Pizza Dough

• 350g strong white plain flour
• 7g easy blend yeast sachet
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 225ml (8 fl oz) blood warm milk (or water)
• teaspoon of sugar or honey
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt

Put the flour and salt in the mixer bowl, put the rest in a jug and mix.  Add the liquid in the jug to the flour in the mixer bowl, use the dough hook and mix for about 10minutes until a ball of dough.

Rest and rise for 1 hour, roll out onto trays.  Prick all over, cover and rest and rise again.  Add toppings!

Garlic Nan Bread

This is about as close as you are going to get to making garlic bread without a tandoori oven.

• 225g strong bread flour.
• 1 teaspoon dried yeast. 
• 1 teaspoon sugar.
• 1/2 teaspoon salt.
• 1 fluid ounce natural yoghurt or yoghurt based dip.
• 4 fluid ounce warm water.
• Oil for brushing. 
• Melted butter with finely chopped garlic in, crushed sea salt any fresh herbs (put in what ever you fancy).

1. Put the sugar, warm water and yoghurt in a bowl and mix until dissolved and leave your yeast to do it's thing.
2. Put everything in the mixer with the dough hook and leave until like a dough, then leave to kneed for 5 minutes.
3. Cover with cling film and a tea towel and leave somewhere warm (but not too warm) for an hour.
4. The put back on the mixer and let it kneed again for about 1 minute.
5. Roll out on to an oiled baking tray and brush on top with your garlic butter topping (or what ever you have chosen).
6. Grill on both sides on a very high heat until just browning the edges.

LOVELY!!!

Grain Rolls

2½ hours | 20 min prep

12 rolls

• 1 & 1/4 cups warm milk
• 2 teaspoons dry yeast or 16.5 grams of fresh yeast
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 1 egg
• 3 & 1/2 cups grain flour
• Melted butter and poppy seeds for glazing

Note: Due to its sticky nature, this recipe is best made in a standing mixer with a dough hook; the truly persistent could probably make this by hand with a bowl and a wooden spoon-- these rolls are worth the extra effort.

1. Sprinkle the yeast over the warm milk and let sit for approximately 5 minutes to proof.
2. Add sugar, 1/4 cup melted butter, salt and egg; mix well.
3. Add the grain flour and mix well.
4. Blend at medium-low speed for about 5-10 minutes, scraping down if needed.
5. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and a towel; let rise in bowl about 1 hour or til doubled.
6. Remove the towel and plastic wrap and turn mixer on low to"punch down" the dough.
7. Remove the dough from the bowl and divide into 12"plops" for burger size rolls or 20 or dinner size rolls; The dough will be very sticky.
8. Place"plops", edges just touching, in a buttered 9x13 baking pan; don't bother trying to smooth out the"plops"-- they will smooth out as they raise.
9. Cover pan with plastic wrap and let rise til doubled, about 30-40 minutes.
10. Melt the glazing butter and drizzle over the top of the rolls before baking.
11. Bake at 400°F / 180 for 10-15 minutes or until golden.

These rolls are heaven!

Cupcake Practice Stage 1 - PASS!

I cannot believe how easy this was (see the video link):

Italian Meringue Butter Cream Frosting for cupcakes.

If you have a KitchenAid or stand mixer, you will find this a doddle. First make some simple cakes, I put some chopped cherries in mine too.

• 115g soft unsalted butter
• 115g golden caster sugar
• 115g self raising flour
• 2 eggs
• 1tbsp of milk

Stick the butter and sugar in the mixer and cream until it whitens.  Add the eggs a little at a time, so it doesn't curdle.  Fold in the sifted flour and then finally fold in the milk.

• 300g Butter
• 3 egg whites
• 180g caster sugar
• 60ml of water

The hardest part (first 3 minutes):
Put the 130g of the sugar and water in a pan, put on a high heat and whisk until all the sugar is dissolved. Using a pastry brush, wet it with water and brush down any sugar or sugar solution from the inside of the pan (if you don't it will burn on later and make your syrup a golden colour).  Once boiling leave it for 3 minutes and do not stir.

The easy part (after 3 minutes):
Whisk the egg whites in the KitchenAid stand mixer for 2 minutes until stiff, gradually add the remaining 50g of sugar.  Take the syrup solution you have just made and pour slowly into the mixer bowl while it is still whisking the egg whites.  Leave to whisk while it cools down for about 5 - 7 minutes.

Then gradually add the butter in large cubes, once all whisked in smoothly, add your colour and flavouring. Plop it in a piping bag and swirl it all over your cupcakes.

Cupcake Frosting Tutorial Video

OK so I have found a frosting recipee, I didn't want to do just plain butter cream, as it is very sickly. So here we go...

Italian Meringue Buttercream

Cupcakes Glarlore! Learning the Art of Cupcaking

I don't know what it is about cupcakes, but in the last 12 months there has been a bit of a crazy about them in the UK.  We used to call them fairy cakes, which was smaller and flatter and had runny icing on the top and maybe a few sprinkles.

Now all of a sudden, there is this big thing about cupcakes with a big mound of swirly icing.  Honestly, I have no idea how some of them are made, they are like little bundles of art inside a little paper case.  I have got to get into this, they are soooooOOO impressive.  Surly I cannot become a 'real' housewife until I can take impressive cupcakes to parties or family celebrations.

WoW how much has the humble cupcake evolved!

Just in case you are thinking 'hurrmmm might try that', they are a plant pot, with plastic drinking cups fixed together inside to make little holders for the cupcakes, then decorate to hide any ugly bits, insert your cupcakes and away we go!

Cooking on Crutches with a Puppy Chewing your Toes

Imagine, when you use your legs...you can't use your arms and when you use your arms you can't use you legs.  That's what it is like trying to cook while you are on crutches.  It's a pain in the ass!

I'm hobbling around a bit more now though, so at least I can do a little cleaning and the bungalow has been spotless since my little breakdown =)

Now me and my husband had this bright idea to get our daughter a puppy for Christmas to keep her company, trying to walk around is hard enough as it is, without a 5 inch high puppy with teeth like needles clinging on to your sock on your good foot with every step you take.  If I need to carry her, I have to put her in my top as I don't have any hands free...what a commotion!!!

I take my hat off to people who live permanently in a chair or on crutches etc.

Chese n Onion Pie & Butter Pie

Pastry experiment 2

Well the pastry on the last pie was too thin, so I made this one 'slightly' thicker...OK so it turned out too thick!  It was still good though.

Pastry:

600g of 00 plain flour

300g of Trex fat (lard or butter)

Bit of salt

Filling:

1 sliced potatoe

1/2 an Onion

Handfull of gratted cheese

Salt n Pepper to season

(for the butter pie just swap the cheese for more potatoes and about 50g of butter)

Hotpot Pie with Shortcrust Pastry

Shortcrust Pastry (makes enough for a large pie, top and bottom)

• 500 grams of Plain Flour
• 250 grams of Butter
• 1/4 Cup of Ice Water

Sieve the flour into the mixer bowl.
Add the very cold butter cut into large cubes.
Use stand mixer on 3 speed with the flat beater (or food processor or by hand) until crummy.
Switch to to dough hook on you mixer (or by hand) and keep adding water until it start to bind together into a dough.
Once bound together, leave to knead (or knead by hand).
Split into two balls, wrap in cling film and refrigerate.

I did have a pastry blip though, I chucked my ceramic pie beads in the pie without lining the base first. Took me ages to pick them all out after blind baking the base...then I read the instructions and it said the line the base with tin foil first DOH!

Hotpot Pie

Brown some cubed beef in a pan, add 2 onions, 4 carrots, 6 mushrooms, 3 potatoes in a pan.
If you don't like any of the above just substitute them for other vegetables.
Add salt, pepper beef stock and fresh herbs.
Simmer for 30 minutes until stock has thickened slightly.
Chuck it in the pie dish and add a crust, or a pie dish with a pastry top and bottom.

Dinner Rolls

2½ hours | 20 min prep

12 rolls

• 1 & 1/4 cups warm milk
• 2 teaspoons dry yeast or 16.5 grams of fresh yeast
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 1 egg
• 3 & 1/2 cups flour
• Melted butter for glazing

Note: Due to its sticky nature, this recipe is best made in a standing mixer with a dough hook; the truly persistent could probably make this by hand with a bowl and a wooden spoon-- these rolls are worth the extra effort.

1. Sprinkle the yeast over the warm milk and let sit for approximately 5 minutes to proof.
2. Add sugar, 1/4 cup melted butter, salt and egg; mix well.
3. Add flour and mix well.
4. Blend at medium-low speed for about 5-10 minutes, scraping down if needed.

1. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and a towel; let rise in bowl about 1 hour or til doubled.
2. Remove the towel and plastic wrap and turn mixer on low to"punch down" the dough; if you wish, you can let the dough raise a second time as it makes for a more flavorful roll.

1. Remove the dough from the bowl and divide into 12"plops" for burger size rolls or 20 or dinner size rolls; The dough will be very sticky.
2. Place"plops", edges just touching, in a buttered 9x13 baking pan; don't bother trying to smooth out the"plops"-- they will smooth out as they raise.
3. Cover pan with plastic wrap and let rise til doubled, about 30-40 minutes.
4. Melt the glazing butter and drizzle over the top of the rolls before baking.
5. Bake at 400°F / 180 for 10-15 minutes or until golden.

The finished article!  It was so easy, this is the first bread I have EVER made.  It was kind of creamy tasting and a touch sweet.  But very very nice.  They would be delicious with jam on.

The KitchenAid Candy Apple Crazy Arrival

I had been tracking my parcel with DHL and it got into Manchester, UK at 5am.  I only live 10 miles outside of Manchester, so I was certain it would come today.  I sat all day on the sofa looking out of the window for the delivery man and I had a hospital appointment at 3pm to have my stitches taken out.

It didn't come =/ So I left for the hospital.

The stitches really hurt when they took them out, which surprised me, but they had been in 3 weeks and 1 day, so I think they had started to irritate. It was 4:30pm be time we drove back from the hospital, it was dark and I was losing hope of getting my mixer today.  As we got to Lowton, my home village, my husband says "KT, there is a DHL van behind us".  At first I thought he was teasing me, but no!  We drove home and so did the DHL van behind us, along with my mixer!  I was so happy I could have kissed the delivery man!

I was dancing on my crutches (well poorly attempting to), Ste had to unpack it for me and take it through to the kitchen.  Where he proceed to install a power point where I wanted it to go.  The first thing that hits you when you see it is the colour, it's so glittery and shiny.
























So, I had two positive things happen today, my stitches out and my KitchenAid delivered.  Now the thing is both of these things represent a path in my story.  My stitches are part of my disability / career halt and the KitchenAid is part of my housewife trial.  Funny that at this point things have come together.

Well here she is, what shall I call her?  Something to do with red, candy apple, KitchenAid, 90...I don't know.  I'm thinking of calling her Stitches, for obvious reasons, well it happened on the same day and my stitches are pretty red and memorable.  Or do you think that is too gory?  I supose if you didn't know about my stitches the name wouldn't seem so bad, as normally stitches is associated with making or fixing something.  Well with the help of my KitchenAid I will be making food and fixing me in the process =)

So the next step is what do I make?  It had to be something quick as my foot was hurting and swelling. Roll on the dinner rolls!

The KitchenAid is Coming!!!!

Yes you heard right, my KitchenAid mixer has been dispatched!

The shop emailed me:

Thank you for your email. We had originally hoped to despatch your mixer on Friday but unfortunately due to the snowy conditions it was delayed in reaching our Wimborne warehouse. However it will definitely be going out today and you should have it tomorrow or Wednesday.

I am so happy, I even went to Asda and asked for my free yeast at the baking counter using the old bread law.

Post Operation Blues...What a Mess!

I have been lying here now for three weeks on the sofa with my leg up in the air with this stupid Aircast boot. Dreaming about my housewife delima and getting a KitchenAid mixer to cook up a whole verity of home baking produce.  Leaving my husband (who works 9-1 on the road, then 2-5 works from home) and teenage daughter to run the home.

Well I don't want to sound ungrateful, even though it will come across that way anyway.  But!  I took a walk around the bungalow today on my crutches and I could have cried =/.  I am a house proud lady, so even seeing one thing dirty upsets me.

In a 5 minute walk this is what I found:

Curry in my brand new Tupperware containers that I have not yet even used!

My Brabantia filthy.

You can't really see this well on the photograph, but yes that is dried dog wee =/ (we have an 8 week old puppy who is learning).

My store cupboard.

Jazz's school room.

My daughter's bedside table.

I really need to get back on my feet and put this home back in order, either that or get the cleaner back in here.  I'm getting really frustrated now, I feel like I have been given this chance to try out my housewifing and yet here I am stuck on the sofa =/.

Filling the Kitchen with Housewife Essentials

So if I'm going to give this housewife thing a try, I may as well do it properly.  Not sure what a housewife requires cleaning, sewing and baking stuff I am presuming.  I have a sewing machine, even got it out and repaired the sofa covers that was splitting.  I have plenty of cleaning stuff and an excellent hoover, although I could do with a carpet cleaner as well.

Items bought so far:

• Full new pan set
• Storage containers for ingredients
• Silicone / metal / pyrex baking dishes
• Bowls and pie dishes
• A little ceramic pie blackbird
• Ceramic pie beads
• KitchenAid Artisan Mixer
• Flour cups
• Measuring spoons

Not sure what else I will need, but it's certainly a good start!

The KitchenAid Artisan Mixer

I found this wonderful appliance!  I have become obsessed with getting one.  Well what a nightmare!

I knew I wanted a red KitchenAid, they did 3 shades: empire red, persimmon and candy apple red.  I was settled on the empire red one after looking on the Internet and was almost ready to order one online.  Then I thought, I'll just pop over to the Trafford Centre and have a look at them in John Lewis.

Well as soon as I saw them, the Candy Apple mixer stood out a mile.  It was glorious, a really shiny metallic red, now the hunt was on to find one as John Lewis had none left and wouldn't sell the display one.

I tried everywhere, the KitchenAid warehouse had none left and was waiting for new stock from Belgium.  It was going to take until mid-February...I could wait that long!

After a long Internet hunt I have finally ordered one and it should be here next week.  Now at last I can start planning my housewife trial run, all the wonderful baking I can do with that machine.  I even went to Asda today and got loads of bread flour and yeast.

The Housewife Trial Run

So while I was waiting for my operation my days consisted of getting up at 9am, schooling Jazz for the morning, making lunch, welcoming my husband home from his mornings work visits.  In the afternoon Jazz's tutor comes and I get my housework done and make brews for my husband while he works in the study.

Life is pretty simple, with a lot of medical appointments in-between.

The I have my operation and now everything is on pause and Jazz and Ste (my husband) are having to look after me.  It's horrid!  I'm not obsessive or anything, but they don't do things the way I do them.  After I lay the cleaner off, I got myself a nice little routine going, well now that has all gone to pot!

So while I can't walk and do housewifie things, I planning, what to buy and what I actually have to do to be a 'real' housewife.

Housewife, failure or luxury?

Why do I find it such a difficult choice? Part of me feels like 'oh if your a housewife you are uneducated and can't get a job'. It is so ridiculous! Yes it is possible to be a housewife by choice, educated or not!

Why the heck them women burned their bras I don't know. The thought of become a housewife sounds more like a luxury to me. There is so much to do, things that need doing and things that you want to do by choice.

You can do your tasks when you want, at your own pace. No deadlines or stress and lots of fun things to do along the way. I'm sure my husband and daughter would rather have all the home comforts and a happy wife / mum, rather than the stressed out tired wife / mum I had become.

So why the thought of being asked at the next party 'what do you do for a living?' fills me with dread of saying 'I'm a housewife'. Why does it make me feel any less of myself?

Yes a housewife is hard work, but it is hard work done by choice. I love my family more than money, is that such a failure?

The story so far...

Let's keep it short and sweet, last year I was a full-time web developer with a 1st class BSc degree. Then I needed a foot operation and my daughter needs hip operations. So here I am with a taste of life without work.

I did originally do this post without my operation images, but after seeing other peoples blogs, I decided to put them on. I hope they are not too gory, but it's how the story starts.

So far I have been on the sick for 2 months and currently can't walk with my foot in a cast boot. My operation involved breaking my ankle, ball of foot, big toe and some tendon work.

My daughter Jazz, can't walk well and lives on meds such as morphine to control her pain and is home schooled by 4 tutors a week and myself.

Is it viable? Well yes it is, yes so we will be down in money each month, but after laying off the cleaner, the French tutor and paying my sister carer money to help with Jazz we can easily manage...I think!

Question is will I return to work or will I become an official housewife?