And Then We All Had Tea

Back in December, I popped some hyacinth bulbs into a bowl of compost and then shoved them away in a dark cupboard, promptly forgetting about them. Occasionally I would give them a little water, but . . . for the most part they have lain there forgotten and almost totally neglected.

Imagine my surprise when I finally remembered them, and went to have a look in early January . . . the impossible had happened. There they lay . . . the compost in the china bowl, pierced by several green tips.



I am always a bit sceptical when planting indoor bulbs. I have tried growing avocado pits into trees . . . lemon and orange pips into trees . . . and I must have the blackest thumb in the world, because nothing ever happens. Bulbs look like such dark, dry, unpromising things that it is hard to imagine them bursting out into a blaze of colour . . .

But they do, and they did . . . what a surprise! A holy mystery, inspiring me to take the bowl and plant it on our kitchen window sill.



Miracles my friends . . . inspire reverence, and this . . . was a miracle.

"Whither shall I go from Thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from Thy presence? If I ascent up into heaven, Thou are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, Thou are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall Thy hand lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me.
~Psalm 139:7-10

Thou art even in highly neglected muddy bowls of seemingly dried up hyacinth bulbs . . .



I found a cake mix in my cupboard with a date set to shortly expire the other day . . . and I just happened to run across this really delicious looking recipe in The Gathering of Friends cookbook, volume one. These are great cookbooks, created by a couple of ladies in Utah, just chocker block full of delicious and tempting recipes and party ideas. Anyways, this pumpkin dessert caught my eye and it happened to use a cake mix so I went with it.

What a delicious decision I made! It's quite similar to a recipe I posted late last year, but slightly different at the same time. This has a lovely pumpkin custard on the bottom, and a moreishly crunchy layer at the top. It is some good!



*Pumpkin Surprise*
Serves 6 to 8
Printable Recipe

Delicious sweet pumpkin custard baked beneath a sweet crunchy topping. Serve warm or cold, cut into squared and topped with some spiced whipped cream topping.

2 cups canned pumpkin
1/2 tsp salt
1 can sweetened, condensed milk
1 cup white sugar
3 large eggs, beaten
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 white or yellow two layer cake mix
3/4 cup of cold butter
Spiced Whipped Cream:
1 pint whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (to sprinkle on top)



Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Butter a 9 by 13 inch baking dish. Set aside.

Whisk together the pumpkin, salt, milk, sugar, eggs and pumpkin pie spice. Make sure it is well combined. Pour this mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the dry cake mix evenly over top. Slice the cold butter and lay this evenly over top of the dry cake mix.

Bake for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a time before serving. It should be served warm or cold.

Whip the cream for the topping until stiff. Fold in the sugar and vanilla.

Cut the dessert into squares to serve. Top each serving with some of the whipped cream and garnish with a bit of freshly grated nutmeg.



It's Cheesy Rigatoni Bake over on The English Kitchen today!