well over due! So watch this space!
See you soon,

Nic xoxox

Greetings from Sunny Cornwall!

I'm so excited! I'm in Cornwall! I've come home for a week's holiday and I'm having a great time. Mr P has abandoned me to watch the first week of Le Tour in France.... but he's home soon and we'll have a few days together before we head back up north....

Ma and Pa spoilt me on my birthday. We went to one of my favourite restaurants in St.Ives, the Porthgwidden Cafe but we ate all for food before I remembered that I had the camera with me! Doh! Anyway, I had the squid with miso and citrus dressing for starters, followed by a open Newlyn Crab Salad all washed down with a glass of Polgoon Raspberry Aval of course!

After an amazing lunch we headed off to the beach for the swim. Dad and I hit the (refreshing) water... and I was joined by a seal who swam past me!

I'm the swimmer furthest away and the big dark shadow is the seal!

We finished the afternoon with some Moomaid of Zennor Icecream which was delicious! Limoncello, pistachio, orange and mascapone, passion fruit... just some of the flavours that we enjoyed!

Anyway, here are some more photos of Cornwall that I would like to share with you!

jubilee bathing pool and the stunning flags

Jubilee Bathing Pool - where I learnt to swim as a babe!

Jubilee Bathing Pool

Jubilee Bathing Pool with Penzance Prom and Newlyn in the distance

Steps into the sea at Battery Rocks, Penzance

I've got four more days left in Cornwall to cram in more ice-cream, a cream tea, a pasty and a crab salad! I think we can manage that! I'll remember the camera this time!

Enjoy! xoxoxox