Bread pudding

 

I always bake my own bread, and hate to waste it! I've been making old fashioned bread pudding of late, and it is scrummy! It is especially nice warm with custard.

The recipe I use is mostly Delia's, but as I'm not good at weighing things properly or having things like fresh nutmeg lying about this cake is never quite the same every time.

Break up about 8oz dry bread, crusts removed.

Soak in about half a pint of milk for about 20 minutes.

Add 3oz sugar, 2 tsp mixed spice, 2oz melted butter, 1 beaten egg and mix with a fork until quite smooth.

Stir in some dried fruit (Delia says 6oz - I say as much as you like!)

Pour mixture into greased and lined loaf tin, sprinkle dried nutmeg on top.

Bake at 180 degrees C for about 75 minutes, until firm with a little bit of squidginess in the middle.

When cool sprinkle with a little sugar and eat with a nice cup of tea.

My knitted tank top, designed by me!

This is my first attempt at writing a knitting pattern. I hope someone else could follow it!

I used 3 3/4 mm needles and a 100g ball of double knitting (with quite alot left over.) It is knitted in just 2 pieces with no picking up for borders. (I hate picking up!) You could make it longer by adding some more rows of stocking stitch before doing the eyelet row.

It fits about 12 months - Poppy is modelling it, and she is 15 months old. I think it's cute.

Front

Cast on 60 stitches.
Row 1: k1, p1 to end
Row 2: p1, k1 to end
Row 3 and 4: repeat rows 1 and 2.
Rows 5, 6, 7, 8: stocking stitch starting with k row

Row 9: k4, (k2tog, yfwd, k6) repeat to end
Rows 10, 11, 12: stocking stitch

Row 13: (k6, k2tog, yfwd) repeat to last 4 st, k4
Rows 14, 15, 16: stocking stitch

Repeat rows 9 through to 16

4 rows stocking stitch

Row 29: k19, k2tog, k18, k2tog, k19
Row 30: purl
Row 31: k18, k2tog, k18, k2tog, k18
Row 32: purl
Row 33: k17, k2tog, k18, k2tog, k17
Row 34: purl

(You should have 54 stitches left.)

Eyelet row: (k2, k2tog, yfwd) repeat to end
Row 36: purl
2 rows stocking stitch

Row 39: p1, k1, p1, k2tog, knit to last 5 stitches, k2tog, p1, k1, p1
Row 40: p1, k1, p1, p2tog, purl to last 5 stitches, p2tog, p1, k1, p1
(50 stitches left)
Row 41: p1, k1, p1, k19, p1, k1, p2, k1, p1, k19, p1, k1, p1
Row 42: p1, k1, p21, k1, p2, k1, p21, k1, p1

Split for v neck
Right hand side
Row 43: p1, k1, p1, k19,p1, k1, p1 turn (place remaining 25 stitches on stitch holder)
Row 44: p1, k1, p21, k1, p1

Row 45: p1, k1, p1, k2tog, knit to last 5 sts, k2tog p1, k1, p1
Row 46: p1, k1, purl to last 2 sts, k1, p1
Repeat these 2 rows twice (19 sts left)
then decrease only at neck edge as follows
Row 51: p1, k1, p1, k2tog, knit to last 3 sts, p1, k1, p1
Row 52: p1, k1, purl to last 2 sts, k1, p1
Repeat these 2 rows 9 times until 10 sts remain.

Row 71: cast off 3 sts, k4, p1, k1, p1
Row 72:Cast off last 7 sts.

Break yarn.
Right side of v neck
Take 25 sts from stitch holder and rejoin yarn.

Left hand side
Row 43: p1, k1, p1, k19, p1, k1, p1
Row 44: p1, k1, p21, k1, p1

Row 45: p1, k1, p1, s1, k1, psso, knit to last 5 sts, s1, k1, psso, p1, k1, p1
Row 46: p1, k1, purl to last 2 sts, k1, p1
Repeat these 2 rows twice (19 sts left)
then decrease only at neck edge as follows
Row 51: p1, k1, p1, , knit to last 5 sts, s1, k1, psso, p1, k1, p1
Row 52: p1, k1, purl to last 2 sts, k1, p1
Repeat these 2 rows 9 times until 10 sts remain.

Row 71: Cast off 3 sts, p5, k1, p1
Row 72: Cast off last 7 sts.

Back

Cast on 60 sts.
Work same as front for 40 rows.

Row 41: p1, k1, p1, knit to last 3 sts, p1, k1, p1
Row 42: p1, k1, purl to last 2 sts, k1, p1
Repeat these 2 rows.

Row 45: p1, k1, p1, k2tog, knit to last 5 sts, s1, k1, psso, p1, k1, p1
Row 46: As row 40.
Repeat these 2 rows twice. (You will have 44 sts.)

Repeat rows 41 and 42 8 times.

Row 67: p1, k1, p1, k4, (p1, k1) to last 7 sts, k4, p1, k1, p1
Row 68: p1, k1, p5, (k1, p1) to last 7 sts, p5, k1, p1
Row 69: cast off 3 sts, (p1, k1) to last 7 sts, k4, p1, k1, p1
Row 70: cast off 3 sts, p5, (k1, p1) to last 4 sts, p4

Row 71: Cast off.

Sew up side seams and shoulder seams. Thread ribbon through eyelets.

Blackberry Crumble Cake

This was a very successful experiment because I didn't really have a recipe!

I greased and lined a loaf tin and put sponge mix in the bottom (200g marge, 200g sugar, 200g sr flour, 2 eggs) then put a layer of blackberries which I picked from the garden.
Then I sprinkled crumble mix quite thickly on top. (I used 50g butter, 100g flour, sugar to taste.)

Bake at 180 degrees until sponge is cooked - about 45 minutes.

It was delicious!