Have also had a few challenging days. I baked. That is fatal. Not only did I bake I cooked! This weekend "Handmade with Love" is having a stall at a Christmas Craft Fair run by one of the local schools. Its always a huge event. They start off with a wine and cheese night tonight with limited ticket sales (to allow people who pay for the more expensive ticket get first pick of the stalls and the crowds are less) and then it is on all day tomorrow (well 8.30 - 2). I decided to augment our sewing things with some biscuits (cookies) and sugar coated peanuts so... I baked (biscuits) and cooked (sugar coated peanuts). And unfortunately I love both home made biscuits and sugar coated peanuts.
My sister in law Tanya gave me some empty Moccona Coffee jars when I was at her place - some really big ones. I put the biscuits in those and put the sugar coated peanuts in smaller jars. I printed out labels to tie onto the bottles with ribbon and they look very festive. I just hope that someone buys them!!! I put some "hats" ie fabric circles onto some of the jam jars that didn't look as nice but most of the jars I didn't cover.
This is the recipe I used for the biscuits. I got it from Hayley of My Smoko Break on Facebook. It makes heaps of biscuits (she says 100 but I am not sure I have ever got quite that many but you do get heaps) You can freeze the biscuits cooked or freeze the dough. I didn't quite follow Hayley's recipe so these are my instructions but you can find the original on her FB page
Smoko Biscuits
500 gms Butter or margarine (I used butter)
1/2 cup sugar
Can condensed milk (they are around 400 gms)
5 cups SR flour
Preheat oven at 180C
Cream sugar, butter/margarine and condensed milk with mixer on low speed (She says use a wooden spoon)
Add flour,slowly mix to combine (I sifted my flour... cause I always do but Hayley's instructions omit this)
Add desired ingredients to each portion. Some of Hayley's suggestions are - 100&1000′s ,choc chips, smarties, white choc and macadamia, nuts, sultanas, white chocolate; coconut, cornflakes, choc freckles on top, custard and then fill with icing, or keep them plain and cut them into shapes. (I think you would need to refrigerate the dough first as it was very soft) Also suitable to ice.
Hayley says to roll into balls and put on greased trays and flatten slightly. I didn't. I put my mixture into the fridge for a bit then grabbed a handful of it and worked it into a roll that I then cut half inch slices off the end and put them on the trays. I topped some with chocolate buttons, I made jam drops (put a dint in the top of them and fill with jam) I added cocoa to some and worked it in just a bit to make them more like chocolate swirls. I rolled some in coconut
Bake 10-12 mins till golden brown.
Sugar Coated Peanuts.
Equal quantities of sugar, peanuts and water.
Red Food colouring - several drops - enough to give the peanuts a good colour.
Place all ingredients in a saucepan over the heat and stir till the sugar dissolves. Allow to come to the boil and boil gently for AGES stirring occasionally. The mixture gradually thickens. Once it becomes quite thick stir constantly. When the mixture starts to go dry (ie the sugar crystallizes) quickly spread the peanuts out on trays, making sure there are no big clumps of peanuts. Allow to cool and then bottle. Keep in air tight containers (the lid stops them disappearing quite as quickly as well as keeping them fresh)
Sugar coated peanuts are Fixit Guy's favourites and I will make them for his birthday, father's day and Christmas. We all love them actually and they are patently not very nutritious at all!
I was dreading hopping on the scales this morning - limited exercise and lots of nibbling but was pleased to find that my weight has been stationary over the week 95.5kgs
Friday 8 497
Saturday 8 264
Sunday 5 621
Monday 2 634
Tuesday 14 161
Wednesday 8 913
Thursday 4 734
You can tell the only day this week that I got 2 full walks in can't you. Ah well. Every day is a new day. Even when I have been snacking on sugar coated peanuts, biscuit dough and fresh biscuits I haven't reall over done it. I haven't been a total guts. yesterday I did have a slice and a scone (with butter, jam and cream) but that was all. So I am not beating myself up about it. So long as I continue to make lots of good choices I know I will continue to become healthier.
How about you? How have you gone this week?
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