Baking warms the home....

....and the hearts! It's turned into a really cold Autumn here or I'm really becoming 'Aussiefied' and finding temperatures that I once would have thought nothing of now shiveringly cold. Anyway, the coolness is a really good excuse to spend time in the kitchen baking and of course, warming the house!

This week I've used 2 recipes, one new and the other familiar but both had the house smelling wonderful. The new recipe is for a very dark and sticky gingerbread and comes all the way from Scotland from Rita who spends some of her time on Violet's Pantry, the foodie forum where I also hang out. This recipe is from her mother and is so easy that I love it! The gingerbread turns all glossy and sticky overnight and I have the feeling that it won't last long!

Very Dark and Sticky Gingerbread

Melt the following ingredients-: 1/2 pint of milk 5ozs dark soft brown sugar 2tbsp treacle 2tbsp syrup 4ozs butter/marg

Cool until barely warm then add

2 beaten eggs and then

1/2lb S.R Flour 1/2 teasp bicarb. soda 1tbsp each ginger, cinnamon, and mixed spice and a pinch of salt.

This makes one 2lb and one 1lb loaf, line the tins.

Bake for 75 mins @ gas 4/ 180c / 350f

This is even better if you can resist cutting it for a day or two.

Now, these Mincemeat Wedges are absolutely wonderful and hit the mark when I fancy a mince pie but don't want to be making pastry. I got the recipe from Maria, who is one half of the inspiration behind Sweet and Simple Bakes, the monthly baking challenge that I try to join in with. If you want to find inspiration for loads of lovely bakes then do go to her blog, the link is up on the right hand side, just look for The Goddess's Kitchen. It's a wonderful place to go and drool too!

Mincemeat Wedges

Makes 12

Ingredients

225g/8oz/2 cups self-raising wholemeal flour

75g/3oz/6 tbsp unsalted butter, diced

75g/3oz/⅓ Demerara sugar

1 egg, beaten

115g/4oz/ ⅓ cup good quality mincemeat

6oml/4 tbsp milk

crushed brown or white sugar cubes or a mixture, for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 200oC/400oF/Gas 6. Line the base of a 20cm/8in round sandwich tin and lightly grease the sides. Put the flour in a bowl, add the diced butter and rub in with your fingertips just until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.Stir in the Demerara sugar, egg and mincemeat. Add enough milk to mix to a soft dough. Spread evenly in the prepared tin and sprinkle generously with the crushed sugar. Bake for about 20 minutes until firm and golden. Cool in the tin, then cut into wedges to serve.

The smell in the house is almost festive and has me really looking forward to the long weekend that we're taking the kids on in July when we hope to do Christmas in July in a fantastic mountain lodge at Turon Gates, but I'm sure you'll hear more of that as time goes on!