Too Many Dishes

The day started dim and foggy when I went to let the chooks out. It weirdly seemed to get darker as the day went on instead of lighter! I posted the photo to facebook and mentioned this, when a friend asked me if I had slept the whole day and mistakenly woke at dusk. I am not known for my enthusiasm for mornings so fair question! (This friend is the one who helpfully and unfailingly asks if I have wet the bed if she sees me online before 8am – nice….) 😀

So – best cheer ourselves out of the gloom by lighting a fire and baking a chocolate cake!

I also made another mad chicken smash for the girls – I cooked some more of the old potatoes in a soup mix I had found out of date in the pantry, along with some noodles. I put it all on the fire to cook while I was doing other things. Why use electricity when we had the fire going anyway?

I also had a pineapple to cut & slice. I bought a real one since tinned pineapples seems either impossible to find, or if you find it, its a tin at half size for double the cost!

By this stage I had already done a few rounds of dishes – we don’t have a dishwasher, so I kept washing up as I was going along.

Then because I hadn’t done enough dishes, I decided to wash and de-label all these little jars

Best place to dry them was in front of the fire – along with a few pumpkin seeds I was saving.

My idea for the little jars instead of throwing them into the recycle bin, was to fill them with seeds and make them look ‘cute’ for the market stall (If I ever get to go back again!)

I also baked some of the pumpkin that I cut into the other day and later made it into soup

More dishes!! Who else hand washes their dishes?? I still have some sitting there leftover from having dinner and I am in no mood to do more before bed!

I am totally hoping the weather clears tomorrow so I can escape the house and do some outdoor stuff!

My Favourite Chocolate Cake Recipe

Ingredients:

1&1/3 cups Plain (all purpose) flour

1 teaspoon bicarb soda

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 cup caster sugar

1 cup buttermilk (you can substitute a tablespoon of lemon juice and top up with milk, mix and leave for a few minutes)(That is my money-saving tip of the day) 🙂

2 eggs

125gms (4.4oz) Butter, melted, cooled.

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Chocolate Icing Ingredients

1&1/3 cups icing sugar

1&1/2 tablespoons cocoa

20g butter room temperature

Method:

Preheat oven to 180C (350F) and grease & line a cake pan (20cm diameter- 6cm deep)

Sift flour, bicarb, cocoa powder into bowl, stir in sugar

In a separate jug, combine butter, vanilla, buttermilk and beaten eggs

Make a well in the flour mixture and pour in buttermilk mix.

Using electric mixer, beat until thick and creamy.

Pour into prepared cake tin

Bake for 40-45 minutes

Icing.

Combine ingredients and mix in a small amount of hot water to make into smooth paste and spread on cake.

Enjoy!

PS occasional extras via my facebook page!