Random blog!

The bathing goldfinch and the easy cheesy loaf are winners for me. Lovely photos, and grand mushroom snaps.

Yes lovely photos Gee, especially of the fungi and Millie having a doze in the sun. It's been a beautiful and sunny but frosty day here, in fact it's been good most of the week.......

I love toadstools and your baking looks so delicious! I liked your varied selection of pictures, all so apt for the time of year.

Loved your random photos Gee, and content always interesting, any chance of that easy cheesy loaf recipe appearing please, sounds just the kind of loaf I like to make.....

Recipe as requested, DD2. It is more like a sliceable scone than a real loaf but lovely served with chunky soup or beef stew (instead of dumplings).

CHEESE LOAF

Preheat oven to 190C/375
1lb loaf tin, lined

Ingredients:

225g (8oz) SR flour
50g (2oz) soft margarine
100g (4oz) finely grated cheese
1 egg
6 tablespoons semi skimmed milk
Black pepper
Large pinch cayenne pepper
Pinch garlic powder (optional)
Pinch mixed herbs (optional)

1. Sift flour and peppers into a bowl with optional ingredients (if used).

2. Cut margarine into pieces and rub into flour until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in grated cheese.

3. Beat egg with milk and then add to the dry ingredients.

4. Mix to a soft scone-like mixture. Put into loaf tin and smooth top.

5. Bake in the middle of the oven for approximately 35-40 minutes. Cool in tin before removing to wire rack to cool completely.

6. When cold serve sliced spread with butter, margarine or cream cheese.

Love your photos Gee19, and your bakings look so yummy.

Thanks Homebird. Recipe below - hope you enjoy them.

CHEESE AND BACON MUFFINS

Oven – 200C
12 hole muffin tin, lined with paper or silicone cases

Ingredients:

6 rashers streaky bacon
300g (10ozs) SR flour
2 level teaspoon baking powder
125g (4ozs) strong cheese, grated finely
250ml (8 fl. oz) milk
2 medium eggs
4 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil

1. Cook bacon under a hot grill, until crispy, turning as necessary. Leave to cool and chop into small pieces

2. Sift flour and baking powder together and stir in bacon pieces and grated cheese

3. Lightly beat together oil, eggs and milk and stir into the flour mixture.

4. Spoon into paper cases and cook for 15-20 minutes until well risen and firm to touch.

5. Remove to wire rack and leave to cool. Can be eaten warm or cold.

I love so many photos in this blog... Namely I am amused with the blackbird sitting on pyracantha.

They eat the berries, Katarina, and it makes a safe haven for lots of other birds too :) It is one of my favourite shrubs.

What a lovely blog Gee. Molly seems to be recovering well. You do take wonderful bird photos. My gold finches would be off before I had time to click. I made three loaves yesterday. I used bread mix because it is easy. We are eating a lot of soup, comfort food, as it is so cold. I watched a tv chef making bread and instead of using flour on the board to knead the bread he used olive oil. I had quite a lot of chili oil left from making pizza so used that instead. It gave a lovely peppery flavour to the loaves. I don't bother using a tin anymore I just make a cob. Nothing like home made bread. I am going to try your recipes as they both look scrumptious.

Lovely photos Gee, love the toadstools.. and your lovely cheese loaf....

Great blog & photos. Thanks for all of it. Might have a go at the cheesy loaf one day, sounds nice. I wonder if it will freeze?

Great blog! :))))

Thanks , Gee .

Great blog, I love the sound of that cheesy loaf but my cooking/baking skills leave a lot to be desired! Instead I'll pass it onto my brother. I'm sure he'll enjoy giving it a go.

Thanks Gee - am going to try both recipes, scones first!

Lovely blog Gee all your photos are super and thanks for the recipes definitely have a go at them to go with my lunch time soup! :o)

A great blog Gee, loved all the pictures the Red spotted toadstool doesnt look real! and congratulations on all those lovely bird pictures, they all seem to be very happy despite the the rain;0)

Thanks very much Gee going to make the loaf tomorrow to go with homemade leek and potato soup.......

Lovely photos of the birds using their facilities so kindly provided by yourself and Molly in the late autumn sunshine. I hope your latest visit to the vet has made her better. Sorry your garden gets so waterlogged. Our shed roof has now been refelted by some friends. Good job as it rained so much after and roofers all busy after the gales

I loved your random blog Gill and have copied your delicious recipes , the cheese loaf recipe is very similar to one I use for a quick Pizza , I roll it out and then spread it with tomato puree top it with fried onions / peppers /tomatoes etc cheese and then slices of Pepperoni it's very tasty .. :o)

Amy would you care to put on your quick pizza recipe, have lost mine....tthanks in anticipation. O:-)

So pleased you like the photos and hope you like the recipes too :) Amy, I have used it for a pizza base too, turns out nice and crusty.

Dorjac, glad your shed is now securely fixed. Millie is doing OK, thank you, another visit to the vet tomorrow but she seems OK and has been off the antibiotics for 5 days now. Fingers crossed :)

Thanks too to everyone else for the kind comments. Just off now to bowls. I don't really feel like going out (very drizzly here today) but feel that I should!

Angela use the same recipe as Gees except I leave out the garlic and cheese , roll it out quite thickly or how you like it , spread the base with a tomato puree or your own home-made , I fry the toms. onions /courgettes /red peppers with a tiny piece of garlic . spread it over the pizza on top of the puree then a layer of grated cheese then whatever you like as a topping .. bacon pepperoni olives whatever you have left over in the fridge .. sliced cold sausage anything ! mozzarella cheese is nice in slices . good luck ! we are going up to Lancashire on Thurs. for a few days it's our Grandson Samuels 10th birthday :o) if you have some Origano it goes well sprinkled on Pizza ... you could put the cheese in the base as Gee has done and then leave it off the top if you like , you will soon find out which combo is your favourite .. :o)

Really made me smile to see your pics - especially the birdies :-)

Thanks for taking the time to post.

Welcome to GoY, Nibbler, glad you enjoyed the photos :)

Amy thanks, will give it a try.....Gee I made the loaf it was delicious, added mixed med herbs, mustard powder, and pimenton with the cheese, going to make another one next week using some blue cheese, thanks again for the recipe.:-)

great blog, lots of interest. how did the original pots get broken? was it in general use, one now and then, or did something happen to them all at once?

A large branch fell on them, Fran, from a tree outside my garden. It knocked the whole table over and shattered several pots - very disappointing. It also damaged my white camellia plant, breaking off several sections. The good news is that I just stuck the pieces into the soil and they seem to still be flourishing :)

oooh, that's not something one could predict! Just as well that no one was standing there at the time!

lol for a moment I read the "I just stuck the pieces into the soil" as referring to the broken pots! Really time I got new specs @-@¬

How I wish I could 'grow' pots just like that, Fran :)

wouldn't they come in handy for increasing soil drainage, or something?

you could always have a do at "growing" some from a pile of clay!

I do use the broken ones for pot drainage, Fran. Plenty of clay in my garden if only I was a potter :)

Oh how I wish I lived nextdoor to you Gee! Love your blue ceramic birdbath! ...was that an ebay find? going to make the muffins and the bread...sounds excellent. Hope 2014 is a wonderful, happy year for you and your family, Gee!

Thanks, Lori. The birdbath was a suprise gift from my family a while back from one of the local(ish) garden centres. Good luck with the cooking :)