Lemon Drizzle Cake

Ok, so since Ive been made housebound due to High Blood Pressure Ive had my baking head on...and yesterday I just fancied some lemon drizzle cake, leaves the most amazing smell in your kitchen and makes a pregnant lady very happy!

Ingredients:

• 225g unsalted butter , softened
• 225g caster sugar
• 4 eggs
• finely grated zest 1 lemon
• 225g self-raising flour

For the drizzle:

• juice 11⁄2 lemon
• 85g caster sugar

Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4

Beat together the butter and sugar until pale and creamy

Sift in the flour



then add the lemon zest and mix until well combined

add the eggs, one at a time, slowly mixing through

Line a loaf tin with greaseproof paper or a paper liner, then

spoon in the mixture and level the top with a spoon.
I had enough mix left to fill a few muffin cases too!

Bake for 45-50 mins until a thin skewer inserted

into the centre of the cake comes out clean

While the cake is cooling in its tin, mix together

the lemon juice and sugar to make the drizzle



Prick the warm cake all over with a skewer or fork, then pour over the drizzle

 the juice will sink in and the sugar will form a lovely, crisp topping.

Leave in the tin until completely cool, then remove and serve...yummie :)

FADGE (Irish Potato Bread)

No traditional Ulster Fry is complete without this delicious little thing. Fadge is also known as a potato “farl” from the Gaelic word “fardel” meaning “four parts”... it's also a great way to use up your left over mashed potato!!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb freshly cooked potato
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter (margarine)
• 3/4-1 cup flour  

Directions:

Mash the potatoes (make sure there are no lumps)

 Sprinkle with salt and drizzle with the butter.

Knead in enough flour to make a pliable dough (usually 3/4 cup is enough)

Roll out to about 1/2" thick and cut into quarters.

Heat a non stick skillet and brown on each side 3-4 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve with butter.

  ♣ Happy St. Patrick's Day! ♣

God Save McQueen

His designs were beautiful, brutal and bold. Dubbed 'enfant terrible' by the snooty fash pack, Alexander McQueen was never two feet away from controversy. However, love him or hate him no-one could deny that Alexander McQueen was indeed a true fashion genius and in my opinion the greatest British tailor.  McQueen made a huge impact on me whilst studying my Fashion Degree from '96 - '99.

'What attracted me to Alexander was the way he takes ideas from the past and sabotages them with his cut to make them thoroughly new and in the context of today. It is the complexity and severity of his approach to cut that makes him so modern. He is like a Peeping Tom in the way he slits and stabs at fabric to explore all the erogenous 

zones of the body'   

 - Isabella blow

Alexander McQueen tragically took his life this time last year and it is only fitting that a documentary paying tribute to him and his legacy should be aired in the midst of Fashion Week. You cannot talk about McQueen without mentioning the late Isabella Blow, the eccentric stylist who committed suicide herself  in 2007.  McQueen and I  is a retrospective look at McQueen and his relationship with Blow who made a massive impact on his life from the day he showed his graduate collection from Central Saint Martins, which Blow immediately snapped up. Since then she became his personal champion by guiding and nurturing his talents as well as  her muse.  McQueen and I contains some very interesting footage of Alexander and Isabella together and we get an insight into the deterioration of their relationship.

McQueen and I  was aired last night but is available to view here on 4oD 

 

Scallop Invasion

On a recent wee jaunt down the coast we decided to stop off in Portavogie for a nice seafood lunch in the Quays Bar & Restaurant (i had the scallops! delish)... at the edge of the car park there's a little trail that takes you to the beach, the trail itself is covered in scallop shells, fair enough i thought, until we got to the beach! What a surreal sight, there were scallop shells everywhere, all crammed in between the rocks and encrusting the remains of an old shipwreck like a jewelled treasure trove... 

the pictures paint a better image than i could ever describe...

Fae Twa Hunner Yeir

The annual celebratory tribute to the life, works and spirit of the great Scottish poet, Robert Burns (1759-1796). Celebrated on, or about, the Bard's birthday, January 25th

Many poems and songs have been written by Ulster-Scots bards in praise of Burns.  Ulster is the only area outwith Scotland where Scots has survived as a spoken language and Ive added 'Fae Twa Hunner Yeir' by Willie Drennan to the tail of this post.

...here's a brave wheen a Scottish delights i hoaked oot from Folksy 

(pinks the link)

 The Hunting Chair - Bonnie & Jackson

 Tartan Hoodie Cape - Fashion Couture

Timerous Beastie (Wee Edition) - Hole In My Pocket

Lilac Tartan & Charm Bracelet - Maffa

  

Cute Kirsty Cat Badge With Haggis & Tartan - Red Road Design

 Tartan Tote Bag - The Girl from the North Country

 Fae Twa Hunner Yeir 

Its twa hunner yeir, ay, an mair

fae Rabbie writ wurds tae an air

an his wurds o rhyme we'r fit tae mine

fae twa hunner yeir in auld lang syne.

Noo, there's boadies wha scrieve an scribble,

some in sense, an some in dribble,

boadiesaye stringin wurds thegither,

tae mak a point, or jist in blether,

but gye few pit it ower sae weel,

fae oot tha hairt, an wae tha fel,

aye lae'in ye in a state o wunner,

as Burns did bak in seiventeen hunner - 

wae taakin boot things he thocht wrang,

an singin o love throu poem an sang,

o birds an mice an girls mang barley rigs,

makin fun o ithers he thocht wus ligs.

He aye seen ayont tha guid an tha great

an dootfu daeins o kirk an state,

but for aa tha wee things he thocht richt -

wurds o licht aye poored sae bricht.

Ay, its twa hunner yeir, ay, an mair,

fae Rabbie writ wurds tae an air,

an his wurds rhyme we'r fit tae mine,

fae twa hunner yeir in auld lang syne.

- Willie Drennan