No Spread, no chill, simple, quick, biscuit recipe

This is an American recipe so maybe I should say cookie, but to me a cookie is a slightly soft affair, thick and full of chocolate chips. These biscuits are as crisp and delicious as their French "twice baked" namesake but much easier to make. They don't spread out, so your cute cutters will work like a charm with them, great for making with the children and perfect for the children to decorate.

I have Anglicized and tweaked the recipe a bit but the American version can be found here. I have made these several times now and the flexibility with the flavouring, along with the ability to keep a shape, has swiftly made them my 'go to' recipe.

You will need:
420g self raising flour (you can substitute a little of the flour with cocoa powder for a chocolate biscuit)
200g sugar
220g butter, cut into chunks
1 egg
A few drops of vanilla essence

 Cream together the sugar and butter, add the egg and vanilla and mix. Gradually add the flour and stir in until combined. You can add chocolate chips at this stage, a handful or two to add some fun to your biscuits.

The dough will be crumbly, and you will need to knead it together with your hands and then scoop it out of the bowl for rolling out, treat it gently or your biscuits will be tough.

Roll the biscuit dough on a floured surface to about half a cm thick, and cut into shapes. (I do this in several goes as there is a lot of dough! You could also chill some of the dough to use the next day)

Place on parchment or silicone lined baking sheets and bake at 180C for 10-12 minutes until slightly browned. Let sit a few minutes on the sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack.

When cool decorate with icing, sweets or sprinkles. Ready made tubes of coloured icing are great for children to use! No mixing mess and small tubes are handy for little hands.

Other options include adding dried fruit to make a sort of Shrewsbury biscuit, some dessicated coconut works too, or adding spices and ginger for a tasty bite. Experiment, have fun with flavours!

Wordy Wednesday with Stephen A Adams

Today on Wordy Wednesday I am chatting with Stephen A Adams. I'm going to keep the introduction very brief as more is revealed in the answers to my questions, Stephen has written several children's stories that are the start of a series.

‘Special Susie and the Mystery of the Wooden Hut’ and ‘Special Susie and the Mystery of the Missing Books’ by Stephen A. Adams are the first two in a charming yet enthralling new series about a young inquisitive girl who isn’t afraid to investigate suspicious occurrences in her life. The books pay homage to the childhood of Sue Adams – the author’s wife who recently lost her battle with cancer. Critics have hailed the series as “wonderful, well-written books of charm and generosity of spirit, telling the stories of a curious, feisty and delightful young heroine”.

So let's make ourselves comfortable and begin. Stephen, Tell us more about when you started writing?
I found a photo of my wife Sue when she was about 8. She used to tell me that when she was that age,she would play at an old hut where they had scooters, skates etc. Then one day I dropped off my grandson at a new stay n play, and it happened it to be the same place - 50 years on !
A big dollop of imagination and ....... Special Susie and the Mystery of the Wooden Hut.

And about the books?
Special Susie and the Mystery of the Wooden Hut - is where I imagined my Sue aged 8 in her childhood play times.
While I was waiting for its illustrations, I thought I'd catch up on a bit of reading. I couldn't find what I wanted to read, so :
Special Susie and the Mystery of the Missing Books - it starts with a library - places that I've always loved.
After the first two books, I realised that something was missing, and that something was me, so :
Special Susie and the Mystery of the Shy Boy - Susie meets a shy boy called Stephen and although different, they come to realise that they like , and can help, each other. (and yes, he is 3 years older, just like me in real life).

And the reason that Susie is special? (not that we are not all special in our own way!)
When Sue grew up there were 6 or 7 Susans in her class. To avoid confusion, the teacher gave them all nicknames. Whenever Sue told me this, she always looked sad. So I would say : "Don't worry darling, you'll always be my Special Susie"

What 3 things (not including paper, computer, pens) would you like to facilitate a good days writing?
I usually write in the mornings so : a good night's sleep ; a nice breakfast ; NO DISTRACTIONS !

Do you write to a schedule, eg every day or three times a week, set times, etc or do you write as and when the mood strikes?
If I'm doing research or brainstorming, then it's when I feel like it. But when actually writing, I tend to grab laptop, and tap away roughly 10am until I feel that's it. And after editing, it's usually approx 500 words a day.

What are your favourite biscuits?
Milk choc digestives, jam sandwich creams, custard creams, fruit shortcake, bourbons. ooh a proper Peek Frean assortment!

Where do you do most of your writing?
Living room, in armchair, laptop on cushions, so I'm nice and comfy. : braver than me, I'd doze off, even if it was before 10am!

What book(s) are you reading at the moment?
Body Language 101 by Vanessa Edwards - my next book will be a rather interesting novel.

What was your favourite subject at school?
Mathematics and English (Lang and Lit)

Do you have writing plans for 2016? Are they secret or could you share a teaser?
Actually yes. On Christmas Day I had a rather strange dream. I dreamt that Sue and I travelled all over the world, solving little mysteries as we went. (We both liked whodunits etc - I grew up
reading Agatha Christie) and that's why I'm doing research on things like Body Language, facial Micro Expressions, coz they are universal. I'm going to try to combine travel, mystery, and of course ROMANCE. : nice!

If you could have any job in the world except being an author, what would you choose and why?
A teacher - I've always wanted to help people, especially children (I have 2 grandchildren) to grow and be the total people that they can be. And what better way than through development,  encouragement, and knowledge.
 : What a great answer, I hope you'll get a chance to visit schools with your books, kids are such fun!

If you could genetically cross and animal with a fruit or vegetable what would you choose and why? I'm currently thinking of a potato dog, loyal, tasty and versatile, also would roast itself if it lay in front of the fire.
Well, a bit different here - I'm going for chocolate and a westie - chocolate that comes to me when I call it. : better not let it lay by the fire with my labra-potato!

If you could take any fictional character out for lunch, who would you choose and why? And where do you think you'd go to eat?
Tuppence Beresford - the Savoy of course for tea. I'd make her forget about Tommy for a few hours.

Thank you Stephen for playing along with Wordy Wednesday. Wishing you much success in 2016 and beyond.

For those intrigued by his work you can grab copies of his books on Amazon

Or find him on Goodreads

Everything you've ever needed to know about Deadpool

I'm not  a rabid superhero fan. I like some of the comics and I've watched the odd movie, but they never grabbed me the way Judge Dredd and his ilk did. And then at the new Star Wars screening I saw the trailer for Deadpool. I was hooked. He's the super anti-hero I've been waiting for - why had I never heard of him before?
( You can watch the 'very unsafe for work and not for anyone of a squeamish disposition' here.)
Some people have said I haven't heard of him because the comics lack the humour of the movie, time will tell as I'm going to catch up with the comics before the movie comes out. Until then, here is a rather spiffing info graphic from those chaps at MorphCostumes (who make a simply dashing licenced Marvel version of the Deadpool outfit) so that we can all be up to date and not fail our nerd exam when the movie arrives on out screens on 10th February.

Baking Rock Cakes with children

I have a trusty old recipe book, it was the first cook book that Mr TM bought, and I've inherited it. It is by Marguerite Patten and just covers everything you could ever need to know about cooking, oven temperatures, cake tin sizes, what 'dropping consistency' actually is...and everything else. I use it a lot. One of the recipes that Mr TM loves is the one for rock cakes, so called for their look and shape not their texture!

They are simple to make and a good choice to make with children (inserts joke about how I usually use dried fruit) as it's a real 'bung it all in a bowl and mix' type recipe.

If you are baking with small children as helpers I suggest, clear surfaces, pre weighed and measured ingredients in plastic bowls like on a cooking show - maybe leave one thing to weigh like the dried fruit. And invest in some anti slip mat stuff to put under the bowls as they mix.

For the cakes you will need:
8oz self raising flour
4oz margarine or butter
4oz castor sugar (I sometimes only use 3oz as Mr TM isn't keen on over sweet cakes)
4oz dried fruit
1 egg (beaten)
some spice if you like that sort of thing
2 tablespoonfuls of milk.

Sieve the flour into a bowl, then rub in the margarine until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs. Kids love helping with this bit, but ensure that hands are washed first! The odd nibbled crumb won't do anyone any harm. Next add the sugar and the fruit, give it a stir, add the spice if you are going to use it, then add the beaten egg to pull it all together. The mix should be sticky, but not runny, add milk if needed..

Plop small 'lumps' of mixture onto a greased (I use silicone baking parchment to save myself the bother) baking tray, they will spread a bit, so space them!

Bake in a hot oven for 12-15 minutes. Eat when cool. (it's always cool to eat cake)

Wordy Wednesday with Adam Dreece

This week's Wordy Wednesday is with Adam Dreece, a writer of the genre which seems to be top of everyone's list of reading material these, days, YA (Young Adult) many people (including me - and I'm far from young, and many would say far from adult...) love this style of writing as it seems easy to read whilst challenging those little grey cells! So Adam, tell us about you :

Dyslexia, chronic pain, severe asthma, a lengthy technology career that spanned Silicon Valley and Microsoft, three awesome kids and a loving wife, and 25 years of writing short stories that I did nothing with... these were all ingredients that in 2014, brought about the hit young adult series, The Yellow Hoods.

Adam's unique world brings not only a new take on steampunk inventiveness, but also brings fairy tales to life as real world events and people. In a world where there is a secret society named The Tub (lead by a butcher, baker and candle-stick maker), they are about to invent the first steam engine.

Adam's built a reputation for having immersive worlds and deep rich characters, and strong female characters in particular. He has a science fiction book due in April 2016, The Man of Cloud 9 so I await that and its reviews, with interest!

Adam, why did you start writing?
I started writing as a way to explore the worlds I had in my mind. I loved playing Dungeons and Dragons with my friends, but while I was almost always the dungeon master (the one running the story), sometimes I didn't get to explore the worlds the ways that I wanted. Also, it allowed me to explore worlds that I just couldn't create a gaming scenario around. That lead to writing short stories off and on for 25 years. : another D&D fan! what's not to love

In 2014, I started writing and publishing my own novels. This started because I decided I wasn't going to hope to be an author one day, I was going to start executing a five year plan. On January 4th I started writing my first of those novels, Along Came a Wolf (The Yellow Hoods #1), and in April I released it. I haven't looked back.

What 3 things (not including paper, computer, pens) would you like to facilitate a good days writing?
Tea, music and a good place to write. If my sons are running around screaming, there are only certain things I can write. But if I have the house to myself, or if I'm at the coffee shop, then I'm able to immerse myself in my own worlds a lot better.

Do you write to a schedule, eg every day or three times a week, set times, etc or do you write as and when the mood strikes?
I have a different perspective, and I have to. As of January, 2016, life's a lot different. I'm taking care of getting my daughter (the eldest) off to school, getting my elder on off to kindergarten two days a week, and my littlest guy off to pre-school for 2 hours every day. I can write episodes of The Wizard Killer when they're home, but I can't write something like The Yellow Hoods or The Man of Cloud 9, so I have to use my evenings. : Sounds a lot like how I fit my blogging in!

My perspective is that every day has to advance the cause, the cause being my author career. I write some evenings, on weekends when I'm not doing book-signings, I'll take off for an hour or two to write. Almost every day I find I write something, whether that's for a novel, my serial or a blog entry. I've watched my ability to produce words increase over the past two years, but I've also become a lot more cognoscente that you can't just go flat out year after year after year, or else you'll be burnt out and have no marriage left, never mind no relationship with your kids.

What are your favourite biscuits?
Having to be dairy and egg-free, almost anything that meets those requirements. However ginger-snaps are a long time favourite.

Where do you do most of your writing?
Probably more at the coffee shop than anywhere else, though the kitchen table is a close second. : and few biscuit temptations at a coffee shop no doubt,  or do you sneak in your own nibbles?

What book(s) are you reading at the moment?
Being a dyslexic, I don't read fiction that much. However, I've been making time for my friend Luther Siler's book, Skylights. I'm enjoying it.

Have you had a good or bad 2015 and why do you think it was good (or bad) ?
The year was very good to me. I went full-time as an author back in January 2015, got two novels and a novelette out, won a battle with depression (the war never ends). I sold a lot of books and saw my fanbase increase significantly.

At the end of 2015, I feel like I finally found my 'full-time author' footing. I started my free online serial, The Wizard Killer, I wrote my second book from start to finish as a full timer, etc. So it was easily a good year.

Do you have writing plans for 2016? Are they secret or could you share a teaser?
The Man of Cloud 9 comes out in April 2016, which is my first science fiction novel. Whereas the Yellow Hoods are targeted for kids aged 9-15 and adults (it's a layered series), The Man of Cloud 9 is that classic science fiction audience. The story's about a Steve Jobs/Elon Musk type of character in the not-too-distant-future who invents a new generation of nano technology that takes possibly too far, can he bring us back before it's too late?

In October 2016, I'll be bringing out Book 5 of The Yellow Hoods. This will resolve the Pieman storyline that started in book 2. But will it be the end of The Yellow Hoods series, or is there more before I jump 10 years and write the sequel series?

The Wizard Killer Season 1 will be released, compiling all of the individual episodes in a nice compact format. Look for that around May.

And you'd think that'd be enough, wouldn't you? Well, keep your eyes open for The Man of Cloud 0, the prequel novelette and maybe, just maybe, a Yellow Hoods companion story.

If you could genetically cross an animal with a fruit or vegetable what would you choose and why? I'm currently thinking of a bushbaby kiwi fruit, hard to find in the trees, and too cute to eat when you did.
Um... hmm. I'm finding myself now in Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2, thinking of the waterm-elephant, and the PBandJellyfish and the susheep...

If reading and writing were banned on pain of death, what would you do instead?
Act and put on improved plays. The stories would still get out, one way or the other. :great idea, it seems authors agree that the story cannot be contained!

If you could take any fictional character out for lunch, who would you choose and why? And where do you think you'd go to eat?
I'd take Marcus Pieman out for dinner, he's one of my key characters. He's in his seventies and brilliant on many levels. We'd need to go somewhere quiet with fine cuisine and a good wine list. :cunning, now anyone who hasn't read your books will have to buy a copy or 4.

And if you do need to grab a book, they are available on Amazon, Kobo and iBooks 
His books are also on Goodreads.com. Signed copies available at TheYellowHoods.com/Store

Why not stalk keep in touch with Adam via one of the following:
Adam's Blog: AdamDreece.com
Twitter: @AdamDreece
Facebook: AdamDreeceAuthor

Thank you to Adam for answering all my questions and sharing his 2016 news too! Do let him know if you like his books, and make sure you pop reviews on Goodreads etc.

Orange and Almond cake - so easy a 16 year old can make it

Last weekend I was bored. It was raining (again) and DD was bored too. I suggested we do some baking. I fancied making some bread rolls to go with the soup I had previously made, and then DH suggested that he fancied some rock cakes...DD wanted to make something more fancy and worthy of 'Bake Off'. In the end all our wishes can true, I made the rolls (recipe and method etc here) then I rustled up some rock cakes and DD decided to try a BBC cake recipe from our little GoodFood magazine 101 Cakes & Bakes

She chose the orange and almond cake, fascinating as it uses an entire orange, skin and all, in the recipe. It was moist and delicious, and I heartily recommend it - easy too, she made it all without help - and from start to eating in less than 2 hours (the book says 50 minutes - more of that later)

Ingredients:

• 1 medium orange
• 6 oz softened butter
• 6oz light muscovado sugar (we used caster sugar as it's all we had)
• 3 eggs (ours were large...)
• 6oz self raising flour
• 1/2 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
• 2oz ground almonds
• icing sugar for decoration

 You also need a 9inch round deep cake tin - ours has a movable bottom(!) , and a blender or smoothie maker.

First roughly chop the orange, peel and all, and whizz it up in a blender (remove any pips first) to a puree.
Then add the butter, sugar, eggs, flour and bicarb to the blender and whizz until smooth...our blender isn't big enough for all this so we did some in stages and then just mixed it all in a bowl, it was very runny so it wasn't difficult to mix.
Pour it all into the greased tin and bung it in the oven (Gas 5/190C/fan 170C) the recipe says 30 minutes but I think our cake need at least 50 minutes, maybe a little longer as the middle was still runny after half an hour, in true Bake Off style DD turned down the gas for last 15 minutes to ensure it cooked without burning.

Leave the cake to cool in the tin for a while before turning it out and dredging the top with icing sugar.

The cake was delicious, really orangey (surprise) and with a crisp outside and moist middle. The recipe book claims it freezes well, but ours didn't get a chance. We all really enjoyed it and will be making it again.

Serves 12 (ie gives 12 slices, we had 4 each obviously)
Per slice 266 calories

I've Got a Stat for You - Book Review

  

A while ago I was asked if I would like a copy of Andrew Edwards' book "I've Got a Stat for You - My Life with Autism" and I thought that as I knew little about autism, reading a book about one man's life with autism would help my understanding of the condition.

I was, of course, wrong. Like all people Andrew is unique and I really found I was reading a biography about one man's life, not a book about autism at all. Andrew has autism though and this has obviously affected and shaped his life. During his younger years he was badly let down by the health services that should have been there as back up for his family, and as in many cases of parents with disabled children his mother had to fight for every little bit of help they received.

Andrew comes across as a very nice person. Not a golden perfect 'rainman' nor a disabled 'weird' person, just a nice bloke struggling to fit into a neurotypical themed world.

The book is difficult to read in places, Andrew often writes events out of date order which can be confusing, and the very beginning focuses on his life well before most children have their own memories, so one cannot help but assume he is 'remembering' events that he has only heard as anecdotes from his mother. He has an understandably close relationship with his mum.

My husband read the book before I did and said that the constant references to statistics put him off! Personally I loved them, it made the book extremely funny and gave a true feel of the obsession with facts  that some people with autism have. I found it sweet and amusing when he wandered off track from his story with comments like

one stressful moment I vividly recall during my activity time occurred when returning from a trip to the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham to attend the Car Show on Friday 23rd October 1998, the day before United drew 1-1 at Pride Park against Derby County

 Andrew is very honest about his 'bad' behaviours at school, how he has learned what is acceptable, how he deals with problems that affect him and with relationships. It is both refreshing and painful to read some of the things that he struggles with and has to cope with on a daily basis, colours, noise, smells etc. From that point alone it is a good book to read to make you think about how someone with autism may not see a situation as you do. Things that you think are fun may be terrifying and vice versa!

The book is not an easy read but I'm glad Andrew wrote it. You may like to find out more about him and his football stats and you can buy the book here.

'I've Got A Stat For You' is published by Bennion Kearny. The writing is unpolished, but the book is a good honest read.  If you have autism, know someone with autism or just have a general interest in the subject you should read this book. Lovers of autobiographies of non-celebrities may also enjoy it.

I like this quote from near the end of the book, it's very uplifting

"I control the autism most of the time now, rather than the autism controlling me"

At the tender age of four, Andrew Edwards was diagnosed with severe autism.  With a complete lack of compassion, the medical specialist who diagnosed him told his mother, “Go home and watch Rain Man.  In all probability your son will be institutionalized.”  Determined to provide her son with the best life possible and prove that uncaring specialist wrong, Andrew’s mother – Hazel – dedicated herself to giving Andrew a normal life, the best education available, and all the resources he needed to help him achieve his life’s goals.

In his powerful, inspirational and often funny autobiography, I’ve Got A Stat For You, author Andrew Edwards recounts his difficult journey to manage his autism while living in a world filled with bullying and a lack of understanding. Growing up in a single parent household with his mother, encountering bureaucracy at every turn, and facing a world that did not want to understand or relate to him, Andrew ultimately emerged from his turbulent childhood as a successful and extraordinary young man.

Excelling as a young adult, Andrew has won a Welsh National Young Volunteer Award, given speeches, and has lectured to a wide range of audiences on autism and his struggles growing up. He has pursued and received his education, and secured his dream job as a statistician at Manchester United Television. From Wrexham, a small town in north Wales, to London’s Buckingham Palace, and incorporating stories of sport, The Simpsons, a love for music, and strange smells, I’ve Got A Stat For You is a powerful and inspirational true story that demonstrates how determination, a positive outlook, and the will to succeed can overcome all odds. It is a book that will appeal to anyone whose life is touched by autism in one form or another, as well as readers who appreciate real-life tales against the odds.

About the Author Andrew Edwards was born in 1984, in Wrexham, Wales. At the age of four, he was diagnosed as severely autistic. Andrew attended a number of schools during his childhood, and ultimately secured four G.C.S.E.s including one in history. Following a work placement at Manchester United Television, Andrew became a permanent member of staff, for more than 10 years, as a statistician. Following his redundancy at MUTV, Andrew has given himself over to volunteering and writing.

Wordy Wednesday with Stephenie Siviter

Some time ago I fell in love with a blog. The blog and the blogger were new at the time, but with time comes experience and now I'm happy to share her writing with you for Wordy Wednesday.

The writer I'm talking about is Stephanie Siviter, and you can read what I thought of her blog in 2013, here. But fast forward to today, let's see what's changed.

So Stephanie, when did you start writing?
I can't remember a time I didn't write, from awful diaries, to teen angst poetry, to ridiculously long group emails (before blogs existed) to about 67 half started novels. So as soon as I could hold a pen I think.

What 3 things (not including paper, computer, pens) would you like to facilitate a good days writing? Inspiration, a few minutes peace from the kids, tea.

Do you write to a schedule, eg every day or three times a week, set times, etc or do you write as and when the mood strikes?
I can't write to a schedule. I can't write if someone tells me to (or read). I only write when I get a spark of inspiration. I only write when I HAVE to write.

What are your favourite biscuits?
Plain digestives. Mcvities and no other brand will do.

Where do you do most of your writing?
in bed on my laptop while the house sleeps.

What memorable books or blogs have you read in 2015?
Lots of fellow mum blogs - particularly the ones on Mumsnet frontpage. I haven't read a book all the way through for about three years due to attention span and having babies. haha I know the feeling, though I blame twitter

Have you had a good or bad 2015 and why do you think it was good (or bad) ?
2015 has been hectic. I had my second baby (last baby) and finally married their daddy. I'll look back on it as one of the best - but I have been so busy and stressed probably not stopped to appreciate it enough. oh a baby and a wedding, no wonder it was hectic, though it sounds lovely as well.

If you could genetically cross an animal with a fruit or vegetable what would you choose and why? I'm currently keen on a poppy seed ant, it could sprinkle itself over your loaf.
I don't understand this question. And however much I try all I can see are spider sprouts - if it's ok I'll leave this one. Still shuddering at the idea of ants on my bread. I'm leaving this in purely because it made me laugh so much! hahahahahah

Have you any new books planned for 2016? Do book ideas pop into your head unexpectedly or do you sit and plan them?
I have had an idea for a book for over a year now and hope to finally start it next year. It's about the dark reality and dark comedy of motherhood and being a stay at home mum ... with a big twist. ooh a teaser, sounds intriguing.

If you could bring a dead person back from the dead for one day to have tea and a natter with them, who would you choose and why?
It would be my teaching mentor from when I started teaching in 2004. I was on a year out to Australia when he was diagnosed with cancer and he died within such a short amount of time I never got to say goodbye. I also never got to tell him how much he meant to me. I joked many times about how annoyed I would be by his helpful suggestions during teaching. But the truth was he was a bit of a father figure and I loved him very much. Not a day of teaching passes without me thinking about him and I wish I had got to tell him how thankful I was. He always called me Bridget because of my single status and I'd love to tell him about my two babies and husband. When you get older you realise who are truly good souls - and I wish I could have told him what an amazing man he was. He was called Pete.

You can read my poetry and honest take on being a parent at http://www.mummyswritingdarling.co.uk/

You can buy Stephanie's books on Amazon, from 80p! you'd be a fool not to.


Thank you to Stephanie for taking part. I'm looking forward to hearing more about your new book.

Parsnip and Ginger Soup - A Meat Free Monday Recipe

I think I might have blogged this before but it's so good I'll blog it twice.

One of my favourite vegetarian cook books is the 'Veg Everyday' one by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. Not only is it full of great photos, and recipes that would tempt even the most devoted meat eater to try a vege meal, but also the recipes are actually do-able. I am the living proof this is true!

My favourite recipe is the simple lentil dahl. But a little more time and preparation and I can have a bowl of a soup that Hugh calls 'Parsnip and Ginger Soup' but which I call 'Better than sex soup'. I know you all think I need to get more sex based on that - but don't judge until you've tried it.

The soup is relatively easy to make though there are a few steps to take. It is time consuming rather than complicated and you need a food mixer or hand blender to make it properly. It is all worth it though, for its smooth warming and spicy goodness.

The ingredients are fairly simple and while you might not have fresh ginger to hand it's easy to get.

You'll need

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 15g butter
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• a 4-5cm piece of fresh ginger root, peeled and finely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 500g parsnips, peeled and cut into 1cm cubes
• 800ml vegetable stock (Hugh makes his own, I use a vege stock cube)
• 200ml whole milk

You simply fry the onion in the oil and butter for 10 minutes or so, don't crisp it! add in the garlic, ginger and spices, stir it then bung in the parsnips, stir them up to get them coated in the tasty oily goodness, then pour in the stock and simmer it all until the parsnips are soft, about 15-25 minutes.

Leave the soup to cool for a bit, then puree it in a food blender until smooth. Return it to the pan, add the milk and warm it through, add water to thin the soup if you like.

The soup stores well, can be frozen and is lovely served with a sprinkling of toasted nuts and a swirl of thick cream. Maybe even a homemade bread roll.

You can buy Hugh's book all over the place, but here's a link to Amazon.
Enjoy.

Making Bread Rolls from Scratch

On Saturday I made bread rolls from scratch. I love to make bread at home when I have time, it smells great while it's cooking, tastes better than shop bought, isn't full of additives and is fun!

Let's face it - making bread rolls is adult Playdoh, as we shall see.

I like to make the bread dough in my bread maker because it's less messy, and it makes sure I leave the dough for the full proving time, I'm too impatient if I do it myself. So I bung the ingredients into the bread maker, set the 'dough' setting and amuse myself for an hour and a half (if anyone is thinking rude thoughts now you should go and have a cold shower). I don't bake the bread in the bread machine though as I don't like the shape, and I prefer to be able to adjust the oven temperature and cooking time too, and of course I like to make bread rolls as well as loaves.

The ingredients I use for basic bread rolls:

• 1 and 1/3 cups water
• 4 cups unbleached strong bread flour
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• a knob of butter
• approx 1 teaspoon of easy bake dry yeast (I use some of a sachet)

I add the water first then all the dry ingredients. It would be just as easy to make in a bowl, mix it all up, knead it, leave it 30 minutes, knead it again, leave for an hour...(in my house Mr Bread Maker is doing that bit)

Then take the dough and divide it into two, divide each half again and divide each resulting piece into 3. Don't ask why, I just like 12 rolls, those keen can make 13 for a 'baker's dozen'.

And here's the playdoh bit. I make the rolls into fun shapes because I can, and because life is too short to eat boring bread. I like to knead and roll and pull the soft dough, I favour knots and plaits and mini cottage loaf styles, (DD said they looked like anuses), and I admit I was worried about the hedgehogs..

Roll and tie for the knot, and for the cottage loaf use two balls and poke a finger hard into the middle!

Cut the dough so it looks like it has three tails and plait, at one end the plait stays joined, fold the other end under

Use a pair of clean scissors to 'snip' in the hedgehog spines.

The rolls were cooked in the oven at gas 6 for 20 minutes. (Don't forget to tap their bottoms when they look done, they should sound hollow)

And even the hedgehogs turned out OK - you'll be pleased to know they all tasted good too.

New alcohol guidelines? Bottoms up!

In 2014 my evening 'mum drinking' had crept up to one large glass of wine a night when I got in from work. It was lovely, tasted great and relaxed me.

But by the end of 2014 not only had I found myself drinking one large glass a night in the week, I was drinking even more at the weekend. All this drinking had led to a rather unexpected (but looking back on it pretty obvious) outcome, I'd gained a stone in weight.

Fearful lest the gradual weight gain continue until I needed new trousers I decided to do 'Dry January' in 2015 and to embark on a diet.

Dry January was as awful as you would imagine, but after successfully completing it I decided that I would not go back to drinking in the week. (for a rather vague definition of 'in the week' which was mainly Monday through Thursday, I think we can all agree the weekend starts when work finishes on Friday and ends when one goes to be on Sunday)

So reading today's news that the UK drinking guidelines have been rewritten I was interested to see how I fitted in.

It seems we (all of us, men and women) now have the same guidelines, regardless of weight, height, age or political party affiliation :-)

We are told to drink fewer that 14 units a week, to have at least a couple of 'dry days' and not to drink all 14 units at once.

Currently I'm doing dry January again (glutton for punishment) but on a 'normal' week I now drink 1/2 bottle of cava on Friday, 1/2 bottle Saturday and a whole bottle on Sunday. (I don't always drink on the Saturday - depends what I'm doing.) I don't drink any alcohol on the other days.

So how many units are in a bottle of cava? 8.6 it appears (same as a bottle of prosecco for those that are wondering) So I am going to be marginally (OK, OK, 3 units) over the 'low risk' amount for a week. Will I change my drinking? No.

Life is full of risk and we take them daily, I drive, I fly to holiday destinations, I eat street food, I cycle, I do all sorts of risky things. I will add drinking 17 units of alcohol a week to my risk list.

Will the new guidelines change your habits? Or maybe you are already teetotal? Let me know via Twitter, or my Facebook page.

Should I give a book a bad review?

What to do with a ‘bad’ book. 
Sometimes I read a book that I really think is not great. I’m not talking about a story that’s just not for (though that can be hard to differentiate – more on that later) but a book that is just badly written. Maybe the plot has obvious gaping holes, maybe there are huge factual inaccuracies or there has been no editing, leaving many tiny grammatical and spelling errors, but whatever the reason, you feel the book really is bad. And then what?

I see authors on social media daily begging for reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, and numerous other sales and review sites. I understand that reviews are vital, it shows the book is being read and assuming the reviews are good it will encourage new readers. On some sites just having reviews can increase the chances of the book being promoted on the site as it looks ‘popular’, and promotion leads to sales and authors need sales (because like most humans – they need to eat, pay rent, wear clothes etc – it might be art darlings, but even artists die if not fed and watered)

So I’ve read a book and I really hated it. What now? First off remember I said it can be hard to know why you hated a book? Maybe you love crime drama and that’s what you thought the book would be, but it turned into a fantasy story with dragons, or a romance with kissing; in those cases the book might not be bad, you might just not have liked it. It is fine to not like a book. You can still review a book while being clear it wasn’t your thing, you can explain, without spoilers, why you think other readers might like the bits you didn’t. Maybe the dragons were beautifully described or the kissing stuff was written with great care and excellent use of language (unlike most of this blog post), so you can comment on that. It’s OK to give the book lower than 5 stars too – but I wouldn’t give lower than average just because I didn’t like it – unless the star rating specifically separates into how well written the book was and whether you liked it. I might also mention that I don't read many books like it so my review will not be based on much background knowledge.

Once you have decided that the book really was ‘bad’, then what? You have a few options.

• Don’t review the book. Ignore it altogether, spare the author your painful critique and just move on. This only works if you bought the book yourself and were not asked to review it, and if you haven’t told all and sundry (including the author) that you are reading it.
• Give the book low stars and a terrible moany review. I frown on this approach. It is mean spirited and unhelpful. It will hurt the author while offering no insights into the problems.
• Privately contact the author, point out the issues you have with the book (politely) and ask them if they still want you to review it. This is a risky approach as the author may still be hurt. But it gives them a chance to respond and maybe even address the issues, perhaps they can correct things (particularly in an electronic book) or at least be aware of them for future writing.
• Give a low star review and list the reasons politely and with ways they could have been improved. You are now setting yourself up for replies and criticism, but as long as you are not rude and remain honest, this seems fair. You do not have to write a long review and can keep it brief. Try the old ‘shit’ sandwich approach too. Start with a nice thing about the book, follow with some issues and how you would have liked them to have been sorted, followed by a positive ending.
• Lastly, you could lie. Give the book five stars, be really vague and tell everyone it was great and they should read it. The author will be happy and anyone who reads the book and hates it will think you are an idiot. Other people may lie too and, like the Emporer's New Clothes, it could be years before some brave soul points out that the book is actually terrible.

I don’t know what you do when you read a book you think was bad, I think I use a mixture of the methods I’ve outlined above (all authors I’ve ever reviewed and given 5 stars to will now panic and wonder if I secretly hated their books). I asked authors on twitter for their thoughts and the vast majority said that while they hate a bad review it keeps reviews real, and constructive criticism can be useful. Luckily, reading a book I think is poor doesn’t happen very often. I seem to either be good at judging a book by its cover or I have a low threshold for ‘poor’. I read a variety of books and styles and usually enjoy them.

@tattooed_mummy A review is, hopefully, an honest response. We can't expect only good reviews.

— Louis Barfe (@LFBarfe) January 6, 2016

I shall continue to read and review books whenever I can. I hope you do too. And share what you read on social media too, spread the word.

Happy reading …and don’t forget – authors love reviews. Some authors even love bad ones.

@tattooed_mummy It hurts when someone kicks your baby, but yes as long as the criticisms are valid and thoughtful.

— Wombat (@wombat37) January 6, 2016

@tattooed_mummy sure, if it's genuinely constructive. I had one really helpful review for my first book that influenced some stuff I wrote

— Girl on the Net (@girlonthenet) January 6, 2016

@tattooed_mummy constructive criticism is the key

— Dee (@Deewritenow) January 6, 2016

Wordy Wednesday with Richard Wall

The first Wordy Wednesday of 2016. Happy New year to you all and a big Wordy Wednesday welcome this week to Richard Wall. Richard was born in England in 1962, grew up in a small market town in rural Herefordshire before joining the Royal Navy. Having travelled extensively, Richard now lives in Worcestershire where he works as a freelance Technical Author.

And as usual we grab a cup of our favourite tipple, pass around the fairy cakes, and begin...

When did you start writing?
 At school about 100 years ago :-) In 2003 I joined a local Writers' Group and that's when I began to think seriously about creative writing.

What 3 things (not including paper, computer, pens) would you like to facilitate a good days writing? 
1. A good book to read beforehand that is still fresh in my memory
2. Blues music playlist
3. Headphones

Do you write to a schedule, eg every day or three times a week, set times, etc or do you write as and when the mood strikes?
I write for a few hours at least a couple of days a week, and every chance I get

Is writing your main source of income, if not, what else do you do?
I can't survive on creative writing (yet). By day I'm a freelance Technical Writer, currently contracted to the automotive industry.

What are your favourite biscuits?
Ginger nuts...

Where do you do most of your writing?
Anywhere I can sit with my laptop

What book are you reading at the moment?
I've just finished Inherent Vice by Thomas Pynchon and just started American Gods by Neil Gaiman.

Have you had a good or bad 2015 and why do you think it was good (or bad) ?
2015 was good to me. I was healthy and employed throughout. My philosophy is that if you wake up to see a new day then everything else is a bonus.


If reading and writing were banned on pain of death, what would you do instead?
I would create a book in my head, memorising each paragraph as I went along and then reading it to myself before going to sleep.

If you could bring a dead person back from the dead for one day to have tea and a natter with them, who would you choose and why?

Charley Patton, a bluesman from Mississippi who died in 1934. I would ask him to tell me what it was really like to live that life, in that place, at that time.

Richard Wall's book Fat Man Blues is available from Amazon.

"Hobo John" is blues enthusiast on a pilgrimage from England to present-day Mississippi. One night in Clarksdale he meets the mysterious Fat Man, who offers him the chance to see the real blues of the 1930s. Unable to refuse, Hobo John embarks on a journey through the afterlife in the company of Travellin' Man, an old blues guitarist who shows him the sights, sounds and everyday life in the Mississippi Delta. Along the way, the Englishman discovers the harsh realities of Delta life, and the true price of the deal that he has made.

Thank you Richard for joining in Wordy Wednesday, I hope 2016 continues in as postitive a way as 2015 finished.

Sherlock Drinking Game

A certain someone asked for a Sherlock Drinking game. This is an obvious necessity and I'm surprised I haven't done one already. So here we are. It is designed to be used with the modern BBC adaptation of Sherlock, but may well work with other versions.

It goes without saying that you should drink responsibly. Set yourself a limit and once you get there, stop! Maybe continue playing with chocolates or bacon sandwiches or doing a little dance for each drinking opportunity.

And so we begin:

• Any one mentions Nicotine patches - one drink per patch
• Sherlock fires a gun - one drink per shot
• Watson Fires a gun - two drinks per shot
• Anyone mentions Watson's blog - drink
• Watson's love-life is mentioned - one drink
• Sherlock's love-life is mentioned - two drinks
• Any one hints at the 'boys' being a couple - drink
• Sherlock turns his collar up - drink
• Sherlock ruffles his hair - drink
• Watson sighs - drink
• Mrs Hudson moans about the mess - drink (two drinks if it's blood/body parts)
• Sherlock receives a text message - drink
• Anyone runs - drink

I think that should do it.

For the Victorian Christmas special (as many of those may not count) I shall add

• Styled moustache and beard in a named character (we might die if I include extras) - drink
• leaping from a moving cab - drink
• Sherlock lights a pipe - drink
• any cape twirling - drink
• sword stick - drink
• anyone punches Watson - drink (two if it's Sherlock that punches him)