My baby girl is 1! How did that happen? They say time flies faster with your second child, and it really has gone by in a flash. We had a family tea party on the day, at which the centrepiece was a 'Scout Puppy' birthday cake... made to Rachel's recipe of course! Megan loved tucking into her party food, and snuggling up to her new baby dolly.
One of the few foods that babies shouldn't have under a year old, is honey. It can contain a toxin which their little bodies just can't handle, resulting in a fatal infection. Having passed this milestone, the weeks after Megan's birthday seemed a good chance to try out some of Rachel's honey recipes. I have to admit to being a big honey fan. There's something really soothing in its delicious sweetness. It does have amazing healing properties - in my work as a nurse, I've used dressings impregnated with honey to aid wound repair. A while ago, I watched a series called 'Doomsday Preppers' on National Geographic, about Americans who believe the end of the World is coming and are making plans to survive it (hello, end of the World, I think there's a clue there!) Anyway, apparently beekeeping is an excellent thing to do. Honey is such a great energy food, as well as a medicine and antiseptic, that it would be a great 'currency' to barter with... should you survive that long! It lasts forever, too... I read somewhere that perfectly good stores of honey have been found buried from Egyptian times!
Anyway, back to the present. Firstly, I made 'Ginger and honey snaps'. Well, they didn't turn out perfectly... for a start they didn't 'snap', but had more of a soft, cookie like texture. I'm not sure what when wrong... Paul and Mary would not be impressed! Still, l enjoyed them and they went down extremely well with both children. Evan enjoyed them as an after school snack, while practising his new found reading skills with me. And Megan just frantically gestured towards the box every time she came in the kitchen.
Pictured above, is my first batch of biscuits. Again, I'm not sure what went wrong here! Rachel says to roll the dough into balls, and space 5cm apart. Well, I did that but the biscuits still spread and joined together. Didn't make any difference to the taste, and I quite liked having square biscuits for a change! Here's my second batch, looking more as they should...
Next, I tried out Rachel's 'Honey loaf'. I loved this - it's a very simple recipe, but the warmth and sweetness of the honey really comes through. Even the colour is rich and golden, like sunshine in a loaf! I took it to a friend's house, and we enjoyed it still warm from the oven. Yum! Over the next few days, we all enjoyed it toasted for breakfast.
You will need...
- 300g (11oz) plain flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 100g (3 1/2oz) butter, softened
- 175g (6oz) runny honey
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 75ml (3fl oz) milk
- 1 tbsp warm honey, for brushing
- 13 x 23cm (5 x 9in) loaf tin
- Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/GM 3. Oil and line the loaf tin with greaseproof paper.
- Sift the flour; baking powder and salt into a bowl. Add the salt and set aside.
- Cream the butter in a large bowl, or in an electric food mixer, until soft. Add the honey and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. Continue to beat, gradually adding the eggs.
- Fold in the flour with a spatula or metal spoon, then fold in the milk to form a soft dough. Place in the prepared loaf tin, and bake in the oven for 45-55 minutes, or until golden, and when a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
- Allow to stand for 3 minutes, then remove from the tin and place on a wire rack. Brush the loaf generously with warm honey, and allow to cool.
I'll leave you with a final image from Megan's big day. She was born unexpectedly on the bathroom floor, delivered by a shocked but very proud Granny (who is dining out on the story to this day!) So, we couldn't resist this photo opportunity, exactly one year later. Luckily, we're all looking a lot cooler and calmer (and more dignified) this time!
