A short baking post & tv catch up

Next to knitting and sewing etc, I like to bake.  I also don't mind cooking generally - although do find it a bit of a chore because its so relentless? isn't it? finding something "exciting!" to make for dinner tonight .. well I've decided IF the family wants "exciting" or "different" then they can come up with a few suggestions or pointers else they'll have to end up cooking it THEMSELVES!!
This is the one aspect I don't like; I don't expect to get a warm response everytime I present a plate before them of "dinner" but it does go down rather well if I at least get some acknowledgement of my effort .. all I seem to get is "IS there any SWEDE IN IT?" and variations on the theme that ok so I once came clean and confessed to "hiding" "food stuff" in with the stew, pie or mashed potato topping ... but really do they have to look so accusing at me like I've confessed to adding something "nasty"??
(ok. I grant you to them adding SWEDE to mashed potato IS "nasty" but thats WHY I hide it!!?).

I like things different to what my family enjoy.  I like butternut squash, lentils (and swede!!) and fish.
Now that no.1.son has come home for the Easter holidays from his Uni the first thing I thought was HURRAH FISH PIE!!
He is the only person that not only will eat but LIKES my fish pie!
I made this version using a left over section of ready made puff pastry and it was delicious!
I based the filling on a recipe in the Hairy Bikers cook book.

Another faddy thing is that of baking cooked fruit pies and sponges.
I had a fancy to making a rhubarb crumble this weekend, but then on Fri the Lorraine Kelly cookery slot showed a nice mini rhubarb steamed pudding that I thought might be nice/different!
It was/is!!

I had enough of the sponge mixture to make the six with rhubarb and two "plain" which no.2.son claimed as his!  Delicious, served with icecream.

We've been eating a lot of cake at the moment.  I think I've put weight on and half blame the cake baking!  but I think the richness of this latest lot of chocolate cup cake with fudge topping has just about seen everyone through to asking "no more cake! please!" - we need a break.  So I'm trying my hand at BISCUITS this week! starting with a nice shortbread recipe ..

This is my favourite book at the moment!

and I'm enjoying their current series on tv too.

And talking of series on tv too - these are some of what we're currently watching and enjoying (in no particular order!)

• The Apprentice (and its accompanying prog you're fired!
• BGT (loving David Walliams!)
• The Voice (not sure how its going to work but so far so good)
• Desperate Housewives (plodding on with it to the bitter end just because it nearly IS at am end it got a bit tedious a few series ago and ought have ended long before now!)
• Once upon a time (we're all watching this and think will go one way or other soon
• Alcatraz (no.1.son caught up with first 2 eps. to follow it with us while home - we're all loving it!)
• Titanic (glad its a short series! but 3 of us are sticking with it although suspect dh only for the accompanying glass of wine to see him through it!!)
• Mary's Bottom Line (just me, but I enjoy Mary's programmes and being textiles I like this one) the only issue I have here with her theory that £10 ought not be too expensive for "a pair of quality made in England knickers" is that NO its not too expensive for a pair however one needs SEVERAL PAIRS - buying just ONE isn't an attractive idea and buying several at £10 ea well for some of us we can't justify that expense no matter how much we might want to, and agree with and with to support generally a UK manufacturing venture.
• The Big Body Squad (guaranteed to clear the room! hurrah! an hours knitting in total peace and quiet! I think it shows the side to obesity that we don't see from elsewhere and the difficulties in managing and coping from several people's points of view including the person themselves and its filmed tastefully and sensitively)
• Supersize vs Superskinny (oh! another hour to myself! I'm going off it a bit lately, I think I preferred previous series where they've featured groups of people handle their eating disorders over a number of episodes or featured a "diet" or "food group" but this series interest in American obesity and what is being done over there is interesting - my favourite moment was when the American Nutritionist took the Dr along to a fast food outlet to demonstrate the response SHE gets when seeking to sign them up to record the cal. content and nutrional values to their menu options - basically they had to run for it! the owner was NOT going to play ball on any side!!)

Programmes we've finished watching include Dancing on Ice, The British Empire, a Chinese short series whose title I can't think of, and we've got two episodes of Upstairs Downstairs to finish the season, Pan Am which we struggled with to the end, Body of Proof which we enjoying in the end.

Next time I'll do the books that I've had out of the library and enjoyed!