Biscuit bake off

The Edmonds Cookery Book (or Edmonds Cookbook, as it is commonly known) has been the staple in any New Zealand cook's recipe collection for the last century. It features a collection of simple, everyday baking recipes that are also economical to make. I finally got my own copy for Christmas (yes, better late than never) and have been browsing through some of the recipes.

As a baker, I have a fairly limited biscuit repertoire. I make some pretty mean chocolate chip cookies and have tried some basic cookie and biscuit recipes in the past, along with gingerbread and shortbread, but nothing fancy.

A thought occurred to me as I looked for something I could bake with the ingredients currently in my pantry. I put it to the Twitterverse ... pretty quickly, I heard back from @NessOldfield and @thedemlz - both had thought similar things in the past! A plan was forming: what if I baked my way through the biscuit section?

There are 23 biscuit recipes in the cookbook ranging from basic biscuits to yoyos. I figure this is a realistic enough goal to work through when I have the time and, as always, I'll share the recipes along the way. Hopefully they will give me enough practice at biscuit baking to leave me ready to tackle fancy stuff like the recipes featured on The Decorated Cookie blog. *drool*

Who's with me?

The Chocolate Seller on Broadway and his kids - Chris Grantham

It's been a while since I blogged about a book I've read, something I intend to do more of now that I'm making time to read for pleasure. I have just finished The Chocolate Seller on Broadway and his kids by local author and Chris Grantham. Published in 2009, it is the story of Mark Grantham, a man in his 30s who has cerebral palsy, as told by his father, Chris. The title comes from Mark's activity of more than 20 years: selling chocolates to passersby on the street to fundraise for the three children he sponsors in India through World Vision.

Mark has simple dreams: to live independently and to help others, but living with cerebral palsy means that this is anything but simple. For his family, making Mark's dreams a reality is a lifelong journey, some of which Chris shares in this book. There are tiny steps forwards, backwards moves, phenomenal successes and brick walls encountered throughout the story and Chris describes the various measures he, his family and support team took to repeatedly outsmart The System along the way, whose sole purpose often seemed to try and thwart Mark at every step. I was thrilled to find someone I know in the book - a former colleague who is mentioned as having a positive impact on Mark's life. Others do not come off in such a positive light in this open and honest account.

A simple, inspiring read about an everyday hero who doesn't understand what the word "can't" means.

Letter to me

Well, hello there! How are you? Forgive me for not writing sooner, despite every best intention. You see, the year has started in a crazy busy fashion and this is the first time since composing my recipe for living that the time and motivation necessary to write a blog post have converged. Anyway, here we are!

I started out by rereading some advice I wrote to myself a year or so ago. Gosh, I sounded really onto it then and everything I wrote is equally applicable today. I'm not sure how much of the advice I have actually followed (or will follow this year), but it's refreshing to know that I'm still thinking along similar lines.

So where am I at right now? Well, I've started my recipe for living with some small scale measures. I listen to lots of music at work and have totally fallen for my noise cancelling headphones. Already this week they have blocked out chainsaws, tree fellers, painters, scaffolders, building noises and a multitude of other unpleasantries.

During the week, I baked a just because chocolate cake using a recipe we found at home and of whose origins we are not entirely certain but it was well worth experimenting with. I foresee lots more just because baking and decorating coming up. Yum!

A friend and I are going to walk the Round the Bays in late February and I am aiming to continue with 10,000 steps a day in preparation. Most days I average 8-9000 steps, so that's a good start. Of course, fine weather helps with my daily total, but I really enjoy the space that a walk with my iPod offers in among all the madness. My almost-daily coffee also is a lovely wee haven. Ahhh.

I'm reading a few books for pleasure at the moment – the first time I've managed this in a while. I began with a recommendation from The Well Read Kitty and am nearly finished Message from an Unknown Chinese Mother by Xinran. It's an emotionally heavy read about women in China who have been forced through various circumstances to give up their baby daughters for adoption. I picked up The Chocolate Seller on Broadway and his kids by local author Chris Grantham and I'm about to start Life of Pi by Yann Martel soon as this has been on my TBR list for a long time.

So my recipe has begun well. I am pleased with the freshness of the ingredients and the method is working so far. :-)

Until next time ...
Caffeinated Weka

Recipe for living

I adore Peta Mathias, not necessarily for her cooking or her ostentatious sense of style, but for her unshaking ability to be one person: herself. I recently read about Peta's recipe for living. I thought it was a brilliant idea and the recipe format appeals to the baker in me. I especially love how simple Peta's recipe is; there are three basic steps: wear red, beat egg whites until stiff and never, ever strangle your mother. Delightful!

Last month, I came across this link to the top five regrets of the dying. I currently stand at 0/5 on this list. I am reminded of the Sunscreen song; I don't do too well on that list, either. That needs to change.

The holidays have really got me thinking. Last year, I finally learned why it's important to put your own oxygen mask on before helping someone else fit theirs; chances are, they're up and running again while you're still gasping for breath. It's unlikely they've even noticed you at all.

So, the new year is a time for some exciting changes. I've decided to create my own recipe for living and focus on perfecting it in 2012. I'm still experimenting with measurements and the order of each step but think at this stage that it's more important to get the ingredients right. What do you think?

Caffeinated Weka's recipe for living

• Begin by cleansing the palette, peeling away all toxic elements and people. Discard these quickly and definitively; this may be difficult to do, as they tend to find their way back into your ingredients list without you even realising. It is important to review this step at least annually as the elements may have changed during the year and this will alter the flavour of your life.
• Bake at every opportunity and not just on special occasions. Share your baking only with those who deserve and appreciate it and indulge in the rest.
• Drink one cup of good quality coffee every day. Savour and enjoy it.
• Add generous doses of smiles, cuddles and kisses from loved ones, nephews and nieces - the more, the better.
• Ensure you ingest liberal amounts of natural light and daily doses of Vitamin D - directly from the source is most beneficial.
• Sprinkle everyday life with massages - both giving and receiving. Do not make excuses justifying either.
• Play with kittens, nephews and nieces daily. It is important to carry out this step (repeatedly, if possible) before attempting such activities as cleaning the house and folding washing.
• Listen to the music you love, even if it is just privately. Use noise cancelling headphones if necessary. Do this for at least a couple of hours each day.
• Go to concerts and shows of artists you enjoy whenever the opportunity arises - even on a school night. This is often more enjoyable when shared with someone else but can also be carried out alone; the most important thing is to do it and not let opportunities pass by.
• Dance every week, even if it's just on the inside.
• Read for pleasure at least once a week, even if it is just for fifteen minutes at a time. Doing this regularly enough will ensure you don't need to recap the plot of your novel every time you pick it up.
• Stew at work for the exact number of hours stated in your employment agreement. Check the details carefully as conditions may vary and overcooking (or following someone else's recipe) will lead to a spoiled life.
• Remove from heat at regular intervals as follows: at least one day every weekend, one full work day every month or two, and a couple of weeks every year.  

What's in your recipe for living?

Coffee cup challenge

Surfing the net and drinking coffee at home on a rainy summer's day, I came across The great coffee cup recycling challenge. Now, I'm not usually someone who jumps on their environmental high horse, but this really got me thinking. Using reusable takeaway coffee cups is not rocket science; it's just plain common sense. So why don't more people do it?

As a coffee lover, I'm one of those five-coffee-a-week habiters mentioned in the article. Last year, I bought a reusable coffee cup from Coffee Creation and use it daily at work. To me, it made good economic as well as environmental sense as I am charged 50c less for coffee when I use my own cup, which meant it paid for itself in no time at all. It's not big bucks but it all adds up. As colleagues' disposable cups pile up in bins several times a day, a quick rinse of my cup leaves it ready to go for next time and I just throw it into the dishwasher at home in weekends. Easy!

I chose this style over the increasingly popular Keep Cup as I prefer to drink from ceramic rather than plastic, but the concept is the same. Much like using reusable supermarket bags, it is an easy habit to adopt and makes more sense than consuming endless packaging destined for landfills. Actual recycling of these disposable products rarely occurs and is both a difficult and costly process.

At weekends, I will either make a stovetop espresso at home or drink coffee at a local café. Occasionally I'll buy coffee to take away if I'm on the move but this doesn't happen very often. I've got to say that in all my frequenting of cafés, I don't recall any that advertise different prices for takeaway coffee served in your own cup. The wonderful Celcius Café in Petone uses biodegradable takeaway cups and the rest of their coffee production is totally sustainable, too. There may be others, but none instantly come to mind. Perhaps if the financial incentives were spelt out in black and white with two prices side by side then bringing your own takeaway cup would become a more attractive option, benefitting the environment at the same time?

How about you? Do you use reusable takeaway coffee cups? What do you think is the best way to encourage coffee drinkers to adopt reusable cups?

Summer daze

So, Christmas is done and dusted. The presents have been opened and new homes found for most of them. Overdoses in family and food were consumed in equal measures. The longest day came and went all too soon but has left us time to slide into warm weather and lazy days. We have almost finished our diet of Christmas leftovers and the hammocks have joined our outdoor furniture. We briefly toyed with hitting the sales yesterday before wisely steering clear of the mania. Yes, the holidays are here.

Summer has officially settled in and the past few days have been reminiscent of the holidays I grew up with. Although the weather is set to change before New Year, I'm enjoying lazing about and letting the weather decide our itinerary. It hasn't properly hit me that I'm on holiday for a couple of weeks. Bring on the relaxation vibes!

I have a list of things to do these holidays but will let my energy and motivation levels determine when and if they get done. No doubt these days will fly by and it will be back to nightmare that work has become - something I'm trying to push to the back of my mind and not think about. In the meantime, there are books to read, coffees to drink, baking to do and friends to catch up with ... but all in good time.

What are your holiday plans?