BBQ in the rain!

Here’s Steve doing a superb job of cooking us dinner on our portable BBQ, which we got from Firebox. It’s really cool because it folds really flat and comes in a carrying bag. They don’t sell this model anymore, but they have a new one which looks just as good: Portable BBQ Grill.

We put it on top of the big BBQ so that it was at a perfect height for cooking. There was only 4 of us, so it wasn’t worth cleaning up the big BBQ and the portable one was really good. This is only the second time we’ve used it, the last time was in West Wittering, when it also rained! Maybe it’s jinxed?

Unfortunately it did start to rain, but we persevered and just got the brolly out and then the rain stopped and we had a lovely meal outside in the Breeze House.

Grow your own Strawberries 2009

The photo below was taken 1 June:

We bought the strawberry plants last year and the fruits weren’t very nice! But I read that you shouldn’t grow fruits in the first year, you should just concentrate growing the leaves.

 

We did peg down the runners from last year into the lower parts of this pot, so we’ve got quite a few strawberries growing this year. I should have fed them with tomato feed once it had started flowering, but I was a bit late and most of the fruits had already developed! But I’ve fed them once and I’ll need to do it every 10 days.

 

 

 

 

 

The photo below was taken 13 June:

We had 1 strawberry that was going red, so I put my little net over the pot to protect it from the birds. But as it was hanging down something took it off the plant (I suspect a pesky squirrel) and just left it on the ground half eaten! If they’re going to take my fruit they could at least it eat! But more are starting to turn red and fingers crossed they will be sweet this year!

 

The photo below was taken 25 June:

Well we lost a few more strawberries to something having a nibble, so we put the strawberry planter on top of another pot turned upside down. It worked and I’ve been able to pick all the ripe strawberries without them being full of holes! Steve’s Mum did see a small black bird trying to eat them, but instead of sitting on the planter, he was on the floor and jumping up and down trying to peck the fruit! I think the word she used for the bird was ‘retarded’!

 

I have been picking them when they’re practically all red and then leaving them on a sunny windowsill to finish off ripening. To be honest they’re not very sweet, so I’ve been using them in smoothies!

Coffee, date and walnut cupcakes

MUNCH RATING: 3/5

Coffee and walnut is quite a classic cake combination, so I thought I’d add some dates too as I really like the sticky toffee taste they create.

• Makes: 24 cupcakes (fairy size cases)
• Oven temperature: Gas mark 4/350°F/180°C
• You will need: 2 cupcake tins lined with paper cases
• Oven shelf: Upper middle
• Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients for the cakes:

• 225g (8oz) dried dates, pitted and roughly chopped
• 225ml hot water
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 Tablespoons instant coffee
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 125g (4½ oz) butter, softened (I used Stork)
• 50g (2oz) dark muscovado sugar
• 150g (5oz) light muscovado sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 225g (8oz) self raising flour
• 100g (3½ oz) walnuts, chopped

Ingredients for the icing:

• 100g (3½ oz) icing sugar, sifted
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee, dissolved in 2 Tablespoons hot water
• Walnut halves to decorate 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to Gas mark 4/350°F/180°C.
2. Put the dates in a medium sized bowl and pour over the hot water.
3. Stir in the vanilla extract, instant coffee and bicarbonate of soda and set aside.
4. Beat together the butter and sugar until light and creamy (easiest in a food processor or with an electric mixer).
5. Add the eggs, one at a time, with a tablespoon of flour with each egg, beating well between each addition.
6. Add the remaining flour and mix in well.
7. Add the wet date mixture and beat in well.
8. Then stir in the nuts (if using a food processor, transfer the mixture to a large bowl before stirring in the nuts as you don’t want to chop them up anymore).
9. Fill the 24 cake cases with the mixture – they will be quite full – and bake for 15 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
10. Leave in the tins to cool whilst you make the icing.
11. Icing: mix the icing sugar with enough of the dissolved coffee to make a fairly runny icing – add the coffee gradually to get the right consistency. Drizzle or spread on top of the cakes and decorate with walnuts is desired.