Sunday 27 January 2013

Tapping fingers... baking stollen and eating eclairs!

In limbo; waiting waiting, making more phone calls, hassling and waiting with increasingly impatient patience. The final stage of relocation has to happen in the next 10 days otherwise we will be wishing we hadn't recycled the tent when everything went into storage. Hopefully we are moving into our own house a week tomorrow and can start settling in properly to the area.  However, with the hindrance of the stupid English legal system, we still cannot be totally sure it is happening. so we cannot say to the removal company when they will be delivering our stuff out of storage and moving us from the rented house to the new one. Of course they may book up by the time we know for sure.

So in anticipation of the move I have not managed much knitting, no crochet (shock horror) but I have achieved a lot of comfort baking and eating. Last weekend I finally made the Christmas Stollen for Sunday breakfast. I make the rich buttery and eggy dough with sultanas, dried apricots, cherries, mixed peel and almonds in my bread machine from Delia Smith's recipe, and then knock it back, wrap it around the  marzipan (use by October 2012) and leave to prove in the fridge or cold garage overnight. Bake whilst making the morning cuppa, ice with lemon glacé icing and enjoy!  Lovely toasted the next day too.
In the week it was still cold, and the school one had a cold, so I baked  Oaty Banana Nutella Muffins to avoid throwing two very black bananas away, and Nutella was on offer. Smoothies might have been healthier! I "wassaped" the school girl to let her know that after her cold walk home in the snow feeling grotty (I am a rotten mum, I send them to school with sniffles) that warm muffins awaited. She turned up with two friends in tow, it was lovely having 16 year olds sat round eating muffins, drinking tea and chatting after school, just like Primary School days.

Then all week we have enjoyed a short revival of Great British Bake Off for Comic Relief. One night they made eclairs, I haven't made choux pastry for at least ten years so I thought I would see if I still could on Saturday afternoon. The pastry turned out OK but my piping skills are still atrocious. Uneven, different sizes and  knobbly bits but the "bake" was good and filled with whipped cream and topped with lashings of chocolate ganache they certainly tasted good.
Hopefully the colds have been shaken off, the snow has gone and I can get out on my bike again and get some exercise and start packing for the move, rather than eating all the time! However, there are 6 unfilled eclair shells in the freezer...and the top down sweater is just 6 cuff rounds of sleeve ribbing away from being finished.

11 comments:

  1. I just gained 10 pounds just looking st these pictures! Your baked goodies look fabulous and I would love to come visit, (just to be sure they taste as good as they look)!

    Blessings,
    Betsy
    Http://www.betsy-thesimplelifeofaqueen.blogspot.com

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  2. Hi Fiona, I hope your move goes smoothly so you can get settled in and feel at home again. Your baked goods look delicious! ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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  3. Your stollen looks delicious, and your chocolate eclairs look a zillion times better than the ones they produced on Bake Off!
    Good luck with the move, it will be well worth all the worry and aggravation once you are settled in cosily in your own home with your family and all your own familiar things around you again
    Angie x

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  4. Such fabulous mouthwatering baking. I hope the move goes according to plann and you
    are settled in your new home shortly.
    luv
    irene
    xxxx

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  5. Those eclairs are making my mouth water! Beautiful!

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  6. I have my fingers crossed for you! Your stollen looks amazing. I have also been loving the Comic Relief Bake Off and was tempted to try choux pastry again. Good luck with moving!
    Abigail x

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  7. Wow, you have been baking up a storm, those éclairs look so yummy! I just loved the Comic Relief Bake Off, it was a real treat :)

    I have my fingers crossed for you that everything works out with your house sale and that you can move into your new home next week without any major hiccups! Good luck :)

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  8. Wow, you have been baking up a storm, those éclairs look so yummy! I loved the Comic Relief Bake Off, it was a real treat :)

    I have my fingers crossed that everything will work out with your house sale and that you can move into your new home next week without any major hiccups. Good Luck!

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  9. Wow, that looks so yummy! Hope everything went well with your move. I just found yr blog, but will for sure come back for more yummies :)

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  10. Oh my...what yummy photos! I stopped by to tell you that your bull's eye pillows inspired my first large project of this year and I just posted the finished blanket. Hope you will stop by and see it. And thanks for the inspiration!

    Best of luck with the move. I hope it is all going smoothly and you will be back posting again soon.

    Hugs from Holland ~
    Heidi

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  11. Hi Fiona

    Oh boy those eclairs look so good!
    Hope your move went well.

    Amanda :-)

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