tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49885364573789439022024-03-12T17:53:17.955-07:00Anya's WorldFrom my kitchen and garden to my studio and everywhere else I share recipes, hints, tips and lessons.Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06793239611501867040noreply@blogger.comBlogger106125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988536457378943902.post-65107959191118435962018-06-19T14:12:00.000-07:002018-06-19T14:12:24.564-07:00THE TASTIEST PINEAPPLE-GINGER JAMThere are many different types of commercial pineapple jams to be had, some good, some bad and others terrible. Most contain preservatives and other unhealthy stuff which isn't good for your general well-being.<br />
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But making your own assures you highest quality and superb taste. A well made jam produced in your own kitchen can easily keep for up to a year without losing its appearance or taste.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKtuUp8XzEuLPwYVg_HUaq95VTnlnaAGdgN58pHGyodN2JrqcWZudbw_pudDIhN7ZM7kQdVR9QxjNeo8e7xW6Dd1v0qFVIK9TjaSQXeN9Y_pHgIu747gsKZA_QG5yEGIK6bZ9WfaBG2_0D/s1600/20180619025209.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1032" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKtuUp8XzEuLPwYVg_HUaq95VTnlnaAGdgN58pHGyodN2JrqcWZudbw_pudDIhN7ZM7kQdVR9QxjNeo8e7xW6Dd1v0qFVIK9TjaSQXeN9Y_pHgIu747gsKZA_QG5yEGIK6bZ9WfaBG2_0D/s400/20180619025209.jpg" width="257" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pineapple-Ginger jam with fresh<br />home-baked bread</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I have made jams and marmalades for many years, always using fruit when easily available at the peak of their season when such fruit is less expensive. This will allow you to to experiment occasionally, combining different fruit together or adding some spices for a change from the regular, everyday jams.<div>
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<div>
For this recipe I decided to add ginger to pineapple. Pineapple jam on its own is a bit humdrum generally but I know that fresh ginger brings a spicy liveliness to most everything. And, believe me, I wasn't wrong.</div>
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<div>
To make this jam is quite easy and not too time consuming. The work should be divided into two sections. Prep everything the first day and do the actual boiling of the jam the next day. But if you have the time do the first part in the morning and later in the afternoon you make the jam.</div>
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<div>
This is not the traditional way of making jam but it gives a tastier jam by eliminating additional water.</div>
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So, let us start with the recipe and what is needed.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitsdh6Kzh9Ht_ZhMlMIdX3l_rICGt7N0N0-ygYI5ue1cXrhKV4trilP0gp0fNYk048Q9G_SGmEOLmQn9CEszuz4KDbATAzABWbJS_cY3PRMug5ZrVkwzC5BZMzozgeazBvW6Y4akeSrb8q/s1600/20180619023934.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1148" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitsdh6Kzh9Ht_ZhMlMIdX3l_rICGt7N0N0-ygYI5ue1cXrhKV4trilP0gp0fNYk048Q9G_SGmEOLmQn9CEszuz4KDbATAzABWbJS_cY3PRMug5ZrVkwzC5BZMzozgeazBvW6Y4akeSrb8q/s200/20180619023934.jpg" width="143" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">fresh cubed pineapple</td></tr>
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<h2>
<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-large;">Ingredients:</span></h2>
1.2 kg fresh pineapple, cubed<br />
150 g fresh ginger pulp obtained from about 300 g fresh ginger root<br />
700 g sugar<br />
2 tsp citric acid, dissolved in 4 Tbsp water<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQXLmLp-YLyD8JbKu3kDN1ZOlRy8hF9_bJZTfjftBO8QNRPSo1YuY_wmiP6DQjz-xDyHU2aEM7F9L-Lv1D2vwB7dYfscGF7FH48FYFmqMeIt7MFHDf0yL7LtbhLD0p9Nnw38RiJ4dOYHhm/s1600/20180619024530.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1245" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQXLmLp-YLyD8JbKu3kDN1ZOlRy8hF9_bJZTfjftBO8QNRPSo1YuY_wmiP6DQjz-xDyHU2aEM7F9L-Lv1D2vwB7dYfscGF7FH48FYFmqMeIt7MFHDf0yL7LtbhLD0p9Nnw38RiJ4dOYHhm/s200/20180619024530.jpg" width="155" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">grated fresh ginger</td></tr>
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<h2>
<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-large;">Equipment:</span></h2>
3 jam jars and a large pot for sterilizing<br />
Food processor, bowls and grater<br />
tongs for lifting jars<br />
sterilized funnel, jug and ladle<br />
stainless steel pot for jam making<br />
sugar thermometer (or a couple of chilled saucers)<br />
<h2>
<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-large;">Method:</span></h2>
<span style="color: orange; font-size: large;">Prep:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk1pckOMwHBFci-XipKSWtyllWhJLuEvQDyBdZi_FqY4yaF6wDfAIM_-9wH636sDLNwvBnzuOQfu8qcRJysIhbwnv1_aGO2eb80ehYvZXQBT0Rx4edcjl3JGTmKL0d_wyw1NyXAb3hslZ5/s1600/20180619024716.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1097" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk1pckOMwHBFci-XipKSWtyllWhJLuEvQDyBdZi_FqY4yaF6wDfAIM_-9wH636sDLNwvBnzuOQfu8qcRJysIhbwnv1_aGO2eb80ehYvZXQBT0Rx4edcjl3JGTmKL0d_wyw1NyXAb3hslZ5/s320/20180619024716.jpg" width="217" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Processed pineapple and ginger</td></tr>
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Peel and cube the pineapple, 2 large ones should give the required amount. Make sure to remove any eyes and all of the core.<br />
Peel and grate the ginger and then pass it through a sieve to obtain the pulp.<br />
Place pineapple and ginger in the food processor, if necessary in two batches, and process until there are no more chunks.<br />
Pour into a large bowl and add the sugar. Stir it in to dissolve, then cover and place in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.<br />
This will help to produce more juice, so no additional water is required to make the jam.<br />
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Jam Making:</span></span><br />
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Remove fruit pulp from the fridge and add to your pot. Cover, put on the fire and bring to boil. When boiling, reduce heat to simmer for half an hour. DO NOT STIR!</div>
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In the meantime sterilize the jars and lids in a water bath. Also immerse ladle, funnel and jug in boiling water, then keep on a clean kitchen towel until needed.</div>
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When the half hour is up, remove the cover, add the citric acid, increase the heat and bring back to boil. Now you can stir. After about 5 - 10 minutes the fruit will come to a rolling boil which will remain when you stir. This indicates that gradually setting point is approaching. If you have a sugar thermometer stick it in the pot now. If not, wait another 10 minutes or so to test the set on a cold plate.</div>
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Take a small teaspoon full of the jam, place on the chilled plate and run a line through the middle. If the liquid runs together it requires more cooking, but if the line stays open the jam is ready for potting.</div>
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Using a thermometer is easier because once it indicates 105β setting point is reached.</div>
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To avoid spillage and waste use the ladle to fill the jug, place the funnel on top of a jam jar and pour, leaving at least 2 cm space. Wipe rims to make sure they are clean and seal immediately. </div>
<div>
You may want to further sterilize them in a water bath or you can turn them upside down for about 15-20 minutes to allow a vacuum to form. Using jars with pop button lids are a great advantage here. If no vacuum has formed the button will move and you will have to process the jars again or the jam will not keep.</div>
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But if successful your jam can easily be kept for up to a year, if it can last that long with all its yumminess!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXEQifNYlgJPMa6IHcsqlpM2nUanz7J20OgauOKiLVbyLdRtaoLNDMOTYVS2Y7JWihWBqqN56YcnGnoyZyIMg49vKyYwFeOz7IyZomcKI6y-fc4H8K66odK0QiV3ehuarGUFvU0RqmP6j8/s1600/20180619030328.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1237" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXEQifNYlgJPMa6IHcsqlpM2nUanz7J20OgauOKiLVbyLdRtaoLNDMOTYVS2Y7JWihWBqqN56YcnGnoyZyIMg49vKyYwFeOz7IyZomcKI6y-fc4H8K66odK0QiV3ehuarGUFvU0RqmP6j8/s400/20180619030328.jpg" width="308" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three jars of the best pineapple-ginger jam</td></tr>
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I urge you to try it; you will not be disappointed!</div>
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Next time I shall give you a great recipe for the perfect bread to go with your jam!<br /><br />
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Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06793239611501867040noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988536457378943902.post-50080466711148913432018-06-09T12:33:00.000-07:002018-06-09T12:39:16.807-07:00Vegetable Pepper SoupPepper soup is a Nigerian staple enjoyed in every part of the country. You can find it in every roadside restaurant called buka and there are even special pepper soup "joints" where one can find almost all varieties possible. This soup is basically a rich broth made with a variety of meats and fish.<br />
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You have fish pepper soup, chicken, beef, mutton or goat. Not only the meat alone is used but also liver, heart, tripe etc, together with a special spice blend which gives the soup its unique flavour.<br />
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There are some varieties where yam is added to make the soup more substantial. Often this is given to a woman who just had a baby, most likely because of the invigorating properties of the dish.<br />
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The reputation of pepper soup must have travelled far because some time ago I was expecting a visitor from Europe who had heard so much about our pepper soup that she wanted to try it herself. There was just one tiny problem! This lady was a vegetarian. I have eaten many different kinds of this soup and cooked them too. But I had not come across any pepper soup entirely composed of vegetables!<br />
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So I put on my thinking cap and started experimenting. After some trial and error I came up with a combination of vegetables and grains which turned out to be very delicious and proved to be a hit not only with my visitor but family as well!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5L3kpcybGKIB5nrhLUraE_pMMxI68ETfPhihRp7JLoMyhMW15_rA0BpJ6hHa571K4erMLwssplYkGYxjhd6NRGoW8VeFtSRyyXVceeQCfS0U7zTK9P34VKo_3XIE1EASwCItXxz8W0QKs/s1600/20180607033921.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1348" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5L3kpcybGKIB5nrhLUraE_pMMxI68ETfPhihRp7JLoMyhMW15_rA0BpJ6hHa571K4erMLwssplYkGYxjhd6NRGoW8VeFtSRyyXVceeQCfS0U7zTK9P34VKo_3XIE1EASwCItXxz8W0QKs/s400/20180607033921.jpg" width="336" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hot and delicious Pepper soup</td></tr>
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This dish is ideal for a light supper served with bread and butter, or could be enjoyed at the end of a fast. If you are not a vegetarian or vegan some sliced sausage can be added to make the soup more substantial.<br />
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To prepare this delicious recipe follow the recipe below.<br />
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<h2>
<span style="color: orange;">Vegetable Pepper Soup</span></h2>
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<div class="fn">
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<div class="author">
Recipe by Anne Lawal</div>
<div class="summary">
This soup is great for vegetarians. Vegans will omit the butter and carnivores can add some sliced sausages or shredded chicken to give variety. Best served with fresh, crusty bread.</div>
Prep time: <span class="preptime">20 minutes, without the soaking time</span><br />
Cook time: <span class="cooktime">30 - 45 minutes for the sorghum, 25 minutes for the soup</span><br />
Total time: <span class="duration">1 hour 30 minutes</span><br />
Yield: <span class="yield">4 portions</span><br />
<span class="yield"><br /></span>
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<h3>
<span style="color: orange;">Ingredients</span></h3>
<ul>
<li class="ingredient">
<span class="amount">1 tin</span>
<span class="name">sweetcorn</span>
</li>
<li class="ingredient">
<span class="amount">175 g</span>
<span class="name">sorghum, soaked overnight</span>
</li>
<li class="ingredient">
<span class="amount">1</span>
<span class="name">onion, chopped</span>
</li>
<li class="ingredient">
<span class="amount">1</span>
<span class="name">clove of garlic, finely chopped</span>
</li>
<li class="ingredient">
<span class="amount">1</span>
<span class="name">leek, sliced</span>
</li>
<li class="ingredient">
<span class="amount">2 or 3</span>
<span class="name">sticks of celery incl. leaves, chopped</span>
</li>
<li class="ingredient">
<span class="amount">4</span>
<span class="name">carrots, sliced or diced</span>
</li>
<li class="ingredient">
<span class="amount">3 </span>
<span class="name">medium potatoes, diced</span>
</li>
<li class="ingredient">
<span class="amount">2</span>
<span class="name">fresh chilli peppers (scotch bonnet), chopped and seeds removed</span>
</li>
<li class="ingredient">
<span class="amount">1 tsp</span>
<span class="name">dried cayenne pepper</span>
</li>
<li class="ingredient">
<span class="amount">1 tin (2 Tbsp)</span>
<span class="name">tomato puree</span>
</li>
<li class="ingredient">
<span class="amount">1 tsp</span>
<span class="name">ground cumin</span>
</li>
<li class="ingredient">
<span class="amount">a handful</span>
<span class="name">efinrin (scent leaf), chopped</span>
</li>
<li class="ingredient">
<span class="amount">2 Tbsp</span>
<span class="name">vegetable oil</span>
</li>
<li class="ingredient">
<span class="amount"></span>
<span class="name">salt and black pepper to taste</span>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>
<span style="color: orange;">Cooking directions</span></h3>
<ol class="instructions">
<li class="instruction">
Boil the soaked sorghum in fresh water until soft, half an hour to 45 minutes. Cool slightly and puree in a blender. Then pass through a sieve to get rid of any husks. Set aside.
</li>
<li class="instruction">
Drain and rinse sweetcorn. Heat the oil in a fairly large pot and saute the onion and garlic until translucent, then add all the prepared vegetables and saute for another five minutes. Add enough hot water to cover completely and bring to boil. Then add the tomato puree and all the spices, holding back a good tablespoonful of the efinrin. Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes until vegetables are soft.
</li>
<li class="instruction">
Now add the sweetcorn and allow to heat through. Next remove about 4 ladles of the soup and blend the rest. When smooth return to the pot and add back the soup you kept aside. Now add the blended sorghum which will thicken the soup. If necessary add more water and then bring back to boil. Taste for seasoning and if liked add a knob of butter for extra flavour. Turn off the heat.
</li>
<li class="instruction">
When serving, sprinkle each bowl with the remaining efinrin.</li>
</ol>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0K5NTiar3zYcVMEUEPBLZwVijAmH0dqRqpWEI7fLSa31NiVqJF-kB08AGgi4uQ4xG9HHre61wsN0vvhGNgRv1NE8NZcAi8vlxH5U38ItB35fMf7ppcWp1uhoRh9wavaHZUQBcWXga8HjL/s1600/20180607034237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0K5NTiar3zYcVMEUEPBLZwVijAmH0dqRqpWEI7fLSa31NiVqJF-kB08AGgi4uQ4xG9HHre61wsN0vvhGNgRv1NE8NZcAi8vlxH5U38ItB35fMf7ppcWp1uhoRh9wavaHZUQBcWXga8HjL/s400/20180607034237.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sauteing the veggies</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrhYKnR2hRjL-MAcSDWez7YePh9dHxVvqSRwrgLgf5zDcI1dtzmA0FpNTK7cVn-uJx5mYPxIctA2vSAf3_bXnCP9lK8zrXEV36qV-LFgV92gtk2kCiXmvqeCe2931VL99j3FH-mSwy9CBp/s1600/20180607034107.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1588" data-original-width="1456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrhYKnR2hRjL-MAcSDWez7YePh9dHxVvqSRwrgLgf5zDcI1dtzmA0FpNTK7cVn-uJx5mYPxIctA2vSAf3_bXnCP9lK8zrXEV36qV-LFgV92gtk2kCiXmvqeCe2931VL99j3FH-mSwy9CBp/s320/20180607034107.jpg" width="293" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Delicious Vegetable Pepper Soup<br />
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If you try it, and you really should, let me know how it turned out and what you might change!<br />
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Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06793239611501867040noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988536457378943902.post-39838199978850680792018-06-02T05:04:00.001-07:002018-06-02T05:23:28.594-07:00Mango Cheese CakesDo you know anyone who doesn't like cheesecake? I don't! And there are so many variations that often it is very difficult to decide which one to make. There are those with crusts or without, baked or unbaked, with dried fruit or without, and others again with fresh fruit on top.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVRGSOKIFcazyciacqKUA7Pxj_8_TCZcjA3WatJzp2PW7dm_77hUlRry9ToxHxnTwaxCwUIU3dscPsYSG-ciqnd2UFF2OOD1DMkbx8PocREL7eGh7SCXJHnmooOHRiVayQKa422CY4SEkX/s1600/20180525045228.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1446" data-original-width="1600" height="361" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVRGSOKIFcazyciacqKUA7Pxj_8_TCZcjA3WatJzp2PW7dm_77hUlRry9ToxHxnTwaxCwUIU3dscPsYSG-ciqnd2UFF2OOD1DMkbx8PocREL7eGh7SCXJHnmooOHRiVayQKa422CY4SEkX/s400/20180525045228.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little Mango Cheesecakes fresh from the oven<br />
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The recipe used was handed down to me by my grandmother and I have been baking it, as is, for many years, without variations because it is that good! But since there are so many different types nowadays I decided to create my own version. Now we are at the height of the mango season, so my idea was to make a fresh mango puree and incorporate it to the traditional mix.<br />
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<div>
To get the best cheesecake ever I recommend that you make your own cottage cheese first because it is preferable to shop bought cream cheese. My recipe for making your own can be found in my previous post. Also make your own mango puree because the canned variety is a poor substitute. Fresh is best; no preservatives, additives or other chemicals we don't want in our food! How to make your own puree is described in the post before. I tried to link but for some reason it did not work, so, please, bear with me!</div>
<div>
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<div>
All the baked cheesecakes I have tasted were made with flour like most other cakes and had a crust at the bottom. But my grandmother's recipe has no crust and no flour but wonderful texture throughout which is decidedly a plus! To achieve this texture the recipe calls for semolina instead, the finer the semolina the smoother the texture. I like to go the middle way so I have a cake with a little chew!</div>
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<div>
And now for the recipe:</div>
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<div class="hrecipe">
<span class="item">
</span>
<br />
<h2>
<span style="color: orange;">Mango Cheesecakes</span></h2>
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<span class="item">
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<div class="author">
Recipe by Anne Lawal</div>
<div class="summary">
This mixture makes 12 - 16 little cakes, depending on size of muffin tin and liners.
The time variation depends on the moisture content of the cottage cheese.
These cakes are lovely when fresh but improve enormously (in my opinion) if kept in the fridge overnight and eaten cold. Maybe with a dollop of whipped cream!</div>
<div class="summary">
<br /></div>
Prep time: <span class="preptime">20 minutes</span><br />
Cook time: <span class="cooktime">30 - 45 minutes</span><br />
Total time: <span class="duration">50 minutes - 1 hour+</span><br />
Yield: <span class="yield">12 - 16 little cakes</span><br />
<span class="yield"><br /></span>
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<h3>
<span style="color: orange;">Ingredients:</span></h3>
<ul>
<li class="ingredient">
<span class="amount">125 g</span>
<span class="name">butter</span>
</li>
<li class="ingredient">
<span class="amount">200 g</span>
<span class="name">sugar</span>
</li>
<li class="ingredient">
<span class="amount">300 g</span>
<span class="name">cottage cheese</span>
</li>
<li class="ingredient">
<span class="amount">200 g</span>
<span class="name">mango puree</span>
</li>
<li class="ingredient">
<span class="amount">3</span>
<span class="name">eggs, separated</span>
</li>
<li class="ingredient">
<span class="amount">juice & zest of</span>
<span class="name">half lemon</span>
</li>
<li class="ingredient">
<span class="amount">100 g</span>
<span class="name">semolina</span>
</li>
<li class="ingredient">
<span class="amount">1 tsp</span>
<span class="name">baking powder</span></li>
</ul>
<h3>
<span style="color: orange;">Cooking directions:</span></h3>
<ol class="instructions">
<li class="instruction">
Mix butter and sugar until fluffy, then add juice and zest of the lemon and the egg yolks. Pass the cottage cheese through a sieve in order to remove any lumps. Add to the mixture together with the mango puree and stir to incorporate. Add the semolina and the baking powder, stir to combine. Whisk the egg whites until stiff and place on top of the batter. Fold in the whites gently with a metal spoon until worked in, but do not stir. Using a spoon or ice cream scoop portion the mix into prepared muffin tins. Bake in a preheated oven on the middle shelf for 30 - 45 minutes until golden brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. When done cool on a wire rack.
</li>
</ol>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjy280MaCO5o6-lD0xNz7goOQVP9SQEymSv8pE3Qj9Sab8nrFwqHJ58aPr9jyPolMQecTqDwILmzEDPGFCWGTKgihIcsJcXyTcs4zUQdq9OkN2qxiQ_wS19uT7IT6TeW_A4Vqgz63sYNLi/s1600/20180524104552.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1077" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjy280MaCO5o6-lD0xNz7goOQVP9SQEymSv8pE3Qj9Sab8nrFwqHJ58aPr9jyPolMQecTqDwILmzEDPGFCWGTKgihIcsJcXyTcs4zUQdq9OkN2qxiQ_wS19uT7IT6TeW_A4Vqgz63sYNLi/s320/20180524104552.jpg" width="215" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready for the oven</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2KNDBSC6vyJ7gd55LpGN_u0j2vEqIf96GbLxXHPCmjcImDZWRRMc5amf_4Z6guCLY4ESK-Kzudg-hf1sOo8lQA3ITCfoR0ErEaiVphSrzVVB4MELFUCLg6d91hg5k-aKR5tfPKEECtoji/s1600/20180524104757.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1244" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2KNDBSC6vyJ7gd55LpGN_u0j2vEqIf96GbLxXHPCmjcImDZWRRMc5amf_4Z6guCLY4ESK-Kzudg-hf1sOo8lQA3ITCfoR0ErEaiVphSrzVVB4MELFUCLg6d91hg5k-aKR5tfPKEECtoji/s320/20180524104757.jpg" width="248" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Freshly baked<br />
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Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06793239611501867040noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988536457378943902.post-27278099979173575682018-05-27T04:31:00.000-07:002018-05-27T04:31:28.384-07:00Homemade Cottage CheeseThere are many names for cottage cheese and lots of different uses. I am sure each country has their own version, but one thing they all have in common is the method of preparation.<br />
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Basically it is the souring of milk which then separates into solids and liquid, forming the famous curds and whey mentioned in a certain nursery rhyme!<br />
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The finished product is called paneer in India, queso fresco in Spain/Portugal and much of Latin America; some parts of the US call it farmers cheese and others ricotta (but that is a misnomer). And not to forget, it is called wara by the Yoruba people in Nigeria!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2eBCy929UsCbDphJMMAzXfEfVAONBMBsvh_Iuanqn2Cs2eVjN4uZA3JPAcFKEnaWjzWKK0IAGkJ30TTNaTmI4ik7NlWmI2JmST3ay2FvbrQg8HHUCaur9irGf2WAUnRvRMI5wH2A21KwV/s1600/20180524061603.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1288" data-original-width="1600" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2eBCy929UsCbDphJMMAzXfEfVAONBMBsvh_Iuanqn2Cs2eVjN4uZA3JPAcFKEnaWjzWKK0IAGkJ30TTNaTmI4ik7NlWmI2JmST3ay2FvbrQg8HHUCaur9irGf2WAUnRvRMI5wH2A21KwV/s400/20180524061603.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Curds and whey<br />
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</tbody></table>
Cottage cheese is really the most basic of all cheeses and does not require any intricate knowledge of cheese-making! To the contrary, it is so easy to make that you will ask yourself why you have never done it before.<br />
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<div>
Regular cheeses like Parmesan, Cheddar or Emmentaler, to name a few, are produced using rennet, an enzyme produced in the stomachs of young calves to help them digest their mothers' milk. But our cottage cheese only requires a little acid to get the desired result.<br />
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I have tried various recipes successfully using different types of milk and different types of acid as well as the quick method and the slow one. Today I want to share the method which I prefer over all others!<br />
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<h2>
<span style="color: orange;">Ingredients: Equipment:</span></h2>
<div>
3 l milk, full cream a large pot, stainless steel preferably</div>
<div>
1 Tbsp citric acid a colander and bowl of same size</div>
<div>
1 tsp salt a cheesecloth or a piece of muslin</div>
<div>
a whisk</div>
<h2>
<span style="color: orange;">Method:</span></h2>
<div>
Start in the morning. Pour milk into pot and bring almost to the boil but not quite. Turn off the heat, add the acid and the salt and whisk briskly. The milk will separate right away, but this is where I prefer to go the slow way. Cover the pot with a clean dishtowel and keep it out of the way, so it can cool gradually and undisturbed.</div>
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<div>
Cooling time depends on your weather or climate. Where I live the average day temperature is about 33β, so it takes rather a long time to cool. Which in this case is an advantage because the longer it stays the more intense the flavour.</div>
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<div>
In the evening you place the cheesecloth into the colander and put the colander on top of the bowl. Carefully empty the contents of the pot into the colander, tie up the corners of the cloth and hang up to drain.</div>
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<div>
You can save the whey for cooking pasta or baking bread and preparing many other things, so consider well before discarding it. Let your freshly made cottage cheese drain overnight and in the morning it will be ready for use.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMESqMg_N7JM1iFPTor499WtW-I895jvJTXTILxOdIn0OtyAP_HgR0cnGYhHVDohb73UtAZZdapDRjhGoxdAM90rjcCLc-Uzd_M4EFqg0bg-HSVLqN7Qa8b3Z2uEp0iS-K-53hkKBwdgOl/s1600/20180524061729.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1492" data-original-width="1460" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMESqMg_N7JM1iFPTor499WtW-I895jvJTXTILxOdIn0OtyAP_HgR0cnGYhHVDohb73UtAZZdapDRjhGoxdAM90rjcCLc-Uzd_M4EFqg0bg-HSVLqN7Qa8b3Z2uEp0iS-K-53hkKBwdgOl/s400/20180524061729.jpg" width="391" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cottage cheese after draining overnight<br />
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</tbody></table>
Now you can decide what to use your cottage cheese for. Sweet or savoury? I used this particular batch to make very yummy little mango cheese cakes for which I shall post the recipe next time.</div>
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This recipe using 3 litres of milk yielded a total of 475 g of cottage cheese, but it could be a little less or a little more depending on how much liquid has drained off.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2MZVuch7fsduLTh0hL6TN2TDYfeMSD1QsdatVTPrz1eQM1Ahc4iRAFtljoCHzrFJIRcwnN3OjoNmmk9KjdigS6WKlt8KQzJwjqQ8VjPOcQh3_4T6sfPwz77tbZvi8nuIz01fDy7Q8tBOF/s1600/20180524061920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1023" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2MZVuch7fsduLTh0hL6TN2TDYfeMSD1QsdatVTPrz1eQM1Ahc4iRAFtljoCHzrFJIRcwnN3OjoNmmk9KjdigS6WKlt8KQzJwjqQ8VjPOcQh3_4T6sfPwz77tbZvi8nuIz01fDy7Q8tBOF/s400/20180524061920.jpg" width="255" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to be used</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Mixed with some yoghurt and fresh fruit it is great for breakfast. Adding a little cream, salt, pepper, garlic and some fresh herbs the cottage cheese will make a very tasty spread for bread. So I urge you to experiment with adding flavours to make dips and spreads and even use it in sauces.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhagjuqumkHDT9lskGVYuwTgTqCMFmui3Avj7oFbJUa08CXXlZQZwgwmMiKl-jo0PqMmTuDuEvuQeIkM8eeYW4g55mBn50dJ14MHLaCN4S8xz7tLeH8vlYkCFJi5zpUTlh5pNkCmgrDTUWW/s1600/20180525045228.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1446" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhagjuqumkHDT9lskGVYuwTgTqCMFmui3Avj7oFbJUa08CXXlZQZwgwmMiKl-jo0PqMmTuDuEvuQeIkM8eeYW4g55mBn50dJ14MHLaCN4S8xz7tLeH8vlYkCFJi5zpUTlh5pNkCmgrDTUWW/s200/20180525045228.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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In my next post I will publish my recipe for mango cheese cakes as promised. Here is just a little preview:</div>
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Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06793239611501867040noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988536457378943902.post-53316272072881463662018-05-18T14:04:00.001-07:002018-05-18T14:16:10.894-07:00Extra Fine Mango CurdAs long as the mango season lasts I shall post recipes containing them to show how wonderfully versatile they are. Today it will be mango curd.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3PpEM_6RafL1z0k-FQI9r5ijYVpmhhHjXXKfTntwMI_XS3uH949uD6j_9JBuzuOlNGxmX0cHOjFIgC6MWwAciYfGxLQbekoBCZlblpUfYKDj1bgYoWsXgepHz_97-MSOTblUHVpnmEAu7/s1600/20180517125410.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1191" data-original-width="1600" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3PpEM_6RafL1z0k-FQI9r5ijYVpmhhHjXXKfTntwMI_XS3uH949uD6j_9JBuzuOlNGxmX0cHOjFIgC6MWwAciYfGxLQbekoBCZlblpUfYKDj1bgYoWsXgepHz_97-MSOTblUHVpnmEAu7/s400/20180517125410.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mango curd, great on toast, excellent with pancakes<br />and super in ice cream<br /></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuZGGacUv1edmIAqNL6T1mnK0FikkdYny73-jrEpNOnQ2h-pWMnkIBvK2dv4xMJEmd4EghkaL_SqyvmLqL2svjSJ64nISBGGbwSKJ3r878dJGUm0c-HCr1MIKxTeI_3EVWeoBxoBeEgIsH/s1600/20180518090131.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1452" data-original-width="1540" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuZGGacUv1edmIAqNL6T1mnK0FikkdYny73-jrEpNOnQ2h-pWMnkIBvK2dv4xMJEmd4EghkaL_SqyvmLqL2svjSJ64nISBGGbwSKJ3r878dJGUm0c-HCr1MIKxTeI_3EVWeoBxoBeEgIsH/s400/20180518090131.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fresh from the tree and ready to eat</td></tr>
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When I was first introduced to lemon curd I immediately became a fan. But over the years it became less readily available and eventually I stopped looking for it. Now, with mangoes everywhere, the idea just came to me to try and make a curd with them. So, I researched many recipes for lemon curd to give me an understanding of suitable quantities and types of ingredients.<br />
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The method of preparation is quite different from making jam or preserves but it is not difficult at all. It just requires some extra time but the result is worth it!<br />
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<h3>
Let's go to the recipe:</h3>
<h2>
<span style="color: orange; font-size: large;"><u>Mango Curd</u></span></h2>
<h3>
<span style="color: orange; font-size: large;">Equipment:</span></h3>
<div>
Weighing scales food processor</div>
<div>
nylon/plastic sieve wooden spoon</div>
<div>
stainless steel pan 2 medium sized jam jars</div>
<div>
a bowl for the puree</div>
<div>
double boiler or heatproof bowl over a pan of same size</div>
<h3>
<span style="color: orange; font-size: large;">Ingredients:</span></h3>
4 fresh egg yolks 175 g sugar<br />
350 g mango puree 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice<br />
90 g butter cut into cubes<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: orange; font-size: large;">Method:</span></h3>
<div>
First wash, peel and cut up the mangoes, between 4 and five, depending on size and weight. You want to start with a generous 400 grams. When the fruit has been prepared, chop it very finely in the food processor. When no more lumps remain pour into your sieve over a clean bowl and force the fruit pulp through the sieve with your wooden spoon. This ensures that all remaining fibres will be eliminated and that your finished mango curd will be super smooth and silky.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCz0bybMUayfzQWHr704EvEnECA20tuO_v84Pi6hN2z1xyEwXefeY1PMZkHfs61qHTcP0Ax5aLSpIGu8-80OiTwlLnRf5cHBaxmWvUuX90T7tfDwNSZ1TjYzee7e-JS3pyuW4kDT60hvu-/s1600/WP_20180516_002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="1600" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCz0bybMUayfzQWHr704EvEnECA20tuO_v84Pi6hN2z1xyEwXefeY1PMZkHfs61qHTcP0Ax5aLSpIGu8-80OiTwlLnRf5cHBaxmWvUuX90T7tfDwNSZ1TjYzee7e-JS3pyuW4kDT60hvu-/s400/WP_20180516_002.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mango puree, egg yolks, lemon juice and sugar in a bowl on top of a<br />
pan with simmering water<br />
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</tbody></table>
Pour the puree into the heatproof bowl or the top of the double boiler, whisk in the egg yolks, lemon juice and sugar and place on top of the simmering water. The water must not touch the bottom of the bowl. Now keep stirring the mixture to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the bowl because of the egg content. It will take approximately 10 minutes before the mixture thickens.<br />
<div>
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<div>
When thick, gradually stir in the butter until completely melted. Then take off the heat and immediately pour into the sterilized hot jars and seal with the lids. When cold the lids should not 'give' when pressed down. That way the mango curd will keep for about a month in a cool, dark place. If a vacuum was not achieved keep the jars in the fridge, but not longer than a week before consumption.</div>
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<div>
Since there are no preservatives in this mango curd it is advisable not to keep it for more than a month.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr6xLamKIbMgi3KgQrimTo2qb0s77TIIaP-a8KZcClcz_vtb067-AClTrCgERyAS6X3_b8wejQ4oRSYrwVLNbYO-_UdueyHR9hyln6eKk4hKlok_ew_ka0OC9ltxxl8HgDfRGhX_ScP-IQ/s1600/WP_20180517_002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="899" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr6xLamKIbMgi3KgQrimTo2qb0s77TIIaP-a8KZcClcz_vtb067-AClTrCgERyAS6X3_b8wejQ4oRSYrwVLNbYO-_UdueyHR9hyln6eKk4hKlok_ew_ka0OC9ltxxl8HgDfRGhX_ScP-IQ/s640/WP_20180517_002.jpg" width="356" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smooth and silky mango curd</td></tr>
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Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06793239611501867040noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988536457378943902.post-10202493650715346202018-05-10T13:50:00.001-07:002018-05-10T14:04:57.340-07:00EASY MANGO CLAFOUTISClafoutis is a simple baked dish traditionally made with cherries and is of French origin. Similar dishes can be found in various European cuisines using a different fruit in season. To give it a truly African flavour I experimented and came up with my own version using mangoes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7fX0RJPoe1k4vC7V6-WuYoLBAuWHP0xPe7BqKuvfgaxc5WgL5sVnoY9CcLD3zo6TmwP1VaasEnGFrKVEphzbWWcREArZEbqKG5RLKMCfSJP4YU8qyCjl74TZxG5pMRsECDx5BVghJFQ63/s1600/20180507125257.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1297" data-original-width="1600" height="323" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7fX0RJPoe1k4vC7V6-WuYoLBAuWHP0xPe7BqKuvfgaxc5WgL5sVnoY9CcLD3zo6TmwP1VaasEnGFrKVEphzbWWcREArZEbqKG5RLKMCfSJP4YU8qyCjl74TZxG5pMRsECDx5BVghJFQ63/s400/20180507125257.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mango clafoutis - an easy and light dessert</td></tr>
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Since we are approaching the height of the mango season you can find a wide variety of different types in every market. For this recipe I recommend the larger varieties because they have a more intense flavour and are less fibrous. </div>
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Wash and peel the mangoes and cut them into cubes as evenly as possible or, if you prefer, slices and arrange in a buttered baking tray, approximately 28 x 18 cm.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEFza50WBqKg6j1Fhr9ErmGnukMxKrXviUY2T9GQkzZB9LE2RMz-xaDbPz0md2SxmDbtDrBqsrvgRzf3-etMXUU2wsQ_A_gRWn6VOJLfa_pjKIFGSkUtM2qQtzpjU68XeL7xXvdanNBPIt/s1600/WP_20180506_002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="1600" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEFza50WBqKg6j1Fhr9ErmGnukMxKrXviUY2T9GQkzZB9LE2RMz-xaDbPz0md2SxmDbtDrBqsrvgRzf3-etMXUU2wsQ_A_gRWn6VOJLfa_pjKIFGSkUtM2qQtzpjU68XeL7xXvdanNBPIt/s400/WP_20180506_002.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mango cubes in the buttered pan<br />
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Next you will prepare the batter which must not be too thick or too thin. You must be able to pour it rather than spoon it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQFNB_35vzTQaGg0fWq95FAtUnwj4vxb4AZywgGt1m1KFt5ldvENiEOJXjFCIHSFqsFve2EPeMRbSz6Kezi1aKUD0oWSVyP-BB2Eh2SUFIWyxfTwz82xU_VlVoEK060zCuTneefF2EhJ54/s1600/20180507125045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="986" data-original-width="1600" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQFNB_35vzTQaGg0fWq95FAtUnwj4vxb4AZywgGt1m1KFt5ldvENiEOJXjFCIHSFqsFve2EPeMRbSz6Kezi1aKUD0oWSVyP-BB2Eh2SUFIWyxfTwz82xU_VlVoEK060zCuTneefF2EhJ54/s400/20180507125045.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Batter poured over the fruit - ready for the oven<br />
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So you can see that it does not require a great effort to have a delicious dessert ready in a fairly short time.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiquTiQgkEu3s0euRlQHDjI8j6hlQV8ksP_XtLIRTwzzg8XZjiT8oxiGVMRBZud7M9fFpDWQUBPGY6OhtD-B90XblrsGKkpCpsGNnPsuMUlBTtcNFQIlZd12xUl0QIRh_NyIB5t82ulzP-r/s1600/WP_20180506_006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="1600" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiquTiQgkEu3s0euRlQHDjI8j6hlQV8ksP_XtLIRTwzzg8XZjiT8oxiGVMRBZud7M9fFpDWQUBPGY6OhtD-B90XblrsGKkpCpsGNnPsuMUlBTtcNFQIlZd12xUl0QIRh_NyIB5t82ulzP-r/s400/WP_20180506_006.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fresh from the oven<br />
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And now to the recipe:<br />
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<h2>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3kPy7x-uMRmxHxcFWh6jiZOs4oz2vvOD2jzYYwQBvUiJjxpemxbr5pOaaA4LmhY-AacELjByKcZ5hOMUHmSIvp_aZFgGXJY4imAPHHRfA9tftF7VVSFPSbIBvAb8fDK8vK6YMtRHMCMB_/s1600/Easy+Mango+Clafoutis+%25281%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1102" data-original-width="735" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3kPy7x-uMRmxHxcFWh6jiZOs4oz2vvOD2jzYYwQBvUiJjxpemxbr5pOaaA4LmhY-AacELjByKcZ5hOMUHmSIvp_aZFgGXJY4imAPHHRfA9tftF7VVSFPSbIBvAb8fDK8vK6YMtRHMCMB_/s320/Easy+Mango+Clafoutis+%25281%2529.png" width="213" /></a><span style="color: orange;">Mango Clafoutis</span></h2>
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<h2>
<span style="color: orange;">Ingredients</span></h2>
<div>
500 g fresh mango, cubed or sliced</div>
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2 eggs</div>
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125 g sugar</div>
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zest of 1/2 lemon</div>
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125 g flour</div>
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2 tsp baking powder</div>
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a pinch of salt</div>
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4 Tbsp milk, or less<br />
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<span style="color: orange;">Method</span></h2>
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Whisk eggs together with the sugar and lemon zest. Sift flour together with baking powder and salt and add about half to the egg mixture. Then add 1 - 2 Tbsp of the milk, whisking until smooth. Whisk in the remaining flour and check for consistency. If too thick add another Tbsp of milk. The batter should flow from the whisk in a thick ribbon. If still too thick add the remaining spoonful of milk. I can't be more precise with the amount of milk because that depends on the flour. Some types need more than others, so you need to adjust.<br />
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Now pour the batter evenly over all the fruit and bake in a preheated oven at 180β for 1/2 hour. A skewer or toothpick inserted should come out clean. Keep in the pan and allow to cool slightly before cutting and serving. Warm or cold is equally delicious, especially if served with a dollop of whipped cream!</div>
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This quantity gives 6 -8 servings. But the amounts can easily be doubled.</div>
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Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06793239611501867040noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988536457378943902.post-73413094230869097742018-05-03T12:40:00.001-07:002018-05-03T12:49:15.597-07:00SUNSHINE IN A JAR - MANGO COMPOTE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The season is now in full swing and all the varieties of mangoes are available in the markets. For this delicious recipe you want to buy some larger mangoes, preferably those with a pink blush, because they are less fibrous. It is important to buy the fruit just ripe or slightly under. If the mangoes are fully ripe they have the tendency to lose their shape during storage.<br />
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To bottle the fruit for storage you will need jars which can be vacuum-sealed, and a large pot to accommodate the jars for sterilizing. A proper preserving pan is an advantage but not a necessity. You will also need a pair of rubber-coated tongs to lift the jars into and out of the pot.<br />
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If you are using a regular pot, line the bottom with a clean dishtowel and place an inverted plate on top, because the jars must not stand on the bottom of the pot directly.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTjNnmQDii400M9b8TRIuLud7Lo3gc-oZX10BiMccEJtKMRlXsYVmiYi76Tv9dmyZa4VMLpIXRcWod8jE5tuP1prelBEGAQjQpIISRnfAihG8nzAs-_58KFQkxMbz2Qw1eJDVCLRlXpkxp/s1600/20180502114049.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1452" data-original-width="1392" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTjNnmQDii400M9b8TRIuLud7Lo3gc-oZX10BiMccEJtKMRlXsYVmiYi76Tv9dmyZa4VMLpIXRcWod8jE5tuP1prelBEGAQjQpIISRnfAihG8nzAs-_58KFQkxMbz2Qw1eJDVCLRlXpkxp/s320/20180502114049.jpg" width="306" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Delicious mango compote</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3a7EA4e37wEXWIY6IYklOC4mOutIGsMGTprt70IJ6LtfS9Gzh5UqMGRsgwEvIaTdKCJZqn1zjX3let7JSak8XUoxDYe1WHDKcCkev_vF5N8i73rKk9wiVWNzM4Bboa8C19QjL8TAEySOn/s1600/20180502113510.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1214" data-original-width="1600" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3a7EA4e37wEXWIY6IYklOC4mOutIGsMGTprt70IJ6LtfS9Gzh5UqMGRsgwEvIaTdKCJZqn1zjX3let7JSak8XUoxDYe1WHDKcCkev_vF5N8i73rKk9wiVWNzM4Bboa8C19QjL8TAEySOn/s320/20180502113510.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fresh mango cut into bite sized pieces</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibDPe2mZh8KOICAvH8f28fQ80S1DAU69Tian7Zu3f5_M2dXsSmEcSPATccaMn6PQ5slJy6rHFCqn9jgEAPScmd7cdfmPsgckoT4yoKJIBObxu-gOwBkGyoBpNymQ-6NmRmoS0J0VKiJb62/s1600/20180502113617.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1255" data-original-width="1600" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibDPe2mZh8KOICAvH8f28fQ80S1DAU69Tian7Zu3f5_M2dXsSmEcSPATccaMn6PQ5slJy6rHFCqn9jgEAPScmd7cdfmPsgckoT4yoKJIBObxu-gOwBkGyoBpNymQ-6NmRmoS0J0VKiJb62/s320/20180502113617.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Place fruit tightly into jar without squeezing</td></tr>
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Next you need to prepare a sugar syrup to cover the fruit. The amount of sugar depends on the sweetness of the mangoes but should not be less than 300 g of sugar to a litre of water. If the sugar is too much the fruit will have a tendency to float which must be avoided.<br />
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For this recipe I used the amount given above, allowed it to boil for three minutes and then added the fresh juice of one lemon, which makes the syrup quite special.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNmv7yk51hUGUoXgyYs-HJ9MDjy-Yi-s0JCp7wbgqVhm3QMQsQCdroTUZoqgBMlY_VcJ11nUFV2hDfdt9LNlyRIIgpghDD-vOcu8jOn5q0Ro8vKaCNUe-3901o0Xtmw2PtlMXdOwDQHPFg/s1600/20180502113851.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1078" data-original-width="1600" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNmv7yk51hUGUoXgyYs-HJ9MDjy-Yi-s0JCp7wbgqVhm3QMQsQCdroTUZoqgBMlY_VcJ11nUFV2hDfdt9LNlyRIIgpghDD-vOcu8jOn5q0Ro8vKaCNUe-3901o0Xtmw2PtlMXdOwDQHPFg/s320/20180502113851.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hot syrup covers the mangoes</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRImICZ7wc9ySVB9bjO5lFW9rd5i34SHFdTUQCsxJZjzYPHV38ZbT9uUwan6QWDA4nDN8PbVfOuhPET9Fxb0kf1kdfsgjNQHAuV3guzSmqSghqTrt3cDUAcWDKPDR0Cer1ZxMzgH3v8iXB/s1600/20180502113947.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRImICZ7wc9ySVB9bjO5lFW9rd5i34SHFdTUQCsxJZjzYPHV38ZbT9uUwan6QWDA4nDN8PbVfOuhPET9Fxb0kf1kdfsgjNQHAuV3guzSmqSghqTrt3cDUAcWDKPDR0Cer1ZxMzgH3v8iXB/s320/20180502113947.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Closed jar with rubber seal in place</td></tr>
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These are the step by step pictures. Done correctly you will have jars and jars of utterly delicious mango compote when fresh mangoes are not available! And now for the recipe:</div>
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<h4>
Ingredients:</h4>
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750 g mango cubes, 300 g sugar, 1 l water, juice of one lemon</div>
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<h4>
Equipment:</h4>
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2 preserving jars [500 ml capacity each] with seals, preserving pan or pot large enough to hold the jars. For a regular pot a dishtowel and plate to fit inside the pot are needed. Tongs for lifting the jars and a smaller pot to make the syrup.</div>
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<h4>
Method:</h4>
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Sterilize jars with the oven method. </div>
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Wash, peel and cut mangoes into bite sized pieces and fill jars up to the neck. Add the water and sugar to a small pot, bring to boil and simmer for 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Pour over the fruit in the jars to cover completely. Clean the rims, place the seals on and close the lids.</div>
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If you are using a preserving pan follow the maker's instructions and keep the jars in for 20 minutes after sterilizing temperature has been reached.</div>
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If using a regular cooking pot place a dishtowel on the bottom and an inverted plate on top to prevent the jars from having direct contact with the pot bottom. Put in your jars and fill with hot, not boiling, water to just cover. Cover pot and bring to boil, then reduce heat to simmer for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow jars to remain in the water for another 20 minutes. Then lift them out with rubber-coated tongs onto a dishtowel-covered tray and leave undisturbed for 24 hours. Then check if the seals are airtight. If not, repeat the sterilizing process, but only for 5 minutes. Otherwise place jar in the fridge and consume the fruit within a week. But if the seals are tight store the jars in a cool, dark place. Your compote can be kept for at least 6 months. </div>
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The quantity given can easily be multiplied to take advantage of a plentiful supply of mangoes in season! The quantity given for the syrup should be enough for 4 jars.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG4xYSHvjEQHDBaIA8cx5l9U2I2cKGnnlESldn9IeJJRugRlQ92QCCiIReLp1P_vB6vEercCO5TPTX7p1uQEn0txDuM2BNfAA0sIFaS8VeDy-EnwHrLm8c-yxlHb7vfjtpaxo_s5I1W7gg/s1600/20180502114049.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1452" data-original-width="1392" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG4xYSHvjEQHDBaIA8cx5l9U2I2cKGnnlESldn9IeJJRugRlQ92QCCiIReLp1P_vB6vEercCO5TPTX7p1uQEn0txDuM2BNfAA0sIFaS8VeDy-EnwHrLm8c-yxlHb7vfjtpaxo_s5I1W7gg/s320/20180502114049.jpg" width="306" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vacuum sealed and ready for storage</td></tr>
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Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06793239611501867040noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988536457378943902.post-25204629574920792822018-04-27T13:43:00.000-07:002018-04-28T01:20:00.419-07:00EASY CROCHET COASTERSCoasters in different shapes and materials can be found in almost every home, on the breakfast table, the coffee tray or the garden table. They are used to protect the furniture from the heat of your coffee as well as the condensation of your iced drinks. With constant use coasters should be changed or replaced often and for this reason it is good to have a variety to suit different settings and occasions.<br />
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And the best way to achieve this is by making your own. But don't just make them for your own home, also consider crafting a set as a gift for someone near and dear to you. Mother's day is close and the set of coasters I show you today would be quite a suitable gift and is quick and easy to make.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAZyEr9qQ7ft-V0Z63lEC1bpskDgmlIEqjGVKj2UV7xFLagygSAOdzgneD56GSsVRlsBZtnvydxycmWtoO4k39ShGivmk5paz2wDDAfD0sdlWXT4JPsbaTeahUy51H3D4aKy1PNKSvDW-k/s1600/20180426062408.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1357" data-original-width="1600" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAZyEr9qQ7ft-V0Z63lEC1bpskDgmlIEqjGVKj2UV7xFLagygSAOdzgneD56GSsVRlsBZtnvydxycmWtoO4k39ShGivmk5paz2wDDAfD0sdlWXT4JPsbaTeahUy51H3D4aKy1PNKSvDW-k/s400/20180426062408.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coaster set </td></tr>
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For this set you will need 1 ball of yarn in each colour you wish to use, a crochet hook 3mm and 61 plastic rings about 5mm thick with an inner diameter of 1.5cm, 7 for each small coaster and 19 for the large one.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVKpddFNUJsE6AQoOLPTnH8UkMzmhJuuNnH0d1AmUo4qag-9lTgUodJMo2r0s2IDjkQVMh9BmxBJiJWu4CPtZ6H5gGyvNbFz8ms9qITapEwPkYAoiIZurFY01jqmNhReF-F2vCQRi644w1/s1600/20180426122043.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1031" data-original-width="1600" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVKpddFNUJsE6AQoOLPTnH8UkMzmhJuuNnH0d1AmUo4qag-9lTgUodJMo2r0s2IDjkQVMh9BmxBJiJWu4CPtZ6H5gGyvNbFz8ms9qITapEwPkYAoiIZurFY01jqmNhReF-F2vCQRi644w1/s320/20180426122043.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plastic rings, slightly enlarged</td></tr>
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Each ring is filled with 24 double crochet and closed with a slip stitch into a round.<br />
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If these rings are not obtainable you can change the way the coasters are made. In the video which follows you will be shown some smaller circles in different colours for a different look. Those smaller circles are worked around five chain stitches closed to a round. To obtain a similar sized coaster you will crochet 19 small circles. Each circle is made up of a 5 chain round, filled with 12 double crochet.<br />
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As you can see, the starting tail is worked right into the round and therefore can be cut off on completion. Leave a tail when each circle is complete to attach each circle to the next from the wrong side of the work. When work is complete trim off any ends.<br />
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I hope you will enjoy this small tutorial and that it will inspire you to make many variations which you can treasure.<br />
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If there are any questions, likes or dislikes, please let me know. I will get back to you soonest.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC4Tpnjy5CLQVG3-a56fhIEwskPMTa7_yyVUbyr_bS5QDXJlU6Nof3LD-mt1hWGxyfXihSiCX8xN7Oi_Rg0kRPgUVol1evUDopHSB8_P75ryZ2W3nkFmmo-zTqKEvf-iS-0MYH24m057fA/s1600/20180426062258.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1446" data-original-width="1600" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC4Tpnjy5CLQVG3-a56fhIEwskPMTa7_yyVUbyr_bS5QDXJlU6Nof3LD-mt1hWGxyfXihSiCX8xN7Oi_Rg0kRPgUVol1evUDopHSB8_P75ryZ2W3nkFmmo-zTqKEvf-iS-0MYH24m057fA/s320/20180426062258.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1 large, 6 small</td></tr>
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Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06793239611501867040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988536457378943902.post-50102664598208557932018-04-20T05:14:00.001-07:002018-04-21T01:27:09.583-07:00DELICIOUS MANGO PRESERVEThe last post gave you a recipe for a delectable mango jam but today I will show you a lovely variation which I call mango preserve. Searching high and low for the correct name I finally decided to call it a preserve.<br />
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There are marmalades and jams, jellies and confitures, fruit butters and cheeses, all prepared by different methods and for different purposes. But what they all have in common are fruit and sugar. I found that fruit butter comes closest to my own recipe but I simply find the name unappealing. And since it is not a commercial product I prefer to call this yummy spread mango preserve!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First jar of mango preserve, just sealed and still hot!<br />
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As I said in my last post, it is almost impossible to accurately determine how many mangoes will be needed to make up a given weight when prepped. So much depends on individual size and how juicy they are. If you buy your mangoes by weight get double the weight you need because skins and stones will be discarded. If you purchase the mangoes in the local markets you pay for a little heap of 3 or 5, depending on the seller. To obtain 1kg of prepared fruit you will need at least 15 mangoes, so I suggest to buy a few extra. You can always eat them fresh if they are too many!<br />
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Equipment needed is the same as in the previous post and if you are not sure about how to sterilize your jars you can read it there as well.</div>
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Before I come to the actual recipe there are a few preparations necessary. Wash the fruit , slice off the flesh as close to the stone as possible, then make vertical and horizontal cuts from the inside right down to but not through the skin. Turn the skin up and you'll get what is called a hedgehog. Now it is easy to cut off the mango cubes. Place on the scales and continue until you have 1kg. Then proceed to chop the fruit very finely so that only little pieces remain.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finely chopped<br />
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Since mangoes are very fibrous it is important to cut them as small as possible.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib1ACEYCLDrLckFI_ZA2vDejZ716-Zpx5jpef72Uf8t0sD4j0IsbyshuH6-WMtEONuM4nT8EZfN5rjrFPDU2kekf3Sirjc71ACeNfwct7sdDi7pS_0vgdth_GekS4mjoW6mhn8KUyWpMTi/s1600/WP_20180417_010+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib1ACEYCLDrLckFI_ZA2vDejZ716-Zpx5jpef72Uf8t0sD4j0IsbyshuH6-WMtEONuM4nT8EZfN5rjrFPDU2kekf3Sirjc71ACeNfwct7sdDi7pS_0vgdth_GekS4mjoW6mhn8KUyWpMTi/s400/WP_20180417_010+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Add mangoes and sugar to pot<br />
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The amount of sugar needed depends on the sweetness or tartness of the fruit. The normal ratio of sugar to fruit is 10% but not higher than 20% if the mangoes are very tart. <br />
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To make your delicious mango preserve follow the recipe below:</div>
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<div class="hrecipe" id="therecipewiz" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/Recipe">
<b style="color: orange; font-size: x-large;">Mango Preserve </b><br />
<b style="color: orange; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small; font-weight: 400;">print recipe</span><b style="color: orange; font-size: x-large;"> </b></b><br />
<b style="color: orange; font-size: x-large;"> </b> <b style="color: orange; font-size: x-large;"> </b><br />
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<img class="photo" height="320" itemprop="photo" onclick="window.open('https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirfGhjgSToNLov7xaUWPZStcCN-eYa8NhZapQgPiBWUq_zAxub4sTzjsrsselwWwsC5hO2xcxTcO7KYaOS33XEztx8jpme_MD1OwrbTQCfxy5jvpU81A-p-L3hrBgsWjFmoQZH4FgRVCvr/s400/WP_20180417_025+%25282%2529.jpg','Recipe Image' );" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirfGhjgSToNLov7xaUWPZStcCN-eYa8NhZapQgPiBWUq_zAxub4sTzjsrsselwWwsC5hO2xcxTcO7KYaOS33XEztx8jpme_MD1OwrbTQCfxy5jvpU81A-p-L3hrBgsWjFmoQZH4FgRVCvr/s320/WP_20180417_025+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /> <b style="color: orange; font-size: x-large;"> </b></div>
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by <span class="author" itemprop="author">Anne Lawal </span><span class="published" datetime="2018-04-20" itemprop="published"> April-20-2018<span class="value-title" title="2018-04-20"></span></span></div>
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A very tasty spread using less sugar than in regular jams</div>
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Ingredients</div>
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<li><span class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span itemprop="amount">1kg, prepped </span> <span itemprop="name"> mangoes</span></span></li>
<li><span class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span itemprop="amount">100 - 200g sugar depending on tartness </span></span></li>
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Instructions</div>
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<span class="instruction">Place prepared fruit and sugar in your stainless steel pot and put on low heat. Stir a few times to distribute the sugar, then cover pot and allow to come to boil slowly. </span><span class="instruction">Continuing on low heat and keeping pot covered, boil for 30 minutes. Do NOT be tempted to open pot for stirring! Stirring will spoil the concoction at this stage by crystallizing the sugar.
</span><span class="instruction">After half an hour you remove the lid and increase heat to allow the fruit to bubble. Now you will stir until the mixture thickens slightly. Test by placing a teaspoonful on a plate and drawing a line through it. If the line flows together continue cooking for another few minutes. But if it stays open take the pot off the heat and and bottle the preserve immediately and seal.</span></div>
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Details</div>
<span class="time preptime">Prep time: <time datetime="PT1H" itemprop="prepTime">1 hour </time><span class="value-title" title="PT1H"></span></span><span class="time cooktime">Cook time: <time datetime="PT45M" itemprop="cookTime">45 mins </time><span class="value-title" title="PT45M"></span></span><span class="time duration">Total time: <time datetime="PT2H" itemprop="totalTime">2 hour </time><span class="value-title" title="PT2H"></span></span><span class="yield">Yield: <span itemprop="yield">3 medium jars</span></span></div>
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Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06793239611501867040noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988536457378943902.post-70810963377875209602018-04-13T11:25:00.002-07:002018-04-15T02:51:54.372-07:00THE BEST MANGO JAMThe mango season is finally here and it is time to preserve as much of the fruit as possible, so we can enjoy the taste not only now but during the rest of the year when mangoes are not available. Juices, jellies, preserves and jams can all be made and when prepared and stored correctly will not spoil for at least a year. To start I made a batch of mango jam which my family enjoy.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First batch of homemade mango jam</td></tr>
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Maybe you think that jam-making is too difficult but it is not, I promise. The equipment needed can usually be found in any kitchen:<br />
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weighing scales</div>
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food processor or blender<br />
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a fairly large cooking pot, preferably stainless steel</div>
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a sharp knife and cutting board</div>
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cooking spoon (I prefer the wooden type)</div>
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a few saucers (for jam testing)</div>
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a funnel</div>
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a jug or ladle</div>
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a sugar thermometer is a bonus but it is NOT essential</div>
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jam jars</div>
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dishcloths, potholders or oven mitts</div>
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a deep roasting tray or similar for sterilizing the jars</div>
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a pair of tongs with a good grip</div>
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Jam jars can be bought or collected. I prefer to collect them, thereby saving quite a bit and since I only make jam for family and friends nobody minds what jar the jam comes in. Any jar from purchased items is safe to use as long as both jar and lid are free of any damage. And the lids should all have the pop-button which is very important for my way of bottling the jam.</div>
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If you have not made any jam or preserves before you might not be familiar with sterilizing the jars and other items like funnel, jug or ladle. So let me tell you the easiest method I know of. Wash jars and lids in hot soapy water until thoroughly clean. Then rinse in hot water to remove any trace of soap. Line a roasting tray with a clean dishcloth and place jars and lids as shown in the picture.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to be sterilized, except the lid on the left which is damaged.</td></tr>
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Heat your oven to 180β, add water into the pan for about 1 cm and a few drops into each lid but not the jars. Allow 1/2 hour in the oven at the given temperature, then switch off. Keep the jars in the oven until the jam is done. It is best to sterilize the jars while the jam is cooking, so they will still be hot when the jam is ready to be bottled.</div>
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To sterilize jug, funnel and ladle wash as you did the jars, then place into a large pot, cover with cold water, bring to boil and continue boiling for three minutes. Cover pot and turn off the heat. This should be done before you start the jam, else you'll find that you don't have enough hands to do everything at the same time!</div>
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Now we can proceed to the jam making. Choose firm, slightly underripe mangoes without bruises or other signs of damage.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPrz9snSCBBxUT4TogDpgRr3T_oS3GV12pBKZajtSrnNd_yz2IreuK-5bPkZ0ZB74RFEL1ALxq-b1jxlBXx9DedIhIg6IUkaOf-RaN3O28bIbgKAwy6EvXVXU66EeqDPhzy0WRXfA2Y3yF/s1600/WP_20180411_006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="1600" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPrz9snSCBBxUT4TogDpgRr3T_oS3GV12pBKZajtSrnNd_yz2IreuK-5bPkZ0ZB74RFEL1ALxq-b1jxlBXx9DedIhIg6IUkaOf-RaN3O28bIbgKAwy6EvXVXU66EeqDPhzy0WRXfA2Y3yF/s400/WP_20180411_006.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No damage, the specks are the dried tree juices from plucking the fruit<br />
which will be washed off before processing.</td></tr>
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It is impossible to say how many mangoes to buy for a given weight because the size of the stone varies as does the amount of juice. For this session I used 12 fairly large mangoes which yielded 900 g of prepared fruit. The ratio of sugar to fruit should be 2/3 i.e. 600 g. Water should be 900 ml. Process to a puree in your food processor. If not available use a blender with the addition of some of the measured water. Then place in your pot and proceed with the recipe below.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNLPvvsEYHvNf1Ew99w9DtV3SkjbseVDwDApG7WJSyjjtgz8EQwsAcp1gj2WIN-s-yk5sLhiQ-8SbZ9GLwsR_gph-Mh3tne4MaxornVNW_EEBrWV3aPRF7WStY24Dzg55b29b0R6WRw7c4/s1600/WP_20180411_010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="1600" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNLPvvsEYHvNf1Ew99w9DtV3SkjbseVDwDApG7WJSyjjtgz8EQwsAcp1gj2WIN-s-yk5sLhiQ-8SbZ9GLwsR_gph-Mh3tne4MaxornVNW_EEBrWV3aPRF7WStY24Dzg55b29b0R6WRw7c4/s200/WP_20180411_010.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fruit pulp with sugar added</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsa6xnUM-qx1gWaKmn5dCKHhF2Zb_-kVzwUQPK5B_h68fIY5U2CvTIYWoSQc_ghvXznSgUPzPHBlqmrS3d5UlGm6toPwD2Ki0nXei7iF5-gNWqM2RvTbz5Jxqkths-6HVy7_HBpXGRLHUS/s1600/WP_20180411_009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="1600" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsa6xnUM-qx1gWaKmn5dCKHhF2Zb_-kVzwUQPK5B_h68fIY5U2CvTIYWoSQc_ghvXznSgUPzPHBlqmrS3d5UlGm6toPwD2Ki0nXei7iF5-gNWqM2RvTbz5Jxqkths-6HVy7_HBpXGRLHUS/s200/WP_20180411_009.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fruit pulp</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fresh lemon juice<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Citric acid</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN5kEo2PoVD-NdfJ43e4h33IlC2vIe8DDUP92ySgYBnVuiez41aNopD8hAGSUZYHpiRT-M4rIdL3kHPZyjHBWd7YxXeZRPHjpO_y538SAiZQC6c3KOOpptC08WP5uvo8hTsdAEm-sFWy7N/s1600/InstagramCapture_16648468-2c86-400d-8eb4-94f57975c637.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="612" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN5kEo2PoVD-NdfJ43e4h33IlC2vIe8DDUP92ySgYBnVuiez41aNopD8hAGSUZYHpiRT-M4rIdL3kHPZyjHBWd7YxXeZRPHjpO_y538SAiZQC6c3KOOpptC08WP5uvo8hTsdAEm-sFWy7N/s320/InstagramCapture_16648468-2c86-400d-8eb4-94f57975c637.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN5kEo2PoVD-NdfJ43e4h33IlC2vIe8DDUP92ySgYBnVuiez41aNopD8hAGSUZYHpiRT-M4rIdL3kHPZyjHBWd7YxXeZRPHjpO_y538SAiZQC6c3KOOpptC08WP5uvo8hTsdAEm-sFWy7N/s1600/InstagramCapture_16648468-2c86-400d-8eb4-94f57975c637.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN5kEo2PoVD-NdfJ43e4h33IlC2vIe8DDUP92ySgYBnVuiez41aNopD8hAGSUZYHpiRT-M4rIdL3kHPZyjHBWd7YxXeZRPHjpO_y538SAiZQC6c3KOOpptC08WP5uvo8hTsdAEm-sFWy7N/s1600/InstagramCapture_16648468-2c86-400d-8eb4-94f57975c637.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN5kEo2PoVD-NdfJ43e4h33IlC2vIe8DDUP92ySgYBnVuiez41aNopD8hAGSUZYHpiRT-M4rIdL3kHPZyjHBWd7YxXeZRPHjpO_y538SAiZQC6c3KOOpptC08WP5uvo8hTsdAEm-sFWy7N/s1600/InstagramCapture_16648468-2c86-400d-8eb4-94f57975c637.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #e69138; font-family: "playfair display"; font-size: 16pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Tip</span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #666666; font-family: "lato"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">One does not have to purchase new jars for jam making. I firmly believe in recycling, so I collect</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #666666; font-family: "lato"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> jars from </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "lato"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">commercial preserves as long as jars and lids are free from any damage. The lids should</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "lato"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">all have a pop-up </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "lato"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">button and a kind of rubbery coating on the inside to ensure a firm seal.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #f75d5d; font-family: "playfair display"; font-size: 16pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="display: inline-block; position: relative; width: 100px;"></span></span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #e69138; font-family: "playfair display"; font-size: 16pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Ingredients</span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #666666; font-family: "lato"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">1 kg fresh mangoes, chopped</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #666666; font-family: "lato"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">700 g sugar</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #666666; font-family: "lato"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">1 l water</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #666666; font-family: "lato"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">2 Tbsp citric acid</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #666666; font-family: "lato"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Juice of one lemon</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #e69138; font-family: "playfair display"; font-size: 16pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">How To</span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #666666; font-family: "lato"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Place all ingredients in a large stainless steel pot and bring to boil on high heat. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #666666; font-family: "lato"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">When boiling reduce heat to medium for about 20 minutes.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #666666; font-family: "lato"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">In the meantime place your chosen jam jars in the oven to sterilize.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #666666; font-family: "lato"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">After 20 minutes remove any scum which has formed on top of the jam. Increase heat to bring jam</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #666666; font-family: "lato"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">to a rolling boil. </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "lato"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">If you have a sugar thermometer it should read 120β. If no thermometer is</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "lato"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"> available, place a little jam on</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "lato"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"> a cold plate and allow to cool.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "lato"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">Pushing it with your finger should make it wrinkly. That shows the jam is ready and needs to be</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "lato"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">taken off </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "lato"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">the heat. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #666666; font-family: "lato"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Remove jars from the oven , then fill with jam using a sterilized funnel and jug. Make sure the rims</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #666666; font-family: "lato"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> of the jars </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "lato"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">are clean, then put on the lids tightly. When cool the jars should be sealed with the pop-</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "lato"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"> buttons down.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #666666; font-family: "lato"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">This way the jam can be stored in a cool, dark place for at least one year.</span></div>
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Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06793239611501867040noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988536457378943902.post-49385638047706013602018-04-06T12:38:00.000-07:002018-04-06T12:38:40.594-07:00CYCA REVOLUTA - SAGO PALM<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Cycas or sago palms are beautiful plants dating back to the age of dinosaurs. They resemble ferns when young and look almost like palm trees when more mature.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cyca revoluta with a double trunk</td></tr>
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But they are neither. They belong to the group of gymnosperms among which are the conifers, the cycads themselves, gingko trees and a few others. Native to Japan they found their way all over the world, especially where it is warm. Sago is produced from them which gives them the common name of sago palm.<div>
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On my walks in the neighbourhood I encounter quite a few of these lovely plants, obviously beloved by many gardeners.What caught my attention recently was the sudden appearance of a large cone in the centre of one plant, which happens only when the plant is mature and many years old. It also shows that this is a male plant, the cone containing the pollen. Female plants produce a feathery looking centre containing the ovaries. Unfortunately there is none among all the cycas in the area or they are too young to produce. Being gymnosperms none produce flowers but a glorious display of a new crown of leaves in February/March. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib4JGFGZCIk4G-e2_tdyYoAlhezmqkIGyAnrxdu86Lpuv03vwWI3aaGtvZM8jJCVrum_0rlOxNgRKwlDRcipykNtUrDUpyj4xojXPRA8PItt8akCrqtVmiGoF2Kc7uX_M3VS9IOyyDlbbB/s1600/WP_20180206_009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="899" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib4JGFGZCIk4G-e2_tdyYoAlhezmqkIGyAnrxdu86Lpuv03vwWI3aaGtvZM8jJCVrum_0rlOxNgRKwlDRcipykNtUrDUpyj4xojXPRA8PItt8akCrqtVmiGoF2Kc7uX_M3VS9IOyyDlbbB/s400/WP_20180206_009.jpg" width="223" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pollen bearing cone of a male cyca<br />revoluta<br /><br /></td></tr>
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The pollen bearing cones can grow from between 60 - 90 cm in height and can weigh up to 25 kg. the female plant produces egg-like seeds which should be harvested before they fall to the ground to prevent animals from eating them because they are poisonous. Of course the seeds can be used to propagate the plant, but that can take many months. An easier way would be to separate new plants developing on the trunk of the parent plant. <div>
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Now I want to show you a short series of pictures taken in the second half of March when a few of the sago palms started producing their new crowns of leaves. Note the initial resemblance to ferns!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqn-n8_M5sdET6CbFa5oHvRpDiyNgpLSKwhFY3rQZe5-vgSqq1_uYXITor5pq0KN5UEbjADeJbFvxAOHmfbL7VYXKq6w-wwc8KXdICneaFuxxsOMHtA-SytEVELj6RW7ILTu1ChRL0Y10Q/s1600/WP_20180319_006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqn-n8_M5sdET6CbFa5oHvRpDiyNgpLSKwhFY3rQZe5-vgSqq1_uYXITor5pq0KN5UEbjADeJbFvxAOHmfbL7VYXKq6w-wwc8KXdICneaFuxxsOMHtA-SytEVELj6RW7ILTu1ChRL0Y10Q/s400/WP_20180319_006.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day 2</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl5RGLgcyT-_2QLxNbSnE_spm3eUtbCHR9bukVQGi4VKZkJPpjCNmNE65moWAOzatwRcdShTe-aCh3Yk-Vt-JOODuF0yrZXXj3L2z-aorrSW5rDwMC8bjB_tV8yN3O0JY5KdBrxWOeLhGr/s1600/WP_20180318_016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="899" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl5RGLgcyT-_2QLxNbSnE_spm3eUtbCHR9bukVQGi4VKZkJPpjCNmNE65moWAOzatwRcdShTe-aCh3Yk-Vt-JOODuF0yrZXXj3L2z-aorrSW5rDwMC8bjB_tV8yN3O0JY5KdBrxWOeLhGr/s400/WP_20180318_016.jpg" width="223" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day 1</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinVt4rFMJvax4JX9xmA-VeH6iZDiCdr34npnt4tLr-5mjG75hugcPOdjDOPB7oUOVsK2huHoWP_7Pc7MIOeGyAoYa1ha85_eLdROkW0KZ829dRUUF_DhX8TnfsZSuU7nP-KcrmvgmJrg66/s1600/WP_20180322_002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="449" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinVt4rFMJvax4JX9xmA-VeH6iZDiCdr34npnt4tLr-5mjG75hugcPOdjDOPB7oUOVsK2huHoWP_7Pc7MIOeGyAoYa1ha85_eLdROkW0KZ829dRUUF_DhX8TnfsZSuU7nP-KcrmvgmJrg66/s400/WP_20180322_002.jpg" width="223" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day 4<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day 5<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpeBxOXoRX_WpG84RhyphenhyphenDzHFBjGdTj7GZIAP14GFezTi-0I8lw-wAY32qiuZdC4VZhCAmY2gnDfzxpCGcpK6v1AlkZQ5P_EHXLSA0rWTyG1ymwDY4rCVOcac50eCeeqkVOCniBNrmQgHZj_/s1600/WP_20180321_003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpeBxOXoRX_WpG84RhyphenhyphenDzHFBjGdTj7GZIAP14GFezTi-0I8lw-wAY32qiuZdC4VZhCAmY2gnDfzxpCGcpK6v1AlkZQ5P_EHXLSA0rWTyG1ymwDY4rCVOcac50eCeeqkVOCniBNrmQgHZj_/s400/WP_20180321_003.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day 7</td></tr>
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So, within one week you see the enormous development of the leaves together with the gradual change in colour!</div>
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A few days later the crown opened out to complete the next revolution!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHDA7Xi6Nh-6qLO8bp0UYFajzhbdj8i5x0C-l1kCVmbaq9ptiBnlVLlFiBjDNYXkH7peNP3FpO3vK8Br5a726LU2i8NkTu3WDrbvR2vAV-7jAvpA2zQSXg3mjwKsXhPhcEImlO2hVukk3a/s1600/IMG-20180329-WA0006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHDA7Xi6Nh-6qLO8bp0UYFajzhbdj8i5x0C-l1kCVmbaq9ptiBnlVLlFiBjDNYXkH7peNP3FpO3vK8Br5a726LU2i8NkTu3WDrbvR2vAV-7jAvpA2zQSXg3mjwKsXhPhcEImlO2hVukk3a/s400/IMG-20180329-WA0006.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fully formed leaves in gorgeous green</td></tr>
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Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06793239611501867040noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988536457378943902.post-90574053309551546682018-03-30T11:45:00.000-07:002018-03-30T11:49:03.973-07:00EASTER BREAD NESTSBread is a staple in practically every country on earth and over time recipes have evolved to make this everyday food more special for various festivals, seasons and holidays. And Easter breads are no exception. There are so many variations to choose from that it is not easy to decide which bread to bake. But for me it will probably always be the Easter bread nest!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXLJijM-PxW2gxvycDTyq2sFD7ICcoMn1yr8JNu1ReOHK_8828oI9MFfYP0qGIwhzZR21rQ-INgnHroH30w-JPpXAeeTNRNsAtCrNML4IWVJ2LURej5lQptIAUplqS70SsUNn7kcTYkr-K/s1600/20180329071449.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1532" data-original-width="1508" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXLJijM-PxW2gxvycDTyq2sFD7ICcoMn1yr8JNu1ReOHK_8828oI9MFfYP0qGIwhzZR21rQ-INgnHroH30w-JPpXAeeTNRNsAtCrNML4IWVJ2LURej5lQptIAUplqS70SsUNn7kcTYkr-K/s320/20180329071449.jpg" width="313" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Easter Bread Nests</td></tr>
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Each nest contains a coloured egg and is large enough for one person's breakfast. It is not a typical plain bread but enriched with eggs, milk and butter and a mix of dried fruit. Fresh from the oven it will make your mouth water. Best eaten with a little butter and the accompanying egg. You could have a dollop of honey or orange marmalade with it. Whatever your choice, this Easter bread is delicious!<br />
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You can bake the bread the day before you wish to serve it and just warm it briefly in a moderate oven or the dough can be prepared the evening before including the shaping and in the morning you only have to brush with melted butter and bake! Now let's go to the recipe.<br />
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<u>Ingredients:</u><br />
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500 g flour<br />
1 tsp salt<br />
50 g sugar<br />
100 g butter<br />
120 ml milk<br />
1 1/2 Tbsp dried (active) yeast<br />
3 eggs, lightly beaten<br />
100 g dried tropical fruit (if not available, raisins or sultanas can be substituted but not mixed fruit)<br />
50 g butter, melted<br />
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You will need one large or two small baking sheets, greased and dusted with flour. To prepare the dough you'll want a large bowl for the dry ingredients, a jug for the milk, a small bowl for the beaten eggs and a small saucepan to melt the butter.<br />
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<u>Method:</u><br />
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Sift flour and salt into bowl. Melt the 100 g butter in a saucepan over a gentle heat. When melted take butter off the heat and allow to cool a little. Then add it to the milk, add the sugar and yeast and mix thoroughly. Make a well in the flour, pour in the milk mixture and sprinkle the top thickly with the surrounding flour. Cover the bowl and let it sit in a warm place for about half an hour to develop the yeast. When the flour on top starts breaking up we go on to the next step.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtnTiDqo8ssxAWGfNlRdeZ7mCjINE831MoGQye4qnCKUzWOsaW9_lIJSnFpbbNmW3JdSbkwIS6jgyuDQvhVIq04K8wBLcnRuqKaeV0IXE0SPFMTrmBrRIZf7KE9dCWU5br0xo-XJ5-ghhD/s1600/WP_20180328_005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="1600" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtnTiDqo8ssxAWGfNlRdeZ7mCjINE831MoGQye4qnCKUzWOsaW9_lIJSnFpbbNmW3JdSbkwIS6jgyuDQvhVIq04K8wBLcnRuqKaeV0IXE0SPFMTrmBrRIZf7KE9dCWU5br0xo-XJ5-ghhD/s320/WP_20180328_005.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The flour developing cracks</td></tr>
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With your hands or a wooden spoon mix the flour layer with the liquid underneath, drawing in a little extra flour from the sides as well as adding the eggs gradually. When the eggs are well incorporated work in the remaining flour together with the dried tropical fruit (which contains mango, pawpaw, coconut, pineapple and melon). Knead gently to form a soft and smooth dough. Cover and allow to rise for about 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in size. Then knock down the dough and divide it into 4 equal pieces, each of which you cut in half again. Take one piece and roll it by hand into a long rope on a lightly floured work top to a length of 30 to 40 cm. Roll a second piece to match. Now pinch two ends together and twist the two ropes around each other , form into a circle and pinch ends together to close. Place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough. Place one coloured egg into the centre of each nest, cover and allow to rise again until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 190β / 375β. When your Easter nests have risen melt the remaining 50 g of butter and brush all over, except the eggs. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes in centre of oven until golden brown. Cool on wire rack.<br />
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If you are doing this in the evening for next morning's baking, keep the shaped bread nests covered on smaller baking trays in the fridge. In the morning allow the bread to return to room temperature, then brush with the melted butter and bake as above.</div>
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You can use the eggs plain or dyed. If plain place them in the nests uncooked. But if you want them coloured you can follow this method: Boil enough water to cover 4 eggs, drop in the eggs and boil for only 2 minutes. Remove from the boiling water with a spoon and drop each egg into a glass prepared with the dye. For this I half filled 4 glasses with water and 1 Tbsp vinegar and added 1/2 a tsp of liquid food colouring to each. Yellow, cochineal, sky blue and equal amounts of yellow and blue to give me green.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiAycDlWBGs2EmXhrinXit8mPl8SwSeAAy6RMghWbaY9slYqjtBl-HUhITOKfrEJ2BBUjAVWpS3bxp2rHESOU2enyXoCf6Sb9suxNW30_Bq33txNPA-0eUwxvq3aZDz3nHH0ekymF7-K_J/s1600/WP_20180328_007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="1600" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiAycDlWBGs2EmXhrinXit8mPl8SwSeAAy6RMghWbaY9slYqjtBl-HUhITOKfrEJ2BBUjAVWpS3bxp2rHESOU2enyXoCf6Sb9suxNW30_Bq33txNPA-0eUwxvq3aZDz3nHH0ekymF7-K_J/s320/WP_20180328_007.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clockwise from top left: yellow, blue, red (cochineal), green</td></tr>
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Allow eggs to stay for 20 - 30 minutes to reach the depth of colour you want. Rinse, dry and add to the nests. Boiling them for only 2 minutes will prevent them from becoming too hard while baking!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Pnw7RgL6kPaZenxglIVsg75X4Vv8D_5oGCcFJZfTE9OlNvoGZuH0NqVxSSmDpGc6RfHNi-m2RI9w1o-sgHtp2PvRu0bpJOgWmc3zisx0B3sJrxQTSQgWdeBi2ibZ42sCQiV6I6xDePrH/s1600/IMG-20180329-WA0005+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Pnw7RgL6kPaZenxglIVsg75X4Vv8D_5oGCcFJZfTE9OlNvoGZuH0NqVxSSmDpGc6RfHNi-m2RI9w1o-sgHtp2PvRu0bpJOgWmc3zisx0B3sJrxQTSQgWdeBi2ibZ42sCQiV6I6xDePrH/s320/IMG-20180329-WA0005+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My finished Easter Bread Nests!<br />
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If you enjoyed this recipe, please drop me a comment!</div>
Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06793239611501867040noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988536457378943902.post-32109484588117622302018-03-24T13:38:00.000-07:002018-03-26T01:17:33.270-07:00EASTER EGG VASESWhen I was little I was always looking forward to Easter because of the various decorations we children could make to herald the spring. There is one in particular I have never forgotten and that is a little vase made from an eggshell.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgswpUhNQf9kohyphenhypheneJ99b8C5M1y1xwTdC0jlaEOVFtlHV_x6IppawMyfipcckcjywlDwHA-vA7G_HmUypkYf8Rmg5TfgJfvjaZcImWwSE3e0bTGVpmbI764d3_HUIFhp7pG_fzYOC8L1q7yr/s1600/20180324062403.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="1600" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgswpUhNQf9kohyphenhypheneJ99b8C5M1y1xwTdC0jlaEOVFtlHV_x6IppawMyfipcckcjywlDwHA-vA7G_HmUypkYf8Rmg5TfgJfvjaZcImWwSE3e0bTGVpmbI764d3_HUIFhp7pG_fzYOC8L1q7yr/s400/20180324062403.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wildflowers in an Easter egg vase</td></tr>
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To make each vase you first have to eat a softboiled egg. Gently crack the pointy top of the egg and carefully remove the bits of shell until the opening is large enough for your spoon. When eating the egg make sure you do not damage the inner membrane, because this will make the vase waterproof. I tried using a raw eggshell but the membrane became brittle and broke. And for obvious reasons a hardboiled egg will not work either.<br />
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This is a nice project for young or old. Children can use paints or stickers to decorate to their hearts' content. Grown-ups too can use various options to create little masterpieces! I decided for a quick and easy way to get an elegant look, so I used spray paint!<br />
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Materials needed are clean eggshells, paints, stickers etc. for decorating, glue and something the egg can stand on. As children we used 3 elbow macaroni, glued them evenly around the bottom of the egg, making sure it will stand straight. To make the macaroni waterproof we painted them with clear nail varnish (usually sneaked from mother's bedroom!)<br />
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But nowadays it is probably easier (but less fun) to use a plastic ring from a small bottle. Here is what I used:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEaq59cceV61rngcG-6J1dl_G1d13dP7JYLBJVDeYulgTXv6i4O6rl4vd1HbKFkdTTXbus_T_URz35gi-pzGrUYDCVx7SbHsP-tN6CPSdc2yLZlLlPjnSz_v1eCXkvLWUFM01YnfSJmDES/s1600/20180323054323.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1392" data-original-width="1600" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEaq59cceV61rngcG-6J1dl_G1d13dP7JYLBJVDeYulgTXv6i4O6rl4vd1HbKFkdTTXbus_T_URz35gi-pzGrUYDCVx7SbHsP-tN6CPSdc2yLZlLlPjnSz_v1eCXkvLWUFM01YnfSJmDES/s320/20180323054323.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cleaned eggshell and plastic ring</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUfYdhAD2fdMlZw-Xev0Ju7YwCK5hNwMVtUQS-wfFqXZou4-A760Izpz5xzvWWNkkqrxyFyqs-P5mRJjayOrvtwEsxPm7s-vmsIUwiPlPNy_oN7nZinnpl-ZDjMVr3lqGZ0WsNWtwV3x_V/s1600/20180323054159.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1108" data-original-width="1264" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUfYdhAD2fdMlZw-Xev0Ju7YwCK5hNwMVtUQS-wfFqXZou4-A760Izpz5xzvWWNkkqrxyFyqs-P5mRJjayOrvtwEsxPm7s-vmsIUwiPlPNy_oN7nZinnpl-ZDjMVr3lqGZ0WsNWtwV3x_V/s320/20180323054159.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plastic ring glued on. The white line was the result<br />
of jiggling the ring into its proper position</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGv1hi34cPawoRLSmsMomybbsfzBgGLcMtRKxd9fTrfwXr2qERoEMlViYdeaH7Ew0boDcvIiuO1F4vwFol3auyUr6GYa3z4T54am_CkVbHZvC-F1kxqtdBcyfG30_YcDUATHUKRe5CqQyn/s1600/20180323054127.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="956" data-original-width="852" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGv1hi34cPawoRLSmsMomybbsfzBgGLcMtRKxd9fTrfwXr2qERoEMlViYdeaH7Ew0boDcvIiuO1F4vwFol3auyUr6GYa3z4T54am_CkVbHZvC-F1kxqtdBcyfG30_YcDUATHUKRe5CqQyn/s320/20180323054127.jpg" width="284" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spray-painted with gold lacquer</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
When all is dry add water and small flowers of your choice. These little vases make beautiful decorations for an Easter breakfast table or grouped together on a centre table. Let your imagination fly!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKv0LED1_m2lotBng9b3wuuxT5L-VKRaaw7sFiIXTy9-tNfxVvqlK7QDpju4DXA8FuXF8pFA1ojfCNgcnqPcdvcoCV8z6mtADgB7wfwQT2Smj7VH-GqeVY8pe_S-fk6c01ok7IwNhbLVqQ/s1600/20180324061827.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1400" data-original-width="1464" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKv0LED1_m2lotBng9b3wuuxT5L-VKRaaw7sFiIXTy9-tNfxVvqlK7QDpju4DXA8FuXF8pFA1ojfCNgcnqPcdvcoCV8z6mtADgB7wfwQT2Smj7VH-GqeVY8pe_S-fk6c01ok7IwNhbLVqQ/s400/20180324061827.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Silver spray paint was used for this vase</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkp3KPenw0zbAXztByBvql2FN0Yk1WD6MvU5POnjr5SMfdxbRQAfepfLUaxPEikhWmHL7_vI9H7frDD9Wiq_eq9FL17FzTpwyNUu38rhjT9kziJ18wDZPtWkUjI0Jfk7va0lOc7pZLhcqA/s1600/20180324062740.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1356" data-original-width="1396" height="387" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkp3KPenw0zbAXztByBvql2FN0Yk1WD6MvU5POnjr5SMfdxbRQAfepfLUaxPEikhWmHL7_vI9H7frDD9Wiq_eq9FL17FzTpwyNUu38rhjT9kziJ18wDZPtWkUjI0Jfk7va0lOc7pZLhcqA/s400/20180324062740.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not many wildflowers available here, so I used small heads of ixora instead<br />
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If you live in a temperate climate you could try violets or snowdrops for stunning results!<br />
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I hope you enjoyed this post and if you did, please drop a comment!<br />
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Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06793239611501867040noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988536457378943902.post-30648940661516553472018-03-18T12:48:00.001-07:002018-03-18T14:08:56.347-07:00JEWELLED EASTER EGGSEaster is fast approaching and the time to create some decorations for the festivities has come. Today I want to show you something a little different from the usual. Easter eggs made of wire and embellished with beads, crystals and more wire. So, grab your tools, wire and a good selection of various beads in any colours you fancy!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEhGxaML-jipnhzdlshhxBHDvURaJcb_Kuwc_yLILzQjAKSMzGHOI64UOJrmna1d8gWyM4PMNCsPB6GK1cPi0_ySWB_7rMWh1rQy2ULNSAAiYtY0UMUBAyVg8p3iljkuE_eb5evIQEN9tn/s1600/20180318085213.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="965" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEhGxaML-jipnhzdlshhxBHDvURaJcb_Kuwc_yLILzQjAKSMzGHOI64UOJrmna1d8gWyM4PMNCsPB6GK1cPi0_ySWB_7rMWh1rQy2ULNSAAiYtY0UMUBAyVg8p3iljkuE_eb5evIQEN9tn/s400/20180318085213.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">JEWELLED EASTER EGGS<br /></td></tr>
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<u>What you will need:</u><div>
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<div>
Wire cutters, roundnose pliers, flatnose pliers, chainnose pliers, 20g or 18g copper wire for the egg shapes, 24g and 30g copper wire for attaching beads etc. A selection of beads, crystals, leaf shapes or flower beads, even buttons if you like. For shaping the eggs I used an oval bottle (because real eggs will crack and who has egg shaped items) and a round one with the same diameter as the oval at its widest point (not longest). A measuring tape or a piece of string to determine the circumference of the oval shape. A felt pen or sharpie to mark the oval container where you want to start shaping.</div>
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<u>Let us start!</u></div>
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First cut a few lengths of 20g or 18g wire in the length you measured plus an extra 8 -10cm for creating a loop at the top of the egg. Hold the centre of the wire against the narrow part of the oval where marked and with the other hand lead the wire to the opposite side and bend it so it overlaps. Still holding it in place mark the centre of the overlapping wire with the pen. Now you can let go. Form the remaining wires likewise. Next take the flatnose pliers and bend one end up where marked at an angle of 90Β° and the other end around the one you just bent up, also at 90Β° where marked.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBMCWYRbZmrNQRSHVAJHmRy-OZW6CRnza_j6WpkuAlKegrhyphenhyphen1SoX-DmJRxfyHmhEcwWrs7u3azG4XXdAOFWWW9uUm-1dIGv9FZ0O4l4NJxn0jjqphJqCr1O1gZsWS2I5-izFRyezr2rfl-/s1600/20180318023500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="937" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBMCWYRbZmrNQRSHVAJHmRy-OZW6CRnza_j6WpkuAlKegrhyphenhyphen1SoX-DmJRxfyHmhEcwWrs7u3azG4XXdAOFWWW9uUm-1dIGv9FZ0O4l4NJxn0jjqphJqCr1O1gZsWS2I5-izFRyezr2rfl-/s200/20180318023500.jpg" width="116" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">wire ends overlapping<br />at right angles</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk73d7jLYJHHs6ICE5ANJHnDCT4L1RtmyPOsI-n6-RK590AmnAPxqT_RE31iGcT6dmJQburRwYF8tXB0kslNCG58NlSGzPmRfrUMIy3S8N1bl9XztyPf-dDJSUgjjNSwKr4f61-85tyJ2T/s1600/20180318023548.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1041" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk73d7jLYJHHs6ICE5ANJHnDCT4L1RtmyPOsI-n6-RK590AmnAPxqT_RE31iGcT6dmJQburRwYF8tXB0kslNCG58NlSGzPmRfrUMIy3S8N1bl9XztyPf-dDJSUgjjNSwKr4f61-85tyJ2T/s200/20180318023548.jpg" width="130" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">left wire end wrapped<br />twice around the upright<br />wire</td></tr>
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<div>
Holding the top of the oval shape with flatnose pliers wrap the lower end twice around the upright end. Cut the end close to the wrap and use chainnose pliers to squeeze tight. Cut the upright end to about1.5cm, bend it sideways and form a loop using roundnose pliers.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCJ04VJD5BB7mFZdro-zza_f7yVs_azuH4zhL2YFOgbY1kfRqNcZGKP7OIKDiYHEUlALLiBXb9IeQfVVTlMna3LIOpFHUt1aTesvN3pAX0LxX_uWDZiaIxcNuDMQzeBUEqTdbFLWLQrOx5/s1600/20180318023849.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1162" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCJ04VJD5BB7mFZdro-zza_f7yVs_azuH4zhL2YFOgbY1kfRqNcZGKP7OIKDiYHEUlALLiBXb9IeQfVVTlMna3LIOpFHUt1aTesvN3pAX0LxX_uWDZiaIxcNuDMQzeBUEqTdbFLWLQrOx5/s200/20180318023849.jpg" width="145" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loop formed and egg shape<br />formed</td></tr>
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Remember the round bottle/container you haven't used yet? Insert it in the centre of the oval and gradually force it down until it reaches the bottom. Use your fingers to re-mould it while the round shape is still within. Gently remove and your egg should be properly shaped. Form the remaining cut wires the same way.<div>
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Now it's time to decorate. You can take inspiration from the picture above or you have a session with your creative muse! </div>
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I call my designs jewelled Easter eggs because of the materials used. But you can achieve a completely different style by using pipe cleaners and buttons or other decorative items like in the photo below!</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1QGLegSxqlW0T2L_bek90Fy5WWJhFYUdbzM6RrRmG1JgUMWUIYEO3LKsJ5edMJDGtG4u6kG2LggSgu3tPdjyfh046BngxXqzhOXYw1ovL_D6OCf8o2YJwFzSk7bL2s92OjBAYoRh2JwvA/s1600/20180318081051.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1213" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1QGLegSxqlW0T2L_bek90Fy5WWJhFYUdbzM6RrRmG1JgUMWUIYEO3LKsJ5edMJDGtG4u6kG2LggSgu3tPdjyfh046BngxXqzhOXYw1ovL_D6OCf8o2YJwFzSk7bL2s92OjBAYoRh2JwvA/s320/20180318081051.jpg" width="242" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pipe cleaner wrapped around the egg shape<br />with motif from a hair clip </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuUSIxPMyPS0O1Sfu4cU5elTinBpRhvAf8I77NoCwmWPUIovK5NRLOVnWhPbLFLzUiep26ssW7oZSESLtgZOSUocodOPbVKUBA1mSjijN9dhAEBveiTgI9kcOFRwjvm4sSbQRbv56cQ5JF/s1600/20180318080455.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1135" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuUSIxPMyPS0O1Sfu4cU5elTinBpRhvAf8I77NoCwmWPUIovK5NRLOVnWhPbLFLzUiep26ssW7oZSESLtgZOSUocodOPbVKUBA1mSjijN9dhAEBveiTgI9kcOFRwjvm4sSbQRbv56cQ5JF/s320/20180318080455.jpg" width="226" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdNgmz9jbhvSHv43U1VypBAeQFwT5OHz1BPIRhdIFFwp-fHdDVdZpZCIAsrjRlqZfxgTmyNPqZaUg_ZthGMuAZfn5bBSMYcZ94-q1XduCASCnDHkcdVyYzUn3HrRwIDyeHjkmVbKX9alTP/s1600/20180318080603.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="947" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdNgmz9jbhvSHv43U1VypBAeQFwT5OHz1BPIRhdIFFwp-fHdDVdZpZCIAsrjRlqZfxgTmyNPqZaUg_ZthGMuAZfn5bBSMYcZ94-q1XduCASCnDHkcdVyYzUn3HrRwIDyeHjkmVbKX9alTP/s320/20180318080603.jpg" width="189" /></a>The individual decorated eggs, a little larger this time.<br /><div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8nzKodeLsO8wFvrddwirJA95PMb6UVJf-WGhxVyl9lFp_Bhv3-HbGtdpe_UYLB1lXEQgcydwhyQtahcvSRIqqXMkv1O3vEzd_4XDSPY36jBEPQQaIkDexJTYCHgpSFTt40fvAtVDxU_Di/s1600/20180318080703.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1069" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8nzKodeLsO8wFvrddwirJA95PMb6UVJf-WGhxVyl9lFp_Bhv3-HbGtdpe_UYLB1lXEQgcydwhyQtahcvSRIqqXMkv1O3vEzd_4XDSPY36jBEPQQaIkDexJTYCHgpSFTt40fvAtVDxU_Di/s320/20180318080703.jpg" width="213" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxgdKGurtdEbKHIzAxZDADK_8o8cHBYOP5fwnG6Sd9yq8jMMqYJ24qmjJMzhqoY6F2wHjQCuVo6rOAj7kvO5okqtuWjlEEsA0MVF0z5U4Qb6Ne9uLMQb2ziMtpQc-6wZhy-6sXTpxIzJFi/s1600/20180318080957.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1015" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxgdKGurtdEbKHIzAxZDADK_8o8cHBYOP5fwnG6Sd9yq8jMMqYJ24qmjJMzhqoY6F2wHjQCuVo6rOAj7kvO5okqtuWjlEEsA0MVF0z5U4Qb6Ne9uLMQb2ziMtpQc-6wZhy-6sXTpxIzJFi/s320/20180318080957.jpg" width="201" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-vXGLEhY-YwNAh4G3pRVvD-VKoOZinPMk-y6mLq9NvhQR7iMAkTX-1DqGnxehNyrx1ivmhfHq1CFDRMnyyaE38Nq4hFEWXMdH7K_0-5F_lYzA5nBvGtSLVn7teSiN63tfXQ-DkEjIKfbZ/s1600/20180318080852.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1052" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-vXGLEhY-YwNAh4G3pRVvD-VKoOZinPMk-y6mLq9NvhQR7iMAkTX-1DqGnxehNyrx1ivmhfHq1CFDRMnyyaE38Nq4hFEWXMdH7K_0-5F_lYzA5nBvGtSLVn7teSiN63tfXQ-DkEjIKfbZ/s320/20180318080852.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
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Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06793239611501867040noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988536457378943902.post-32317508994326338832018-03-09T13:00:00.000-08:002018-03-11T00:19:28.082-08:00Tropical SplendourWhile there is snow and ice in much of the northern hemisphere with freezing temperatures to match, south of the Tropic of Cancer we are waiting for the rains to give some relief from the heat. People and animals are sweltering but the flowers are exuberantly competing to show their most magnificent shapes and colours!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0AWcAVNnQxyk2ffLU_oTbIcG-Q6gknd_Txo1yMqdLbltBSOVHn-HscVuh6zVhwGjXblooOfDjOIG4K0J6FeMLh8EkaPUmYiNxEC5UEgRbj53t6iAspWrB9V5HpWMGfRUMuZZ7U81QhKPR/s1600/20180227085927.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1048" data-original-width="944" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0AWcAVNnQxyk2ffLU_oTbIcG-Q6gknd_Txo1yMqdLbltBSOVHn-HscVuh6zVhwGjXblooOfDjOIG4K0J6FeMLh8EkaPUmYiNxEC5UEgRbj53t6iAspWrB9V5HpWMGfRUMuZZ7U81QhKPR/s400/20180227085927.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pink Bougainvillea with variegated leaves<br />
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Bougainvillea is a favourite to grow over walls and fences, colours ranging from white to light pink and deep pink as well as orange. Best flowering time is during the dry season.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyneE8p-i00_d5DLN0yOADsHXqeI5GloICRCvG5RDOiJ8SbTWI4j4YuHV2L-0xIl02soIfLn5w59tdGozoIKkU8UjCWWf7_59M-lJ9BqpZSVHuFJW1sba8O_NYfUj4Dw8dUoc4XT6xnO_b/s1600/20180227070653+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1211" data-original-width="1600" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyneE8p-i00_d5DLN0yOADsHXqeI5GloICRCvG5RDOiJ8SbTWI4j4YuHV2L-0xIl02soIfLn5w59tdGozoIKkU8UjCWWf7_59M-lJ9BqpZSVHuFJW1sba8O_NYfUj4Dw8dUoc4XT6xnO_b/s320/20180227070653+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Basketlily or Spiderlily (<i>Hymenocallis calathina)</i></td></tr>
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Basketlilies are very elegant flowers, blooming in profusion from the end of February. Often used for borders or against walls. They give a stunning display when at their peak. Spiderlilies or basketlilies are also suitable to be grown in pots. In temperate climates they require a greenhouse because they do not tolerate cold. Otherwise they are not too demanding.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigu501cFaUJp6qgO2zbM8O9MUojDsszs8Wx4JmGhvHgXhopo9nIIpVqJSYirb5v8cPEGGt_o1MFL6lZi5-7PtlwNVjmFRfEHatHNcciVINdYdpunGVEArBjvakOoid9SFcxbkAlmrMRnvc/s1600/20180227090702.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1600" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigu501cFaUJp6qgO2zbM8O9MUojDsszs8Wx4JmGhvHgXhopo9nIIpVqJSYirb5v8cPEGGt_o1MFL6lZi5-7PtlwNVjmFRfEHatHNcciVINdYdpunGVEArBjvakOoid9SFcxbkAlmrMRnvc/s320/20180227090702.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cape Leadwort (<i>Plumbago auriculata)</i></td></tr>
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Plumbago or Cape Leadwort is treasured for its profuse sky-blue flowers. It is a bushy plant which should be trained against a trellis or other support for best results. Originally from South Africa, it can be grown in pots in cooler regions but must be protected from cold temperatures. Here we grow plumbago as borders or edges even though they can easily reach a height of 50 centimetres or more.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3lFl5lnGh8sKYpsTmTxOnC2XuDcQKSc25fRYgXfL0-b7zIuceFAe3EsXrInB5rO90M6qjxlpTps0IpaCWr6ph6lHvrJkG9mABbtdKGC5LvINjc8DunCm61evNrqdbeBy52VL3ZtlPqhAx/s1600/20180304045529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1436" data-original-width="1456" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3lFl5lnGh8sKYpsTmTxOnC2XuDcQKSc25fRYgXfL0-b7zIuceFAe3EsXrInB5rO90M6qjxlpTps0IpaCWr6ph6lHvrJkG9mABbtdKGC5LvINjc8DunCm61evNrqdbeBy52VL3ZtlPqhAx/s320/20180304045529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Alpinia coccinea</i></td></tr>
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This plant has no common English name as far as I know but belongs to the ginger family. This picture shows the emerging bracts which, when mature, open to produce orange coloured flowers beloved by sunbirds for their nectar.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Hfz8lihkaJReJFWEUNWS4XZZtmDflctasaG6q1LClziz7SGVeczSzC2LKHGJH1QZQyH4HW-5x8rXeCcSOg9uvJGXu7jFyRevIW9Yr1M7h77o0ieGtDOF9M835Hec2f91TdvPJQyXf_jc/s1600/20180309082602.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1366" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Hfz8lihkaJReJFWEUNWS4XZZtmDflctasaG6q1LClziz7SGVeczSzC2LKHGJH1QZQyH4HW-5x8rXeCcSOg9uvJGXu7jFyRevIW9Yr1M7h77o0ieGtDOF9M835Hec2f91TdvPJQyXf_jc/s320/20180309082602.jpg" width="273" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crown of thorns (<i>Euphorbia milii)</i></td></tr>
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Native to Madagascar this plant has conquered the rest of the tropical world, but can also be grown in containers in temperate zones. Care must be taken in handling them because they not only have vicious thorns to defend themselves but also a poisonous sap, like all euphorbias. The most common colour is red, but white or pink (as shown here) are equally lovely.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia16t3BWhpCpl8GrbZ-R_rPaAE4CmkSsbPWTL7u4jtD9yuV_3Zw03KOMEsGNyBx-3qcH0iqdnA6iqqGGuA7EvCif08KUK-vahYpqzz9QZinKfjZlVIu8Llt3zB5D6Z-UMcTVaGC93bdTOs/s1600/WP_20180307_013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="899" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia16t3BWhpCpl8GrbZ-R_rPaAE4CmkSsbPWTL7u4jtD9yuV_3Zw03KOMEsGNyBx-3qcH0iqdnA6iqqGGuA7EvCif08KUK-vahYpqzz9QZinKfjZlVIu8Llt3zB5D6Z-UMcTVaGC93bdTOs/s400/WP_20180307_013.jpg" width="223" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ixora</td></tr>
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This time of year is probably the best for ixora to show off their beautiful flower clusters, tiny stars in bunches. Here are yellow and red ones but white and pink can also be found. This is one of the best hedge plants, able to withstand serious pruning. Ixora flowers all year round but is best during the dry season.<br />
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These are some of the plants I meet when out walking; more are still waiting to be discovered. And that will be another post.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3OE0BbGpT11olhrbn9WZWnzQk_xaeKQCoEF5rRuZxB01fUStRZMwk1pjjJdKKKbUVanNYz5e5AO5ESTzzvngTjehe0q1i583ruhRzWXeTjBYrkxyOXn0xZw1VTuq7C-YEZUAcFy3Ih7Kx/s1600/20180227085645+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="612" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3OE0BbGpT11olhrbn9WZWnzQk_xaeKQCoEF5rRuZxB01fUStRZMwk1pjjJdKKKbUVanNYz5e5AO5ESTzzvngTjehe0q1i583ruhRzWXeTjBYrkxyOXn0xZw1VTuq7C-YEZUAcFy3Ih7Kx/s400/20180227085645+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Bougainvillea in the afternoon sun</td></tr>
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Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06793239611501867040noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988536457378943902.post-40602474062346275382018-02-25T04:18:00.000-08:002018-02-27T03:54:28.544-08:00More Dessert!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr2Ut_qvS5cBnicZhq4Jt6N-OXYInd6uBs4TlPBPkH4vYEUqUVcK0FPoXHIuueL2_rPlDhVaL93-wlz-Um_G3z8Qu7RsB0gHrOKCc_pSOprX5uGxBSQtTf48Z8jMlR7Tck9KX3pvAqx0aL/s1600/20180221050334.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1283" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr2Ut_qvS5cBnicZhq4Jt6N-OXYInd6uBs4TlPBPkH4vYEUqUVcK0FPoXHIuueL2_rPlDhVaL93-wlz-Um_G3z8Qu7RsB0gHrOKCc_pSOprX5uGxBSQtTf48Z8jMlR7Tck9KX3pvAqx0aL/s400/20180221050334.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Agbalumo Jelly</td></tr>
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In my last post I told you that some more ideas concerning agbalumo (white star apple/African star apple) were floating around in my head. Using the same drink as previously concocted I decided to try making it into a jelly for another light dessert. And it worked! Naturally I was quite pleased with myself, so I am happy to share my recipe with you.<br />
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Normally one would use gelatine to make a jelly, but since it wasn't available I used our homegrown tapioca. It is not the most refined product to use, unlike pearl sago which gives a different texture to the dish. Buying the local tapioca you will find it comes in small lumps as hard as rock. In order to make it easier to use I ground it in small portions in a spice grinder.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinz80RaMtteE9IumledF2_gchyV4apj43RQO3HNmyoWd_PkALF_LBaQ5A5e3hcEDkFYhtqh5Q_gbR7332ljCn-6IkZCQansEl46LoW14Ke4q-4r1bWr9bXKVqje25egkejQYZ9aG_Tc7P0/s1600/WP_20180222_001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="1600" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinz80RaMtteE9IumledF2_gchyV4apj43RQO3HNmyoWd_PkALF_LBaQ5A5e3hcEDkFYhtqh5Q_gbR7332ljCn-6IkZCQansEl46LoW14Ke4q-4r1bWr9bXKVqje25egkejQYZ9aG_Tc7P0/s320/WP_20180222_001.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjFUipxqa_-IdASpzjSB_zDxEZBwYBvC5Je2VYsU737MUb92jC9Mzmg5BSy9C7G92gnYahHHgxZhUEfANlkEvMOcyCw9punNKT342MlYgVmgyHy8WuLGn0NJK9mfiCtKsld3XvTTegulaM/s1600/WP_20180222_003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="1600" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjFUipxqa_-IdASpzjSB_zDxEZBwYBvC5Je2VYsU737MUb92jC9Mzmg5BSy9C7G92gnYahHHgxZhUEfANlkEvMOcyCw9punNKT342MlYgVmgyHy8WuLGn0NJK9mfiCtKsld3XvTTegulaM/s320/WP_20180222_003.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After</td></tr>
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It is not advisable to use it as shown on the left because it will not cook evenly, despite soaking.<br />
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The ground tapioca gives a smooth result without any lumps.<br />
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And now for the recipe.<br />
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<b><u>Ingredients:</u></b><br />
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500ml (1/2l) of prepared agbalumo drink at room temperature, 50g ground tapioca<br />
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Place the tapioca into a bowl and add the drink, stirring to dissolve. Cover and allow to stand for about 3 hours. Then pour it into a pot and place on high heat. Now this is a bit tedious but essential. You have to stir it gently continuously to prevent sticking or even burning. Remember that tapioca is just starch. When the lot comes to boil reduce the heat so it is just simmering but continue stirring. You will know when it is ready when the colour changes from opaque to a clear orange which will take between 15 to 20 minutes. Pour into prepared serving cups or glasses and chill for several hours. If the jelly is solid enough you might want to turn each portion onto individual serving dishes and serve with a topping of your choice. My own was a bit too soft because I didn't give it enough time to set before serving. So I left the jelly in the glasses and just decorated with vanilla cream. This amount gives two generous servings.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU1YVSc_shzsXf38QMBRnny8Svc1y775EwCqNSWoPqM8razgGn_ra0JDypSshWfy9bqGx_yqhijftpR-y7ek7kkdm-Y-8fab5QS24v47ipp1XL1LN01TJ-cV9TRJVZNglDMYRvxIxN_NNf/s1600/20180221050334+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1283" data-original-width="1600" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU1YVSc_shzsXf38QMBRnny8Svc1y775EwCqNSWoPqM8razgGn_ra0JDypSshWfy9bqGx_yqhijftpR-y7ek7kkdm-Y-8fab5QS24v47ipp1XL1LN01TJ-cV9TRJVZNglDMYRvxIxN_NNf/s320/20180221050334+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Agbalumo Jelly<br />
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If you enjoyed my recipes you might want to check <a href="http://www.kitchenbutterfly.com/2018/02/15/a-visual-botanical-guide-to-varieties-of-agbalumo/" target="_blank">here</a> for more delicious concoctions!<br />
<br />Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06793239611501867040noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988536457378943902.post-51026640310393266812018-02-18T04:08:00.000-08:002018-02-18T04:08:34.362-08:00Dessert Anyone? Blancmange With A DifferenceI can't say I know anyone who does not like dessert. Either at the end of a meal or as a little treat anytime! There is such a huge variety of sweet concoctions that it is often difficult to decide what to have.<br />
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But if you make it yourself instead of buying it then simple is best. So today I want to give you an easy recipe and as far as I know a brand new one which I have just created! Remember the agbalumo drink I posted about a little while ago? Well, I decided to experiment a little, having had a "what if" idea.<br />
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I thought if I take the drink I made and turn it into a blancmange/pudding/dessert it should be quite palatable. And it truly is easy to prepare. And tasty!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheydaHCnpeHSPi_gyOh0JEkDdJ2zB1K_9ImxpIgo-D4OVjW119_8eiVZ22HlYF4K-munFbv9mQwiSVNRN6Tt8FBSX2zrYP-qdcBshpbFKa30ZpkgAiNzxqOr8xLzwkiGGmoLzHm1Vvd5Oe/s1600/WP_20180216_006+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="1600" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheydaHCnpeHSPi_gyOh0JEkDdJ2zB1K_9ImxpIgo-D4OVjW119_8eiVZ22HlYF4K-munFbv9mQwiSVNRN6Tt8FBSX2zrYP-qdcBshpbFKa30ZpkgAiNzxqOr8xLzwkiGGmoLzHm1Vvd5Oe/s400/WP_20180216_006+%25283%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Agbalumo Blancmange<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></td></tr>
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No special equipment is necessary, except some small moulds to set the pudding. If none are available, moin moin cups can be used or some wine glasses. Use what you have.<div>
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And here is the recipe:</div>
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<b><u>Ingredients</u></b></div>
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500 ml of prepared agbalumo drink, 40 g of cornflour</div>
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<b><u>Method</u></b></div>
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Rinse your moulds with cold water and keep to one side. This is to prevent the blancmange from sticking when you want to turn it out!</div>
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Place cornflour into small bowl and add about 4-5 tbsp of the agbalumo drink, stir to dissolve. Put the remaining drink in a pot and bring to boil. Take off the heat and whisk in the cornflour slurry. Return to the fire and stir until it bubbles up. Remove from heat immediately and pour into the prepared moulds. When the puddings are just warm place them in the fridge for several hours to set.</div>
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This quantity gives 4 small portions (for people watching their weight!) or 2 normal sized ones. The recipe can easily be doubled or tripled for a family meal!</div>
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When ready to eat, turn the agbalumo blancmange onto individual dessert plates and serve with homemade chocolate or vanilla sauce. A dollop of whipped cream could also be placed on top!</div>
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Let me know if you want a recipe for any of the sauces mentioned above.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMiJNyK6HlJv2CVXMo8PGQTZK49qvi4lXu2rJmhy7PS5FORt-RCrAeq3bfT3KUeSbeHahSf-jJ9w51T4H59WPRhtlwrerVyp9UuyssaVUJ50yPyAn1uNPYVeC055KZszsfWQBFTahWT5oo/s1600/WP_20180216_006+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMiJNyK6HlJv2CVXMo8PGQTZK49qvi4lXu2rJmhy7PS5FORt-RCrAeq3bfT3KUeSbeHahSf-jJ9w51T4H59WPRhtlwrerVyp9UuyssaVUJ50yPyAn1uNPYVeC055KZszsfWQBFTahWT5oo/s320/WP_20180216_006+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to be enjoyed!</td></tr>
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Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06793239611501867040noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988536457378943902.post-47729557381464074712018-02-12T13:16:00.000-08:002018-02-12T13:16:17.654-08:00A Heart For Your Valentine!Valentine's day is round the corner, but here is a delicious treat which can still be made in time. I speak of chocolate covered fondant hearts. Easy to make and easy to eat! Guaranteed!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8yK6McTNtL9-5GCAIQwAFcknZ8-WhG7-xwlKa6E1D3mh-7PjzYv7S_2FLsLneYAjPu3XMOvH7lcVrxkvwDr9WYHp7Mip7U87qH1CFUYmuwH2ZFxAqT6qHkFf12CWYJmosepEdjjZ3FTsQ/s1600/20180212074611.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8yK6McTNtL9-5GCAIQwAFcknZ8-WhG7-xwlKa6E1D3mh-7PjzYv7S_2FLsLneYAjPu3XMOvH7lcVrxkvwDr9WYHp7Mip7U87qH1CFUYmuwH2ZFxAqT6qHkFf12CWYJmosepEdjjZ3FTsQ/s400/20180212074611.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Almost ready - just for the chocolate to finish setting</td></tr>
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It was a while ago that I remembered fondant candy I had as a child and immediately thought of how to make something special for Lovers' Day. It took a while to find a suitable recipe which doesn't include corn syrup. I don't like the stuff and know that quite a few people react to it. So why use it?<div>
The recipe I found is beautifully basic and allows one to add flavourings or colours of ones choice.<br />Since I didn't want to make a very large batch I adapted it, but you can find the original <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVSUE_Acw5s" target="_blank">right here</a>.<br />
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Ingredients I used:<br />
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60g unsalted butter at room temperature, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 80ml condensed milk, finely grated zest of 2 lemons, 1 tsp lemon extract and 3 cups of sifted icing sugar plus extra. 100g dark chocolate for melting (70% cocoa solids).<br />
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How to:<br />
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Put butter and condensed milk into a fairly large bowl. Sift the icing sugar into another bowl. Now stir butter and condensed milk until completely smooth then add the salt, vanilla, zest and lemon extract. Start stirring in the icing sugar a cup at a time. Depending on the weather and humidity you might need more icing sugar. When the mixture becomes too difficult to stir use hands to knead the dough until pliable, smooth, non-sticky and not too soft. If necessary add more sifted icing sugar a little at a time. When done wrap in clingfilm and place in the fridge for some hours or overnight to mature and develop flavour.<br />
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Next sprinkle some icing sugar or cornflour lightly on a work surface, place the fondant on top, cover with clingfilm and using a rolling pin, roll out to a thickness of about 2.5cm (1 inch). Use a heart-shaped fondant cutter or small cookie cutter to cut as many shapes as possible. Remold leftover dough and roll out again until all is used up. You might end up rolling the last small amount into balls. Dip the cutter in cornflour to prevent sticking to the dough.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLB4I2M_ropkuwrhlVj_FfQCIhw79raT9SYBuOAkI5E1i7Ojz3jEE7lfQnqxo9zHpuspJvkr-IG5Jc5ecSU89ol6htz8L_jZ0W1ZRrZcl5fzqpb_c3FyfxIZxCiGG5wJ4rahWcPv8-HCMm/s1600/20180211063923.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1582" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLB4I2M_ropkuwrhlVj_FfQCIhw79raT9SYBuOAkI5E1i7Ojz3jEE7lfQnqxo9zHpuspJvkr-IG5Jc5ecSU89ol6htz8L_jZ0W1ZRrZcl5fzqpb_c3FyfxIZxCiGG5wJ4rahWcPv8-HCMm/s320/20180211063923.jpg" width="316" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First few hearts<br /><br /></td></tr>
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Place the shapes on a plate dusted with icing sugar or cornflour, again to prevent sticking, and put in the coldest part of the fridge for a couple of hours. Then break the chocolate into a heatproof bowl and place on top of a small pot of simmering water. The water must not touch the bottom of the bowl. Or use a double boiler if available.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdTAWbRDcz0nRpyU4Qd20cgz-dAQVxtD8HyrKkjO78iepFTDQi7no0tFfR-QkAZUBKFBgB6w-C3E9tNA-c_W7Cw_RDCbeW28SZ3x_fLWWhvr1uDG3PlQlxH8VOLrRo3Odbkl22XiUrfFnQ/s1600/20180212073215.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1472" data-original-width="964" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdTAWbRDcz0nRpyU4Qd20cgz-dAQVxtD8HyrKkjO78iepFTDQi7no0tFfR-QkAZUBKFBgB6w-C3E9tNA-c_W7Cw_RDCbeW28SZ3x_fLWWhvr1uDG3PlQlxH8VOLrRo3Odbkl22XiUrfFnQ/s320/20180212073215.jpg" width="209" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The chocolate has melted and the<br />fondant is ready to be coated.</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
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I used a small handmade dipping ladle to hold the fondant, just dip the bottom and then use a tablespoon to pour the chocolate over the top. How to make the dipping ladle will be in another post!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYFUBPPl6_HmfkSYGuYPT0HbUtHwTHg4tGPu0I_M47wWoT0xIHfyXwZ_oljFpsd8FB5goMV91aPpyQdZmRCKfaPDSfOHfJ5OSihsTUWrPNWzroKesaNAfTrT4uIWJCCJyxN_j-NCfl1Jim/s1600/20180212073259.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1268" data-original-width="1040" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYFUBPPl6_HmfkSYGuYPT0HbUtHwTHg4tGPu0I_M47wWoT0xIHfyXwZ_oljFpsd8FB5goMV91aPpyQdZmRCKfaPDSfOHfJ5OSihsTUWrPNWzroKesaNAfTrT4uIWJCCJyxN_j-NCfl1Jim/s320/20180212073259.jpg" width="262" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Completing the chocolate coating</td></tr>
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I used a baking tray covered with clingfilm and placed a cooling rack on top to allow the excess chocolate to drip off without going to waste.</div>
<div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKj1Y0WJA-iu1ograx1-ti1q8g71GHRYDiq_DIcCqimNKxnWymMJOtvJ-0ZHmIGYfbdId5iEEbXn7tR1nOojooXm6NNMRRM1CjO6s4Bp2qEmzlq_rGfDTbznfqupXQP3eIptiza2uAwZrZ/s1600/20180212073659.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1288" data-original-width="1600" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKj1Y0WJA-iu1ograx1-ti1q8g71GHRYDiq_DIcCqimNKxnWymMJOtvJ-0ZHmIGYfbdId5iEEbXn7tR1nOojooXm6NNMRRM1CjO6s4Bp2qEmzlq_rGfDTbznfqupXQP3eIptiza2uAwZrZ/s320/20180212073659.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dripping and drying</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
When all the candies are coated and dried, place them in little paper cups and store them in a container in the fridge until ready to serve.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg48UtDa4gXt3kxg0WnpmdOFmkMNz-WUnQ2FDeAb25_pZxQjrCJC5vxb8-c9Z0unfTWYmHzyblDHAT1IMqDegQ8bZ64o3WNhEBKhR2iARMI4nSqdKIwCz2sjv_nCpEEpQKEq69MYu-jBpxb/s1600/WP_20180212_033.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="1600" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg48UtDa4gXt3kxg0WnpmdOFmkMNz-WUnQ2FDeAb25_pZxQjrCJC5vxb8-c9Z0unfTWYmHzyblDHAT1IMqDegQ8bZ64o3WNhEBKhR2iARMI4nSqdKIwCz2sjv_nCpEEpQKEq69MYu-jBpxb/s400/WP_20180212_033.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bon appetite</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Tell me when you try it how it turned out. I'd love to hear from you!<br /><br />
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Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06793239611501867040noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988536457378943902.post-65994279116948893792018-02-10T13:02:00.000-08:002018-02-10T13:03:41.509-08:00Agbalumo Drink - Version 2The large bottle of the agbalumo drink from yesterday's post didn't last long, so I decided to make more. I also thought if I could improve on it. Because I had read about using sugarcane instead of granulated sugar, I wanted to use it this time round.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFGyYR3XbIA-ewrNDx_jfbx_vgstpajR2y6U_Pg1oIaM9FmzPtGU8wVhvl4SwlZgJkfrzXDm3I5ClTdPd0xHYVWt5UFJIgbar7QiSj8eOPe5W_JSDK1-1JV-kiEEYzybNoMpxWSdMtaCMX/s1600/WP_20180208_002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="1600" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFGyYR3XbIA-ewrNDx_jfbx_vgstpajR2y6U_Pg1oIaM9FmzPtGU8wVhvl4SwlZgJkfrzXDm3I5ClTdPd0xHYVWt5UFJIgbar7QiSj8eOPe5W_JSDK1-1JV-kiEEYzybNoMpxWSdMtaCMX/s200/WP_20180208_002.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fresh sugarcane already peeled</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipenlKIt8BtsQxFs2f0lIdqcX4xYyRG03YQreHWc4mVcfVKcAmKDw9OZnbKc2f12M9hqXulqm-sAi172t6vVcBubNYTmZi2CUYkws84RJHESIHZvp5zEjpUDFfsNB9Zbgd3tNqG9M-xRYH/s1600/WP_20180208_011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="1600" height="110" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipenlKIt8BtsQxFs2f0lIdqcX4xYyRG03YQreHWc4mVcfVKcAmKDw9OZnbKc2f12M9hqXulqm-sAi172t6vVcBubNYTmZi2CUYkws84RJHESIHZvp5zEjpUDFfsNB9Zbgd3tNqG9M-xRYH/s200/WP_20180208_011.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sugarcane cut into cubes</td></tr>
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Sugarcane is not as sweet as regular sugar, so I was ready to use the lot, if necessary.<br />
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I also decided to use fresh ginger instead of ground and forget about the vanilla. And I wondered how it would turn out if I cut up the agbalumo really small and removing the seeds and then chopping it fine in my food processor!<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGeVJLPtD0xApvEwpeWdA_lwkxXlLu77dIl3eJOWUH3_jNUVYZY2em4CEiu7hTqVLi9l9NlY0rxQdCQRfQURjj1CWqt7nKa9iQkTZReD2GTFFofdm-Ei0CE0XvuoFCd7_9tHLELTQne7xT/s1600/WP_20180208_014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="1600" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGeVJLPtD0xApvEwpeWdA_lwkxXlLu77dIl3eJOWUH3_jNUVYZY2em4CEiu7hTqVLi9l9NlY0rxQdCQRfQURjj1CWqt7nKa9iQkTZReD2GTFFofdm-Ei0CE0XvuoFCd7_9tHLELTQne7xT/s200/WP_20180208_014.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two finger lengths of fresh ginger</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtWO0sagSSmvikQ91MATpHMLZoK1pf00jT7hHs4VyD0dJ1m342-6IomTs-w-E6Ae5hbjnlbm8lUZNuvlIlSKkny_Ujy83hKfrQDO_Df-6mx9qWECZE3KGkWsrY4-IPdcP9Zby9V2axv16Q/s1600/WP_20180208_010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="1600" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtWO0sagSSmvikQ91MATpHMLZoK1pf00jT7hHs4VyD0dJ1m342-6IomTs-w-E6Ae5hbjnlbm8lUZNuvlIlSKkny_Ujy83hKfrQDO_Df-6mx9qWECZE3KGkWsrY4-IPdcP9Zby9V2axv16Q/s200/WP_20180208_010.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to be pureed</td></tr>
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The idea being to extract as much goodness from the fruit as possible!<br />
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So I started to process the fruit. But the machine was rattling and shaking in a terrible way. So I added some of the water used in the recipe. That was better but still not right. More water and medium speed for 3 minutes. Then I added some of the cubed sugarcane and the ginger and run the processor at full speed. It didn't chop the sugarcane at all, only the ginger. By now the motor was too hot to continue, so I poured the lot into a large pot and added the remaining water, forgetting the cardamom. Then I proceeded like before, bring it all to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. After 10 minutes I tasted for sugar and found that it wasn't sweet at all, so I added 1 cup of sugar to the brew and finished the cooking process. While it was still simmering I noticed that the colour was more translucent rather than opaque like the previous batch. Note to self: fresh ginger is preferable to ground ginger! Next came the cooling and draining as before.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV8FwbEmPKUK8Qy65b98_vTaNRbyRDKz8lPoo7Ts8icgnkjAku_YALm-xb7WC-u7mracy94soBjFJmH1iCLL-7qhAi812Q4TGdTk1QLR2tqIMvOO1v9Gp7RApCRh0KDwuI_cH6XpRMl_MT/s1600/WP_20180208_017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="1600" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV8FwbEmPKUK8Qy65b98_vTaNRbyRDKz8lPoo7Ts8icgnkjAku_YALm-xb7WC-u7mracy94soBjFJmH1iCLL-7qhAi812Q4TGdTk1QLR2tqIMvOO1v9Gp7RApCRh0KDwuI_cH6XpRMl_MT/s320/WP_20180208_017.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The mushy fruit and solid sugarcane<br />
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</tbody></table>
This was a serious lesson in what not to do when preparing agbalumo! DO NOT USE YOUR FOOD PROCESSOR!!! As I mentioned in the last post, the fruit has a certain gummyness. And it promptly deposited all of its gum onto the interior of the processor bowl. It took almost 3 days of hard labor to get rid of the stickiness, the last bit had to be removed with nail varnish remover! It was sticky like when you pull a label off a bottle, if you can picture what I mean!<br />
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<div>
Next: DO NOT USE SUGARCANE THE WAY I DID. It is a total waste of perfectly good sugarcane because it cannot release its sweetness that way. Only use it if you have someone who can juice it beforehand.</div>
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<div>
And do not forget the cardamom! </div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
But cutting it small and removing the seeds is my choice from now on because it does intensify the flavour. Otherwise use the recipe as before.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyEmaleymlDa5V6MxlFhntzlfhJB6Lc3uOwEatUyDUInmofhybNI1MsjiOOvEFyXXwuqXVRYo7u9HZTfZ2I18MmvJzSHc5M7HTqiOFb_e366kE-gTJSUBo2EmkgjzW1e8eDJYNyoixAHT9/s1600/WP_20180208_018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="1600" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyEmaleymlDa5V6MxlFhntzlfhJB6Lc3uOwEatUyDUInmofhybNI1MsjiOOvEFyXXwuqXVRYo7u9HZTfZ2I18MmvJzSHc5M7HTqiOFb_e366kE-gTJSUBo2EmkgjzW1e8eDJYNyoixAHT9/s400/WP_20180208_018.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Better colour than previous</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ZNj51kQkXmFge_UogGK84_E2WRX36claBxTb90FkOHH1nBirdUmr7lm6PvTtIr6tO-x7uoLsHT2ny7QMMsLFPdQwryuEAaoVhoD3c2cD5O5aO1YnbkLrSYYxeuMSkKofsq49M1the0np/s1600/20180209123251+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1456" data-original-width="1176" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ZNj51kQkXmFge_UogGK84_E2WRX36claBxTb90FkOHH1nBirdUmr7lm6PvTtIr6tO-x7uoLsHT2ny7QMMsLFPdQwryuEAaoVhoD3c2cD5O5aO1YnbkLrSYYxeuMSkKofsq49M1the0np/s320/20180209123251+1.jpg" width="258" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CHEERS!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I hope everyone had a good giggle! Till next time<br />
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Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06793239611501867040noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988536457378943902.post-76721439318717790892018-02-09T09:59:00.000-08:002018-02-10T01:20:26.161-08:00Agbalumo Drink - Version 1A couple of weeks ago my daughter sent me a picture of a glass of juice, unusual juice! Made from a fruit which is in season from November/December to March/April and usually just eaten as is. It is called agbalumo in Yoruba and udala (udara) in Igbo; in English it is White Star Apple, African Star Apple being a variation and finally the botanical name <i>Chrysophyllum albidum.</i> I had heard that this fruit is particularly good for diabetics (not me but my husband), but personally I don't like its texture and gummyness. But maybe a juice would be more palatable.<br />
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So last Sunday I went to a farmers market and saw beautiful ripe agbalumo and decided to buy some and try my hand at this juice.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOVZZ4euVuuYnUHs1DNXpa9hZP6h5KqKqbbvEtqYKgR8qZtehXtahlpIg054HwzgQ5DZFAdoxqJc4q8W082BHtJ7lpsejF-UWtJfxIdPqlNfpILta4YyxtQ5yqeSjWlBvxz34FCkQwzTrn/s1600/WP_20180207_003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="1600" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOVZZ4euVuuYnUHs1DNXpa9hZP6h5KqKqbbvEtqYKgR8qZtehXtahlpIg054HwzgQ5DZFAdoxqJc4q8W082BHtJ7lpsejF-UWtJfxIdPqlNfpILta4YyxtQ5yqeSjWlBvxz34FCkQwzTrn/s400/WP_20180207_003.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fresh Agbalumo</td></tr>
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The picture was on Kuluwaz Instagram page <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kuluwaz/" target="_blank">here</a> , but no recipe. On to her blog next where there are fabulous recipes, but still no juice. You can find her blog<a href="https://casakuluwaz.wordpress.com/" target="_blank"> here</a>. So going back to the Instagram post I saw that the original recipe was obtained from kitchenbutterfly and used with some variations. So I headed over to that site, which is <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kitchenbutterfly/" target="_blank">here</a>, and found it immediately. Since I had more fruit than stated in the recipe I made my own adjustments.But first I had to find the recipe. </div>
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Here is what I used:</div>
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14 ripe agbalumo, 2 l water, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 2 generous tsp ground ginger, 16 green cardamoms, seeds crushed in a small mortar and pods removed, 2 tsp vanilla extract.</div>
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How the drink is made:</div>
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Wash and cut up the fruit into smallish pieces, leaving the rather large seed in. Place in a rather large pot and add the water and remaining ingredients. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Turn off heat, open lid and allow to cool until warm. </div>
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Line a colander with a draining cloth (cheesecloth or clean dishtowel) and place on a bowl or pot, large enough to take all the liquid.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw_TkohmwjlXCTKxSWTOdPVavtNiK97o_Ts6da0h1kVMxifkUWcXBBWzqMDjELObI8l5gooNI_xP3k4ukwsBwIjOHE16F0pIHCEkNW6j-hkVJ2SMREcV-ieP_DehR_hSKRPqmtoOs-vXag/s1600/WP_20180204_008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="1600" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw_TkohmwjlXCTKxSWTOdPVavtNiK97o_Ts6da0h1kVMxifkUWcXBBWzqMDjELObI8l5gooNI_xP3k4ukwsBwIjOHE16F0pIHCEkNW6j-hkVJ2SMREcV-ieP_DehR_hSKRPqmtoOs-vXag/s400/WP_20180204_008.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cooked fruit and spices draining</td></tr>
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When most of the liquid has drained off take the ends of the cloth and twist together in a ball and squeeze out any remaining juice. Due to the nature of agbalumo the leftovers can be used like chewing gum, which children are very fond of!<br />
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Next decant the liquid into a suitable bottle and keep in the fridge until thoroughly chilled.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Wdyh2Fq2KmDgnm3aHGklKZ2RBZPjs208Sd_lG1SNaN6TcInRist3xyyMpim1jo-QnkXSWS3jGCjsyKfkXy3VoZN4f8O2tEDDltW0UxZZEsB0iDUtPXXPu5YF7TXH_x34yI2mqLKK3W8T/s1600/WP_20180204_009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="899" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Wdyh2Fq2KmDgnm3aHGklKZ2RBZPjs208Sd_lG1SNaN6TcInRist3xyyMpim1jo-QnkXSWS3jGCjsyKfkXy3VoZN4f8O2tEDDltW0UxZZEsB0iDUtPXXPu5YF7TXH_x34yI2mqLKK3W8T/s400/WP_20180204_009.jpg" width="223" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to drink<br />
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Technically speaking it is not a juice because of the addition of water but a drink. A very tasty drink, sweet, sour and a little bitter. Truly enjoyable but because of the sugar not really suitable for diabetics. </div>
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Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06793239611501867040noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988536457378943902.post-51502431731519570442018-02-03T10:14:00.000-08:002018-02-04T01:10:34.571-08:00Mardi Gras - Shrove Tuesday - FaschingJust a short while ago was New Year and now we are already in February! This is the time that many countries in the world prepare feverishly to get the last costumes and floats ready and everything else which makes a carnival successful.<br />
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Naturally, food also plays an important part in the festivities! My favourite is the traditional German doughnut, called <i>Berliner </i>everywhere except Berlin, where it is called <i>Pfannkuchen!</i> To add to the confusion, literally translated <i>Pfannkuchen </i>means pancake, which the British use with great enthusiasm to celebrate Shrove Tuesday. But I mean a fluffy, round doughnut filled with <i>Pflaumenmus</i>, known as plum butter in English. If not available, a tasty jam of your choice will be just as good.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV6gji57YhSRStlCCj9n1NUmd4UeksE4_ge-w2QGKMskB68RWr0JlFXPJ0bJYtD7LvvSUapI3mcg7JA9dEYbSM8qEyhcTo4HEblpfhckgIEBmdaatVXVI_SwBaKQlR39zK7Pmz9Hks3q-l/s1600/20171231102153.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="913" data-original-width="1600" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV6gji57YhSRStlCCj9n1NUmd4UeksE4_ge-w2QGKMskB68RWr0JlFXPJ0bJYtD7LvvSUapI3mcg7JA9dEYbSM8qEyhcTo4HEblpfhckgIEBmdaatVXVI_SwBaKQlR39zK7Pmz9Hks3q-l/s400/20171231102153.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doughnuts - Berliner - Pfannkuchen<br />
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Doughnuts are not difficult to make but the dough requires sufficient time to rise. There are two ways to prepare doughnuts - baking in the oven or deep frying. The recipe is the same for both. I will show the deep fried version. Now for the how to:<br />
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You will need a deep fryer or fairly large pot. I prefer to use a wok because of the shape. It requires less oil and has a larger surface for frying. You will want a couple of tablespoons to place the doughnuts in the hot oil and a spider or similar to remove and drain them after frying. A lot of kitchen paper or crumpled newspaper is needed to absorb as much oil as possible. A cake syringe is needed for filling the doughnuts.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRIkMsFYFsMpNmB87uENa8K5_StOVIvJ4vqDPbHKKgL3pajz3iAmn-0Y5-eFeGAD4EE3HbNtKtoDXlZ8Qy2i0FY_vmRornfZqjmrQFJXv2DDz7N4_EAfu8cKcVgsFA1nTcq9SrXuOJKwaa/s1600/20171231102420.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1245" data-original-width="1600" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRIkMsFYFsMpNmB87uENa8K5_StOVIvJ4vqDPbHKKgL3pajz3iAmn-0Y5-eFeGAD4EE3HbNtKtoDXlZ8Qy2i0FY_vmRornfZqjmrQFJXv2DDz7N4_EAfu8cKcVgsFA1nTcq9SrXuOJKwaa/s400/20171231102420.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dough after the second rising</td></tr>
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<u>Ingredients:</u><br />
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500g flour, 2 eggs, 50g butter, 3 tsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 2 1/2 tsp dried yeast, lukewarm milk, vegetable oil for deep frying, jam for filling and sugar for coating.</div>
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<u>Method:</u></div>
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Mix yeast with sugar and a little of the milk in a small bowl. Cover and allow to become foamy, 5 to 10 minutes. Break eggs into a measuring jar and top with milk to give you 1/4 l (250ml) and whisk. Add the softened butter to the egg milk and stir to help it dissolve. Sift flour and salt into a large bowl, make a well in the centre and add the frothy yeast and the egg/butter/milk. Knead thoroughly. Cover bowl with a dishcloth or clingfilm and allow to rise for 15 - 20 minutes, depending on your temperature. Place dough on a lightly floured work surface and knead again, then put dough back into bowl, cover and let rise again for another 15 - 20 minutes. Now divide dough into 12 to 15 equal pieces, 75 or 60 grams each, as you prefer. If no scales are available you can gauge the size halfway between a golf ball and a tennis ball. Place the balls on a lightly floured tray and cover as before. This time allow to rise for about 45 minutes. If you use a deep fryer get the oil to 180β, if using a pot or wok the temperature is correct if a wooden spoon held into the oil produces lively bubbles.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6wewipXU1hErBiYdGuetAH2LFVvNOYuUBO2vg1tMbv44juXYQ3nQ12DCNCkGEPyySeimxa0O5AhAL-lILVAamXPNnG7Em9zFjmt_niqawSyTs-aSnohgkKZS-81HLkrGs7nuYFbl09qq2/s1600/20171231102341.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="965" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6wewipXU1hErBiYdGuetAH2LFVvNOYuUBO2vg1tMbv44juXYQ3nQ12DCNCkGEPyySeimxa0O5AhAL-lILVAamXPNnG7Em9zFjmt_niqawSyTs-aSnohgkKZS-81HLkrGs7nuYFbl09qq2/s400/20171231102341.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Almost ready for frying (or baking)</td></tr>
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When the dough is ready and the oil is hot enough, start frying the doughnuts. 2 - 3 minutes each side is all that is needed.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF2nwm-UHqy-uXWVgLGa9Sz3G76Py-ABXA8ML8pRWxA2L_0udMXoQZjosIIrcCxRjqyS-N7_29pVqDmbX1NeklSHjWlu1fDkRYQiFlnGsCNmBaK2663VJ3oNI_mWVfFiXGsGHr-OcmCKUQ/s1600/20171231102249.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1285" data-original-width="1600" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF2nwm-UHqy-uXWVgLGa9Sz3G76Py-ABXA8ML8pRWxA2L_0udMXoQZjosIIrcCxRjqyS-N7_29pVqDmbX1NeklSHjWlu1fDkRYQiFlnGsCNmBaK2663VJ3oNI_mWVfFiXGsGHr-OcmCKUQ/s400/20171231102249.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can see why I like to use my wok!</td></tr>
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Lift out the done doughnuts and place on absorbent paper to remove excess oil. Fill syringe with the preferred jam (you can also use Nutella or similar) and a bowl with granulated sugar. Roll each doughnut in the bowl with sugar and before lifting it out of the bowl inject about a generous teaspoonful of jam at the side of the doughnut where the pale line shows.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSCPuS9OIu6D-HY1RQU1pclJ72Su53ruDJnEMHil6FziWm1KrSTTuSV6JBKUq4jSGOHPIAowUvHnllp4KqYh1I9QUQ1ZcpmK5A41iOxp5YrUndezOCoeqBDl9YQBy61mZAbq08qqUey_HW/s1600/20171231101939.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="1116" height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSCPuS9OIu6D-HY1RQU1pclJ72Su53ruDJnEMHil6FziWm1KrSTTuSV6JBKUq4jSGOHPIAowUvHnllp4KqYh1I9QUQ1ZcpmK5A41iOxp5YrUndezOCoeqBDl9YQBy61mZAbq08qqUey_HW/s400/20171231101939.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The filling with jam can be a bit messy!</td></tr>
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Instead of rolling the doughnuts in sugar, they can be filled and then dusted with sifting icing sugar over while they are still hot. Another way is to mix sifted icing sugar with a little warm water and a dash of fresh lemon juice to make a thin glaze which is then brushed over the top of each doughnut.</div>
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If you are cautious about consumption of oil you can equally well bake the risen doughnuts in a preheated oven at 180β for 15 - 20 minutes. Then you complete the doughnuts as before.</div>
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These <i>Berliners</i> are not only eaten at Mardi Gras, Shrove Tuesday or Fastnacht but throughout the carnival period and New Year! Please, let me know if you made them and how you liked them!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5kW7fWZKByOaNE5MUc0p4DlRcjYWiIiAEwirh30GuT9ne982FRk5s5M6hSGbxgHX3DVwhRBYxczSgNf4Ianikxqo5f8FfE_26Z1GdzoCsKUwdWfP4GwtEvf6_lKBt9z14UlJ2A500ifoC/s1600/20180203064009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="352" data-original-width="316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5kW7fWZKByOaNE5MUc0p4DlRcjYWiIiAEwirh30GuT9ne982FRk5s5M6hSGbxgHX3DVwhRBYxczSgNf4Ianikxqo5f8FfE_26Z1GdzoCsKUwdWfP4GwtEvf6_lKBt9z14UlJ2A500ifoC/s320/20180203064009.jpg" width="287" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoy!</td></tr>
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Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06793239611501867040noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988536457378943902.post-50795001584059730492018-01-16T04:02:00.000-08:002018-01-16T07:44:50.311-08:00New Blossoms for the New Year!A few years ago my little granddaughter was given a small bulb to plant and take care of as part of a summer school project. She nurtured it diligently and soon the first leaves started growing but nobody knew the name of the plant. The leaves got larger and more numerous and eventually a baby plant emerged beside the mother plant and the pot became quite crowded. So we found larger pots, separated the plants and in a few months they had multiplied again. But still no idea about the identity even though the leaves looked familiar. No sign of any flowering for three years until a week after Christmas.<br />
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The day before New Year I noticed that one plant had suddenly grown a 30 cm long flower stalk with tightly closed buds on top!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsDZFYqDtVleEr956vs4diDmnthXlA_Mn5pTXEebRDSES7wbFRVrdCLAT_3hMb10Pi4ILXRpSX8JJQUcemwxulo7RZZp_2dcHq4_By5I41Nrr3Cw7L5fklgDJEAcDd25khoLyTu2zI1wym/s1600/20171224090208.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1452" data-original-width="1504" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsDZFYqDtVleEr956vs4diDmnthXlA_Mn5pTXEebRDSES7wbFRVrdCLAT_3hMb10Pi4ILXRpSX8JJQUcemwxulo7RZZp_2dcHq4_By5I41Nrr3Cw7L5fklgDJEAcDd25khoLyTu2zI1wym/s320/20171224090208.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Freshly emerged flower stalk</td></tr>
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The following day it looked like this:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO2vHNN3uwpqfLsZGXYHQdujOodCk9HHOb6v8INfG25HR1VzpsmuDbgRqXf5qwDnkGiAQAH2kMB5rdKPU8BOq6QM1ugj7Jjh04Xw-k2FJ-Xm3-xrHbciycOXRfDjMThjPkl8rAgucqe6wh/s1600/20171227030652.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="892" data-original-width="576" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO2vHNN3uwpqfLsZGXYHQdujOodCk9HHOb6v8INfG25HR1VzpsmuDbgRqXf5qwDnkGiAQAH2kMB5rdKPU8BOq6QM1ugj7Jjh04Xw-k2FJ-Xm3-xrHbciycOXRfDjMThjPkl8rAgucqe6wh/s400/20171227030652.jpg" width="257" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Individual buds showing</td></tr>
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<div>
And the next day:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsad6BIBLAVgxgHDsTsonxR0JXUYKtP7rjAxCmCI7I_9HY4APFGpFxRFcxR8md2FGia159Zv4DGF0WCNv2luPAIiP5FFM9FljnXqSjnUmUHIFzZna8vOincOlKmu3trlH5aOP8juhsE3Sq/s1600/WP_20171225_002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="899" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsad6BIBLAVgxgHDsTsonxR0JXUYKtP7rjAxCmCI7I_9HY4APFGpFxRFcxR8md2FGia159Zv4DGF0WCNv2luPAIiP5FFM9FljnXqSjnUmUHIFzZna8vOincOlKmu3trlH5aOP8juhsE3Sq/s400/WP_20171225_002.jpg" width="223" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first bud</td></tr>
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Still no idea which wonderful plant this is. Except that it definitely has to be a lily! Let's wait another day:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR3knUshvOvUHRQz6Qrmym_kxZ94w9mS8BcwB0g0j_M94fbAuE-khgs9-QQ85QbCh0FkBJkLsTrXmXs6tQdkhh5A1WAW0jlxU6egr1_5G0Vcizf67iYWGX8qCtxX1ZoOG2M8EG4wLrd39q/s1600/WP_20171226_005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="899" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR3knUshvOvUHRQz6Qrmym_kxZ94w9mS8BcwB0g0j_M94fbAuE-khgs9-QQ85QbCh0FkBJkLsTrXmXs6tQdkhh5A1WAW0jlxU6egr1_5G0Vcizf67iYWGX8qCtxX1ZoOG2M8EG4wLrd39q/s400/WP_20171226_005.jpg" width="223" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bud is leaning forward</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Suspense! What will I see next day?</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmyykw5MRyufMpQ6jgcLYwibeoTi4BjzQO69jqXwvUvY2BB4iZyvBpUIC2TIA4OL6m8-FMExLPTkXdSb6_NQ7IY5d5-trqON-SccWyasz5tKLjQzjZjSoCTU7hhWFibrcd2Dn-9690jkZr/s1600/WP_20171227_005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="1600" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmyykw5MRyufMpQ6jgcLYwibeoTi4BjzQO69jqXwvUvY2BB4iZyvBpUIC2TIA4OL6m8-FMExLPTkXdSb6_NQ7IY5d5-trqON-SccWyasz5tKLjQzjZjSoCTU7hhWFibrcd2Dn-9690jkZr/s320/WP_20171227_005.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bud finally opening</td></tr>
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Real slow motion! The following day:</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcc8U_PSL1VKe5qsHma2jBeG5s7qm_2GKaM7EzgKREFDtIsuVsGUd4CoZ82qrEgN19DHjLO3Fswk8Sz5ILorOiunLCja9nR-g43xf_o3EWufklYsV3fRy4b0Re3vzpLLIr03cHuObd5oQA/s1600/WP_20171227_008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="1600" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcc8U_PSL1VKe5qsHma2jBeG5s7qm_2GKaM7EzgKREFDtIsuVsGUd4CoZ82qrEgN19DHjLO3Fswk8Sz5ILorOiunLCja9nR-g43xf_o3EWufklYsV3fRy4b0Re3vzpLLIr03cHuObd5oQA/s320/WP_20171227_008.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally open in the morning</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCnPJSal_Zh2aIseKRk29EMyEZGEeTYU6I_wnIlmzIBrvVa3dMjlnQoY7Sh0oTREv9EOtl9AYqzn36TMHcBREPoeclfGrcq-s81DlAyCCtsOUsM4ncEoNlCJuVk4UY16XcVLOaXLacKNYR/s1600/WP_20171228_002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="1600" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCnPJSal_Zh2aIseKRk29EMyEZGEeTYU6I_wnIlmzIBrvVa3dMjlnQoY7Sh0oTREv9EOtl9AYqzn36TMHcBREPoeclfGrcq-s81DlAyCCtsOUsM4ncEoNlCJuVk4UY16XcVLOaXLacKNYR/s320/WP_20171228_002.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Later in the day<br />
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I had to make contortions to be able to look inside the blossom to see what it looks like!</div>
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If I had waited a bit longer all would have been clear!</div>
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Now the flower looks familiar but I simply cannot remember it!</div>
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So my daughters and I started scouring the internet only to find so many different types of lilies looking similar but having different leaves. My daughter has an app on her phone to identify plants; lots of various types but not this one! Eventually the app told us that it wasn't a plant! Imagine that!</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMYTB5HQ8u4rFrPNhsUrsbyokMt6bFNKGDvurN0E6_P4BwHtqnL_AxZkhWNsxXCrDFeAvr5PzTYx7JsVrtcU8AelqzQPVhyphenhyphenWaJ6PEa11RC3zoFrNk2bE6BH0EWhcTC5qFpoG8FrVkMIdJ_/s1600/WP_20171228_008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="1600" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMYTB5HQ8u4rFrPNhsUrsbyokMt6bFNKGDvurN0E6_P4BwHtqnL_AxZkhWNsxXCrDFeAvr5PzTYx7JsVrtcU8AelqzQPVhyphenhyphenWaJ6PEa11RC3zoFrNk2bE6BH0EWhcTC5qFpoG8FrVkMIdJ_/s320/WP_20171228_008.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Showing the inner cup</td></tr>
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There is a resemblance to a narcissus because of the cup but it is not a narcissus! The following day the second bud opened and three more were developing quickly.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZAu2ep9pUB7JhcdDK1gVWJ9E5GZ1AWIIYYS1RP9KqZ-kEbWS7czdoR2iv_bTW489O-EGQ0jQrIEQwhoWox6WlQ7TEegcCQoNMNRYZcsuB52jZvDsbETVAQ5e7s0jvnfNBy4iv5nqIhv3v/s1600/20180115034559.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1228" data-original-width="972" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZAu2ep9pUB7JhcdDK1gVWJ9E5GZ1AWIIYYS1RP9KqZ-kEbWS7czdoR2iv_bTW489O-EGQ0jQrIEQwhoWox6WlQ7TEegcCQoNMNRYZcsuB52jZvDsbETVAQ5e7s0jvnfNBy4iv5nqIhv3v/s320/20180115034559.jpg" width="253" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Second bud opening and third about to join</td></tr>
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At this time I was still searching the internet to find this flower but with the help of the following picture I was finally rewarded!</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmFL-bZVo3Yk5bWNR_i5Oau2xKqY1XhS9JU8STD665dH3sX-T8uQpUfbfV4KkW16v_p8g23q2PM4KbX-ALRsT1CI7tUtHPGMAWzG1vOQWbgD9H-ojnLB6UDS3-DUzseFc0yiBs4Uyuud1n/s1600/WP_20171228_009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="899" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmFL-bZVo3Yk5bWNR_i5Oau2xKqY1XhS9JU8STD665dH3sX-T8uQpUfbfV4KkW16v_p8g23q2PM4KbX-ALRsT1CI7tUtHPGMAWzG1vOQWbgD9H-ojnLB6UDS3-DUzseFc0yiBs4Uyuud1n/s400/WP_20171228_009.jpg" width="223" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Eucharis amazonica</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<i>Eucharis amazonica, </i>otherwise known as amazon lily! Seeing the name nearly made me cross with myself because this flower is shown in my old and trusty plant book and I didn't realize it! But never mind, it is a gorgeous plant and easy to maintain. So I recommend anyone interested to try growing it!</div>
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If you enjoyed this post, please, do leave me a comment. I'd really appreciate it!</div>
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Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06793239611501867040noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988536457378943902.post-17258135295248820912018-01-04T10:27:00.000-08:002018-01-04T10:27:57.844-08:00Happy New Year!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The festivities are over for a while and the few extra calories one indulged in here and there while preparing all the delicious things are now orbiting the waistline in the form of unwanted kilogrammes!<br />
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To get rid of the excess poundage I have resumed my daily walks supported by my tasty smoothies which I have for and as breakfast. If you, too, have gained a little excess weight over Christmas my smoothie recipe might be for you, together with any form of physical exercise you prefer!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwh9ZFWfof6HRqDHxXiwEJA10OWB7a2TsJCtqABUR6YqLOZXoU3dmt2h0YWW_GBmPHaeN7Z5WzlsEUnKsX1A2T-GFdLETJbavrr2q0Z2YLoDevXo3z6J4GBzmf5MUQkdmBOkEI5kTxnkZp/s1600/WP_20180102_001+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1455" data-original-width="819" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwh9ZFWfof6HRqDHxXiwEJA10OWB7a2TsJCtqABUR6YqLOZXoU3dmt2h0YWW_GBmPHaeN7Z5WzlsEUnKsX1A2T-GFdLETJbavrr2q0Z2YLoDevXo3z6J4GBzmf5MUQkdmBOkEI5kTxnkZp/s400/WP_20180102_001+%25282%2529.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bananas ripening<br /><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Bananas are the foundation of the smoothies I enjoy. Together with two or three other types of fruit a couple of glasses keep me going till lunchtime.<br />
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Fruit suitable are banana, apple, pineapple, papaya, soursop and grapes. But it is important to remember that one should not use more than four different types because of the way they interact and affect the digestion.<br />
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The reason for my choice of fruit lies in the properties of each which are as follows:<br />
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Bananas - rich in potassium, good for heart health and controlling blood pressure<br />
Apples - excellent for the digestion, rich in fibre, helpful in managing diabetes<br />
Papayas - anti-cancer properties, also rich in fibre and good for the digestion<br />
Pineapple - good for bones and eyes, anti-inflammatory<br />
Soursop - rich in antioxidants, good for the eyes, anti-cancer, fights parasites.<br />
Grapes - help to control blood pressure, are great for weight loss, eye health, blood sugar control, colon health, good for the heart.<br />
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These are just a few of the benefits of these fruits. To make my smoothies even more beneficial I also add a few spices which are anti-inflammatory and keep my joints from aches and pains. I also add some natural yoghurt or milk, depending on my fancy!<br />
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And now for the recipe:<br />
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<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGvSD00Mq7v-60WgYVKX0AkdZljSIbppwKHZD1B-NezeS9AltGRHq_4C3a1EhSzaA5KBTlRnXqt4e35JRkVoX77puU5vJHcDi5ilwTZQl4CK2s_9yOR10mdU7ejtXQzrCwf5AHj46AUOcS/s1600/WP_20180103_003+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1456" data-original-width="1456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGvSD00Mq7v-60WgYVKX0AkdZljSIbppwKHZD1B-NezeS9AltGRHq_4C3a1EhSzaA5KBTlRnXqt4e35JRkVoX77puU5vJHcDi5ilwTZQl4CK2s_9yOR10mdU7ejtXQzrCwf5AHj46AUOcS/s320/WP_20180103_003+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Banana, apple and a slice of papaya</td></tr>
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1 banana<br />1 apple<br />1 slice of fresh papaya<br />
1 heaped Tbsp natural yoghurt<br />
about 1/2 cup of water<br />
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon<br />
1/2 tsp ground or fresh ginger<br />
1/4 tsp ground or fresh turmeric<br />
1/8 tsp ground black pepper<br />
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Cut fruit into chunks, removing seeds. Place in blender together with the other ingredients and whizz until smooth. If too thick add a little extra water. If you use milk instead of yoghurt use about one cup.<br />
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This should make approximately 600 ml or<br />
2 cups of delectable smoothie.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN6vwZhD2fOdQKdNQin8kDxR9T_y0vbginwP7q_-Qn5R0OVmy65qHWQUPPgcKvYlfDkJCtA5L36BOeJizi3TmoaPkUkY4E2JDy03jQfj1lvhqfSktk8xb_q-qlnImR22nlUvVhGFUdIptn/s1600/WP_20180103_001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="1600" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN6vwZhD2fOdQKdNQin8kDxR9T_y0vbginwP7q_-Qn5R0OVmy65qHWQUPPgcKvYlfDkJCtA5L36BOeJizi3TmoaPkUkY4E2JDy03jQfj1lvhqfSktk8xb_q-qlnImR22nlUvVhGFUdIptn/s320/WP_20180103_001.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spices from top left; cinnamon, black pepper, turmeric<br />and freshly grated ginger<br /></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6AlC7Ayaj-InOKJ3txbd4ZmLPqnMvlfN9JWP_bveNCdccMrXQnXFdqZYEell1oNKGg6dhmS6vxHRY-8pGp46FsMLrGB9eztQouA4E2BWZWY1ceXexAakXSnqlXL5OHN5uQpS6QpVCGN8o/s1600/WP_20180103_006+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1201" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6AlC7Ayaj-InOKJ3txbd4ZmLPqnMvlfN9JWP_bveNCdccMrXQnXFdqZYEell1oNKGg6dhmS6vxHRY-8pGp46FsMLrGB9eztQouA4E2BWZWY1ceXexAakXSnqlXL5OHN5uQpS6QpVCGN8o/s400/WP_20180103_006+%25282%2529.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rich and creamy - ready to be enjoyed</td></tr>
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When you make your own version let me know how you liked it.<br />
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Next time a vegetable smoothie!Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06793239611501867040noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988536457378943902.post-2452013303545353722017-12-25T03:39:00.001-08:002019-05-02T10:04:59.425-07:00King's CakeChristmas is upon us and this recipe is coming very late indeed! Luckily this is a wonderful cake not only for Christmas but New Year as well and any other occasion in the year!<br />
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This recipe is from my Grandmother's handwritten collection and I love making it at least once a year. For this Christmas I baked several to share with my daughters and their families. Next year I hope they will do the baking, for a change!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmbu8IzrE2yWydkZoL1ODIysBGTaKSjriNWKTUPFgQ8b9qIpDXuWu3RnPUnOZaYO6LYY4v6vwFVL96p_uJqw9epSPzVyWqM8BZNVVdkAGhkLnkY2aUgrdikRPtCCbLYvD5jxrEDlgYoaKN/s1600/TextPicture20171218_1102.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="497" data-original-width="424" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmbu8IzrE2yWydkZoL1ODIysBGTaKSjriNWKTUPFgQ8b9qIpDXuWu3RnPUnOZaYO6LYY4v6vwFVL96p_uJqw9epSPzVyWqM8BZNVVdkAGhkLnkY2aUgrdikRPtCCbLYvD5jxrEDlgYoaKN/s320/TextPicture20171218_1102.jpeg" width="272" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Original Recipe in my Grandmothers'<br />
Handwriting</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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πππππ<br />
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Let me translate:<br />
<b><u>King's Cake</u> </b>(KΓΆnigskuchen)<br />
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250 g butter (room temperature)<br />
200 g sugar<br />
4 eggs<br />
500 g flour<br />
4 tsp baking powder<br />
250 g raisins<br />
zest and juice of 1 lemon<br />
2 Tbsp vanilla sugar<br />
a pinch of salt<br />
rum for soaking the raisins (enough to cover them)<br />
πππππ<br />
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This is how my grandma will note down the ingredients without explaining details. So I will do so instead. Raisins usually means a mix of currants, raisins and sultanas with the addition of chopped candied peel. Raisins also means the said mix has to be soaked overnight with enough rum (brandy as alternative, but it is not as tasty) to cover. Vanilla sugar is always made at home. Split a vanilla pod in half, place in a fairly large glass jar and fill up with sugar. ready for use in a couple of weeks. And never forget a pinch of salt! When asked why she doesn't add it to her list of ingredients she replied that that is a given, everybody knows to add salt! Now let us bake!<br />
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πππππ<br />
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You will need a loaf tin approximately 30 x 10 x 10 cm, lined with baking paper. Preheat oven to 180β. Drain raisins, reserving the liquid. Sift flour, baking powder and salt.<br />
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Cream butter, sugar and vanilla sugar until really fluffy. Now beat in the eggs one at a time until fully worked in. Start adding about a quarter of the flour mix, work in until absorbed. Add juice and zest of the lemon and 2 or 3 Tbsp of the reserved rum. How much to use is determined by the flours' rate of absorption. Add another quarter of flour and mix in thoroughly. Continue until the flour is used up. The dough should drop heavily from the spoon, so do not add to much of the rum (keep the excess for another recipe). Finally add the drained fruit and mix until evenly distributed. Place dough in prepared loaf tin and bake on centre shelf for about one hour. When a skewer inserted comes out clean the cake is ready. Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out, remove paper, then place on cooling rack.<br />
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If you wish, the cake can be covered with glacΓ© icing to make it more festive (and sweeter)!<br />
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πππππ<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTAXwmxmuAgLCHcVLO-TYKgXf0SDhZ6RAVwMKip86EemFm9lr9qcKq9hf1dZ7GSUJvoVWR2dzgWk-Y5DLZ2wWhONqAkUjvqhfhk88IK0wALtdXUGYIapijAXtgh8gVc2Qt_wG-J0c42ruJ/s1600/WP_20171223_005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1036" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTAXwmxmuAgLCHcVLO-TYKgXf0SDhZ6RAVwMKip86EemFm9lr9qcKq9hf1dZ7GSUJvoVWR2dzgWk-Y5DLZ2wWhONqAkUjvqhfhk88IK0wALtdXUGYIapijAXtgh8gVc2Qt_wG-J0c42ruJ/s200/WP_20171223_005.jpg" width="142" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My trusty baking spoon</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNOnWEME0F_jDIQccT1N6p9XikXpdfaY0QMDUAmH_qy8RewZOyCRmC1l51R8vjd-9ztvRxDaewpM6JsI0-rz_ojOJkLZmzxMuF6JIalRbdP8hchWmkS0pN_nrC2j4AAKeC70NyuNGSCpld/s1600/WP_20171222_008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="1600" height="110" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNOnWEME0F_jDIQccT1N6p9XikXpdfaY0QMDUAmH_qy8RewZOyCRmC1l51R8vjd-9ztvRxDaewpM6JsI0-rz_ojOJkLZmzxMuF6JIalRbdP8hchWmkS0pN_nrC2j4AAKeC70NyuNGSCpld/s200/WP_20171222_008.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My triple batch of dough</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKXxvJwrWpH88A4mP5Qn5vCk4MA313zt_QNtgnWeLfjhOg3BGfgc8lvXcP9Q-XsoQbHkJDuoZafCkTcvzTGTv3_LVdvZeRDS0nGJwMYBAcxQ6dd6viP6aDWH-KIaITZUmq8tuKFcywOK9T/s1600/WP_20171222_018+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1456" data-original-width="1456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKXxvJwrWpH88A4mP5Qn5vCk4MA313zt_QNtgnWeLfjhOg3BGfgc8lvXcP9Q-XsoQbHkJDuoZafCkTcvzTGTv3_LVdvZeRDS0nGJwMYBAcxQ6dd6viP6aDWH-KIaITZUmq8tuKFcywOK9T/s320/WP_20171222_018+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finished KΓΆnigskuchen<br />
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Hopefully you will find time soon to make this delectable cake!<br />
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Then let me know how you rate it!<br />
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A Merry Christmas to everyone!<br />
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πππππππππππππππππππππππππππππππππππ<br />
<br />Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06793239611501867040noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988536457378943902.post-63286490453805247092017-12-19T04:39:00.000-08:002017-12-19T04:39:52.996-08:00Cinnamon Stars A Century AgoTo bake cookies for Christmas is a centuries old tradition dating back to the Middle Ages! Today I want to share one of the old recipes with you, not from that long ago but over a hundred years old and handed down from my grandmother.<br />
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Despite technological advances and modern ingredients for modern recipes some good old fashioned recipes cannot be improved upon. This is one of them!<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOo3mljWWUXPAio9vkozODyf21OJQ6YRBNepaGJdmQPeA8Uzqrk8MUGwqZWq4wbyrWvzfIpf1UAPKf689Cz4CrA3PERH1e1vBg3BJsEpYNuO35RNpV-6d9XxOCwGqZd1ducHB_UF4IFCeY/s1600/WP_20171216_002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="1600" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOo3mljWWUXPAio9vkozODyf21OJQ6YRBNepaGJdmQPeA8Uzqrk8MUGwqZWq4wbyrWvzfIpf1UAPKf689Cz4CrA3PERH1e1vBg3BJsEpYNuO35RNpV-6d9XxOCwGqZd1ducHB_UF4IFCeY/s320/WP_20171216_002.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cutting of first batch</td></tr>
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
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75 g butter<br />
75 g sugar<br />
3 Tbsp honey<br />
1 egg<br />
zest of 1 lemon<br />
8 g ground cinnamon (I use 2 tsp)<br />
250 g flour<br />
3 tsp baking powder<br />
50 g ground almonds, peanuts or walnut (I used freshly roasted and ground peanuts)<br />
125 ml apple wine, or less, depending on consistency<br />
( apple juice will do if preferred)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1f3CwXq_2SRe2g_XRQ1dICAW_IDrAqvDZDXIknFFeRrw7oGJLYsUCt4QbMYmSZMsiC8aMZH7ITrlAhOBLMoT0eqCmMsgF_UysOY9Tufi1Ic61g4Rtzyj55yGAav4jUuoGkDu2f3L8Inm6/s1600/WP_20171216_003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="1600" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1f3CwXq_2SRe2g_XRQ1dICAW_IDrAqvDZDXIknFFeRrw7oGJLYsUCt4QbMYmSZMsiC8aMZH7ITrlAhOBLMoT0eqCmMsgF_UysOY9Tufi1Ic61g4Rtzyj55yGAav4jUuoGkDu2f3L8Inm6/s320/WP_20171216_003.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready for baking</td></tr>
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<b>Method:</b><br />
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Cream butter and sugar until fluffy, add honey, egg and lemon zest and mix until smooth. Sift flour with baking powder and stir in the ground nuts of your choice. Add about half of the dry ingredients to your butter mixture and combine until absorbed. Add a little of the apple wine, stir in, then add more of the flour mix. The dough should be smooth and a little soft but not sticky. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for an hour or overnight.<br />
Preheat oven to 180 C.<br />
Roll out dough to pencil thickness, cut out stars and place on ungreased but floured baking sheets. Bake on middle shelf for 7 to 10 minutes or until light brown around the edges. Transfer to cooling racks. These cookies will not be crunchy but will remain soft.<br />
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<i>An easy way to roll out the dough without it sticking to the rolling pin is to do the rolling between two layers of clingfilm </i><br />
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To decorate the stars mix 250 g sifted icing sugar with a little fresh lemon juice to obtain a fairly thick icing. Use brush to coat each cookie and sprinkle with vermicelli or Hundreds & Thousands. Or decorate according to your own preference!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFneSdTa0UNA31Fx10Jyb-cTZRPJ8fE9xxsdqxTTTF-_BwCskhzRl_6ONhJjovJ4cQaWQLuTMuiaUrQU-C2pesrLobifynja3xxfE7XLy_gPuDeBA62rQQQFDeaES7l3Bc3M8rvxi-HZOo/s1600/WP_20171216_009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="1600" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFneSdTa0UNA31Fx10Jyb-cTZRPJ8fE9xxsdqxTTTF-_BwCskhzRl_6ONhJjovJ4cQaWQLuTMuiaUrQU-C2pesrLobifynja3xxfE7XLy_gPuDeBA62rQQQFDeaES7l3Bc3M8rvxi-HZOo/s400/WP_20171216_009.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to be enjoyed<br /><br /><br /><br /></td></tr>
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The cinnamon stars will keep fresh for about two weeks in airtight containers separated by layers of greaseproof or waxed paper.<br />
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Let me know your opinion when you have tried this recipe. I would really appreciate it!Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06793239611501867040noreply@blogger.com0