True to form, Illinois went straight from summer to winter. A week ago I was wearing shorts and a sleeveless blouse to work. Today, corduroy slacks and a lovely cashmere sweater I found at the thrift store for a mere $8. To keep from getting too cold on the bike, I wrapped a scarf around my neck, pulled on a fleece jacket, and covered my head and ears with my favorite slouchy beanie. Once I started out, I decided to just ride to the transit center in Uptown and hop on the bus. I like having that option available to me if I want. This afternoon the wind was still blowing cold out of the north, but the sun was shining and warmed my back for the ride home from the transit center.
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| Waiting for the bus -- season's first snow |
Just four days ago snow fell for most of the afternoon. I was sitting in a meeting at work and looked out the windows to see the first flakes of the season. An hour later when I left for home, fat, wet flakes fell. Like today, I'd ridden to the transit center then caught the bus to work, so the last leg of my way home was me on the bike, being pelted by these huge snowflakes. It was absolutely beautiful, though, riding the trail through the snowfall. I rounded the curve at the Y and headed towards the wooden bridge, and the scene was simply magical. I can't remember the last time we had snowfall in October, and I'm wondering if this is any indication of what kind of winter we've got in store.
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| My first Yorkshire pudding attempt |
For the past two months I've been happily binging The Great British Baking Show. I love how the amateur bakers take on the challenges. It seems like they all become very close throughout the competition, and it's just nice to see the friendships developing. I finally decided to give some of the baking a go to see exactly what they were making, so the first thing I tried was Yorkshire pudding. All went well, but I definitely used too much lard in the tins. I bought some really good roast beef and Swiss cheese to pair with the Yorkshire pudding, and I made horseradish sauce to go on top. It all was quite yummy.
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| Spongecake |
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It was yummy, but I broke my favorite plate
after eating this piece :( |
After the Yorkshire pudding I tried making a sponge cake. I do think I need to invest in a good scale if I'm going to bake. It seems weighing the ingredients might be a better way to accurately measure out what is needed. The cake turned out okay, but since I've never had a sponge cake, I really have nothing to compare it to. I have no idea if my cake was the way it was supposed to be. One goof I made was not letting the chocolate icing cool and thicken before putting it on the cake. The cake had cooled nicely, but the icing was too think and basically dripped off the sides. Despite this, Angel Baby and I enjoyed eating it.
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| Fresh from the oven orange-cranberry scones |
Of all my baking attempts, the orange-cranberry scones are by far my favorite. I've been making these for several years, and they always turn out delicious. I stopped icing and instead just sprinkle sugar on top, and every time they just melt in my mouth. Yesterday, after cycling up to the lake and back, my feet numb from the cold by the time I got back home, I sat in the kitchen and munched on two scones. They may not have thawed out my frozen piggies, but they definitely made my taste buds and tummy feel very satisfied.
After writing about all of these yummy baked goods, I'm kind of wanting to go make something or at the very least eat something. I know where a couple of scones are still wrapped snuggly under a kitchen towel.
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