Sunday 31 March 2013

Easter

Happy Easter everyone, hope you have a nice day.

Where we parked the car after our walk on Saturday, was a tree with pussy willow's coming out, so I snapped a few off to use as my (slightly late) Easter tree.

On Good Friday I made Hot Cross Buns using Paul Hollywood's recipe (well, almost). For some reason I misread 50g butter for 75g and having got the recipe off line, everyone who had tried them said they needed more spice so I increased that as well. I made 12 but they didn't seem to rise as well as mine usually do. Taste wise they are nice but wouldn't go so far as to say 'the best ever'!
I haven't bothered with an Easter cake as we are still finishing off the Stollen from film night and also the shortbread I made the other day.

'Invested' in one of those half price legs of lamb which we shall roast with potatoes for lunch. Haven't had a roast for many weeks so shall look forward to it as well as making meals from the leftovers. 

24 comments:

  1. Dc compared to my Hot Buns (!) yours a re magnificent! We sat and watched purely by chance the PH and Mary Berry show last night and I was mortified at the sight of his buns! (Hot Cross I mean) They were wonderful, but mine taste good and will make a great bread and butter pudding when they get a bit on the dry side (I did make rather a lot).

    I love lamb but we had a beef joint in the freeze which I am determned to empty before I buy any more meat.
    Have a lovely day.

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  2. Thanks Lynne, same to you. Shan't be putting on the cross again, ultra messy and very dry to eat.

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  3. I used the recipe from my breadmaker book for my hot cross buns this year ( a big mistake as they weren't anywhere near as tasty as my usual recipe). I was lazy and just slashed a cross on the top of mine! Your Easter tree is very pretty. Enjoy your lunch!

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  4. Thank you and we will! Think I might do that next time. We froze half to take to J's when we next see him and have now finished the other half.

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  5. I was going to make those hot cross buns but swanned off to Ikea with the grandkids instead. I try fewer and fewer recipes these days especially for stuff I make regularly. I learned to cook via Delia Smith in the early 70s and still like her recipes. Never really see lamb here in the States, sometimes at Easter and Christmas and it is always hugely expensive.
    Ham is traditional but the hams are so huge sometimes, we would never finish one and the meat is not that good frozen.
    Hope you had a Happy Easter.

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    1. I agree, I have set recipes as well but like to try something new every now and then.

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  6. I did not make hot cross buns this year but looking at yours I wish I had, they look fine to me. Last time I made them I used Hugh Fearlessly eats it all's recipe and they were very good. This year I was gifted some of the chocolatey ones that have been all over the TV ads, not impressed, I would rather have traditional.

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    1. Yes, I did wonder what the chocolate ones would be like. We seem to be moving more and more away from traditional things to eat and more into what the great 'they' think we should be eating.

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  7. Happy Easter! I love the idea of using the pussy willow branches for your Easter tree. And those hot cross buns look delicious, even if they don't qualify as your "best ever"!

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    1. Double treat I thought as hopefully, the pussy willows will continue to come out and look good for a few days.

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  8. Happy Easter. Your decorated pussy willow looks lovely and so do your hot cross buns. I haven't made buns this year because there's only me and one daughter who will eat them. I've made a choc and vanilla marble ring cake decorated with glace icing and mini eggs. Dinner is a small gammon joint I had left in the freezer from Christmas, plus a pre-cooked chicken also from the freezer that I got really cheap late at night from Tesco, and pork sausages (30% reduced from Aldi), served with new potatos (49p in Aldi) and roasted carrots and parsnips (also both 49p Aldi). I've also made a raspberry trifle using trifle sponges I got from Approved Foods, frozen raspberries (£1.39 for 300g Aldi), sugar free jelly, custard powder (massive bag from Approved Foods) and whipping cream reduced in Asda. Sounds a lot of food but I do have 6 adults to cook for. Tomorrow will be leftover gammon and chicken in a stew with leeks (49 p Aldi) and dumplings. You might have gathered...I love Aldi for their fresh fruit and veg particularly and we're lucky to have one just round the corner. Hope the rest of your day is a good one.

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    1. All sounds good to me. We love trifle but try to keep our puddings down to every Sunday otherwise the weight creeps up on us. We found some mini date puddings in the freezer so shall have cheese on toast plus those and custard for tea. Had roast lamb for lunch.

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  9. Happy Easter!
    Those buns look delicious, and your Easter tree is great, using branches of pussy willow is a good idea.

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    1. I'm hoping for a few days they will continue to come out and get better and better.

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  10. I was lazy in the kitchen department and bought a few hot cross buns from Aldi this time. No Easter chocolates as I`m fighting the podge. Instead of chocolate I went into my garden and did some prep work.

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    1. No chocolate for us either and we also did some work in the garden.

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  11. Those hot cross buns look lovely, I was going to make the Saffron Loaf that Froogs made but never got round to it. I actually bought some hot cross buns from lidl they were 65p for 6 and rubbish, very heavy and chewy, not nice! Grandaughter age 9 made us a fabulous Chocolate cake with galaxy crumbled on top and brought a bunch of Daffs, the cake was eaten before I could take a piccie.

    I hope you enjoyed your roast lamb, we had a lovely family meal today 4 generations sat round the table, not often that happens.

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    1. We did enjoy the lamb thank you and the sticky date pudding.

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  12. They look fab, I cant imagine they dont taste it! I saw Paul Hollywood making his hot cross buns and he made them look so easy. Still that is his job so I suppose he does it well.

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    1. They do taste good Anne just not as light and soft as I expected.

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  13. happy easter!!!
    those hot cross bun looks very delicious,like your easter tree!!!!!
    blessings,regina

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    1. Thank you Regina, hope you had a nice Easter.

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