BISCOTTI!!!

5 trays of biscotti, made after a day of school and 3 hours study and at almost 10 at night. I'm an epic woman i'd say.

Yano I could make a fortune out of my biscotti. Screw a summer job, I'll build an empire out of biscotti and become super rich!!!! PLAN!!!

Universal measurements. Please?

Ugh. I hate the way americans use 'cups' instead of grams or some normal measurement.

and when I looked up the conversion it was oh so complex. It couldn't be a simple, 1cup=so many grams, oh no. has to be 1cup of such and such is equal to this many grams. But 1cup of another thing is equal to a diff number of grams.

I'm gonna have to do a lot more research into that, there has to be a way of figuring it out that doesn't involve me taking down a whole load of tables for an array of diff ingredients.

This world needs universal measurements, same measurements all over the world. I vote that we use grams when it comes to baking:D

Damn tea!

Dia dhuit

My overloading of tea over the easter holidays, I knew it would come back and bite me in the ass. I can't make it through the school day without getting a massive headache from lack of tea. Today was so bad I had to go buy a horrible cup of tea at the shop. This may be turning into an expensive addiction. but sure, I could be addicted to a lot worse:)

Slan go foill

PS

PS: I'm sorry bout the pics. I'm new to this and have'nt figured out how to turn off the flash on my camera and aparently making pictures appear in themiddle of the blog doesn't work, they both appear on top. I'll try and figure it out(eventually)

Granny's Bread:)

Dia Dhuit

Granny made her bread for me:D and I decided to pay close attention to how she made it so I could post it here. But I ran into some problems. Granny didn't really weigh things exactly so telling you measurements and such...well it isn't going to happen I'm afraid. I apologise. But on the brighter side, it's so unbelieveably easy to make.

It contains only 3 ingrdients. Yes, just 3. I was shocked. self raising flour, buttermilk and raisins or sultanas(or both if you so choose). Of course you can leave the raisins out, then it's only two ingredients and is still yummy:)

1)preheat the oven to 180 degress or gas mark 7. Now when I watched my granny she just counted handfuls of flour as her form of measurement. Theres no need for sieveing, just whack it into the bowl. when I asked does she not weigh it, I got 'I do not!!'(said with deep sarcasm).
2)Again ther was no measurement of te raisins, it was a 'I'll put as many as I want in it' job. So this step is really a preference thing. You can exclude or put as much or as little as you like into it.
3) then she just started adding buttermilk and used her hand to combine it all. She added the buttermilk bit by bit(a good bit each time, not a dribble like) until it forms a dough that isn't too wet but not too dry.
so you have to kinda go on instinct with this recipe, granny estimated that she used a pound and a half of flour, but that isn't definite. So just put a good amount of flour into a bowl add the raisins if your using them and then just add the buttermilk and if it seems like you need more flour, go for it. If it looks like it needs more buttermilk, go for it. Just keep going till you have a decent sized dough(my granny's estimate makes two loaves)
4grease two loaf tins with butter or, alternatively, you can just dust a tray with flour.turn your dough out on a floured surface and knead it a bit but not a lot, bout a minute. And, depending on how much dough you've created, put into the loaf tins or make it into a nice round loaf or two and put it on your tray. Then using a knife make some slight incsions on the top, not too deep, in a cross shape across the loaf.
5) bake in the oven for.....(curse my granny's old fashioned ways) well, it should be golden on top and crisp. I'll make it myself sometime(hopefully I'll find some time) and I'll work out measurements adn timings and let you know. then take them out of the tin or off the tray and just place them bake in the oven for bout 5 mins more.
6)And now, while it's still warm if you can, cut a slice or two, spread a good layer of butter across it(jam works too if your a butter phob, but butter is so much better) make a cup of tea.

And then life is pure bliss.

Again I'm really sorry bout the lack of measuements and such. I'll try and rectify that situation as soon as possible.

Slan go foill:) (wow my first recipe:) How exciting:D)