A little something sweet.

I have an addiction, one that noone else can understand the sentiment behind. I am addicted to reading about food. Yes that is right, you heard me, I love to read about food, how to make it, how it’s grown, how to cook it, and what to drink with it. I’m not so obsessive about actually cooking the food that I read about though – I don’t like to do dishes.

I will buy just about any publication that has a picture of a triple layer cake or a seafood bisque on the front cover. If it has a picture of anything edible I will buy it.

My cookbook collection is extensive and I subscribe to 6 different food magazines, one wine magazine and 2 gardening magazines. Where do I find time to read all of these publications – well I don’t. They sit in my drawer or in the cupboard gathering dust until I get a chance to open them, often times I am months behind on my reading.

This obsession has been a long time building and started I’m sure when I was about 6 years old, standing at my grandmothers side while she taught me the “right” way to make scones (the trick is to not handle the dough alot). We would talk about the past and about my dad as a little boy and share our thoughts and feelings. Nanna always had a sunny disposition and would always find the best in any situation. She taught me that nothing was bad in the world if you had a little something sweet on the table, ready for the hungry people in the house to devour.

My collection of recipe books take me back to my childhood days of reading (some of the same ones) with my Nanna to pick out what would be for dinner tonight or what little something sweet we would whip up for my dad and pop when they came in for afternoon tea after milking the cows, or later cutting the bananas down. They would run inside kick their boots off at the door and wash their hands. Nanna would pour them a cup of tea and cut them some cake or put out their scones with fresh made jam and cream (from our cows). MMMM delicious.

Nanna’s Scone Recipe.

3 cups of SR flour

1 pinch of salt

1/2 cup cream

1 1/2 cup milk

METHOD

Preheat oven to 260 degrees Celsius and grease a baking tray. ( I use a round cake tin so they “blend”).

Sift flour and salt and make a well in the centre add the cream and the milk. Stir with a knife to form a soft dough.

Turn out on to a floured board of bench top and knead lightly- do NOT roll out and use a scone cutter it tightens the dough making it tough. pick up a tennis ball size of dough and loosely roll it into shape place these “balls”: around the outside of the circle cake tin and then place the last one in the centre.

bake for about 10 minutes until golden.

The finished product will be softer and fluffier the more limited your handling of the dough.

Enjoy with a good cup of Earl Grey Tea.

So what are you baking for afternoon tea today? Show your family a little sweetness.

bon Apetite.

2 responses to “A little something sweet.”

Michael

September 7, 2012 at 8:23 am

I was going to comment in the Comms group on FB, but I thought I’d be nice and give your blog some lovin’ instead. I’m a bit of a sucker for food too… I love watching Lifestyle Food on Foxtel, I love Good Chef Bad Chef, I tolerate Ready Steady Cook and I’ll happily spend hours surfing the internet for different recipes.

Also, not so much anymore but in the past I was a religious follower of Iron Chef (the original, not the crappy western re-makes)… the stuff they would invent in an hour, out of the most peculiar ingredients, was fascinating.

I don’t think my cookbook collection would be anywhere near as extensive as yours, by the sounds of it… a quick mental count puts it around 5 or 6 books, but the iPad apps and different websites all get a thorough workout!

And here I was thinking it’s just me that loves everything about cooking except the actual cooking… or, as you say, the dishes it leads to!

Reply
1. extraextramum
  
  September 8, 2012 at 10:02 pm
  
  Thanks Michael,
  
  I do enjoy the cooking, however only in certain environments i.e. no kids, no hubby, no dog, something bluesy on the radio or iPod that I can dance to.
  last count there were 120 cook books in my collection LOL. Oh dear. That’s not including my magazine collection.
  
  Thanks for commenting on my blog. I love feedback.
  
  Lisa
  
  Reply