A bit of this and that . . .

I know, I know . . . today's Tuesday and I am supposed to have a delicious recipe from that Baking Group I belong to, Tuesdays With Dorie here, or at least pictures of it. I just didn't have the time to do it this week, so I hope y'all will forgive me. This week Andrea of Andrea In The Kitchen decided on Coconut-Roasted Pineapple Dacquoise on pages 293-295. I am sure lots of people made it and loved it. The name alone sounds amazing enough to me. Hop on over to the blog roll to see what they all got up to and also don't forget to pop on over to Andrea's page as she will have the recipe there!

Some weeks just get ultra busy don't they? I know they seem to just whip by me. Todd says that he is busier now that he is retired than he ever was when he worked! I hear that from a lot of folk . . . dare I look forward to retirement? hmmmm . . . perhaps not!



I found this little piece about time yesterday and thought that I would share it with you all. I thought it quite inspiring and thought provoking. I hope you do too!

Your Next Twelve Hours

Just for today . . . I will try to live through this day only and not tackle my whole life problem at once. I can do something for twelve hours that would appall me if I felt that I had to keep it up for a lifetime.

Just for today . . . I will be happy. This assumes to be true what Abraham Limcoln said, "That most fols are happy as they make their minds to be."

JUst for today . . . I will try to strengthen my mind. I will study. I will learn something useful. I will not be a mental loafer. I will read something that requires effort, thought and concentration.

Just for today . . . I will exercise my soul in three ways: I will do somebody a good turn, and not get found out. I will do at least two things I don't want to do . . . just for the exercise. I will not show anyone that my feelings are hurt; they may be hurt, but today I will not show it.

Just for today . . . I will be agreeable. I will look as well as I can, dress becomingly, talk low, act courteously, criticize not one bit, not find fault with anything and not try to improve or regulate anybody except myself.

Just for today . . . I will remember that language is the dress of my thoughts. Everytime I speak, I will remember that my mind is on parade. I will recall that someone said, "You can always tell what kind of wheels are a man's head by the spokes that come out of his mouth."

Just for today . . . I will have a program. I may not follow it exactly but I will have it. I will save myself from two pests: hurry and indecision.

Just for today . . . I will have a quiet half hour all by myself, and relax. During this half hour, sometime, I will try to get a better perspective of my life.

Just for today . . . I will be unafraid. Especially I will not be afraid to enjoy what is beautiful, and to believe that as I give to the world, so the world will give to me.



The Happy Cook over on My Kitchen Treasures is holding a strawberry feast in June. I decided I wanted to play along and so I made Todd some delicious Strawberry Shortcakes at the weekend.

When I was growing up this was the ultimate summertime feast! We all loved it when my mother made us Strawberry Shortcake for dessert! Mom always used baking powder biscuits and put vanilla ice cream in the middle of hers. I know that other people use sponge cake and I have even seen it made by layering crumbled baking powder biscuits, strawberries and whipped cream.

I have to say that my favourite way of making and eating Strawberry Shortcake is with biscuits and I have my own tasty version of those that I like to use. These are very akin to butter scones. If you give them a chance, I think you'll agree that these be mighty tasty!



*Strawberry Shortcakes*
This makes enough for 9 to 12 biscuits
Printable Recipe

These are wonderfully short and buttery and just the perfect biscuit to be used in a strawberry shortcake. Not too sweet and nice and crumbly.

13 1/2 ounces flour
1 TBS sugar
1 TBS baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
6 ounces cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg
1 1/4 cups double cream, plus more for brushing on top of the biscuits
1 TBS extra of sugar for sprinkling on the tops



Pre-heat the oven to 190*C/375*F.

Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder,sugar and salt together in a large bowl. Drop in the butter and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture looks like cornmeal and the largest pieces are pea sized. Add the egg to the cream and beat together with a fork. Make a shallow well in the dry ingredients and then add the wet ingredients slowly, stirring with a fork, until you get a shaggy dough. You may or may not need all of the wet ingredients.

Generously flour the counter top and turn the dough out onto it. Flour your hands and lightly knead a few times to bring it together, then pat the dough out to a rough rectangle. Fold it together in thirds, putting the bottom fold over the centre third, and then the top third down on top to finish. Repeat this again. Finally pat out about 3/4 inch thick. Cut into circles or squares and set them out onto a non greased baking sheet. Brush the tops with some cream and then evenly sprinkle with some sugar.

Bake in the heated oven until the tops are lightly browned and the bottoms are golden brown, about 20 to 22 minutes. Remove from the oven and onto a wire rack to cool.



To make strawberry shortcakes:

Use as many strawberries as you would like for however many servings you want to serve. Wash them and then pluck off the stems and leaves. Cut into halves or thirds and place them into a bowl. Add a few tablespoons of white sugar and give them a stir. Let them sit for 10 to 15 minutes in order to release all their juices. You can mash them a bit with a fork if you like, but you really want them to be quite chunky.

Whip some double cream until it softly mounds, adding a bit of sifted icing sugar as you go. You will probably need a large tub of it, depending on how many people you are serving.

Split the short cake biscuits and place the bottom halves into a bowl. Spoon the sliced berries along with some of the juices over top. Add a healthy dollop of the whipped cream and then place the tops of the biscuits on top. Serve immediately.



If you'd like a delicious entre to go along with that fabulous dessert, hop on over to The English Kitchen to see what else I got up to!

I have to work really late tonight so don't be upset if you don't see a post here from me tommorrow morning first thing. I shall be sleeping in, hopefully!