Let the Christmas baking begin!!! :) Mince pies!!!

Hi everyone!! :) This post will have to be a quickee today...the reason for this being that the industriousness of Ganache-Elf in her kitchen today could indeed be equated to Santa's little helpers in Lapland. ;)

And of course I absolutely had to start off my repertoire of seasonal baking with something which would mean that my apron was at risk of being stained with something a litte different than its more usual suspects, chocolate or cocoa, namely. (But rest assured, of course...Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without chocolate, right. And I don't mean just in advent calendars and such like...somehow, I am going to get it into my festive baking as well. ;) This being sticky, fruity mincemeat: notorious for making a mess of Mammy's oven, but with an equally notorious reputation for being so utterly irresistible when enclosed within a casing of buttery, sweet, golden homemade shortcrust pastry...

Now as you might already know, I'm always a little more cautious when it comes to making SHORTCRUST pastry. Which is funny I know as for alot of bakers this is the easier pastry to make. But I get on alot better with choux. Anyway, my point is that the mince pies I made above AREN'T my own recipe so I wouldn't feel right in sharing it, sorry everyone :o but who knows, maybe next time I will formulate my own unique recipe and I won't hesitate to let you in on that one ;)

Now, before I sign off to enjoy my hot choc, my mince pie and my advent calendar chocolate and put my feet up after such a busy day in the kitchen ... I thought I would just give you a quick sneak-peek into what I might be baking in the next few weeks. ;)

• Festive shortbread
• Holly Leaf Gateau
• Christmassy cookies!!
• The Biggest Chocolate Log EVER...
• Snowmen Cupcakes
•  Chocolate Biscuit Truffles
• Snowy Brownies

Anyway, snow more blogging for tonight - I promise a more engaging post tomorrow ;) Happy Christmas everyone!! <3 :) xxxxxx

Granny's Lemon Cake :) With a gorgeous topping that's as crunchy and crisp as a frosty Christmas morning! ;)

Another recipe I dedicate to my wonderful granny <3 Lemon cake is, unarguably, one of her favourites - I don't think I have ever known her to decline a slice, even though sometimes she sets me the rather difficult task of cutting the "teeniest" piece - which is not, believe me, easy!! :p

Never fear, I am most certainly going to post some Christmassy recipes this week and next week - how could I call myself the Ganache-Elf if I didn't do so?? ;) - but as the title of this post suggests, this cake certainly has a wintry kind of touch to it. Even more so when you bake it on a cold December afternoon, so that you can enjoy it with a hot mug of tea sitting by a roaring log fire with the fairy lights twinkling and those Christmas tunes that you've heard about a hundred times at this stage floating gaily from the radio. <3

Ahh...for me, Christmas sure is about memories and ritual, loved ones coming together, chocolate overdose (especially this year..Ganache-Elf is most certainly going to release her inner chocaholic ;) ), and, of course, baking. At this magical time of year, many of us like to make that extra bit of effort and take some time to prepare something truly special in their very own kitchen. And alongside the roast turkey and the ham and the brussel sprouts...we have all those delicious, utterly irresistible baked delights. Mince pies, shortbread and Christmas biscuits, the Yule log, Christmas cake and Christmas pudding. Would you agree with me in saying that Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without baking? ;) 

And of course, Christmas has another significance for me in regard to baking. For it was in Christmas 2008 that my baking journey truly began in earnest. The culinary endeavours that took place within the Snelgrove household that particular December were what first inspired me to explore the world of baking for myself.

But anyway, onto how to make this truly scrumptious, exceedingly lemony sponge. It's as light as a feather and beautifully moist, and only takes a little time to put together and bake. Try to use a fresh juicy lemon for this recipe - if your lemon isn't very juicy you might need to squeeze half of another one. :)

• 125 g margarine, softened
• 180 g golden/white caster sugar
• 175 g self-raising flour
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 4 tbsp full-fat milk
• 1 large lemon
• 125 g granulated sugar

1. Grease a 7 inch/18 cm deep round cake tin and line the base with a piece of baking paper. 
2. Finely grate the zest off the lemon and squeeze out the juice.
3. preheat the oven to 180 c/160 c.
4. Soften the margarine in a bowl with an electric mixer and then add the caster sugar, the eggs, the flour, the baking powder and the milk. 
5. Whisk for about 2 minutes until smooth and well-blended, then stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, before resuming mixing for another minute.
6. Fold in the lemon zest with a large metal spoon. Transfer the cake batter into the prepared cake tin.
7. Bake for about 35 - 40 minutes, until well risen, golden, and cooked. Test by inserting a skewer into the centre of the cake - it should come out clean and not sticky with wet cake batter.
8. When the cake is almost cooked, make the topping: mix the granulated sugar with the lemon juice in a bowl. When you remove the cake from the oven, make a couple of little holes in the top with a skewer (if you haven't done so already when you tested it :) ), and then pour over the sugary topping. 
9. Leave to cool in the tin, then when it's completely cold remove from the tin and place on a plate. 
10. Eat on its own with a fork or maybe even have some for pudding with cream or warm custard... <3 simple, but exquisite. Lemon cake has to be one of those classics which will never go out of fashion. :)

In September 2006, a little girl became sick.

September 2006.

That's the month I started secondary school.

That's the month when it all began.

That's the month when a small, blonde-haired, shy, quiet twelve-year-old girl entered a world entirely different from the one she once knew. Her relationship with food was, from that point onwards, altered forever; as was her own attitudes to her own body and her diet. And then, of course, her mind became sick...sick with the mental illness that we all term as an eating disorder. That girl, of course, was me.

I thought about this alot over the past few days...and I think these are a few of the things that triggered my eating disorder...which allowed those tiny, but destructive seeds to be sown in my mind, which would grow and strengthen as time passed, blocking out the light of all the goodness, forcing all my other thoughts, motives, and emotions to bend into submission to its heartless, cruel, merciless demands. And just like that big weed in the garden which chokes the life out of its victims struggling to grow alongside it...so too did my ED consume and suffocate me, my enjoyment of life, every chance I had at happiness.

When I went to secondary school...it was like I became super-conscious of myself, the people around me, what they were eating, what I was eating, what the media and dr this and professor that said you should and should not eat. 

One distinct memory I have...was sitting in home economics class and learning about the food pyramid, diets, healthy eating and so forth. As I sat there alone a strange, unpleasant feeling of unease began to creep up my spine and the words of my teacher who was reading out loud to us became faint and muffled in my ears as I became absorbed in anxious thought. Oh...God... I don't eat like that. I eat so unhealthily...I'm going to become like...like that. The obese lady  in the photo at the bottom of the page stared out at me sadly, as if to say, in joint sympathy, I know, I know, darling. I know what it is like to feel bigger than everyone else.

Suddenly, everyone - my classmates, the senior girls above me, even my own sister. Suddenly they all became, in my head, slimmer than me. Suddenly I was the chubby, ugly one,  who stuck out like a sore thumb in a crowd of elegant, attractive, and of course slim girls. Another sharp memory I had was getting off the bus with my sister one Monday. Liz saw one of her friends and quickened her step in order to catch up with her, leaving me trailing behind at a short distance. But this wasn't what disconcerted me. I couldn't tear my eyes away from Liz's legs. Look at Liz...she is so slim...her legs are like matchsticks compared to mine! Which wasn't true, of course.

I was convinced that I was unhealthy. That my diet - which was pretty much the same as to what I ate in primary school - was one which needed to be modified, drastically. One day - I can't remember exactly when - I decided that enough was enough. I had to, and was going to, change...everything.

Something was going to have to give.

Izzy's 5 positive things challenge!! :) Day 5! :)

Today I am going to share with you 5 of my goals.

I know from experience...when you become sick with an eating disorder, you become detached from real life in many ways; as everything you think and do is, really, centred around food. Your whole life, your daily routines, your plans for the future...for me anyway, all of these were constructed around the habits and behaviour practices established by my eating disorder. I would plan my day around restriction and false appearances and exercise. I never really thought about the future much because my head was always so preoccupied with thoughts of what I would continue to do in order to maintain my low weight and eradicate any chances of weight gain.

Instead of waking up on any particular morning when I was sick and thinking, say, "I'm going to aim today to get lots of study done, and then I'll have plenty of free time at the weekend to spend with my family." or maybe: "this week I'm going to try and get some research into what career choices I might have an interest in." ...instead of that sort of thing, my first immediate thought on awaking would be one of anxiety and apprehension. What would I do today to ensure I would eat as little as possible? Would someone pick up on what I was doing...would my secret be blown?

But now I see the error of my ways...now I clearly see and acknowledge just how much these ED thoughts dominated my mindset and essentially prevented me from allowing myself to dream, to have goals that I would love to achieve.

1. To recover. To be completely and wholly free from my ED. To be able to enjoy food again and to eat the foods I love without guilt or anxiety. 
2. To enter both the Irish and British Bake-Offs and make it onto TV (hahaha... well a girl is allowed to dream. ;)
3. To travel, to see the world...to go to all the places I have read of or heard about and experience them for myself...to be able to walk upon the sands of the Sahara and feel the grains between my toes. To be able to climb the rocky expanses of the Scottish highlands and gaze at the beautiful, desolate wildness of the landscape all about me. To scramble amongst the ruins of the Pantheon and wade in the waters of the Pacific. 
4. To be able to walk again. To hike and climb mountains and explore all those spectacular natural gems of my home country and beyond.
5. To have my own bakery...with me as the head baker of course. ;)

Izzy's 5 positive things challenge!!! :) Day 4

Day 4....ahh, yes. The tricky one...for me anyway. The list today involves 5 things you like about yourself appearance wise. This was a difficult thing for me to write.
 For since my ED first developed all those years ago...the relationship I have had with my own body has been far from ideal.
 Almost every day when I was in the control of my ED, I would awake and look in the mirror and hate what I saw. Hating, but being too scared the change. Hating, but not realising that if I just faced my fears and made that decision to take that step...that I would look miles, miles better. But no. My ED told me that if you put on weight, you will look even more repellent than you already are...

But now, as I stand at this crucial moment of recovery, I need to recognise that I am not ugly, I am not fat, I do not look as awful as my ED always told me that I was.

No... I know that I can be pretty. All I need to do now is gain the weight I need. And then let the inner beauty hidden within begin to shine. :)

And this should apply for EVERYONE. Human beings are beautiful creatures.
And though I know how enormously difficult it is...I believe we must all strive to accept and love our bodies.

So if you have just 5 minutes today...(or even less than that ;) ) - take the time to smile in the mirror and see your body as it really is. The human body is AMAZING...have you ever stopped to consider that? Think about it....the tens of thousands of miniscule cells that make up this one incredible, complex, and beautiful organism that is YOU.

You are beautiful. Just open your eyes and see it and realise it. :)

And then maybe make a list (and don't feel like you have to stop at 5!!! ) like mine below. :)

1. My hair. I've always had it relatively long - in my school days up till I was 18 I had it hip length :o but then I cut it to my shoulder and it's grown back. A few people have asked me is that its natural colour. It is. I love the way it curls slightly after I wash it and the blonde highlights I get in it in the summertime. :)
2. My smile. :) I try to smile as much as I can. Just one smile, I believe, is such a beautiful little thing on anyone's face. 
3. My neck. 
4. My eyelashes - they are actually quite long for such a small person. :p
5. My eyes. I've been told they are kind and sincere. :) I sort of would have liked to have green eyes like my Mam, but I have my Daddy's blue-grey ones. But I like them anyway. :)

Izzy's 5 positive things challenge! :) Day 3

Day 3 of the positive challenge!!! This is all about 5 things you want to get better at....and which you CAN get better at if you just believe in yourself and never give up!! ;)

1. Making pastry...Out of all the different areas of baking it is probably pastry which I have the least experience of.
2. Shopping...haha. seriously though, I am a USELESS shopper. Especially when it comes to buying myself clothes. 
3. Taking care of myself...this is an important one, I know. As I think, one of my talents is caring for other people...but when it comes to looking after myself and my own body...that is something which I now know that I must work on.
4. Knitting...as you might recall from my previous post...scarves I may indeed specialise in, but apart from that, I haven't yet made any other explorations in the wonderful wooly world of knitting. This year though I am determined to make a wooly hat (in compliance with my brother's demands. ;) )
5. Being more positive..and this little challenge is really proving a big help with that! ;)

Izzy's 5 positive things challenge!! :) Day 2

Day 2 of Izzy's brilliant blog challenge! Today is about 5 things that you are good at.
Now I know myself - I am extremely self-critical. Always am, always have been; and I guess that isn't going to change too soon. So it took me a while to come up with these. But that's what this challenge is all about. We all need to recognise that each and every one of us has a talent for something and that we are all special and unique in our own little individual way. :)

So 5 things that the Ganache-Elf is good at!! :) heehee any prizes for guessing what the first one will be? ;)

1. Baking and cooking...of course ;) and ganache-making, bread-kneading, cookie dough bowl cleaning , etc. ;) 
2. Looking after furry and feathered friends; and all the delightful and not-so-delightful tasks that this involves. (scratching Benny's tummy, presenting the doggies with their made dinners and nearly being balled over in the process, clearing up after Maisy (ahem. need I say any more. ;)
3. Knitting scarves...is there ANYONE I know who doesn't have a hand-knitted scarf made by me? ;) (and if you don't yet, well I'm guessing you already know what that soft package from me contains... ;)
4. Talking and listening to my loved ones and my friends; and always being ready to offer an attentive ear, a shoulder to cry on, or as big a hug as my tiny arms are capable of giving. <3
5. Drinking hot chocolate. There's a certain art to the consumption of hot choc which I most certainly have mastered. ;) And the dunking of biccies into said hot choc of course. ;)

And you know, having written that, I actually could think of other things that I am, well, not too bad at. me, the girl who constantly accused herself of being useless, worthless, and completely inept at everything. 

So stop bringing yourself down!! And if you are very modest and can't think of anything, ask the people around you...I bet they will be able to see the talents and skills you undeniably have, but are unable to perceive for yourself. ;)

Everyone is unique; everyone has their own distinctive talents, abilities, strengths and skills. So ignore that voice which tells you you are not worth it, that you are good at nothing and bad at everything, and that is the way it has always been and always will be. That voice is WRONG. The world has made a place for you and wants you to take it, and to grab life with both hands and scream with joy as you do so. So smile today and realise...you are SO worth it.  You are irreplaceable... there is only one YOU. ;)