Friday 19 June 2015

Five on Friday... From my kitchen

After such a hectic and emotional weekend I have found some peaceful down time in my kitchen this week... so joining in with Amy and Five on Friday I bring you five of the the more photogenic things I have produced... not that the fishcakes or pasta bake etc. were particularly ugly... I just didn't take any photos!
 
1. Elderflower Cordial
 
 
On Monday I went foraging for elderflowers which seem to be particularly abundant in our village this year, which is probably a good thing as everyone I speak to seems to be making cordial this year.
 
 
This resulted in four bottles of rather delicious cordial... almost worth falling over in the hedgerow and twisting my knee for! A sight to behold, but fortunately the pain was relatively shortlived and my knee seems back to normal (which is never great in the first place!)
 
2. Elderflower Cupcakes

 
The cordial inspired a batch of elderflower cupcakes. No time to share the recipe right now but it is a plan to update this blog at some point and add some recipe pages. Don't hold your breath!
 
3. Chocolate Cupcakes
 
 
4. Sticky Toffee and Salted Caramel Cupcakes

 
Okay... I appreciate I'm stretching the whole Five on Friday thing with three different lots of cupcakes but Mr. Fan my Flame had a birthday and wanted to take cakes into the office... so this was them. Three dozen cakes taken in on Wednesday morning... not many brought home Wednesday evening!
 
5. Strawberry Jam
 
 
I often make jam* but can't remember when I last made strawberry jam. But the strawberries were on offer and I fancied making some. That was despite the twenty seven* or so jars of jam and marmalade in the cupboard from last year. It's about enjoying the process right?
 
There has also been lots of walking, meeting up with friends and a bit of soul searching but if I told you all about that it wouldn't be five on Friday, so it will keep for another time. Have a lovely weekend... I'm teaching again tomorrow but I've got a day off on Sunday!
 
Joining in with Amy for Five on Friday

22 comments:

  1. Lovely! We have an Elder in the garden & each day I look out & think that I must get on & make cordial. Been a busy couple of weeks. This may be the first year we haven't done it. Feel a bit sad for that. Cheered up by looking at your cakes though and an benefiting from an twelve year old who has just started to become a competent baker.

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  2. Okay! I'm coming for a visit. What time should I arrive? Cordial and cakes are two of my absolute faves!! Or did the birthday boy eat it all? Have a wonderful weekend!
    XOXO Bronwyn
    www.queenbcreativeme.blogspot.com

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  3. Mmm! Very yummy looking cakes. I've never tried making elderflower cordial.It looks delicious. It may be too late this year to have a go, but maybe next year!

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  4. Well if you ever feel like visiting us over in Latvia, a jar of jam would be greatly appreciated :D We get through it at a rate of knots .... or I should say, my husband gets through it at a rate of knots. I have to make some more again soon I think. Those cupcakes look fabulous too

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  5. Oh my tastebuds!!!! I am so hungry now!!!! The cakes all look especially delicious!!! What a super lovely wife you are. If I worked in your husbands office there would have been none to bring home! I would have polished them off!! The all look scrummy! Happy Birthday to your hubby by the way of course! Sorry, I was distracted by the cake! The only thing that could top that would be a cold glass of elderflower cordial with a scone and strawberry jam!!! Thank you so much as always for joining in. I hope that you have a great weekend! xx

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  6. All looks delicious but my mind is set on cupcakes now I have seen those. Hope your hubby had a great birthday.

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  7. CUPCAKES!!! I can certainly see why very few cupcakes came home -- they all look delicious!!!

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  8. Elderflower squash is on my list if things to do this weekend. We are a bit behind in Scotland, the elder only just started flowering. It is rather trendy, isn't it? A few years ago, people would look at my strangely if I was out with my scissors and a bag, now it is a rat race to the next elder tree... I'd happily eat a cupcake just now, with hot chocolate (it is freezing here). Have a great weekend. x

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  9. There are always lovely things going on in your kitchen Gina!!!
    Happy belated birthday to your HB! :)
    Have a great weekend,
    v x

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  10. Those cupcakes look amazing, and such great flavours, no wonder they didn't come home again. The cordial looks wonderful. Lovely photos.

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  11. It all looks very tempting and extremely tasty. I've never foraged for elder flowers, I don't know why!

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  12. Dare I say I've never had elder flower cordial?! I do have to say that this post should come with a warning... "suggestive calorie filled photos follow"! LOL!
    Hugs,
    Beth P

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  13. So many wonderful things. The cupcakes look fantastic. And the jam would make a lovely gift. I've never made any because of the whole sterilization of the jar thing. but they say if you use it up within a week, you don't have to really do that. I should try and make a small batch. Best wishes, Tammy

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  14. If you only publish one recipe make it the sticky toffee and salted caramel cupcakes..

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  15. Elder flowers see to be in abundance here in the Fens too. Have seen lots of foragers out with their clippers and buckets. The cup cakes look yummy no wonder not many came home😃

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  16. I'm not suggesting that Stewart isn't popular with his colleagues in his own right, but your magnificent baking skills can't hurt his popularity in the office stakes x

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  17. Gina, I am so glad your elderflower gathering resulted in yummy cordial and amazing cupcakes, with no knee aftermath. I can still remember the delicious cordial I sipped with a lunch when visiting Cambridge with Celia. Heavenly!

    All those cupcakes make quite an impression...and then you've shown us jam on top of it all. Wow...what a Five on Friday you've shown us. I am now feeling like a total lazybones. xo

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  18. Wow - how wonderfully productive you've been in producing some very yummy goodies! I love elderflower cordial. Your five on Friday are very inspiring, J9 x

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  19. Absolutely right - it's about the process! Maybe next week you could make scones to send into the office with jam? You have been so busy, grabbing the moment and preserving the summer. Well done. x

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  20. I don't know if it's about the process or the calories Gina! Y out never fail to amaze me with your culinary expertise. Surely you should be in that GBBO tent???? Soul searching sounds tough. Hope you have found answers.

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  21. I've never tried elderflower anything, and feel I'm missing out now! Glad I'm not the only one with a jam/marmalade archive: every now and then I do a jar count and rearrange them, but we don't really eat it quick enough these days. Still have some hedgerow jelly from 4 years ago. It's only good as a cold remedy, tastes foul (bitter) - but we don't really get colds frequently enough to get through that either!

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  22. You have been. Use! Very pretty cupcake holders too. I have elder growing in my back garden so no excuse not to make cordial this year! X

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