Autumnal baking

I've been baking quite a bit in the last few weeks - partly inspired by the Great British Bake Off, partly in practice for the Brussels bake off in which I am participating, and partly to celebrate the tastes of autumn. There have been quite a few firsts...

First attempt at parkin - I had a hankering for something dark, rich and gingery. I think I added too much baking powder but it still tasted AWESOME! Recipe here.

First chocolate and beetroot cake. This looked fabulously pink while making it but came out beautifully. I wasn't sure how beetroot-y it would taste - the answer is not at all. The beetroot counteracts the 'sickliness' tendancy of chocolate cake, and made it beautifully moist. I took this into work - one colleague had three slices, and no one could taste the beetroot.

First chocolate ganache - I always thought this was a highly complex process but it's mind-numbingly simple and I will most definitely be repeating this. Yum!

I've also been baking some staples - chocolate cupcakes.

Bathing in autumn sunshine

Happy autumn equinox people! It's miserable weather today so I thought I'd share some autumnal pictures from last weekend instead.

We went for a walk in the nature reserve at the edge of the city last weekend with some friends. It was a beautiful day full of autumn sunshine, with just a taste of winter in the air.

 

I spotted some hops growing over a doorway.

Our friends spotted some Siberian chipmonks stocking up for winter.

We tasted some small and very bitter wild apples.

We spotted some unidentified berries, which we didn't taste!

Unfortunately, there was a distinct lack of blackberries, which were our main target - they were all small, shrivelled and dried out. I did however pick some acorns to have a go at making acorn coffee...

Autumn bucket list

The wheel of the year is most definitely turning and autumn is here. The chestnut leaves are turning brown and beginning to fall. It was ten degrees yesterday and the hot water bottle made its first appearance. It's such a shame there aren't really any autumn traditions, I thought. Hang on a minute, I thought back. There's loads, I just don't observe them. Well, I replied, isn't it about time?

I spent a bit of time browsing pictures of autumn scenes on pinterest and once I had the picture of red trees, piping hot mugs of cocoa and seasonal food in my head, I started to write down ideas. I've been adding to them over several days and now I think I should reign myself in just a little - bearing in mind that it will be busy at work and I will only really have weekends to do autumn things. 

I want to get outdoors more, to be more proactive socially and to wring as much joy from the darkening days as I can. I hereby present to you:

The Autumn Bucket List

Get out - for a long walk, kicking leaves.

Forage - for fruit, nuts, pinecones.

Preserve - dried, candied or jammed.

Make - an autumn-themed decoration.

Bake - gingerbread, apple pie, or whatever inspiration hits.

Celebrate - the autumn equinox.

Changing seasons

Today I'm posting a gratuitous picture of the kind of warm, cosy wood fire I'm craving today. Summer has most definitely passed on - the temperature is stuck around or under 15°. The nights are drawing in and I am rediscovering the simple daily pleasure of drawing all the curtains and snuggling under a blanket on the sofa. It feels so warm and safe inside. Hot water bottles may soon make an appearance.

How are the changing seasons imposing themselves upon your notice?

What is this life?

What is this life if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs

And stand as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,

Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see in broad daylight

Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at beauty's glance

And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her eyes can

Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

"Leisure", by W H Davies - photos from another lunch break in the park

Turning leaves

I've been thinking a lot this last week about balancing slow living with a fast-paced job, and have been thinking of ways to slow down at work. I'll be testing all the things on my list and sharing them with you, of course!

Absolutely number one has to be taking a real break at lunchtime. Like too many people, I eat lunch at work most days - either at my desk or in the lunchroom. While chatting with colleagues is good, too often I snatch a brief sandwich and dash back to my emails. Today I finally managed something I've been trying to do all week - I escaped to the park to jump up and down in a pile of dead leaves. Made me feel four again.

I took my camera so I could share the gorgeous colours with you. How does nature do it? Match the colours of the dying leaves to the pumpkin and butternut squash and other things in season?

The holly was covered in berries. I don't know how true it is but I was told that lots of berries is a sign of a very cold winter to come. I have no idea if there is any truth in that!

I love the colours that leaves turn at this time of year. I always think that it's at this time that you see the soul of the leaves - their true colours, underneath the veneer of the chlorophyll. It reminds me of Dylan Thomas's poem Do not go gentle into that good night - these leaves blaze and rage as they die, more glorious and more vibrant in their last stage before they fall and become mulch.